Running, Weekends and Vacation

After a day to reflect…still not sure what the problem was yesterday (and last Thursday for that matter). I used to do all my hard workouts in the morning. I don’t know if it’s a matter of needing to be up earlier to be more awake, if it’s more humid and I’m not used to that right now (it has been a fairly mild summer so far and the humidity hasn’t been as up as it tends to be, but Tuesday I dealt with it and managed respectable times, although yeah, those do have quick water stops every 2 miles or so…)

My heel, still sore after, but I don’t think that actually is affecting my running. My right hamstring/glute is bothering and/or tight, but again, not something I think is the problem. 2 weeks ago I did this run in the afternoon, and it went really well. I don’t think the morning should be affecting it, but maybe it is. I had tentative plans today and last week too after work so had to do the morning thing. After next week, which is a recovery/race week so I’ll have less mileage and see if that makes a difference for the next week. I have one more week that’s technically “endurance” training anyway, and then I move into more speed work.

In the meantime, I should order and re-read and update myself on the diet I should be focusing on (based on a nutrition book I read a while back) and trying to get the crap out of my diet…that said I still managed to eat 2 cupcakes today (wish I was running this afternoon actually as I have tended to have good runs after cupcakes and/or cake!). My work is bad…we have treats once a month for the all company meeting. Sigh…this was the first cupcakes they had and they were good, although I have had better. Then lunch was provided for something else, but I ended up going to my standby meal of peanut butter sandwich (something I keep on hand) because they had subs and all the subs had mayo or a dressing of some sort and I don’t like mayo!! At all…it makes me sick!! Bad experience long ago and I avoid it now!

Friday

OK, I have to say, maybe the shoes are magic and if so I need to get more. I got my Danskos on Tuesday night (and wore them Wednesday) and my Chaco’s on Wednesday and wore them Thursday and today. I woke up last night and went to the bathroom and I didn’t seem to feel heel pain as much as I normally do when I get up and start walking (and no, unlike what I’ve heard about PF that it’s excruciating when you first start walking and it loosens up, mine pretty much stays the same all day, anytime I get up to walk). So I’m hopeful that wearing these and continuing icing regularly will help.

I wasn’t able to get up for my run this morning. Which I know I’m going to regret. I decided maybe I’ll go to the gym at lunch and strength train and then go home and run 4 miles vs the 6 I was planning and then maybe have a bike ride (or maybe I’ll keep from the bike ride since I am running 16 with my group tomorrow). I definitely need an early night tonight as I’m exhausted and didn’t want to get up this morning and I have a very full day tomorrow. Meeting the group for a 16 miler at 7 am, then heading straight to a friends to shower and prep for the day before going wedding dress shopping with her, her mom, sister and soon to be mother-in-law. She has an appointment at 11 am at one place not far from her and then plan is for lunch someplace fun and then to another shop for a 4:30 appointment, although that one I’ll be leaving early as I have tickets for the Twins tomorrow. Meeting up with a couple of friends and the friend I’m dress shopping with will be coming to the game too as soon as she’s done at the second shop. We'll be enjoying baseball, in good seats, mainly I’m there for the beer cause I’m not a big fan of baseball, but I’m going with people who all like it, which is why I got the tickets anyway, and I'm a fan of my Twins no matter what. Probably go out someplace after as well. And Sunday I have plans for a brunch and drinks with a friend on a patio…should be fun!!

At some point over this time I HAVE to get some packing done. I leave on Wednesday. I have to decide on transport to the airport…do I take Supershuttle, Cab or drive…and/or some combination of those…haven’t decided yet. But the packing is something that I am freaking that I haven’t done yet…I mean it’s a short trip, and I don’t care about re-wearing and/or wearing the shirt from the race that night or something, but do need the right running stuff…weather looks to be good for it though. Highs in 60s, lows in 50s…sun, although most of my running will be later and/or at night!! Getting excited about the relay.

And one more add on...OK...I ran after work, 6 miles, not that fast, was supposed to be recovery, but it was 8:35 pace...what's up with that?

The Week in Recap

I have been meaning to and trying to update this all week, but didn’t have the pictures wanted to include them in the first post…so hence, a wait, but they might be worth it!

Last Friday I was down at the 3rd (well 4th if you could the time trial that had happened that morning) stage of the Nature Valley race series. Big bike race around the mid-Western region of Minnesota. It started with a speed trial in downtown St. Paul last Wednesday, a road race in Canon Falls on Thursday, time trial and then speed race in downtown Minneapolis on Friday night, another road race on Saturday in Mankato and finishing with I think another speed race on Sunday in Stillwater. I saw the race on Wednesday night and then went with a couple of friends to the race on Friday night. It was quite cool seeing the bikes going through (top speeds of 39 mph) on the roads of downtown Minneapolis. The team my friend works with were there and I managed to get this cool picture, totally on a fluke, of one of the members of his team (I just put my camera out and snapped a picture, had no idea who or what it might take a picture of). The other picture is getting into some of the last few laps of the race and while the bikers were more toward the far side of the lane for most of it, this last part they spread out and we could’ve almost touched some of them! After the race we headed (myself and my two friends) to our local hangout and had a few drinks. Then it was home as we were all kind of exhausted after long days.

Saturday I got up and actually went for a long run. In fact the run was 13.25 miles in length…longest I’ve done in quite some time and it felt good. I averaged a 9:21 pace which wasn’t bad considering it was a bit warmer out by the end of it (I didn’t get running till 11). My parents were in town and I met up with them for a drink at my uncle’s legion for a street dance and fireworks later that evening and then called it an early night.

My plan on Sunday was the Pride parade and then a work happy hour/meet and greet of the international sales team and then the end of the race series party my friend was having, which was convenient since all events were in downtown Minneapolis. Unfortunately last minute had back outs of people going to the parade so I didn’t make it to that, instead I had a run, did some cleaning and just relaxed for part of the afternoon at Lake Calhoun before going home, getting cleaned up and heading to Brit’s for the party. It was nice to get to meet some of the people there, and we ended up doing some Lawn Bowling and then I said I was going to the party and others wanted to join me, so we walked over and had some beer. It was a nice night, but I was again quite exhausted so ended up home in bed by 1.

This week so far my running is way off. I had 42 miles last week but this week I’m only at 15 and it’s Friday. I’m planning between 6 and 8 tonight, but don’t know when or if I’ll get a run in the rest of the weekend as it’s kind of packed. I’m meeting a friend at my place after she’s done with work and going to Lake Harriet band shell for music tonight, then it’s another friends birthday so I’ll probably meet her for a drink, my “friend” is meeting us maybe at the band shell and then I’ll be crashing at his place tonight as he sponsor’s a triathlon every year and goes down and does massage at it and asked me if I wanted to come along. I’ll be there helping get people signed up for massage etc…this will go to early afternoon I’m sure, then maybe a nap by Calhoun and/or stopping to see some friends since we are up close to their place for the tri…tomorrow night the people still in town for the meeting are planning an outing to see a band play and I said I’d be joining them, so most likely I’ll be heading out for that and maybe staying at my sister’s place if I opt to have a few drinks…we’ll see how tired I am though! Sunday I think I need to relax! I might grill up some ribs and hopefully will find time for a run then, since tomorrow I might not get one. It was kind of nice this week though, on Wednesday I was downtown to see a band play and met up with my “friend” there and then he and I went for a run. I haven’t run with someone in so long and it was kind of fun doing that again. And I have never really run with someone that I’m actually dating…so that was even more fun actually. We’ll see how things continue to play out.

Still no buyer’s for my condo. There is a good and bad to that. On the good, I have more money to throw at bills and things for right now (but maybe I should be saving up for more toward a downpayment), and there are plenty of things on the market I like and would consider buying, so hopefully it stays that way, mine sells (I’d love it if I could have a sale to close maybe October, move end of October/early November, but you can’t ever guarantee something like that). I know it will eventually sell, and I’m sure I’ll find something I deem perfect for me at the time, but the unknown is kind of a pain. I’d almost take it off the market and just stay where I am, but I just have so many “wants” that I need more space for (like my exercise room, I’ve determined I’m buying some bowflex changeable weights ones I have space to have that kind of stuff)!

Reassurance

Thank God…last night it wasn’t quite as cold as it’s going to be this weekend and there was a light snow coming down, I thought about going home and running, and then remembered that the main reason I wanted to run at the Dome was so I could see about my paces and figure out if I was really as slow as I’ve been feeling. So I drove downtown and actually made it there just before 5 and the running is from 5-8 so that worked out quite nice. I got changed was running at just after 5…the running is a bit off, as you are running around this large square/circle if that makes sense, rounded, but not terribly rounded and it’s hard to tell where you are in relation to where you started 1 lap on the outer wall is .64 miles around, middle is .62 and inner is .60, but the inner loop is for sub 7:00 pace so needless to say I wasn’t there. They have things calculated out and I did a 10 mile run in 1:28:11 for an 8:49 pace. Not too bad. First 4 miles (10 laps is ~4 miles) was a 35:55 split, then I did 2 mile splits 17:39 (8:49), 17:27 (8:43), 17:09 (8:34). For pace I’m training for (8:00) I should be running the first half of a long run at 9:36 (MP + 20%) and second half 8:48 (MP + 10%) according to Pfitz…I guess I was a little off on that last night but that’s OK. It was a shorter longer run anyway. And I just wanted to see that I could still run easy runs at around the 8:45-8:50 pace I had been doing. My hamstring is still a little sore and/or tight, when I stretch I definitely know it’s there, but it wasn’t bothering me on the run at all. My left knee was a bit sore after the run but was fine by the time I got home. I should’ve still iced it just to be safe, but I know the soreness came from the surface. I don’t think I’d do more than 10 on that surface, it is concrete, think any stadium you’ve ever been in…it’s great for those rollerblading down below though.

Anyway, I got home and was wiped. Watched TV and then went to bed, although a bit later than normal and I had a rough nights sleep. I woke up around 2:30 and was still awake around 3:30-4 and might have even been awake from 12:30 but can’t be 100% sure on that. I’m not tired today, but I just couldn’t sleep and if I had realized I was that awake I might have just gotten up and read for a while or something. On the plus side, the cold definitely seems to be on the downswing. I was sleeping fine, nothing draining, didn’t have to stay on my back propped up to be able to breath, but I am sneezing again today, which seems to be something to do with the work air anyway, I wish I had taken something before coming in, but oh well. I’ve been trying to avoid that anyway. I plan to run a recovery type 4 tonight even though it’s going to be cold, and then get another 6 miler at some point over the weekend, even though we are supposed to see nothing about 0 and negatives in the teens…I might have to find indoor running somewhere, but most likely I’ll just suck it up and brave it. As of right now, no real plans for the weekend. I’d really like to go out tonight but as cold as it’s going to be I don’t know if I’ll feel brave enough. Not even sure I’ll be going anywhere or doing anything for Super Bowl and that really sucks. I’d like to at least go meet up with people at a bar or something.