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February 24, 2006

Starting From Scratch

A few weeks ago, I worked up the nerve to ask the swim teacher at my gym if we could arrange some time to go over my stroke technique and whatnot. I'd been thinking about it for a while, but it took me a while to work up the nerve to actually ask the teacher. I'm one of the weaker swimmers in the class, and also very easily intimidated... so, I was sort of afraid of her for a while. Which, is ridiculous, because she's actually very nice. (This is the same issue that, in college, made me too afraid to ask the TAs for help when I actually needed it, but that's neither here nor there.) Anyhow, it took us a few weeks to figure out a time when we were both available, but, finally, we met up at 8:30 last Saturday morning.

I'll admit - I was excited about getting some one-on-one help, but I was also a little terrified by the fact that she would be watching me swim, because there'd be no one else there. (Yes, I know that's the point of the individual time, but I'm still a little self-conscious about my swimming, since I know I'm not very good right now. It's like when I first started running - the idea of someone I knew seeing me run - or anyone at all seeing me run - absolutely terrified me - because I knew I was in horrible shape and couldn't run all that well.) However, once we got started, it was OK. I just worried about focusing on what she was telling me to do, and spent so much time thinking about that that I totally forgot I was Being Watched.

I spent an hour working with her, doing lots and lots of position drills. I sort of hate these things with a burning, fiery passion, since I always end up swallowing about 12 gallons of pool water while swimming sideways. However, after spending an hour doing nothing but them, that issue got a little better. Basically, I had to learn how to swim all over again. The last time I had any sort of swim instruction was more than 10 years ago, which was also the last time I did any sort of non-recreational swimming. Apparently, one can develop a lot of bad habits through neglect. Everything about my stroke was wrong - my arm position entering the water, where my arms were entering the water, my body rotation, my head position while I was breathing - nothing was how it was supposed to be, and most of that was so ingrained, somehow, that she'd tell me to change something, I'd think I did, and it would turn out I'd done it exactly the same as before. Which is to say, wrong.

However, by the end of the hour, I had actually made some progress. Sure, my hip rotation was still a little funky on one side, but most of the major issues had been fixed. Even better, I had been able (through the many hated drills) to get a good feel for what it should feel like. On top of that, the last few lengths I swam, with my new improved stroke? Felt like the easiest things ever. Clearly, all of my bad habits were making me work way too hard. I said something along those lines to her, and she said, "Swimming's supposed to be easy, if you're not trying to go fast. It's a lazy sport."

I skipped the group workout on Monday night, because I was afraid that the pressure of trying to keep up with everyone else in the class would put me right back in to all my bad old habits. Instead, I went and swam on my own for about a half an hour or so after work on Wednesday. Up and down the pool I went, focusing on my rotation. Back and forth, back and forth. I can't even begin to tell you how relaxing it was. I was able to empty my mind of pretty much everything else except back and forth, and it was absolutely wonderful. I stopped when I could feel my form slipping a bit - I figured I was getting tired, and rather than push myself through another 10-15 minutes with bad form, I called it an evening. When I got out of the pool, I hardly felt like I'd been working at all. It was absolutely wonderful.

I'm still undecided about going to the group workout Monday night - I think I want to take another week or two to just swim on my own, and make sure I've got the new form locked into my brain before I jump into that. Plus, I think I almost preferred swimming on my own - without having to count lengths, or worry about going too slow for the other people in my lane or holding the class back - it was great. It was the mellow time that I very much needed last week.

Posted by Dawn at 10:56 AM | Comments (2)

February 21, 2006

Speed!

Well, it's been kind of a crappy week around here in Dawnie land. Crap at work, crap at home, and, on top of it all, crappy runs. My runs on Thursday and Saturday felt awful and dragged on forever, and I totally missed my long run on Sunday due to the aforementioned crap at home. (Well, it was actually due to a meltdown inspired by the crap at home, but whatever.) Yesterday was a step in the right direction as far as crap reduction went, but this morning's run? Was not only totally awesome, it convinced me that the crap is behind me, and it is time to move on to bigger and better things.

I got the next phase of my training from my coach, and, according to my spreadsheet, we've moved from "base" to "speed". This morning's workout? Was not just a plain old 4 or 5 slow and easy miles. No, it was a speed workout! The plan was this: 2 mile warm-up, then 30 seconds at 5k pace (or faster!) followed by a one-minute recovery. After 8 of those, 2 miles to cool down. Happily, my Forerunner does interval timing, so I took that and set it on the console of the treadmill so I wouldn't have to keep track of time and when to change my speeds and whatnot. (It also tells you when you're all done with your repeats! I love gadgets that let me run without thinking, since, in my book, running with thinking partially defeats the purpose.)

I was a little concerned - I've been running slow for kind of a while now, so I was sort of worried that I wouldn't be able to run fast anymore. 5k pace for me is right around 9:30, and, for comparison, all of my runs for the past month have been at 12:00 or slower. However, I figured I'd just go for it. Worst-case scenario? I have to slow the speedy intervals down a little until I get my footing, and work up to 5k pace.

However, when it came time for that first burst of speed? I was pleasantly surprised. I dialed the treadmill up to 6.4 (9:22), and it was like nothing! The 30 seconds was over before I knew it. Not only was I not struggling to keep up, I felt relaxed and loose. I was also sort of expecting my heart rate to shoot through the roof, but it didn't. Instead, it worked up to 180 or so and then just... stayed there.

I did the next 3 repeats at the same pace, but then decided to crank it up a bit. After all, it wasn't feeling especially hard, and it was only 30 seconds, right? I did the next two at 6.5 (9:14). Then the next one at 6.6 (9:05). For the last one, I was still feeling pretty good, so I went for it. I set the treadmill at 6.7 (8:57). It felt great, although it was hard enough that I was glad I didn't try to do all 8 intervals at that pace. Still, it was an awesome feeling to just be able to let the legs fly after running so controlled for the past month.

By the end of the cool down, my legs were feeling a little tired, but not to the point where I was totally wiped when I finished. I expected to finish the workout feeling like it had kicked my ass - instead, I felt great. It woke me up and got my day off to a great start.

The best part? This is my new Tuesday morning routine for the next few weeks.

Posted by Dawn at 04:56 PM | Comments (1)

February 20, 2006

Week in Review: 2/13 - 2/19

A stressful week, so I took it easy.

Monday: rest
Tuesday: 5 easy miles
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: 4 easy miles
Friday: rest
Saturday: 1 hour swimming technique review, followed by 3 easy miles
Sunday: unplanned rest day - this was supposed to be a 9-mile long run, but a minor meltdown kept me from getting it done

Total for the week: 12 miles

Posted by Dawn at 02:49 PM

February 13, 2006

Sunday's Run

Yesterday was the longest run I've done since the marathon, and it was great to get out and just run for a couple of hours (even if it was very, very slow). In fact, it was almost perfect... except for one thing: the digestive rebellion.

Last year, I started out eating a Clif bar, and maybe a banana or some Gatorade before my long runs. That was great, but I eventually got sick of the Clif bars. I keep them on hand, because they're convenient, but I can't use them as the "pre-run meal" anymore. So I started experimenting: bagels and peanut butter; toast and peanut butter; oatmeal with milk and raisins. While these options all tasted a heck of a lot better, they all had one major problem: about an hour or two into the run, the digestive rebellion would start, and it was only a matter of time before a potty stop was needed.

Yesterday was no different - I had some peanut butter toast and Gatorade for breakfast. I waited an hour. I ran. And, sure enough, after about an hour, the digestive rebellion started. I was able to keep it under control with walk breaks until I was able to make a potty stop, but it still wasn't my idea of a good time.

So, now begins the task of keeping a detailed food log of what I'm eating and when, as well as how I feel when I run. Hopefully, I'll be able to find some sort of pattern and figure out what, exactly, my system is finding so objectionable. Perhaps, someday, I'll be able to realize my dream of a long run untainted by intenstinal discomfort.

Posted by Dawn at 04:02 PM | Comments (1)

Week in Review: 2/6 - 2/12

Mon: swim 1300m
Tues: 4 easy miles
Wed: rest
Thurs: 4 easy miles
Fri: 3 easy miles
Sat: swim 1500m
Sun: 8 LSD

Totals for the week:
2800m swimming; 19 miles running

Posted by Dawn at 01:44 PM

February 07, 2006

Week in Review: 1/30 - 2/5

Monday: swim 1400m
Tuesday: unplanned rest
Wednesday: 4 miles, easy
Thursday: 4 miles, easy
Friday: rest
Saturday: swim 1100m
Sunday: unplanned rest

Total for the week: 8 miles running; 2500m swimming

Posted by Dawn at 03:22 PM

The Surprise Run

So here's the thing about working with a coach: you're accountable to someone else. You're paying someone to work with you, to build a schedule and a plan for you. In return, you follow the plan and report back with how things are going. The reporting back is all good and wonderful... until you miss a workout. On Sunday, I missed my long run for, well, for no good reason. I didn't get to it first thing in the morning, and then just ran out of time. By the time I was ready to head out, I only had an hour of daylight left to complete a 90-minute run. I headed to the gym, only to find out that they closed in half an hour. Crap. I put in a half-hearted 20 minutes on the treadmill, but it wasn't good at all. I was annoyed that I'd put off my run all day and missed it, and I was dreading reporting back to the coach and telling her that. It wasn't like I was stuck working all day, or had an appointment, or was kidnapped by aliens. I just didn't do it.

Thankfully, she was perfectly nice and understanding about it. Which, you know, I knew she would be. I was just too wrapped up in my self-flaggelation and feeling like I'd somehow gravely disappointed her to actually register that. Perhaps I need to relax a wee bit? (But, also, I need to make sure I get my long runs in first thing in the AM - the weather may not be forcing me to get up at 6 and run, but if I don't? It just doesn't happen. Am morning runner person. Must embrace this.)

Anyhow, I wound up staying up way too late last night. Which, really, is what I get for a) not doing my laundry over the weekend like I was supposed to and b) going to swimming last night instead of coming straight home and doing laundry. When I finally hit the hay at 11, I was not at all enthused about waking up at 5 to run this morning. As I was setting my alarm, I did a quick reality check and realized there was no way on earth I was going to get up at that hour, and reset the alarm for 5:30, figuring the extra half-hour of sleep would be a lot more beneficial if I wasn't getting up every 9 minutes to hit the snooze. As I went to bed, I don't think I was actually expecting myself to get up and go to the gym when the alarm went off. I think I really just set it so I could say I tried.

Sure enough, when the alarm went off this morning, I was less than excited. I dragged myself out of bed and into the bathroom, and as I stood there contemplating going back to bed and figuring out where in the day I could fit my run if I didn't do it now, I realized I was actually pretty awake. Definitely awake enough to pack up my gym bag and head to the gym. So I did.

Of course, when I got to the gym, I discovered what happens when you're rotating two pairs of the same shoe and you pack your gym bag before you've fully woken up: I had two right shoes. Oops. (Mental note: store pairs of shoes on opposite ends of room from now on.) This... was not a good sign. I didn't have time to go home and get the right shoes, and I wouldn't have time to do so after work. If I didn't run now, I wasn't going to get it in today. I took a look at the mismatched shoes in my hand. I took a look at the cross-training shoes I'd worn to the gym. Heavy, not very flexible... but supportive, and mostly appropriate for running. I was only running 4 miles...

I put my cross-training shoes back on, grabbed my walkman and HRM and headed up to the treadmill. I scoped out the TVs, picked a 'mill in a good location to watch the news, and turned my walkman on to get the sound. Then I turned it on again. And again. And then I realized the batteries were dead. No sound for me, apparently.

At this point, I pretty much expected the run to suck, as not much else had gone right this morning (I didn't even tell you about the pile of cat barf I found this morning... with my socked feet. At least I had socks on?). I didn't have the right shoes, I probably could have used another couple hours of sleep, and now I wasn't even going to get sound with my news - I'd have to read the closed captioning. I took a deep breath, pushed all these thoughts out of my mind, and started up the treadmill.

And you know what? Before I knew it, I'd cranked out the first mile. Then the second. And the third. And then the fourth. And then I was done. I couldn't believe it. The run that by all accounts should have sucked flew by and felt great. My HR was a little higher than normal, so I turned down the pace and incline gradually through the run, but that didn't bother me. I just kept running. (Also - would the fact that I wasn't as well-rested as usual be why my HR was a bit higher? It recovered just as fast as usual after the run - it was just a little high during.) Despite the hot spot I could feel forming on my right instep and the fact that running in those cross-training shoes is not an experience I'd like to repeat, I was glad I'd gotten up and gotten the run in. After stretching, showering and changing, I left the gym feeling absolutely fantastic.

Sadly, the post-exercise rush wore off right around noon, so this afternoon has been a little rough between that and the post-lunch slump, but that's OK. Because today, despite the setbacks, I got up, got out, and showed that treadmill who's in charge.

Yee. Haw.

Posted by Dawn at 03:19 PM | Comments (1)

February 03, 2006

Interesting Factiods from the HRM

Training with the heart rate monitor has been, if nothing else, interesting. Sure, it was really depressing the first time I strapped it on and watched my HR jump up to 180 after running 12:30 miles for a half hour or so. Because, man. I mean, I know I'm not the best runner out there, and I knew I wasn't in the best shape going into this training cycle, but damn. I didn't think it was that bad, either.

However, with each workout I do, my heart rate gets a little more stable. It takes longer to get up into the "aerobic zone" I'm supposed to be training at. It stays in that zone longer. And, most interestingly, when it starts to move up during the end of my workout? It just doesn't get as high. Yesterday, I ran 4 miles on the treadmill, which took me 50 minutes. I spent 37 of those minutes in my "zone" (70% - 80% of max heart rate reserve). Compared to my first run with the HRM when I only spent 10 minutes "in the zone." (And, no, it wasn't because I took a long time to warm up.) Plus, my max heart rate for the entire workout yesterday? 174. Only 6 bpm over the 80% mark! (Compared to last week when I know I saw it get up to at least 185.)

It's one thing to feel like the runs are getting easier, but it's something else entirely to be able to see them getting easier. It's actually pretty darn cool.

Plus, for a number dork like me? The more data I can take and play with and ponder? The better.

Posted by Dawn at 05:26 PM

February 01, 2006

The Week of Mondays

Yesterday was... not a good day. It started off bad, feeling like a Monday even though it was a Tuesday. I couldn't get up and out of bed to go to the gym, so I decided to sleep in and run after work. Even after resetting the alarm for 7 (which is hugely late for me), I still felt sluggish and tired and cranky. Once I got to work, I was just dragging. I couldn't get it together, and the situation was not improved by the fact that I had customers being pushy and demanding and desperately wanted to tell them to go jump in the lake. If there was ever a day when I desperately needed a run, it was yesterday. Instead of gearing myself up to go home and take a nap when 5:00 finally rolled around, I worked on getting myself excited about being able to go to the gym and just run all that crap out of my system.

However, yesterday was also a lesson in why I shouldn't put these things off until the end of the day. First, I found out I had to work late, to monitor some things that were running. However, I could still run! I only had to check in once an hour, so I could check it at 5, head up to the gym, get my 4 miles in, and be back in the office in time to check it again shortly after 6. Perfect. I grabbed my gym bag and jumped in the elevator. As I was heading towards the gym, a thought popped in my head: did I remember to pack shorts? I know I had set them on my desk to pack, but did they actually make it in my bag? I stopped, got out of the way of the other rush hour pedestrians, and opened my bag right there on the street.

Sure enough... no shorts. CRAAAAAAP. I did some mental juggling in my head - clearly, I didn't have enough time to go home and get the shorts and then go to the gym and run before I had to check back in with work. Maybe I could do my worky stuff, then go home, and then go to the gym? Nope... that wouldn't work either. I could do it in theory, but I wouldn't get home until 9 or so, which wouldn't give me any time to do the two loads of laundry I desperately needed to get done. Craaaaaaap. I whined to myself, maybe stomped around on the sidewalk a bit, then added this to the already long list of Things That Have Annoyed Me Today.

Was there a secret 3rd option? Maybe, but I was tired, frustrated, and in no mood to deal with it. So I didn't. I went back to work, finished my stuff, then went home and did my laundry, and then went to bed early. Was I happy about it? Not even a little bit. Except for the going to bed early part - that was nice.

This morning, I was determined to go to the gym before work, so I could get my run in before anything messed with it. When the alarm went off at 5, I wanted no part of it. But I also didn't want to have another repeat of yesterday. I dragged myself out of bed, got to the gym, and figured I'd slog through the 4 miles.

Wouldn't you know it - I actually had a really great run! Well, as great as a run can be on the treadmill. I'm finally used to jogging the slower pace on the 'mill, so that's not a problem anymore. Plus, I had my handy dandy little armband radio so I could have sound with my TV, and that was just as awesome as I'd been hoping. Because I had sound, I could let my eyes wander, and not miss anything (a big problem when I was relying on the closed-captioning). I won't say the run flew by, but it wasn't horrifically long and boring, either. Plus, my heart rate spent most of the run right where it was supposed to be, at 75%. Last week, I was fighting to keep it under 80%, which was just frustrating. Sure, it's not much, but it's something.

I wish I could end this on some sort of profound note, saying that because I got up and ran this morning my day has been all sunshine and roses. It hasn't - I'm still tired and feeling like I got up way too early. I still have a ton of laundry to do once I get home. But, no matter what happens, at least I know that I started off the day by doing something good for myself. And that feels pretty darn great.

Posted by Dawn at 12:44 PM | Comments (3)