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Very important disclaimer

Please be advised that the contents of this blog are opinions only (my opinion, the opinions of my family and the opinions of anyone else directly or indirectly involed in this blog). This is not an accredited training blog, nor is it an accredited anything blog. If you (and you) do anything that this blog says, or don't do anything that this site says not to do, and you get injured, sick or killed, you cannot blame me or my family or blame anyone else directly or indirectly involved in this blog. By reading anything on this blog (including this message) you are saying that you are a person who makes thier own choices in life and does not hold the writer of this blog, the writers family or any one else that may be directly or indirectly involved in the production or writing of this blog, responsible for your stupid and irresponsible behaviors, injuries, sicknesses or deaths. With that said, please enjoy my fun blog.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Superfun 20k run on Sunday

The 1/2 group is doing their longest training run on Sunday. It will be a record distance for some and I'm sure it will feel like it for them. that's ok, it’s 20k afterall. I had a conversation with one of our runners a while back about pride. Is it ok to be proud of what we are accomplishing? How do we stay humble as we become new people through running?

I asked this question last year at this same point and I was told, ‘Don’t be humble. Celebrate your successes!’

Ok then. Since then I have formulated a whole new way of being and it has been a great year. I run long distances for fun, I help others run long distances for fun. And to top it off I am actually training my DW and Mom to love running as much as I do. I guess that was my turning point way back when, when I realized that I loved running, that I could show other people that running could be loved. sounds mushy huh? It is kind of. I’m not helping people run, I am helping people to love the run. In turn, it helps me love it more! what a concept.

There’s a lot of love in this room, man…

Anyway, we are doing 20k tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be iffy, not as bad as last Sunday, but we will have success and fun! guaranteed!

I have no advice on how to prepare, or what to eat or how much sleep to get, you all have the tools to do this run well...

I heard an incredible quote today on the Jungle Jim Hunter show on the Fan 960 Calgary radio as I was taking my cat for her steroid shot…

“Confidence is not something you arrive at, it’s something you constantly work at”

That was said by either Jungle Jim Hunter, or he was quoting Cary Mullen or Susan Auch… I didn’t catch the start of the conversation. I thought is was important because we are out here running, and wondering how we are doing during all this training. We are not complete because we will finish the race on Feb 14th, we are complete because we finished all the training to get there, and we celebrated our successes along the way, AND have realized that what we are doing is possible, AND and have become more and more confident along the way. We have constantly worked at our runs, week in and week out, and we are now confident in our abilities to run 20k!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Weak hips causing all sorts of injuries?

Here is a terrific article from Running Times Magazine featuring Reed Furber of the UofC, describing how weak hips can lead to other injuries and an even better section to show you how to avoid these injuries by strengthening your hips.

http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=18359

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Workout, Jan 27…

- Pre run meal, 1lb Hungry Man TV dinner – Turkey w/ mashed potatos and red hot gelatine.

- 1 squat - down to floor to change batteries in sons play kitchen, stand up and pull muscle in quad.

- 8k run club run (planned), talked group into doing 4k and stopping at Tim Hortons for Coffee and a Bagel instead.

- Whined about trivial things

- Walked slowly back to store

- Went home and watched American Idol while drinking tea and whining incessantly to DW of pain in quad muscle.

Why am I not getting faster and Why am I not losing any more weight? Ideas? Anyone?

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Guest blogger story…

In the midst of a somewhat trying day, this story shows up in my inbox. I won’t reveal the writer, some of you will know tho, and if you do know, go up to this person and say ‘thank you, thank you for sharing this story’. My story is similar and different, like most people who run, but overall, this story bonds us as runners, as we see ourselves in so much of this.

Why do you run? It seems like a simple enough question, at least until I really started thinking about it. Then I realized that I have many answers and that throughout my running “career” the answer has changed many times.

I’ve been running for about ten years now off and on. The off is usually due to injury, but it’s been more on than off lately. And, I’ve been incredibly lucky to have amazing people to run with and motivate me. But, at the end of the day when I’d rather curl up on the couch with a glass of wine, or in the early morning when I’d rather be curled up in bed next to my husband, why do I still head out the door and run?

In high school I started running for exercise and because it was something my mom had always talked about loving. I wasn’t consistent and I wasn’t fast, but it was the first time I ran for the sake of running.

In the first and second year of university I ran because I had gotten fat in first year. I had packed on the freshman 40 and was trying desperately to lose it. It didn’t really work but sometime during my attempt to lose weight I realized that I liked those runs and that’s when it really began.

When I realized I actually liked running was the same time my first real running buddy came along. We ran through wind, rain, snow, exams, and the big questions and decisions that start showing up in your early 20s. We even ran our first 10km race together. Things were going really well and we set our sights on the Ottawa half marathon. We started training and had a plan all laid out – we even registered for the race. Then I went on an incredible, but gruelling hike of the Grand Canyon which destroyed my hip flexor. After trying to struggle through some training unsuccessfully, the first attempt at the half marathon was called off. My friend and I kept running together for another year discussing world events, boys, and what on earth we were going to do with our lives while we also learned about hills, tempo runs, and intervals. Then my friend graduated and went to Africa to volunteer.

That summer I met another friend at work and we started running together a couple of times a week. Things were back on track. Nagging injuries had been fixed, I wasn’t fat anymore, and I was motivated with a new person to talk to while running. Too bad it only lasted for a summer...

The final year of university I needed a new running buddy. I recruited my roommate and best friend and coaxed her into doing her first 10km. Then about four months into our running I ended up with a fractured foot and multiple stress fractures from running. This led to six months off and people began to realize that I’m a lot friendlier and happier when I am running.

During my 6 months off from running I graduated from university, travelled for six weeks and moved to Edmonton where I knew absolutely no one. I was ready to start running again and I was looking for a buddy. A guy at work started running with me and it was great. It was competitive and I was pushed and motivated by him. Then I started dating him and he pretty much stopped running the day we started dating. We’re married now and I still can’t get him to run.

While in Edmonton I decided to start training for my second half marathon attempt. Things were going really well and I was committed to getting my runs in, maybe a little too committed. One afternoon I was supposed to get a run in but everybody from work was going out for drinks. I decided to still go for the run and then meet them afterwards, still sweaty from running. Bad decision. That afternoon in bright daylight, on a busy path where people walk their dogs after work, I was attacked by a man in a uniform. It was supposed to be a great run. I had new shoes, and a new iPod, and it was a beautiful June day. I said hi to a man I thought was a Fireman as I stepped onto the trail and started my run. About 3km into my run I heard footsteps coming behind me and I moved over so that the person could pass me but the footsteps moved over too and they got faster. That’s the instant I knew that something very bad was going to happen to me. The uniformed man tackled me from behind and sent me flying onto the gravel pathway. I don’t think I yelled, but I fought. I fought with everything I had and when he took off I started chasing him. I was catching up to him too. But, then I thought that he might have a weapon and I stopped chasing him. The police never found the asshole who attacked me, but he picked the wrong person to mess with and I hope that someday he will get the punishment he deserves.Thank you.

This was almost the quitting point for me. Some guy stole my freedom. He took away my ability to run off my stress and enjoy the outdoors on a beautiful pathway system. I’ve never been a treadmill runner and I didn’t want to start. I didn’t quit. I’d joined a Running Room clinic to train for the Victoria half marathon and I honestly believe that if I hadn’t already been in that clinic when I was attacked I would have quit running.

Once my physical injuries from the attack had healed I was back running and I was on a mission. I told myself that I had to finish that half marathon to prove that the guy who attacked me hadn’t won, that he hadn’t taken from me something that I loved so much. So I did hills, and tempo runs, and speedwork like my life depended on it, or at least my freedom. In the end, the half marathon attempt was unsuccessful. A hiking injury on the West Coast Trail ended half marathon attempt number two.

A couple of months after my hiking injury had healed I was transferred to Calgary and looking for people to run with. Another friend, who I’d worked with a couple of years before, turned out to be living just a short drive from me. I had a running buddy again and I started the half marathon pitch. Once I roped her in we signed up for a Running Room clinic and finally made it to the start line for the race. It was perfect. I was finally going to run a half marathon on my 26th birthday, in Vancouver, with my soon to be husband cheering me on. And it was great, and I finished it, and I had finally proven that that guy in Edmonton hadn’t stopped me.

Now I’m running for me. I’m not running because my mom raves about it, or to lose weight, or to prove that some asshole can’t stop me. Yes, running is good for you, and it is a great stress reliever, and it does keep my jeans from getting too tight. But right now I run for the friendship and conversation I find in group runs, for the sense of accomplishment I get after finishing a hard workout, for the calm that comes over me while I’m running, and for the personal satisfaction I get from being able to honestly say “Yes, I’m a runner.” I’m sure my reasons for running will change again, but for now I’m running for the most selfish of reasons and I’m loving it.

Thank you…

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Hardest run ever…

wow, that snow was a killer on my legs. It was like running on a very soft beach in places. My calves, ankles, plantar, quads, hamstrings… all screaming out at me… oy…

Then we dealt with the ice underneath… Hardest run ever, just due to the extra work it took to get through the snow combined with being tensed up while time trying to avoid the treacherous hidden ice.

We got it done tho, next week is 20, then it is a taper week and all of a sudden…. The race! woo.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

never, never, NEVER, ever…

rub your sore muscles down with A5-35, then pick your nose without washing your hands first…

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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Trials and Tribulations of Cross Training… ver 1.1.002

I started back at the gym on Jan 4th. I see a Trainer that trains 4 of us at a time. It’s a great way to have the benefits of a personal trainer at a far less cost. Debbie Scott of Phoenix Fitness started the SED (Strength, Endurance, Diet) programs a number of years ago, and it is a pretty successful venture for her. All the groups are filled for the most part and there are waiting lists for some!

I am in the M-W-F 6:00am group with 3 nice ladies and our trainer Danielle kicks our collective @$$es to the point of exhaustion for every workout. She CIMG7557accomplishes this not by using the thousands and thousands of dollars worth of weight lifting equipment that’s in the gym, but by only using a ball, a mat and a step. Yikes. It’s pretty hard to fake anyone out when you actually have to lift YOURSELF off the ground, as opposed to selecting less weights than you should if we were using the universal machines.

Yep, it’s all about the body weight resistance. Oh sure, she’ll throw the occasional kettle bell and a medicine ball in every now and again, but those are usually just to cause an imbalance that we have to fight from falling over, therefore using all the little in between muscles and not just the major ones. I can tell you from current experience that when you engage those little muscles, they get just as sore, and sometimes more sore than the big ones.

Danielle really looks after us so we don’t get hurt, but at the same time, she seems to know our limits and pushes us to approach those limits on a daily basis. As for the connection to running, well, it’s all about the core exercises she is a freak about. Even when we are doing upper body exercises like dumbbell bench presses, she has us lift our legs straight out and off the bench, lifting them in the air as we lower the dumbbells. yikes, that REALLY hurts the gut after about 1 reps. (she makes us do 12, TWICE). Another good one we did last year was: Lay on your belly at the top of the stairs looking down them, pull yourself over the edge and ‘walk’ down to the bottom using only your hands while your feet drag behind and above you. It’s like a stair walking upside down push-up.

The SED plan provides a combination of Strength and Cardio in each workout. Right now we are doing lower body (and spin bikes) on Mondays, upper body(and users choice – treadmill, bike, stairs) on Wednesdays and a circuit workout that incorporates everything on Fridays. 

That is Kelly and Kathy beside me on the hell bikes, notice Kelly screaming in agony? or is she yawning… huh, I'll have to ask… hehe. (remember, this is 6:00am start time.)

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This is a not so fun side plank with leg lifts. How's that for a look of major pain?

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Here is a hip raise (an awesome one for runners, really strengths the hip and all the supporting bits around it. )

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And here is the not so fun reverse leg lift on the ball.

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Don’t tell Danielle, but this is where we try to stall and waste time while getting more water and chatting about nothing in particular.CIMG7556

Sunday, January 17, 2010

I don’t care…

…how fast or slow you go, 18k is a long run. AND, ibuprofen is my friend. My left achilles is tight, but other than that I’m pretty sore from the run today. Our mid group did good by staying together the entire way around and staying on course, but I guess that should be expected as it was my route plan! We had the slower group end up on a run to who knows where. and the fast group, well, we saw them at the start and that was it. they could still be running for all we know…hehe.

We (others) had a pee break at the rowing club building (Dasha had a code to get in to the washrooms, for some reason), and the group of us who waited (11 minutes..sheesh) had a conversation about having to go while on the run.

So, what would you do if you were 457 meters from the race finish, and you absolutely had to go pee? would you stop at the porta-potty? no. would you duck under a bush? no. would you just pee a little? probably… was the consensus. Well, no one ever said running was glamorous did they? The thought was, you could spray yourself with your remaining water to hide the fact that you just wet yourself to maintain a running time, that for most of us means diddly. Well, no one ever said runners were smart. The conversation (obviously) ventured into poop. Just like most conversations do… right? And that’s where everyone drew the line. We all said we would look for generally accepted relief depots for this problem. but would you if a personal best was on the line?… yeah. it was a little silent for the first couple minutes after that conversation, if you can imagine.

So after our extended stop at the loo, we just started running again and my watch beeped, “OK, walk break!”… yeesh… we’re never going to finish this run.

We did.

It was a pretty good run. We ran for 2:14, but were out there for 2:25 because of the mid run potty wait. So we are in fine form, and on schedule based on our training plan.

Nice day…

Thursday, January 14, 2010

The other half…

… Most of you read my ‘hard race’ at the Calgary Half Marathon last May, so i figured I would share my wonderful experience at the Harvest Half Marathon in October…

 

Harvest Half Marathon, Oct 3-2009

I had fun… can you believe it? After the tough experience in the first one.. who’d know that I would actually have fun at this one?

It’s all about the attitude. I will never be an elite runner, and my personal records will come and go with time I am sure. So now that I have a few races under my belt, I felt like I could go out there and take it all in, watch the race from the race itself, so to speak. I did that and had a hoot! Don’t get me wrong, it is still a struggle to run 21.1kms, it’s just that I knew I could do the distance, have trained for it, and just knew what to expect I guess.

I got up at 5:30 made myself my normal pre-race meal of Toasted Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich, a glass of water, 1/2 cup of coffee and 2 Motrin's.

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Mary Jo asked me yesterday ‘do you take them ahead of time?’… yep. And I take 2 just before the race 2- 1/2 hours later.

…Don’t look at me that way…. I can’t mess with routine now can I?

I also packed my ‘During’ race meal of 32oz of GU2O electrolyte replacement drink and 2 packets of GU Carbo Gels. IMG_7476

CIMG0026In the fuel belt also goes my Drivers License, so if I pass out on course they know who I am, also is my Debit card for a post race coffee or Double Quarter Pounder, whichever tickles my fancy at the time, and a $20 bill that is tucked right next to my cell phone, so that I can call a cab back to my car if I don’t feel like finishing the race. (that hasn’t happened, but you never know. I can be fickle…hehe). Oh, yeah. Chapstick… a really good tube of chapstick.

The post race meal is typically laid out for us by the race itself, consisting this time of water, bananas, oranges, muffins, cookies and coffee.

At 6:45 I was dressed and off to the race. I found a parking spot right next to the start line, so that was nice as I hadn’t decided what to wear for jackets or vests or gloves yet. It is +2c at this point. Pretty chilly if you are standing around, but pretty much perfect if you are running a half.

From the left is Cheryl, Tony, Donna, Mark, Carla, Lonny and Rawleigh… I am in the little picture below, Rawleigh took that photo.

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CIMG0037I met my running buddies shortly after arriving, and it’s pretty much just a gab session until the start at 7:45 with a steady stream of bathroom breaks by everyone. Even if you don’t think you have to go, GO. it’s a long race. We lined up for the start and with a fairly anticlimactic ‘GO’ from a guy with a bullhorn, me and 700 of my closest friends were off an running. The Harvest Half is a fairly hilly race, where the first 5k is a steady uphill on city streets, with a steep drop into Fish Creek park then a gradual downhill until the 17k mark where you have to ascend the Sikome Lake hill before finishing back at the start in Midnapore. The portion in the park is amazing. Net loss of elevation over 10k in amazing fall scenery with a nicely spread out pack of runners. It was my happy place in this race for sure.

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I actually stopped to take this photo. I needed to adjust my Fuel belt as it was riding me a bit. I dropped the camera phone, dropped my fuel belt, bottles were all over the place and it seemed like I just couldn’t get coordinated enough to pull it all back together. There went 1.5 minutes of my time. yeesh.

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I walked up Sikome Hill. I know I know, it’s a running race… However, I do have experience now. And I used it. I walked up the hill because I know that is the point that would have sucked ALL my energy out and I would have to walk even more in the last 4k if I didn’t. So I did and I felt really good in the homestretch. All the people that had passed me going up the hill, I passed again. so there! I was able to finish strong. Or at least I was able to tolerate the suffering better this way. I did suffer greatly during the last 1.5k, but I had a girl running next to me, and it’s sort of an unspoken thing that you don’t get passed in the last 1k, so we went stride for stride and I could tell she was hurting as much as me, and by the time we crossed the finish line we were sprinting. I won’t say who crossed first (me) because that’s not the point. The point is we both busted our ass to get across the line.

Mark had already finished so I didn’t see him come across, I missed Tony as I was at the truck putting on some warmer clothes, but I did see Carla, Rawleigh, Donna, Lonny, and Cheryl come across. It was great to see everyone finish strong. Nice work TEAM! We all went inside the community center for some tasty snacks, then it was over to the Second Cup for a Tazo Chai and a butterscotch treat(for me anyways).

Mark, the speedster today!

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Cheryl

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Donna, on the left,

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Rawleigh sprinting! A guy stepped out in front of him at the finish line, Rawleigh CRUSHED him and two other innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire…LOL

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Lonny, finishing her PB!

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Tony, finishing his Banana

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Tasty post race snacks… Marks wife and 2 girls actually came to help celebrate. I don’t blame spouses for not coming to post race festivities. We stink!CIMG0056

I feel ok, after this race, I finished 10 minutes slower than the first one I ran, but still 7 minutes faster than my goal, so that's good. Lonny set her personal best at a half marathon! Great job on a tough and hilly course Lonny! The entire team that I ran with are training for the Las Vegas Marathon in Dec, so next week it is up to 27km for them. Good Luck to ya’ll. See you in the spring probably. I haven’t decided if I have the ambition to attempt a marathon yet, so for now, I will live vicariously through you guys!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

A couple other things for today…

… the first is, we have a guest blogger today. My good running buddy Dan has written up a story about progress. When you look back on your progress, do you feel like you have accomplished anything? Sometimes yes? Sometimes No? do you wish you could go back and compare? I think you would be surprised how far you have come. (and for the members who read this that are just getting started, it’s a story that should bring you some motivation to keep at it.)

Welcome Dan, to Cool Kids.

I have just started my second 10k clinic with RR. The first one was a year ago and I recall how tough it was. Our first night out we did 4k in -30 weather. I thought I was going to die after running that far. And what was I doing outside when it was that cold. I must have been nuts. What was I thinking? I did learn that night that once you have been out in -30 you don’t have any valid weather excuses for not running.

Here I am a year later doing it all over again? But why? I have kept up over the last year. Maybe not as consistently as I would have liked, but…  The whole reason for coming back was to make a commitment to get out and to have someone to run with.

I have been out with the group twice now. The first night out I couldn’t believe how slow everyone was. After a few minutes it started to dawn on me that many people in this group were in the same position I was in a year ago — mostly thinking they must be crazy. And here I was, running near the front of the pack with little effort. Wait a minute, it did get easier. I am in shape. I can do this!

I have enjoyed many new friendships with runners over the last year. I have run as far as 15k in one day. I have been out in -30 and +30. For anyone who is new or just getting back into running, it will get easier and you can do it. Just believe in yourself.

Dan

That’s awesome Dan! Thanks.

Second is, I read a blog from Cary, North Carolina, called Running Down. The author is a really good runner, but an even funnier writer. He blogged his workout from today here. http://running-down.blogspot.com/2010/01/todays-workout.html

Third is, we (half group) are going to be doing Fartleks for speedwork on our technical runs for the next Three weeks.

Fartlek, which means "speed play" in Swedish, is a form of conditioning which puts stress mainly on the aerobic energy system due to the continuous nature of the exercise. The difference between this type of training and continuous training is that the intensity or speed of the exercise varies, meaning that aerobic and anaerobic systems can be put under stress. Most fartlek sessions last a minimum of 45 minutes and can vary from aerobic walking to anaerobic sprinting. Fartlek training is generally associated with running, but can include almost any kind of exercise.

taken from Wikipedia.

So, we will be running for our allotted time, and someone will call out “Fartlek, second streetlight” and you will run FAST to the 2nd streetlight. It’s quite a workout, and quite fun!

Race day is approaching!

Our Half group, who have remained pretty cohesive during the last number of weeks (that's a good thing) is approaching the race. 32 days from now we will be racing! This is pretty exciting stuff, especially for the members of our group who have not raced at this distance before, and even for those members who have never attempted the time we are attempting. Which leads me to the reason for this post.

We have been training for a 2:14:59 half Marathon. We have been following the book closely and have done a pretty good job to date. Many of you have expressed concerns over the 6:09 running pace that we will have to keep up for the race . In an ideal world, we will all cross the line together, singing songs from Mary Poppins and clacking our heels together in jumps of joy! Well this is race day. It is not unlike training, in that, it is different for everybody and individually it will be different than yesterday, and not the same as the day before that. What we CAN do is prepare well. We can eat well from now until race day, we can stay hydrated and we can take the time for ourselves to focus on ourselves.

When I say focus on ourselves, I mean get prepared to run every time out. I don’t know about you, but the hardest runs I run are the ones I come rushing into the clinic without so much as a minute to spare and unable to think about the task at hand, you know, when you had to work late and just made it in time. They turn out to be pretty tough, for me anyway.

The Idea for a pace group in a clinic is to train for a certain pace in the race, make sense? Each pace group has some goals they want to achieve and I know I have outlined what our mid group has been training for. Some of the goals for the other pace groups may be ‘to complete a half marathon, no matter the time’. Maybe in the fast group the goal is to ‘run a sub 2:00 half’. And the training is geared toward those goals. We ( I mean our pace group) set a goal in the beginning to train for a 2:15 half marathon. Notice I didn’t say our goal is to run a 2:15 half race. I said training for a… well, you get it. What’s my point?

My Point is, you need to be prepared to deal with the thought that this goal may be attainable, or unattainable based on all sorts of things. When I ran my first half, I set 3 goals, 1 was to finish in a sub 2:10, that I would be satisfied with and is VERY achievable. 2 was to finish sub 2:00, that I would be HAPPY with, and 3 was a 1:53 that I would be over the moon at. This way, no matter the outcome (short of not finishing) I could tell myself I reached my goal. If we set a 2:15 race goal and it is –40 with 2 feet of snow, we will be assured of being disappointed. Disappointed is not an option for this race. I want you to set your goals so that no matter the outcome, 1- you finish the race, 2 -you are incredibly proud of yourself, and 3 -you are uninjured and want to still be a runner.

I will be providing a steady pace (in mid to ideal weather conditions) that will cross the line between 2:14:00 and 2:14:59. You are more than welcome to run with me. BUT be prepared to run on your own. You don’t know what will happen on race day. If you have to go to the bathroom, we won’t be stopping (if I have to go, I will catch up to you) to wait. If you get a cramp and have to slow down for a while, you must know that that is OK! you will get through it and you will be able to either pick up the pace to catch up, or finish the race under your own plan! Most of our group is running this race, so there will probably be an opportunity to run with a familiar face in most situations you encounter, but it may also be a lonely race as there are only 200 runners.

Set your goals, prepare to your best ability (DO NOT change anything in the final week, based on what you have done in training. Race morning is VERY tempting to have that free energy bar, DON’T. Please do what you always do!)

Just a note for your goal setting exercise, we (the mid group) run a pace of 7:15ish for our long runs. If you run this same pace for 21.1km you will achieve a finish time of 2:33, do you think you can do that? Is that an achievable goal, to run the race at your LSD pace? Now it’s up to you to figure out what is going to work the best for you.

Please email or comment to me if you have any questions at all about this!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Trials and Tribulations of Cross Training…

This is the first in a series of cross training stories from a few of my workout/ running friends and sometimes from yours truly.

The story below is a true one. The hero is a middle aged, mid-pack runner, who is trying to get to the next level of running. He has worked out for the past couple of years with a trainer and a group of 3 other trainee’s. He has moved to solo gym training and has also started an X-bike class at Phoenix Fitness with the very capable Diane (who is an ultra-marathoner extraordinaire)

So without further ado, here is Guest Blogger Drew’s super fun x-bike story.

Pro-Log: Last week on Wednesday Jan 6, I arrived at work as usual, by passed the elevator as part of my normal routine, and ascend the 4 flights of stairs to my office, upon my arrival, my co-worker gasps and asks me if I am ok, it takes like what seems forever for me to regain my breath…. And I reply “I think I am sick!” I left early that day from work and spent the next few days in bed, by the weekend I was starting to feel somewhat better.

main-X1000-frame Today I decided I was well enough to attend Spin class with Diane. Following is a brief description of a 12 minute section of that 45 minute class.

This 12 minute section is called “Tabada”  that’s right!!!! You read right!!

3 parts- sitting, standing, hovering- each part lasts 4 minutes…….

Intensity level- 9/10

Bike tension level-  adjusted to be able to keep up  intensity level in all positions-  cranked past the ½ way mark on handle

20 second full-out, 20 second complete stop.

Every time you stop you feel your quads pound!!!

Let me describe the hovering position, your butt is inches off the seat, your elbows are tucked in close to your body, and your pedaling like crazy (remember 9/10 intensity level)with as little body movement as possible. Oh and during the complete stop you have to hold position, and can’t lower tension to start back up again…….. I try so hard to keep my body as quite as possible, but the sweat pouring down my face is getting into my eyes and stinging like crazy!!

I use the bike I have always used, farthest away from the fan!!…….. I actually need one of those hand towels during class, and when I am done I can literally wring out the towel……

Word of the day: Perseverance

Cheers,

Monday, January 11, 2010

woohoo, I am back!

I will be at the 9 hill, hills workout tomorrow night! Woot! I went to the gym this morning as a test and it was flying colors. I am pretty sure I will not push my hardest tomorrow, however, I will be completing all 9.

Now that graduation day is here (finishing hills) it sort of finishes your base building (strength is maxed, but you still have a little endurance to look after )portion of the program. Next week you will find out how fast you are. Be free, run like Phoebe!… er… no don’t. Maintain good form, just run fast. The best way I can describe the effort we will put forth in the next segment is: When you ran hills, the effort (while really hard) was to about 80% of your max HR. it’s true, while at the top of the hill you felt spent, you were spent because you used up your muscular capacity, not your lung capacity. Remember how quickly your lungs recovered on top, but how your legs felt like jello? Ok, the speed work is meant to max out your heart rate during the intervals, taxing your lungs to the limit. We will find out what it feels like to run faster than you have to date. There are workouts upcoming that will emulate the total effort of the race, in a much shorter time span.

I will write more about it as we get closer.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Alanis Quote…

…this was taken from Alanis Morissettes’ ‘I’m a Runner’ article in Runners World magazine. I really liked the quote.

“Being a runner, to me, has made being depressed impossible. If ever I'm going through something emotional and just go outside for a run, you can rest assured that I'll come back with clarity and empowerment. And that's huge! I've struggled with ebbs and flows of depression and elation my whole life. So to rely on running in this way, has been a godsend for me.” Alanis Morissette

I think this sentiment can be related to all manner of negative emotions and ailments, don’t you think?

Friday, January 8, 2010

Missing it…

Traci came back from her first clinic run last night all sweaty, sore, coughing, tired, achy, whooped, and out of sorts…

GAWD I MISS that!!

It’s only been a few days, but I am going stir crazy. Although, when I try to sleep (on the sofa, I've been relegated to the living room as I keep the rest of the family awake) and the mucus runs from my nose down the back of my throat and wakes me up suddenly in a fit of choking coughing, then I realize, it’s ok that I stay home for a bit. I took Corie’s advice and got the pro-biotic pills so I don’t have to eat the yucky yogurt much anymore, thanks. No signs of a yeast infection, although being home all the time I have a desire to bake… does that count?

It’s during the day, when I am heavily medicated with Vicks Custom Care Cough syrup, Neo-Citron daytime cough and sinus, Strepsyls cough drops and copious amounts of earl grey tea, is when I am feeling terrific and ready to run like a maniac! But, the semi-regular phlegm induced coughing fit keeps me from lacing up the ol’ NB-1063’s.

Congrats to my darling wife Traci for toughing out the first run with Susan’s 10k clinic, it will probably get harder before it gets easier, but it will get easier. Ask Dan.

Sunday’s 12k isn’t looking good for me, but hopefully I’ll still be sick for Tuesdays 9 hills.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Week off to get better…

I hope all of you are having a nice week. I am not running as it turns out I have a wicked Sinus infection. Yuck. It has been with me for a while so they put me on a really strong antibiotic that causes and can cause all manner of weird things. Like, I can get a yeast infection. REALLY? I didn’t even know that boys could get that. To combat this possibility, I am to have some plain pro-biotic yogurt 2 hours after taking the pill. The last time I ate plain yogurt was in 1st grade and it made me yak all over my desk. I did have to go plowing last night, that kind of sucked as I had coughing fit after coughing fit, trying not to crash into things with the truck. (I have a hard enough time when I am well, yeah I crashed into this steel door a while back)

CIMG0229

I hope to be better for Sundays 12k, if not I should be back for Tuesdays 9 hills. yuck… erm… I mean WOOT!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Some technical stuff…

Here is and overview of the 18k route we will be running in 2 weeks. Click here to see the details on Map My Run.

Resevoir sattelite run Resevoir street run

And here is the elevation profile from my Garmin during our last hill workout.

Elevation profile for 7 hills

Thought you might like to see that.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Happy New Year…

… to everyone! The 1/2 group is doing their second 16k run in the last 7 days on Sunday morning, next week we drop back to 12k as an adjustment week, then its 18,18, and 20… wow! Our group has felt the effects of the increases, so having these weeks to adjust to the distances makes great sense. The Store programs aren’t for everyone, but they are effective for most when followed closely. The 12 will feel like a breeze, but it will be a chance to take stock of your form, fuel, and most importantly your mind. It’s a good time to think about why you are really running and put those thoughts into your head as once we finish hills in 2 weeks and ramp up our speedwork, there may be times you need to reflect back on those reasons to keep you going for the final hundred meters of your speed intervals.

This is fun stuff, if you bring a smile with you on each run, it can’t help but be a success…