Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Day 3 of soreness

Feeling a lot better, but still that calf muscle is sore. I've rolled on it and stretched it...even put some biofreeze on it. It's getting there. Took myself to the gym today and rode for a 1/2 hour - 10miles at a high cadence and then did some light free weights for the arms and some deep squats with a bar to stretch out the thigh muscles and calves.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Still recovering

An easy swim was in store for me today. Floating in water is such a nice place to be when your body parts hurt. Overall, I'm in pretty good shape. The quads are rockin' - it's just the calves at this point that are in pain and I just need to suck it up and get on a roller and go through some pain.

I ended up doing a nice long warm-up and then 5x100's pull and 12 x 50's...6 back/6 free. None really speedy, but just feeling the water. Total yards 2500. Yesterday I only did 20 minutes of the trainer when my plan had said a 30k. oh well...the 20 minutes are fine for now.

It may take another day or so to get in the clear, but it was worth it now looking back at it. : )

Monday, March 29, 2010

A big thank you...

I wanted to take the time to thank all of you - the Trimax family- for your encouraging words before my race and also for all the kind words after it! I went out there to try my best and definitely thought of all of you. I want you to all know that you inspired me to get through it! You all rock!

I am having a bit of difficulty walking today...mostly in the calf area. I'm tired, but not too bad...I will be popping the Advil throughout the next two days. And later today, I hope to attempt a quick cycle to get the legs moving a little bit.

Thanks again for your support!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Race Report for ODMarathon

YAY! I survived....barely. Man, I thought going to NJ to do 26.2 would be easier than any other place considering the land is pretty flat when you are at the shore. I was a bit wrong in that it was one of the windiest runs I've ever done...it just never let up. I would cross over these bridges that connected the shore towns and feel as if I was standing still.

Anyway, with all that said, it is done and in a time of 4:29 which I am fairly happy with for now. I ended up doing the first 13 in 1:59. It felt pretty good up through mile 10, but then many people dropped off since there was a 10miler race and then it was fairly quiet running for the remainder of the time. The Ocean Drive marathon only had about 600-700 runners doing it, so we were pretty spread out over 26 miles. At one point, I was all alone on a street lookin' around to make sure I was still on the race course.

After mile 13, I was running directly into the wind going toward the beach...but keep plugging through at a pretty steady pace. Between miles 16 and 23, I don't remember much - just sort of looking ahead for an aid station (which there were not enough of) or the next mile marker. It was mile 23 that kicked me in the butt...i stopped quickly to walk and my calf seized up so badly that i went down fast (but gracefully)...many who ran by asked if i was okay - it took me a few minutes to get the cramp out and back at it i was...only 3 to go, but i was so careful, knowing that at any point that it could happen again.

I got across the finish line and felt a range of emotions...tears for how exhausted i was, but also for how proud i was to finish it. the other part of me had tears knowing that i will eventually have to do this after swimming 2.4 miles and biking 112. i anticipate a lot more walking.

overall, i did not walk much and thankfully, i did not have any stomach issues at all...only one visit to the bathroom to pee at mile 18. i obviously was dehydrated and also felt like i did not have enough nutrition in me. the water stations were 2.5 miles apart and only one station had gu. i had gone through all of mine and needed quite a few more for the rest of the race, but only oranges and bananas were to be found. that is one thing i will be much better at for Lake Placid-taking in adequate nutrition...i think that's probably why my calf cramped so badly.

As for the rest of me, I'm not in as much pain as I thought I'd be, but it's only been a few hours. I will say that the quads are doing great thanks to all of my CF sessions (thanks hubby!) - it's the feet and calves that are feeling most of it.

So, with all that said, i am soooo ready for rest. Until tomorrow...

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Went swimming first today...warmed up and did a 500 for time. It was okay- 6:57, but I felt like I was struggling and breathing hard. I'm going to chalk it up to the pull ups and kettlebells yesterday. ..total yds 1500.

2nd workout - 8 x 200s at 75% effort. Once again, wanted to push it a little more: :53, :50, :50, :49, :54 (told myself to slow it down and breathe more easily), :49, :49, :48. Legs feel good, but can they hold up for 26.2 miles? That is the question.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

So I'm sort of in taper mode for this weekend. It is strange to not do much. Today I had to do Helen at 80% effort, but.........I wanted to see what I could do compared to last time, so I pushed it a little more. It was a really good effort and it felt okay. My heartrate was in the 170s and final time was 11:19 and that takes into consideration the time it takes the treadmill to actually rev up to the pace you want to go. Last time I did this was Jan. 11th and my time was 11:36 so there's an improvement which I am happy about. I did a little extra 1/2 mile run and warmed up today with a 1000M row. It was quick, but I'm calling it a day.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Head not on straight

It has been a full 2 days of no workouts. Not very typical for me, but couldn't get around it with the crazy weekend of hockey and yesterday's activities. Today I feel like I need to make up for it, but will try not to go too crazy. Actually, it was a good mental break.

Started off in the pool after I dropped the kids off at school. Ended up doing 3200 yards...main set was nothing to write home about. Just couldn't clear the brain today - for reasons unknown to me, some people just get me so out of whack- just don't how they can do the things they do, so it keeps churning in my mind over and over.

Then went to the gym to do 3-3-3 squats at 70% max weight. Warmed up with a 10 minute run. Squats felt good. Legs feel good. I can't wait until this week is over...did I ever mention I have a marathon to run on Sunday? Maybe that's another reason why I'm having issues with my head lately.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

quick run

down to norwich yesterday afternoon to hang with hagen's hockey team and get to bed at a decent time to be able to get up easily enough for a 7am game this morning. we also had a 12:40 game. didn't return home until after 3pm. it was so beautiful out. it was supposed to be a day off for me, but after sitting in a car and a rink for hours, had to go for a run. it wasn't long and it felt really good. did 6.8 miles in 58.50 minutes...i felt decent even though i wasn't hydrated enough or hadn't eaten well today. i will debate tomorrow whether to work out or not - we have another game at 9am in norwich and if the team makes it to the finals we're back there at 5pm. more driving and sitting.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Sunning while biking

Outside in the driveway and facing the sun, better than the basement for the trainer. Should've gotten up earlier to go ride on the road, but didn't happen and with the kids home from school, it's just too hard to pick up and go. WOD was 4 x 5 minutes on 2 off, for distance. 1st- 2.18miles, 2nd - 2.36, 3rd - 3.39, 4th -2.45. Was on the highest gear and couldn't turn up the resistance anymore. Heartrate in the 170s. Cadence was between 80-90.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

non-eventful day

Swim of 2300 yards with main set of 20x50s- sets of 5 descending in time. Nothing fabulous to report. 2nd WOD - quickie of 3x (400m run, 21 25# kettlebell swings, 12 push-ups) - time was 9:31. Too beautiful to stay inside...out and about raking and playing a little lax with the kids.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

I'm sore...I'm chalking it up to a tired/stressed feeling. The weather is starting to inspire me (so lovely out), but I still went to the gym today for my workouts. 5-5-5 squats...115, 125, 135.

Tabata run of :20/:10 up to 3 miles. I kept the treadmill going the entire time so it took me 20:56 to complete 3 miles, but I went 3.75 miles in 26 minutes to make up for the mileage that I missed not running during those :10. That's 52 reps of :20/:10 - exhausting. Ran at a 6:48 pace...heartrate up in the 170s.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

teetering

gym, outside, gym, outside...took me forever to decide where to go. Opted for outside and glad I did. 20K today and went at it...did sort of an out and back and that wind (once again) can make you feel like you're working so hard and standing still. Time was 38:41 - avg. 19.2mph. Felt strong, especially with the wind behind me at one point. Went a little longer (but not at 20K pace)to enjoy the weather...total for a 25K was 52:06. Dramatic difference vs. riding at the gym, but this was way more fun. (For my notes, route was down West Mountain Rd/back, Hedgehog and Old Farms to home).

Monday, March 15, 2010

better today

Thanks to all of you who are so kind with your words...thought I would have grossed out most of you to even respond, but I'm sure we've all been there at one point or another.

I have gone back in my mind what could have destroyed me yesterday...and I'm thinking it was possibly the creamy sauce with the gnocchi and fish + bread + 2 beers that I had had on Friday night...that's really the only significantly different meal I've had. I had very little to eat yesterday afternoon as my stomach was still recovering...a little diet soda helped and then light snacking in the afternoon was about all I could handle.

Anyway, today I started off with some beef jerky, 1/2 apple and nuts. Felt better..it was a light meal before the swim which is best for me. I can't swim after eating a lot. Today's yardage = 3300.
Main set:
1 x 250 on 4 minutes (3:30)
5 x 50s on :55
1x 250 on 4 min (3:25)
5x50s on :50
1 x 250 on 4 min (did a 300 - went 4:03)
5 x 50s on :45
1x250 on 4 min (3:23)
5 x 50s back on 50

Other WOD - 300 squats for time: 7:12 - these seemed to go by so slowly; heartrate was in the 160s and legs were a bit sore from yesterday's run.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

crappy run

I was looking forward to running today for a long stint of time - since it was drizzly out, I went to the gym. I went for an hour - feeling pretty good and holding a 8:30ish pace - so I got in 6.9miles. Had to restart treadmill because it only goes for an hour, so took a bathroom break as my stomach was hurting. Got on again and started running...could only make it 20 minutes before heading to the bathroom again. Back on...another 10 and needed to go again. (sorry to share these details) but it was sooo frustrating. Abdominal pain and I needed relief. UGH. I quit after getting in approximately 11.4 miles. I've had this problem a few times...i think it's just the body going up and down and things moving around. I'm also thinking it's time to figure out what I'm putting into my body. Should've done that a while ago...just have that lazy attitude and don't really care, but i probably should. Even when I know that something might be bad for me (like dairy), I ignore it since it's something I think I'd have a hard time giving up. Oh boy...so much to learn, right? And I know what you're thinking Max...so no need to get into it. :)

Friday, March 12, 2010

arms and legs

oh pullups...again? 75 pullups, 75 knee push ups, 75 situps, 75 squats for time...14:25. those first 2 were killers on the arms/shoulders - could feel everything locking up, but got it done.

I headed to a stationary bike at gym..not my favorite one, but that was fine since the noise maker was next to that one. The WOD was 1 mile on, 1 minute rest x 15 and record the time: 39:36. I was at level 15 for most of it, heartrate was 150 by end of mile and rpm was between 95-100.

REST DAY tomorrow and looking forward to it.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

swim and tabadabadoo

Swim -ttl yards 3700
  • 600wu
  • 8x50's 2 of each stroke kick/swim
  • Main set : (300 free on 4:45, 200IM on 3:30 and 100 Kick on 2:15) x 3
  • 300's - 4:08, 4:07, 4:07 (just wanted to keep them consistent)
  • 200's - 2:54, 2:57, 2:57 (arms hurting these last 2)
  • 100's - 1:30, 1:29, 1:27
  • 8x75's pull w/ paddles on 1:20 - held 1:02s
  • 300 drill/warm down

2nd WOD - tabata :20/:10 - 32x (8 sets of squats, knee push ups, lunges and kte (poo)) - i was supposed to take out the squats and put in sit-ups, but I wanted a comparison point to the last time I did this workout. The # of reps in December was 392 and i was near death. Today I got in 436 reps - would have liked to have done more, but those knees to elbows are a pain and so painful especially at the end of this workout. So for me, good result...10% improvement. Doesn't seem like much, but I also don't feel as bad as I did after the last time I had done this. Much better recovery.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

oh sun, i luv u

It is so nice to be outside and to feel that sun...not always great when you're sweating, but when it's this temperature, the addition of sunlight feels great. So I wasn't really looking forward to today as I had to do 4 x 1 mile run 100% efforts with 8 minutes rest in between. I decided that the track would be the best place for me so off to the HS I went. It was empty :)

I warmed up with 1/4 mile and then started. First one: 7:39 - i was pleasantly surprised, considering i started off huffing quite a bit. I was supposed to take 8 minutes rest, but ya know, I'm not too patient when it comes to this stuff- I took about 5 in between each one (enough time to stretch legs, get water, etc...). #2 - 7:34...cool! #3 - 7:37 - i was starting to feel the lactic acid in my legs - that heavy feeling. And for #4, it was a push but I came in at 7:33. So glad that's over with for now.

Still had one more WOD - 5-5-5-5-5 squats. Legs were already warm, so started with 95 and then did 105, 115 and 125x2. I think that's the heaviest I've done so far, so it was a good day overall. Now for some stretching.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Arghhh- wind

So today was a 40K and I looked outside and saw the sun shining and thought that it was going to be a spectacular day for a ride. Well, to sum it all up, it was darn frustrating. I usually factor in hills for changes in pace/time, but never do I think about the wind. Today I felt like I was fighting just to move on some strips of the ride...even feeling like I was going to be thrown off the side of the road as I was trying to crank at a higher speed going down hill. Oh well...the conditions in Lake Placid could be windy, right? So you have to learn how to train in everything. The time ended up being 1:21.13 for 24.8 miles, average mph was 18.2. It was the same course as last week for the first 10 miles and then a little more rolling versus the climbs of 20 and 167 - headed out to Granby and back. Tired legs today - had to work a little harder to get through it mentally.

Monday, March 8, 2010

I'm feeling a little like Dan today...a little overwhelmed. Just so much floating around in the head. I got to the pool this morning...main set was 500/400/300/200/100 - times were 6:57, 5:36, 4:08, 2:42 and 1:16...not the speed i had hoped for but considering it didn't feel great, I was okay with the times. Total yards: 3200.

Headed home to do 100 knee push-ups. I haven't graduated yet-i feel enough pain being on the knees. I got in 30 without stopping and then it was just about every 10 with a break and then the last 2 sets of 10 were broken too. It hurt. As I was recovering, my dog was outside enjoying the sun, so I thought I'd go for a quick run too - why not. I did my Stratton Brook in 29:23..it felt so good to get out there and breathe the air and take in the sun. I was really happy with the run - it was 2 minutes faster than what I usually do on that route...I'll have to double check when I last ran that route.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Crisp Vermont Air

Got back from my girls trip to VT...so refreshing...too quick. Yada, yada, yada. Much needed getaway and lots of laughs and catching up done.

As I expected, it was an early morning rising for everyone, even after going to bed quite late. Had to detox the system for sure. I knew I had a potential running partner that morning and she was ready to go, so we did. It was beautiful weather and the mountains, capped with snow, were surrounding us. We held a good pace...a lot faster than I'm used to, but it was good to push it a little more than the norm. We ran a little over 1 1/2 hours and chatted the whole time...well, she did a lot more talking than I did which I was thankful for...amazing how it goes by so much more quickly with a friend by your side. The rest of the day was full of shopping - on my feet walking. I'm beat.

Not quite able to sleep as my dog will not settle down, but hopefully I'll get in bed soon. Looking foward to a day filled with Sutton's hockey tomorrow. :)

Friday, March 5, 2010

Rushed

That's how I feel this morning...I'm trying to get ready to go to VT for part of the weekend to catch up with some old college friends, but of course, wanted to get a workout in before knowing that I will be probably consuming plenty of snacks and drinks with girl conversation. The good thing is that these women are all athletic and want to work out on Saturday, so I just may go for a long run with a friend, which definitely would be a wonderful change of pace.

So today, I did 100 sit-ups (forgot to start my watch), but did them quickly and the abs were hurting. Prior to that I had 4 x 5K rides in which the times had to get faster. Times were: 7:52, 7:04, 6:45 and 6:29. I am looking forward to resting at some point soon...my body feels tired, I have a headache and I need more sleep. Is it always a race to catch up? My goal next week will be to find 10 minutes each night to breathe and stretch. Wish me luck.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Struggling but consistent

I was excited to swim today since I had had a fairly bad one on Monday. Everything felt okay until I hit the water - my streamline position was painful which meant my triceps were so tight, probably from those darn burpees. Anyway, I worked through it - warmed up, and main set was 4x300's on 5. Held 4:10, 4:10, 4:09, 4:08...can't say I wasn't consistent there and heartrate was in the 160s. 2nd part was 5x150's (having to go faster than 1/2 the time in the 300s) - alternated 150 free with 150 back so ended up doing 3x150's - times were 2:03, 2:00, 1:58...that was hard, but proud of my last one since the arms were burning. After a few more small sets, total yardage was 3800 - I feel beat up.

Workout #2 at home: 400M run, 20 burpees x 4 for time. Ugh...not burpees again. Off to get changed.

Done...15:56 - nothing to say except I sucked wind.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Soreness had set into my arms overnight...I don't think it was from riding in the aero position (although my neck is a little sore too), but I still think Fran is having an impact. Ugh...those darn pull-ups and thrusters. So today, I went to the gym a little later knowing that I'd like as few people there as possible when I'm supposed to do burpees - I tried one before starting and ouch, my arms. Anyway, thankfully, there were not many there yet.

Today the WOD was 70% of max squat weight x 5, 10 burpees, and 15 squats as many times as you can in 15 minutes. The weight I put on was 75 pounds- total rounds completed was 9 on the nose. The squats definitely became more difficult toward the end, but I felt more flexible and got lower as my body was warmer. Heartrate was up there and feet were burning from movement of burpees for some strange reason.

Took a quick breather and jumped on a treadmill for workout #2. 4 x 800's at 80% effort...I was pleased with the results. 3:39, 3:37, 3:36 and 3:33 (with these times it was probably closer to 90% effort). I wasn't trying to descend them, my legs were just feeling more loose by the end and I also just wanted to be done.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Out I go...

Sue said get outside, so that's what I did. I needed the fresh air and to be surrounded by nature today. I had a 30K on tap but opted for my 25 mile loop that I usually do with Sue...up 20 to 179 and back to 167 down 309 and home. I can't say it was an extremely speedy ride. What a difference hills make on time. I went 1:28.53...average 16.8 mph (i will say i got to 40.8 for my max speed - always fun going down those hills!). I was a little cautious out there with the wetness and road conditions, but overall it was pretty good...since there was no sanding this winter, it was pretty clean out there! I felt fairly strong, especially for my first ride outdoors this year. So get out there and start riding..heard the weather was getting even warmer this week.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Wrong order

I had Fran and a swim in store for today. I thought I'd get Fran out of the way first. 1/2mile run warm up and here we go. 21-15-9 (45# thrusters and pullups-gravitron pulling 60lbs) for time. These definitely hurt. Final time was 9:51 which includes running up and down stairs in between thrusters and pull-ups. I actually thought the pull-ups were significantly harder than the thrusters this go-around.

then to the pool - i could already feel soreness in my forearms and when i got in to warm up, I knew that today was not the day for swimming - i couldn't feel my pull whatsoever due to the Fran workout, so I did a lot of pulling and a main set of kicking. total yards - 2200.