Yesterday i was total slacker and did not go to spinning as I had planned. I just turned the alarm off and went back to bed even though I was wide awake. I felt bad about it later on but oh well I guess my body took over and decided it was a rest day. I would have gone in the evening but instead I had way more fun hanging out with friends eating some really good home made enchiladas :)
This morning Col & I took a swim lesson with Eric Preston at 8. We got in the water 20 min before to do some warm up and such. It was good my legs did not feel like they were sinking as badly as a couple days ago. I think I swam about 400yrds - 600yrds - I totally lost count after 300. It was interesting to see the tri class going on a couple lanes down - all guys.
Ok so the lesson recap:
We started with video - which was super scary until we watched it and got to actually see what we were doing. I had good head and arm entry position, good rotation(this is good since I have been working really hard on these for a couple months now). I had a straight elbow through the pull (rather than pulling back I was more pushing down), I'm still not very patient when I'm breathing - I use my left arm to push down to keep my head up. Both things are probably making my shoulder hurt when I swim...
Col looked good to, with good rotation. Her head and arm were a bit high in the water but otherwise good.
He had us start with “skating position” - kicking on the side with one arm out and down at 45 degrees down with the face straght down looking straight down at the pool bottom - other arm resting on side - rolling on to the back to breath - we did this on both our right and left side.
Then “zipper drill” - start in same position as the first drill after a kick or so bring arm that was resting at side up and over with finger tips in water then slide hand into water and forward as you extend that arm at this time pull extended arm down and rotate to the opposite side; pause as you balance and kick on opposite side and repeat.
Next was doing the zipper but with hand in a fist to work on feeling the forearm in the stroke and the “catch” at the beginning of the stroke. I also had to focus on pulling back with my elbows bent.
By the end of the lesson I felt pretty good - it was way less strain on my shoulder when I bent my elbow on the pull. We swam a few 100 yrds to practice what we had worked on so that we could rember it all :)
Nov 30, 2006
Nov 28, 2006
the aftermath
I took yesterday off. The back of my calves were very very sore/tight - I avoided walking because it hurt so much. I did do about 30 min of slow easy stretching but mostly just rested.
Today I felt a lot better - my calves don't hurt as bad and the rest of my body is not very sore at all - every once and a while I find some random sore muscle but I can handle that. Since the weather was so bad this morning I pushed my Pilate's lesson to 1pm - so that the roads would thaw out a bit. I gave my self lots of extra time to get there on time, I was able to loosen up on an elliptical before my lesson. My lesson was good - she had me stretch out a lot which felt wonderful and we focused on building strength on my left side. That along with core strengthening, while keeping my shoulders down and back.. I felt pretty good.
After Pilate's I went and swam for 45 min. I was shocked by how heavy my legs seemed to be, they just sank. lol So I just took it kind of easy and focused on form. I totally lost track of my distance at around 500 yrds so I switch over to just swimming for time. I used the pull buoy quite a bit to give my legs a break - till they felt more tired from holding it between my legs - go figure. I also felt more tired in genreal than I expected but it felt great to get in the water and just swim.
Today I felt a lot better - my calves don't hurt as bad and the rest of my body is not very sore at all - every once and a while I find some random sore muscle but I can handle that. Since the weather was so bad this morning I pushed my Pilate's lesson to 1pm - so that the roads would thaw out a bit. I gave my self lots of extra time to get there on time, I was able to loosen up on an elliptical before my lesson. My lesson was good - she had me stretch out a lot which felt wonderful and we focused on building strength on my left side. That along with core strengthening, while keeping my shoulders down and back.. I felt pretty good.
After Pilate's I went and swam for 45 min. I was shocked by how heavy my legs seemed to be, they just sank. lol So I just took it kind of easy and focused on form. I totally lost track of my distance at around 500 yrds so I switch over to just swimming for time. I used the pull buoy quite a bit to give my legs a break - till they felt more tired from holding it between my legs - go figure. I also felt more tired in genreal than I expected but it felt great to get in the water and just swim.
Nov 26, 2006
Seattle Half Marathon
First off - Thank you to my friend, mentor and the best coach ever Colleen, who ran with me and helped me complete my very first half marathon today. I would not have been able to do it with out her help over the last couple of months and her encouragement today helped me finish with a time I am proud of.
Now on to the race - The day started very early - I woke up at around 4:45am - showered, ate a bagel, and headed over to meet Colleen. It was dark, cold and even snowing on the drive over.. Yeah go figure snow in Seattle. Kyle and Bman stayed and had breakfast while Col and I headed over to the race start, found parking pretty close, figured out if we punched a hole in the clothes check bags we could wear them to stay dry till the start. It was VERY cold (I was shaking uncontrollably) - we went and stretched out a bit in the center house where it was warm and dry. We headed to the start line 5-10 min before the start and lined up. It was a little warmer and some daylight - I ate half a bag of sport beans.
Once the race started it took us a bit to cross the start line/timing mat and we were off. The first mile or so was super crowded and thus slow - it was neat to be running through downtown in the middle of the road. I felt great - more worried about being run over by some one or navigating though the slower people than anything else. The rout then narrowed and went up a ramp on to the express lanes of I-90 which made it more crowded and the roadway was very wet, with a river running down the sides. We also got to run through the tunnel - it was nice to be out of the rain but it was very warm with all the people and everything. I had a gu - which seemed to take me forever to get down - but I needed the energy. We saw Kyle and Bman around mile 5ish or so on Lake Washington Blvd (I think). Col handed off her fuel belt and I gave up my hand warmers. I felt good and we were back on pace for a 2 hr finish time and we kept it till the long hill at mile 8ish. Yuck it was slipper and steep and just bad. I had a really hard time and used a lot of energy getting up that hill - luckily about half way up was my Mom and Jerry were there with a big sign and tons of cheers for me to make it the rest of the way up.Though after that my left leg was kind of tight and I was slowing down.. I kept trying to stay with Col but I would fall back... It never really felt like the road leveled out - either we were running up or down never flat.. So I never really felt like I got any energy back. On the downs my quads and calves hurt, on the up my hamstrings and calves hurt.. I tired really hard to ignore it and just keep going - which I did but not as fast as before. By this time I was slightly behind the 2 hour finish pace so the last mile Col tried to help push me to pick up the pace to meet my goal of 2 hrs. I did ok till the very last steeper hill going under 99 - by the time I got to the "flats" I was tired.. The last quarter mile was really hard and I just wanted to finish. Kyle, Bman and Futa were near the entrance to the stadium and my mom was just inside. I tried to run faster but I was only able to step it up like a half a gear - but I tired.
My final chip time was 2:01:49 - the clock time was 2:03:00.
The guys had our dry clothes and we got some food before we headed to breakfast.
To be honest initially I was really disappointed in myself not being able to pick up the pace so that I would have made it in 2 min earlier. When I came back to reality I did good and I'm very happy with what I was able to do. It was the first time I have ever run that far with so many hills and bad weather. I tried my best and I can be proud of that :) Best of all now I know can do it and where I stand. If I keep up my training and continue to get stronger it is just a matter of time before it will be easy :)
Now on to the race - The day started very early - I woke up at around 4:45am - showered, ate a bagel, and headed over to meet Colleen. It was dark, cold and even snowing on the drive over.. Yeah go figure snow in Seattle. Kyle and Bman stayed and had breakfast while Col and I headed over to the race start, found parking pretty close, figured out if we punched a hole in the clothes check bags we could wear them to stay dry till the start. It was VERY cold (I was shaking uncontrollably) - we went and stretched out a bit in the center house where it was warm and dry. We headed to the start line 5-10 min before the start and lined up. It was a little warmer and some daylight - I ate half a bag of sport beans.
Once the race started it took us a bit to cross the start line/timing mat and we were off. The first mile or so was super crowded and thus slow - it was neat to be running through downtown in the middle of the road. I felt great - more worried about being run over by some one or navigating though the slower people than anything else. The rout then narrowed and went up a ramp on to the express lanes of I-90 which made it more crowded and the roadway was very wet, with a river running down the sides. We also got to run through the tunnel - it was nice to be out of the rain but it was very warm with all the people and everything. I had a gu - which seemed to take me forever to get down - but I needed the energy. We saw Kyle and Bman around mile 5ish or so on Lake Washington Blvd (I think). Col handed off her fuel belt and I gave up my hand warmers. I felt good and we were back on pace for a 2 hr finish time and we kept it till the long hill at mile 8ish. Yuck it was slipper and steep and just bad. I had a really hard time and used a lot of energy getting up that hill - luckily about half way up was my Mom and Jerry were there with a big sign and tons of cheers for me to make it the rest of the way up.Though after that my left leg was kind of tight and I was slowing down.. I kept trying to stay with Col but I would fall back... It never really felt like the road leveled out - either we were running up or down never flat.. So I never really felt like I got any energy back. On the downs my quads and calves hurt, on the up my hamstrings and calves hurt.. I tired really hard to ignore it and just keep going - which I did but not as fast as before. By this time I was slightly behind the 2 hour finish pace so the last mile Col tried to help push me to pick up the pace to meet my goal of 2 hrs. I did ok till the very last steeper hill going under 99 - by the time I got to the "flats" I was tired.. The last quarter mile was really hard and I just wanted to finish. Kyle, Bman and Futa were near the entrance to the stadium and my mom was just inside. I tried to run faster but I was only able to step it up like a half a gear - but I tired.
My final chip time was 2:01:49 - the clock time was 2:03:00.
The guys had our dry clothes and we got some food before we headed to breakfast.
To be honest initially I was really disappointed in myself not being able to pick up the pace so that I would have made it in 2 min earlier. When I came back to reality I did good and I'm very happy with what I was able to do. It was the first time I have ever run that far with so many hills and bad weather. I tried my best and I can be proud of that :) Best of all now I know can do it and where I stand. If I keep up my training and continue to get stronger it is just a matter of time before it will be easy :)
Nov 24, 2006
one day to go
Today I did my last short run before the Seattle Half on Sunday. I was a little scared to go since my foot has been bothering me but go figure once I got out there it felt just fine. I had pt this morning - just doing ultrasound, stretching, massage and ice no exercises. They really froze it though made me super cold for over an hour afterwards. lol Once I warmed up and talked to Col - who said I should still get out and move my legs. Since I always do what she says (lol) I went for a 27 min run from the house. I avoided all the concrete sidewalk in favor of asphalt. I also did four 25 second pick ups. It was super cold and a bit windy but I just took it easy and focused on loosening up my legs. The only thing was that my left ankle was a bit tight.
Luckily afterwards I had a massage which focused on loosening up my legs and back - she only harped on my shoulder a little bit. After a nap Kyle and I went to pick up the race packets for Col & I and check out the expo. Since we both LOVE sports clothing we did a little bit of damage at the expo. I got a new blue running hat, a blue shirt and jacket that I will wear on Sunday :) Kyle got a bunch of shirts. I made dinner (I know shocking) of a salad with avocados, pasta and a liter of water.
I have been thinking about what I will eat tomorrow and for breakfast on Sunday. Tomorrow meal plan:
breakfast - oatmeal with raisins, oj
snack - yogurt smoothly with fruit & granola
lunch - pasta with veggies
snack - half bagel with pj or cream cheese
dinner - cream of wheat
drink total of 1 gal of water
Sunday early morning I will have an ensure shake and some toast with cream cheese
Tomorrow is all about resting and staying off my feet and doing a bit of stretching to stay loose.
Luckily afterwards I had a massage which focused on loosening up my legs and back - she only harped on my shoulder a little bit. After a nap Kyle and I went to pick up the race packets for Col & I and check out the expo. Since we both LOVE sports clothing we did a little bit of damage at the expo. I got a new blue running hat, a blue shirt and jacket that I will wear on Sunday :) Kyle got a bunch of shirts. I made dinner (I know shocking) of a salad with avocados, pasta and a liter of water.
I have been thinking about what I will eat tomorrow and for breakfast on Sunday. Tomorrow meal plan:
breakfast - oatmeal with raisins, oj
snack - yogurt smoothly with fruit & granola
lunch - pasta with veggies
snack - half bagel with pj or cream cheese
dinner - cream of wheat
drink total of 1 gal of water
Sunday early morning I will have an ensure shake and some toast with cream cheese
Tomorrow is all about resting and staying off my feet and doing a bit of stretching to stay loose.
Nov 22, 2006
ghost town
This morning I went to the morning spin class - it was an endurance ride so I pretty much fallowed the class. Though in an effort to maintain this weeks taper plan I kept the intensity down and only road for 45 min with the cadence at 85-100 with moderate resistance. I felt good - got my heart rate up and spun out my legs pretty well. Afterwards I spent about 20 min stretching out my legs and feet esp. My core is a tiny bit sore from Pilate's and yoga the day before but it should be resolved by this weekend. :)
Side note found this great article that finally justifies why I only drink hot coco during the week and not coffee - caffeine increase endurance. The key point I think is that "Caffeine loses its beneficial effects with repeated exposure, so athletes who want to gain maximum advantage from caffeine during competition should avoid drinking caffeinated beverages when they are not exercising." I know a lot of poeple who don't want to hear that...
Side note found this great article that finally justifies why I only drink hot coco during the week and not coffee - caffeine increase endurance. The key point I think is that "Caffeine loses its beneficial effects with repeated exposure, so athletes who want to gain maximum advantage from caffeine during competition should avoid drinking caffeinated beverages when they are not exercising." I know a lot of poeple who don't want to hear that...
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