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July 30, 2005
Playing Doctor
I've been complaining about being exhausted, running slower, and overall lethargy a lot recently, and it all culminated today on my run with Becky. She was in town visiting, and I was really looking forward to running with her for ~3 hours and really catching up. We met at 6:15 to run some stealth miles before meeting with our group at Iwo Jima and then departing on our own route, through Georgetown up Rock Creek Park. I immediately felt out of breath, which I attributed to the humidity and carrying my frozen Camelbak. I ditched the Camelbak and carried a bottle of water and Gatorade instead. That felt better for a bit, but I could just tell it wasn't going to be my day. If it weren't for Becky, I would have stopped much sooner because my hips were tight, my heart rate was way high for the easy pace we were going, and I felt all around like doo doo (so eloquent). But I didn't want to ruin her run, and we ended up with 2:30. Afterward, we went to Whole Foods and enjoyed Jamba Juices and muffins outside. I miss her soooo much and hope she and Matt move back to DC after grad school!
When I got home, I crashed for an hour, and then R. and I had lunch at our favorite sushi buffet. Did I mention they brought kimchee back? That and the new cold buckwheat noodle soup are my favorites. Anyway, before lunch R. (who studies health/medicine as a hobby and was an EMT) took my heart rate and blood pressure. The latter was normal but my heart rate was kind of high for not having exercised in a few hours. We talked about my training and what I've been eating, and after I did some quick research on the internet, I've concluded that I have anemia. Now, I was diagnosed in 1997, but it hasn't hit me this bad since then. The symptoms were similar but I wasn't exercising nearly as much then. It seemed such a distant memory. One website said: "In the first stages of iron deficiency, the athlete's performance begins to decline. The athlete may complain of burning thighs and nauseas from becoming anaerobic. Ice craving is also common." No burning thighs this time but definitely everything else. I eat ice like it's going out of style; it'd be a miracle if all my teeth don't fall out. My times this summer have been getting slower (forget the heat), despite the fact that I'm in better shape than last year. Another website mentioned "spells of fast heartbeat and breathlessness in training." Absolutely! My doctor in '97 gave me a pamphlet that also listed dirt cravings. Luckily, I haven't had those because I don't think dirt is part of a healthy diet.
I feel slightly comforted now knowing what ails me (I think). After the run, I briefly considered abandoning my training plan and switching to lower mileage/more quality, but I'd really prefer to finish out Pfitzinger's deal. If it doesn't work for me, of course I'd be disappointed, but then I could switch gears. No need to be hasty. I will attempt to be more diligent about taking iron, eating iron-rich foods, monitoring how I feel after my period, and cutting back some miles if I continue to feel breathless/lethargic or worse. Granted, I already forego the latter if I do the sprint triathlon tomorrow, but I figure it's a low key one with a pool swim that I can take real easy. And after that, then I'll try to make myself take a couple days completely off. Just thinking about unwanted days off makes me antsy.
Before I go pick up our pepperoni and basil pizza, I swam a mile last night. I never really counted biking or swimming as activities that would deplete me of much (it's cross training after all, right?), but it seems that endurance sports *period* adversely affect red blood cell count. I guess more so after multiple long workouts in a day. Ah, it's always a learning process. We'll see where my body takes me from here.
Posted by Leilani at 08:03 PM | Comments (4)
July 28, 2005
Tired and unethused
Anyone got cheese to go with my whine? After the half marathon on Sunday, a threshold run on Monday, and my sleep schedule being thrown off by shift work, I think I sufficiently beat my body up and it seems to want to do nothing more than to sleep and not run (for once). I thought about calling in sick to work today, but I feel guilty about ever doing that unless I’m *really* sick.
My legs were so sore on Tuesday that R. and I just went swimming. I swam a little over a mile, in sets of six laps. As usual, it took me a while to warm up, but then I enjoyed pushing myself that involved other muscles than my legs. In the next lane over, I was inspired by a ~10 year old girl who was swimming with her brother and being coached by their dad. The dad was being particularly tough on their technique, though I couldn’t understand what he was saying because it was in Chinese or Korean. The girl took it all in and resumed to hammering out fast laps with perfect form. I admired her intensity and focus and thought “Now that’s what makes champions.”
Yesterday, my legs were still tired and sore and I was utterly exhausted. Though I made an attempt to run 14 miles, I only made it 6 miles before I admitted that it was doing me more harm to push myself in that state. Instead I lifted arms and did my push ups/pull ups only for a bit, since my arms were tired from pulling hard during the swim.
I don’t know what I’m going to do today for a workout, but it likely won’t be what’s on my schedule. I’ve got a 20-mile run on Saturday and a sprint triathlon this weekend, and I want to feel fresh going in.
Posted by Leilani at 09:32 AM | Comments (3)
July 25, 2005
Playing catch up again
Last week ended up being so busy in the evenings that I didn't get a chance to update my blog, and after getting only 4-5 hours of sleep a couple times, I simply crashed on the weekend. Ahhhh, and it was nice. I rarely get to sleep in until 8am on a Saturday.
Hmm, so where do I begin? Well, I racked up 59 miles last week, which is the most I’ve run in 3 1/2 years due to miscellaneous injuries, illnesses, and a deployment overseas. The great thing is that I'm (mostly) pain-free and have no dead legs (like last winter). So, even though I'm not running as fast I'd like, I'm definitely healthier. I hope to keep it that way by exercising some self-discipline and sticking to my training plan, despite the fact that I desperately want to add more speed work. I was brooding when I started writing this entry, but I decided to have a "glass is half full" attitude when I thought about the big picture and where I was last summer (injured).
I was feeling sorry for myself because I ran a slow half marathon on Sunday. I won't say "race" because it wasn't something I had planned for, as I was expecting my best friend in town, but I still hoped to run faster since the weather was cooler. The run was in Potomac, Maryland, a rural part of the DC Metro area with massive, gorgeous estate homes and horse farms and finished on the C&O Canal. It was a hilly course and my hips were still tight from lifting legs on Thursday, especially my right piriformis. I had to walk and stop to stretch a couple times because the pain was so sharp, just as I had experienced at Austin Marathon. It was frustrating because I didn't run most of last summer due to this injury and here it reared its ugly head again. It gets torqued from hills and faster paces. I've got a appointment with a new chiropractor who does ART in a couple weeks, so maybe she can help me figure this out.
I'll run through the rest of last week, quick-like so I can do some school work before bedtime.
Wednesday, July 20
11 miles med-long: I've started taking a couple of weekday runs indoors with the justification that I'd get a better workout on the treadmill than slogging in the 100% humidity. I felt decent but got very hungry at mile 8. I kept orange smoothie gummy snacks with me, which was a real lifesaver.
Thursday, July 21
8 miles general aerobic, lift legs, abs/push ups/pull ups: My calves felt stiff until I warmed up on the treadmill. I got bored, so I mixed up the incline (up to 3%) and gradually picked up the pace after mile 4. I did step ups afterward, which I haven't done in a while, and were likely the culprit of a bad run on Sunday.
Friday, July 22
off: R. and I had planned to swim but we decided to finish watching War of the Worlds instead. It's too easy to forego a workout when I work the late shift on Friday.
Saturday, July 23
5 miles recovery & swim with C.: It was warm and sunny but not as humid. Whoo hoo! My hamstrings and hips were extremely tight from lifting on Thursday, which forced me to go real easy. It's been a while since I swam with C., and she offered up some things for me to work on - head position, flat elbow, and my skewed left hand. I only plan to do one more tri this season since fall marathon is my focus, but I want to keep working on my form with her. She's an awesome coach.
Sunday, July 24
13.1 miles & 2 miles warm up, 2 miles cool down on the C&O Canal
Monday, July 25
11 treadmill miles & lift legs: My legs stiffened up real nice as the day went on, just in time for my run. I warmed up for 3 miles, and the plan was to do 6 miles faster, but I had to break it up into three-2 mile chunks with a half mile easy because my legs were too pooped. But I figured it best to stack the hard runs and leg lifting session together, since the lactic acid is typically worse in the 48 hours after a race, at least for me.
Gosh, this entry was all over the place, which pretty much summed up the week. I do feel more organized and I can finally seek my desk again, so I'm making progess!
Posted by Leilani at 11:10 PM | Comments (2)
July 19, 2005
Slow as molasses
I thought I felt prepared to push both mentally and physically to run a decent time at tonight's club 8k. But it was not to be. I warmed up for 3 miles on the course and felt fine even with the humidity. I thought about feeling strong on the hills and where I would pick up the pace on the return trip. The start was comical (afterward, that is) because we were waiting and swating in a humungous cloud of gnats - one got caught in my throat right as we started. I ran slower with the plan to gradually pick up the pace, but I only started to feel worse - sluggish and slow. An older man who I beat at the last two races kicked my butt, two weeks after running a marathon up a mountain. That was humbling. I shouldn't complain, though. R. had an especially rough race because he donated blood (double red) a few days ago and wasn't completely recovered. He said that he felt like he hit the wall at mile 1.5. Yeesh. After the race and making sure R. was okay, I cooled down for 2 miles - making it 10 for the day.
I'm frustrated with myself, of course, but all I can do is train as hard as I can and hope that this summer of suffering will pay off come October. I don't think I'll beat my 7:36 marathon PR pace, I hate to admit it, but I need to be honest with myself. I will use my late summer half marathons to gauge what I hope to run at Chicago, and I'll just keep chipping away until I can attain my goals. The challenge and love of the sport will definitely keep me coming back (and putting off other things like the triathlon). I keep eyeballing the JFK 50 mile website too, but we'll have to see about that. How much punishment do I want to inflict upon myself this year?
Other workouts....yesterday, I ran 8 easy miles and swam one mile - 5 laps warm up, 5 x 5 laps with one minute rest, and the last two laps (at 25m intervals) at full "sprint". This morning, I lifted upper body and a teeny bit of lower body.
I do have some positive career news that I'll share at some point, but for now, I must finish up some work and get to bed before I turn into a pumpkin!
Posted by Leilani at 11:40 PM | Comments (5)
July 17, 2005
Weather gets in the way, again and again
According to my training schedule, this week was supposed to be a "Recovery" week. But I ended up switching out weeks again because last week I only got in 40 miles (too many commitments on drill weekend) and didn't want another lower mileage week.
Thursday I did an easy 7-mile recovery run on Rocky Run trail. My legs felt heavy and my right calf tight at first, but everything eventually loosened up. It was warm but not as humid, for once. On one part of the trail, I had to run over a secluded bridge where 6 men where loitering. In retrospect, I probably should have turned around because it absolutely did not look like a safe situation, but at the time I was just thinking "Look confident, run fast, get past them." I passed without incident and flipped over my wedding rings so you could only see the bands (not the diamonds). I turned around at a park and had to pass through this area again,but the men weren't there anymore. I was still skittish, though, and scanning the woods for any thugs. Even though we live in a safe neighborhood, I'm always conscious of out-of-place situations like that. I ended up pushing the pace for the last mile.
I had to cover the early shift on Friday, so I got out of work at 2pm and went shopping at the Leesburg Premium Outlets. I bought a pair of very nice jeans, two tshirts (that aren't like race shirts: dresses), a silk cardigan set, and two pairs of khakis for R. I wasn't feeling particularly motivated to go to the gym afterward, but I convinced myself that I'd feel better once I had music. I lifted arms and did my core, pull ups, push ups, and a few light leg exercises. The gym was mostly empty, so I guess everyone went to happy hour.
Saturday morning, I skipped out on SLR because everyone is at the Outer Banks this week for the annual beach trip. I decided to save some driving time and do my long run at Burke Lake Park again. It was very hot and humid again at 7:30 (100% by Accuweather's account). I felt fine for the first two loops, but I thought I was running faster than I actually was since I felt light on my feet and my heart rate was up. I finished the second loop with a 1 1/2 minute negative split; then, I started to feel heavy legged as a result on the third loop. I finished that a bit slower but still on a negative. I was absolutely drenched during and after the run, down to my socks and shoes. Disgusting. When I got home, I rode my bike trainer for 30 minutes on a low gear while watching Food Network. It was making me soooo hungry. I weighed myself and realized I lost a ton of water because I was only at 96 lbs...and this was after drinking a bottle of chocolate milk immediately after the run. So, I started pushing more fluids and ate some leftover pasta.
Audrey, Nanda, R. and I met up for dinner and to watch War of the Worlds in Arlington last night. It started out an intense movie, but frustratingly, we never got to see the end because the power went out right in the middle of a nailbiting scene. It was neat because a storm scene was playing the same time thunder, lightning and heavy rain were occuring outside, and at first, we couldn't tell if it was the movie or real storms.
This morning, I ran 3 easy miles that weren't on the schedule. I just felt like it. My legs were heavy and it was so, so humid. I finished up with 6 x 20 second striders in the parking lot, good practice for higher turnover (on the downhill) and power (on the uphill). It's supposed to rain, so we probably won't be able to go on our long ride. That's fine by me since my long "to do" list has only one thing crossed off at this moment.
Posted by Leilani at 10:15 AM | Comments (3)
July 13, 2005
Quick post, it's bedtime
I expected my legs to be sore from lifting yesterday, but they weren't bad at all. They certainly had plenty of energy. Only my right hip/butt and left quad were slightly sore. Today's run was a decent confident booster, since I feel like I haven't been doing enough fast running. I warmed up for 3 miles, ran 6 miles gradually faster (starting at a 8 minute pace and finishing at a 7+ minute pace), and cooled down for 2 miles. And I felt strong afterward, which leads me to believe that maybe I should have run a faster, steady pace. I'll keep that in mind for my next "general aerobic" run.
I also begrudingly swam a mile today. I felt out of pool shape and my right shoulder has hurt on and off since we went to Sandy Point a couple weeks ago, when I did something funny to it while stroking. I warmed up for 5 laps and then did sets of 5 laps. I didn't feel particularly fast or that I was gliding, but hey, I got 'er done. It's so much easier to put my shoes on and go for a run. And my face never feels like I had a face lift afterward. You know, that taut face feeling. My skin is so dry now. Well, time to go to bed so I can do some workout in the AM. Jury's still out on what exactly. Depends how the legs feel.
Posted by Leilani at 11:13 PM | Comments (0)
July 12, 2005
Drill weekend, lead foot, & other random stuff (running too!)
Let me just start with last Thursday, since my previous post was on the 6th. What a whirlwind weekend - craziness! I started out the morning by heading to Burke Lake for an 18 mile long run. My legs were tired but not too bad. It was cooler, not as humid, so I was able to run negative splits on the loops again.
Afterward, I returned home to get ready and do a bit of schoolwork before heading down to Newport News for my monthly Marine Reserves weekend. All was well for the first 45 minutes of the drive and then traffic came to a near screeching halt. We moved like 3 miles in one hour. I despise traffic. It was killing me to sit there wasting time. I learned from R. that I-95 had been shut down due to overturned trucks with hazmat. Crews had to repave the road and it was not expected to open back until after midnight. Wonderful. Once I realized I wasn't moving anywhere fast, I turned back North and decided to wait it out in Garrisonville. I actually got a bunch of errands done, including buying supplies at Staples, depositing checks at the credit union, and finishing a paper and eating dinner at Panera Bread. I then tried to travel a back route but encountered traffic there as well, so at 10 I crashed at a hotel parking lot. I couldn't justify spending money for a room only 45 minutes from home. I woke up at 2am and started on my merry way on another back route because I-95 was still closed, but 13 miles into the drive, a felled tree was blocking the road. Crap!!! By this point, I was exhausted and seriously freaking out because I thought I would be late for my first formation as company commander. A terrible note on which to start, forget the incredible circumstances. So, I had to find another back route with R's help - yes, I did call him at 2:30am (my personal Mapquest). Anyway, I made it there with 15 minutes to spare. Enough time to steal a quick nap and pick up some chocolate milk for breakfast (a healthy and quick one).
Despite feeling like a zombie, drill weekend went off very well. I took the company to the gas chamber and to swim qualifications. I get nervous every year at these events for no good reason. I didn't inhale too much CS gas, thanks to my functioning gas mask (you never know), and several Marines even went in twice. Once is plenty for me! I was a lot more confident at swim qual this year, since my proficiency in the pool has improved. I made it to Level 3, which consists of swimming/jumping off the diving board with a 30-pound pack, load-bearing vest with 2 full canteens, rubber rifle, helmet, boots, and camouflauge uniform. With all the gear, it's impossible to swim front crawl, so you have to use one of the "combat" (really, endurance) strokes. We were all beat at the end of the day. I had intended to run, but I had to write another paper and meet the other battalion officers for dinner. We had a company run on Sunday morning, which the Marines deemed "too fast", but it was hurting my knees to half-step. About half of them fell out, so later I had to lecture about physical fitness translating to mental toughness and they needed to work on it in the event they ended up in Iraq, Afghanistan, or who knows where.
On my way home, I got a reckless speeding ticket. I know, I know, it's dangerous to drive so fast. I was soooo tired and ready to be home, though. Now I have a court date in September in Tappahanock. I just hope I can find that darned place again and that the judge doesn't take away my license. When I got home, I sat on the couch (after some cheap shots from R. about the ticket) and immediately passed out. No run, no dinner...the strenous weekend and drive take a lot out of me.
Fast forward to a new week. I did an 11 mile MLR on Fairfax County Parkway last night. My legs were well rested, but I got a bit dizzy on the return trip from the heat/humidity. I walked, resumed running, then made a bee line for the trees to make a deposit. No toilet paper. :( I felt gross for the first couple minutes of running but then forgot about it. Once I got home, I did 10 x 20 second striders in our parking lot.
Before work this morning, I ran 6 recovery miles on the treadmill, then lifted both upper and lower body. My leg muscles are already feeling sore. My right heel is feeling mostly better today, though. I wanted to swim tonight, but I have a meeting after work. We'll see. So, that's the past few days in a big nutshell. I hope to have some time tonight or tomorrow to catch up with my fellow bloggers!
Posted by Leilani at 05:43 PM | Comments (4)
July 06, 2005
It's the humidity
Yesterday I did my 13 mile medium-long run before work since I had to cover the swing shift and figured that it would be cooler to run in the AM. Unfortunately, Mother Nature did not want to give me that luxury. The humidity was in full force and it was no where near the 60 or 70s, as accuweather.com had predicted. #&%*!!!! I felt sluggish for the first 3 miles and eventually my legs woke up or (my mind) accepted the fact that the conditions weren't going to get any better. I sang songs in my head in the attempt to follow a rhythm and be positive. At the 10 mile point, I picked up some Gatorade from home and then ran 3 more miles. It really wasn't fun, but hey, it was over with. I was in a time crunch, but I took a quick ice bath to refresh my legs, which carried me through the rest of the day and even this morning's run. After work, I went to the gym to lift both upper body and legs, as well as do my core exercises, push ups, and pull ups. I seriously need to get back to my regular lifting routine because not only am I getting these pesky little leg injuries (quad/knee? and achilles) but my arm strength is going down the drain.
This morning, I went for an easy 6 recovery miles on the Rocky Run Stream Trail again. I had to put the brakes on to save my already tired legs for a long run. I have a tendency to run faster on wooded trails because I completely lose myself in a natural, peaceful environment and don't focus so much pacing, pains, other miscellaneous thoughts. Also, the humidity was minimal, which gave me me some extra energy. That was all for exercise today - it was torture to not do anything else. I really wanted to swim. Instead, I had to write a couple agendas and action plans (the Marine Corps birthday ball!) for meetings this weekend and work on an assignment and case for class. I realized just this week that with the compressed summer schedule, we essentially have a 10-page paper due every week. No wonder why I feel so behind all the time.
Posted by Leilani at 10:14 PM | Comments (0)
July 04, 2005
Lousy Long Run & Sandy Point
Happy Independence Day everyone! Hope you're enjoying your barbeques and fireworks. I'm at the office today, but I'm trying to look at it as a positive thing. I can do school work, Reserves planning, and rest up my body. I'd be inclined to exercise all day long if I were sitting around at home. My legs, neck, and back feel slightly beat up after this weekend's workouts, despite a complete day of rest on Friday.
Saturday morning I woke up at 5am to drive out to Arlington early and run 6 stealth (pre-SLR group) miles before everyone arrived. Although the meteorologists had predicted it would be less humid, I wasn't feeling it. My face was drenched within the first few minutes even with an overcast sky. I tried to take it real easy because I had 20 miles on the schedule and the Glover Archibald Trail isn't the easiest of routes to do this on (rocks, roots, hills, etc). Also, I switched around my 4th and 5th Pfitzinger weeks, as I never can get in all the miles with Reserve drill weekend with tending to the Marines' concerns and staying late for meetings with the Colonel and staff. Anyhow, the 6 miles were slow but fine, and I made sure to take a Gu to keep my blood sugar up. When we set out for the remaining 14 miles, I felt like we were going a slow enough long run pace. Yet by the time we came off Glover Archibald and onto Rock Creek Parkway, my legs and breathing were pooped. I couldn't figure out if it was the humidity or the scrambling around rocks and roots or a higher mileage week (than I've done in a while), but it was disheartening. The thoughts that ran through my mind included "What am I doing wrong?" and "I don't want this to be a repeat of the Austin training cycle." and "Maybe I should ditch tri training this season...it's too much with the marathon." I ended up jog-walking a significant portion of the last two miles because my legs felt absolutely dead. I felt like such a loser when I got back to Iwo Jima. I realize that everyone has bad days. I just tend to temporarily catastrophize when I have one until I remember that I do this for fun and love of the sport.
When I got home, I soaked in an ice bath for 20 minutes. I'm actually becoming fond of this ritual and occupy my chilly self with perusing catalogs and playing with my wind up solar radio. Afterward R. and I went to Target to pick up snacks and drinks for our Sunday adventure. This was ten times better than going to the grocery store because everything we wanted and needed was available in 3-4 aisles. Ten minutes flat we were out of there. And then we ate lunch at the sushi buffet. We were ecstatic at the sight of kimchee, which they hadn't had since late last year. I soooooooo wanted to SLN (Saturday Long Nap) when we returned home and was envious of R. and the cats snoozing away, but I needed to work on school projects. I finally finished up ~11pm and called it a night.
Sunday, we were up at 5:30am to pack our bikes and gear and meet up with our SLR friends A., E., and Ri. for an open water swim and road bike at Annapolis, an hour's trip away. Good thing we arrived early, as it was packed to capacity by 9:30 and the park police were turning people away. I had a great time swimming in the Bay, but I still got scared of drowning and had to hold onto R. when I got panicky. The other girls are neophyte triathletes but awesome swimmers and had no problems. We were starving afterward and enjoyed some PBJs, pretzels, and cookies while we prepped our bikes. We had to leave the park to find a suitable place to ride. It was hilly but beautiful and the breeze was so refreshing. I was disappointed later because had we turned another direction, we could have biked around the Naval Academy, which I think is a gorgeous campus. But A. had to get back for an evening party, and R. and I was exhausted anyway. My neck was even tired. I had a hard time holding it up at the dinner table. We had crabs for dinner, rented the movie Sideways, and called it an early night.
I had intended to lift at the gym before work this morning, but my workout schedule and insufficient sleep finally caught up. I slept for 10 hours and could have slept a few more hours. I'm still feeling groggy. Time to stretch and find something to eat.
Posted by Leilani at 12:48 PM | Comments (2)
July 01, 2005
Priority #1: Sleep
Yea, that's my excuse for my mini-absence in blogland. Last weekend was chock-full of exercise and learning more about exercise at the tri clinic with Audrey, so I was darn exhausted by Monday. I completely agreed with Audrey's review of the clinic. Didn't learn anything new on the run portion except maybe to work on increasing my cadence to improve speed. Anyone familiar what concept? The parts that I most benefited from were the tiring changing, competitive biking rules, race talk through, and the little gear pointers. The simulated mass start the six of us did in the pool was the most amusing part of the day. It was hard to motivate myself this week to do double workouts with being so tired and school work, but I snuck in a few and managed to catch up on sleep at the same time.
Sunday, June 26
Bike 23 miles - R. and I bumped into two of our running friends in the 'burbs. It was a nice surprise and we made plans to do an open water swim and bike ride in Annapolis, Maryland for this weekend.
Swim - with coach. I learned today that I've been turning my head too far when breathing, almost to the point where I'm looking behind me. That and I stick my neck out too far underwater, probably a result of working on the computer all day. Now I'm very self-conscious about looking like a duck. Waddle, waddle...
Then, I rushed off to a wonderful outdoor performance of a local musician, Sharif, with my friend S. and her brother. We hadn't seen each other in months and really enjoyed catching up. I was beat when I got home.
Monday, June 27
Run 14 miles - medium long run. I felt okay the first hour, but then I got super hungry and my left quad started aching. My right heel and calf are still tight. More massage, and heat and ice.
Tuesday, June 28
Run 10 miles, including 8k race - This was the second of the summer club races. The course runs through a neighborhood with gorgeous, huger than life homes. Nice sightseeing. However, the disgusting humidity, rolling hills, and fatigued legs from Monday made for very sorry pacing. On a positive note, I didn't go out too fast this time (7:09 first mile) and I mustered a sprint for the last quarter mile.
Wednesday, June 29
Run 6 miles - recovery. Nothing spectactular, on the treadmill.
Lift arms
Swim one mile - 3 warm up 50s, did sets of 5 laps with 1 minute rest between. Aimed for easy effort, not too much kicking.
Thursday, June 30
Bike 30 minutes on indoor trainer at home - Focused on higher rpms, lower gear, instead of power pedaling as I usually do.
Run 6 miles - recovery. R. took me on a new shaded gravel and asphalt trail that he found. It's kind of a hidden treasure near our neighborhood, running along a creek with lots of foilage. It's a welcomed respite from the blacktop courses that comprise most of our weekday runs. My legs were heavy, but running with R. kept my mind off the sluggishness.
Friday, July 1
TGIF!!! I'm taking the day off! I need to finish up my first summer paper after work and get to bed early, so I can do 6 stealth miles before meeting up with the club for 14. Cross my fingers that my achilles will behave on those hills.
Have a happy and safe 4th of July weekend everyone!
Posted by Leilani at 05:54 PM | Comments (2)