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January 31, 2006
Progress
My gym offers a swim class that I've been going to semi-regularly for the past couple of months. It's not so much a class in the "how-to" sense as it is in the "organized workout" sense. While the workout is always different, the warm-up is always the same: 300m any stroke followed by 200m kick.While I do technically know the breaststroke, sidestroke, and backstroke in addition to freestyle, I do the warm-up laps freestyle. That's what I'm trying to improve on, and so the more practice, the better. The first time I was at that class, the 300m took forever, and I wasn't sure I was going to make it through the rest of class after it. I was taking a break to catch my breath every 25m, and each length was interminable.
Slowly, that warm-up got easier. First the lengths started to seem shorter. Than I was able to string 2 or 3 lengths together at a time, and only rest every 50-75 meters. Before I knew it, I was only resting every 100 meters, and not for very long. The 300 meters all at once was still hard, but it was definitely getting easier.
Then, last night, something amazing happened. While swimming my warmup, I felt relaxed. It felt easy. And, before I knew it, I'd done the entire 300 meters without a more than a brief pause at the end of each length to turn around. On top of that, I felt warmed up, not worn out. It was like someone hit the "easy" button.
The rest of the class? Well, that was a slightly different story. But at least I can be happy about being at a point where the "warm-up" doesn't feel like the "work-out".
Posted by Dawn at 02:07 PM
January 30, 2006
Dawnie Fall Down Go Boom... Again
First, before you do anything, go add yourself to my Frappr map. It's quick, easy, and you don't even need to sign up with Frappr if you don't want to. (Especially if you're a guy! It's a little girly over there right now.)
Well, on Friday, I decided that it had just been too darn long since I fell down, so I fixed that. I was walking from the train to the gym after work, and tripped on an unusual sidewalk formation. I felt my foot catch, and the next thing I knew, I was in the air and landing squarely on my kneecaps. Ouch. Of course I was carrying my gym bag, and of course there were witnesses. I picked myself back up, and the first thing I checked was my left knee. Not because I was concerned about my knee, though - because I was worried about my pants. You see, I was going to the gym for a pilates class, and was already in my yoga pants. I wasn't sure what I was going to do if I'd ripped a big hole in my knee. Luckily, the pants were in once piece, so I assumed I was as well, and hobbled down the block, yelling, "I'm OK! Thanks!" over my shoulder to the couple who'd asked.
It wasn't until I got home that I actually took a look at my knee. I did a good job - it's not as impressive as the time I scraped up my knee after falling down on the trail, but it's big enough that I'm glad I won't have to wear a short skirt in public for a while.
Despite the injury, the pilates class was good. It was listed as "steel pilates", and described as "pilates using a BOSU, body bar, and weights to tone and strengthen your core." However, I think a better description would have been "a class to kick your ass and make you cry for your momma." Seriously. I couldn't believe how hard some of the exercises were, and I couldn't believe how sore I was the next morning. Furthermore, I couldn't believe how much I felt it while running on Saturday. If you ever doubt how much you use your core muscles while running? Go for a run when they're sore and tired, and you'll be amazed.
However, despite the sore abs and the sore knee, the run on Saturday was good. It was my first run I'd be doing outside at my new super-slow pace, so I was interested to see how it would go. Surprisingly, it was a lot easier to keep my pace down where it needed to be than I expected, but I think all the credit for that goes to my shiny new HRM
After Saturday's 3 glorious miles outside, I opted to do my long run of 6 miles on the treadmill Sunday morning. It was 40 and overcast and raining, and I just wasn't feeling it. However, the run went much better than I expected it to - I don't know if it was because I got a chance to work out the kinks in my stride while running outside or what, but it wasn't anywhere near the death march that last week's indoor runs were. I still would have much preferred to run outside if the weather had cooperated, but it really wasn't bad at all. I had my iPod with me, but I never even took it out. Instead, I watched professional bowling (until they changed the channel and put the basketball game on) and CNN. I also came to the realization that it might be worthwhile to get one of those little armband radios - if I could hear the sound for the TV, I could get totally wrapped up in it. So, after tonight's swim, that's the plan. We'll see how it works out tomorrow morning during my 4-mile run.
Posted by Dawn at 04:46 PM | Comments (2)
Week in Review: 1/23 - 1/29
Monday, 1/23: Planned rest day
Tuesday, 1/24: Easy 3 miles
Wednesday, 1/25: Planned rest day
Thursday, 1/26: Easy 4 miles
Friday, 1/27: 45 minutes pilates
Saturday, 1/28: Easy 3 miles
Sunday, 1/29: Long run 6 miles
Total for the week: 16 miles; 100% of planned miles completed
Posted by Dawn at 02:05 PM
January 26, 2006
Heading to Madison.... Slowly
Work has been crazy this week. Not only are they actually making me work, but they're making me do thinking work. Which means that not only do I not have time during the day to blog (not that I would do that, naturally), I don't have the mental energy to do it when I get home. Instead, I've been drooling on the couch while attempting to get caught up on the 4700 hours of TV I have on TiVo. (Which, as much as I love TiVo, leave it to technology to make me feel like I haven't been using my free time wisely enough when I start falling behind on my shows.)Anyhow, my training period for Mad City officially started on Monday. This time around, I'm doing a few things differently. Thing one: I hired a coach. I tossed it over and around a few times - I mean, I'm not what you would call a "performance" runner. However, I feel like I need to adjust and change some things in my training this time around. When I ran Detroit, it was enough to finish the thing. This time, though, I want to finish it well. I want to finish and feel like I ran the best marathon I could - a feeling I didn't exactly take away from Detroit. I thought about trying to figure it out myself - after all, I'm a smart girl, there's a lot of information out there, I should be able to figure it out, right?
Except, the problem is there is so much information out there, and it finally got to a point where I realized I could spend the next 4 months trying to work it out on my own and possibly never get anywhere, or I could pay someone to filter the information for me and help me figure out what would work. After selling my car, fitting it into my budget was no longer a problem, so I went for it. I'm doing online coaching, so we'll see how it goes. So far, I'm happy with it - we've sent some e-mails back and forth, and I've got a schedule that'll hold me until the end of February. I'm really excited about working with her going forward, and I'm really excited about not having to think too hard about my training (especially given how hard they're making me think at work these days!).
However, the big change? Has been slowing down. Like, a lot. Normally, when I head out for a run, I'll settle into a natural pace. Lately, since I lost some fitness over the holidays, it's been around 11:00/mile. The pace I'm supposed to be doing most of my runs at? 12:00 - 12:30/mile.
Now, I've heard from all sorts of people that slowing down to speed up really works. It does. I believe this. But there is still something a little depressing about knowing that your 4 mile run is going to take almost 50 minutes. Especially when said 4 mile run is on a treadmill. This week, my life has been saved by my iPod and podcasts, because it gives me something to concentrate on the whole time. Even so, I almost didn't make it through the 4 miles on Tuesday. It was killer. But I did it. I'm going to use this as a lesson in mental strength.
And here's the weird thing: on my own, would I ever slow down to a 12:30 pace, even though I know I should and it'll be good for me in the long run (it's like my running vegetables!)? Heck no. But if someone tells me, "Dawn, you need to slow your runs down. Yes, that much. Yes, really. Yes, I know it will make a 4 mile jaunt on the treadmill soul-crushingly long... do it anyways. It'll be good for you. Builds character and all that." then, well, I'll do it. Especially if I'm paying them to tell me that. (Also, for the record, my coach did not use the words "builds character" or "soul-crushing". She just told me to make sure I followed her pace guidelines.)
So, will all of these soul-crushingly slow treadmill runs make me a better runner? I hope so! I guess we'll find out in May.
Posted by Dawn at 05:47 PM | Comments (2)
January 18, 2006
Cell Phone Rebellion
Even though I haven't been blogging here, I have been able to get back into the swing of going to the gym and running in the mornings. Last week was better than the week before - the leg class didn't kill me, and I was able to run well on Wednesday and Thursday after that. I was a little sore, sure, but not so much that I was walking funny, or anything like that. The running workouts are getting easier, but I'm still feeling fat and slow, after my month of eating-not-running over the holidays. Ugh. There's also the pesky detail that I haven't actually managed to get out and run on the weekends at all, never mind for a long run, and marathon training starts next week. This weekend is my last chance to get out and run long before it counts, and I'm determined to do so. If for no other reason than to make sure I still can run 8-10 miles all at once.So much for my whole base-building plan. Perhaps I'll have better luck the next time around.
In other news, my cell phone is either resenting the fact that I keep using it as an alarm clock and becoming mutinous, or it's involved in some evil plot to make sure I never get to the gym before work again. It all started when I got home from the gym Monday night. I'd gone to the hour-long swim class (which is not so much a "class" in the "how to" sense as it is an "organized workout") after work, and it left me feeling like a limp noodle. It was awesome. (The best part about swimming? I can get all limp noodly feeling and not have to worry about how sore I'm going to be the next day, as swimming has yet to do that. It just exhausts me.) Anyhow, by the time I got home, I was super-hungry and super-tired, so I decided to set the alarm on my cell phone before I did anything else. I was afraid that if I didn't, I'd eat dinner, fall straight into bed, and then end up sleeping through until 8:30 or something equally ridiculous.
After setting the alarm, I put my PJs on, ate, relaxed, read, and then went to sleep. I woke up at one point during the night and, feeling exceptionally awake, wondered if I'd missed my alarm somehow. I checked the clock, and it was only 3:30. No problem. I went back to sleep, then woke up again a short while later. Still feeling really awake, I started to worry. I mean, if I was this awake at 4 or so, and wasn't going to get any more sleep? I could be in for a very long day. After a while, I decided to check the clock. It wasn't 4. It was almost 7. I checked my phone? The alarm had, apparently, never been set. Oops. No morning gym for me! (On the plus side, I was still able to get to work on time.)
Last night, I was determined not to have a repeat of the incident. After getting home from the hockey game, I set the alarm for 5. Then I checked it again before actually going to bed. No problems. At 5, the alarm went off as expected. I thought about getting up, but for some reason, just wasn't feeling it. I reset the alarm for 6, intending to get to work early, so I could leave a bit early and go to the gym. I woke up a short while later, and debated getting up before the alarm went off. I was feeling awake, and figured I might as well get moving. Maybe I'd have time to actually make breakfast or something. Finally, after thinking about it for a few minutes, I got up... and it was 7. Again. My alarm, apparently, was just not in the mood to cooperate. I checked my phone and... the alarm was still set for 5. What? At least I was already planning on going to the gym after work, so it wasn't a huge deal. I didn't get to work as early as I'd hoped for, but I wasn't late, either.
The good news is, I think I've figured out what's going on. You see, I have a flip phone (this one
On a totally unrelated note, the best blonde joke ever.
Posted by Dawn at 11:34 AM | Comments (1)
January 10, 2006
Can't Take Me Anywhere
Today's workout was, thankfully, much much better than last week's. Maybe it's because I just needed a week to get back into the swing of things, or maybe it's because my expectations were much lower today. I'm leaning more towards the first thing, though, since the numbers on the treadmill don't lie (well, too much) and my pacing for this week's Tread & Shed class was right where it was before my, ah, "hiatus". I was so excited to actually feel good during the class, because it has given me back a bit more confidence. Plus, I'm hoping I won't be as sore tomorrow.Speaking of sore... man, I really paid for my workouts last week. What started as a pair of slightly sore hamstrings Wednesday morning turned into insanely sore hams, glutes, and inner and outer thigh muscles by the end of the day. The only thing above my knee what wasn't aching was my quads, oddly enough. Everything else? Huuurt. I was totally walking funny, I wasn't happy, it just sucked. By the time I went to bed on Wednesday night, I was feeling so awful I decided to can the Thursday morning treadmill class, because there was no way I was going to be able to run in the morning. None. Instead, I went swimming Friday evening after work.
I don't know if it was the time, or the swimming, or what, but by Saturday morning, I felt fine. 100% again. It was fabulous. So I went spinning. I didn't over do it too much, but enough that by Sunday evening (after an afternoon of walking), my right quad felt totally locked up. Yes, just the right side. The left one? Fine. I don't even know how that works, to be honest with you. Maybe my right side is stronger, so I was using it more? Or perhaps, I'm just weird.
I went swimming again last night - my intention was to do the swimming class at the gym, but when I arrived, I found out it had been canceled. Oh well. I was there, so I figured I might as well swim anyways. I did put in an abbreviated workout (30 minutes instead of a full hour), but the quad was still kind of twingey and I didn't want to overdo it. This morning it felt better, and I actually ran on it without any problems this morning. Now, all there's left to do is cross my fingers that the leg class didn't kill me (which reminds me: who ever invented wall squats? Needs to be shot), and I'll be able to put in a decent workout tomorrow morning. As long as I'm not too sore, I think it'll be entirely doable. We shall see.
Posted by Dawn at 01:01 PM | Comments (1)
January 04, 2006
The Not-So-Triumphant Return
I am happy to announce that this week has brought an end to my month of laziness and "relaxation". Yes, that's right. Today was the second day in a row that I actually got my behind out of bed at 5 and got myself to the gym for some running and other exercise.I am less happy to announce that the past two mornings I have totally felt that month off, and not in a good way.
First, there was yesterday, with the treadmill class. A workout that a month ago would have been hard, but not impossible, damn near killed me. Seriously. I was toast by the end of it. I gave some serious thought to skipping the leg class afterwards, but ultimately hung in there. Partially because I knew I didn't feel that bad, really, and couldn't justify wussing out. But also partially because the class instructor would notice I wasn't there. (The same woman does the treadmill class, and she commented on my prolonged absence yesterday morning. Oops. She asked if I'd been travelling, and I said I had. It wasn't entirely the truth, but it wasn't entirely untrue, either.) So, onto legs it was.
The class felt fine, but when I woke up this morning, my hamstrings were angry. I think I just overextended them while we were doing dead lifts - that's what it feels like, more than anything else. Too much stretchy after too much sitty. That sort of thing. Anyhow, the goal for today was an hour on the treadmill. I started off at a brisk walk, figuring I'd warm up the hamstrings before I took off running. I got warmed up, I started at a nice, easy, 11:00 pace. Then I kicked it up to 10:45. And then, after less than a mile, I was dying. I walked for a bit. I ran for a bit more. I felt completely pathetic and out of shape.
Here's the horrible thing: I hate the treadmill. Haaate it. So when a workout starts to go south on me, it goes south fast. Had I been running outside, I would have found a nice happy medium, and probably would have ran/walked the entire hour, doing more running than walking. However, because I was on the treadmill, and because it was 6:30 in the morning, I just got cranky and frustrated. I made myself hang in there for a full 30 minutes, but I wound up walking most of it, covering a whopping 2.13 miles during that time. But, 30 minutes of moving is better than nothing at all, right?
I'll be able to run outside on Saturday, so we'll see just how out of shape I am then. But, man, I hope it's not as dismal as it felt today, or else I'll be really disappointed. Almost a year's worth of progress, gone in under a month. Oops. That'll teach me to get lazy during the holidays.
Posted by Dawn at 11:51 AM | Comments (2)