Strides

Tonight was an extra run workout at Foothill College. I carpooled with my awesome mentor Erin and her husband George, who was running the show (so to speak!). We were early, so Erin and I walked a mile around the track to stay warm while people showed up. We then jumped into the official warm-up - a 15-minute run/jog/walk at intensity level ~5. I started my watch and somewhat surprisingly ran an 11-minute mile, then because I had 4 minutes left in the warm-up I went one more lap.

So far: 2.25 miles, feeling pretty good.

Except then, as we were stretching, George described the "main set." There were two options, one for more seasoned runners who'd already been doing speed work, and one for the less experienced runners who were new to speed work.

Guess which workout I did?! That's right! The one for the less experienced runners! Actually, even with experience I am still slow, so whatever.

The main set included a one lap run at intensity level ~5 (steady, easy pace), then each subsequent lap included a 100-meter (1/4 lap) dash at intensity level ~8 followed by a 300 meter (3/4 lap) recovery run/jog/walk. No stopping, go for 30 minutes. Sounds easy, right?

I took my splits, for a good laugh, and whoa are they bad.

The first lap, the easy run part, was fine, and my split was 2.48.77. Then I hit the 100-meter dash at the beginning of the second lap, and started strong, felt fast, legs moving quickly, form was good...

Then I hit about 50 meters into the dash and thought I might die. My form fell apart, I slowed down. I made it through that first dash and jogged the remaining 3/4 lap to recover, breathing so heavy I thought my lungs might explode. Split for lap two: 2.43.47 - not bad! Faster!

The second sprint I started strong, but not as strong - a slower start so I wouldn't fall apart at the end, but it didn't help much - I finished the sprint heaving and feeling sloppy. Frustrating, but I jogged the rest of that lap as well, which I considered a major victory. Split for lap three: 3.00.69. Significantly slower.

Third sprint (and fourth lap) - my sprint felt fantastic until I hit the 100 meter mark and my legs wanted to explode. I had to walk after that sprint. For about 1/4 lap. Then, back to jogging. Split for lap four: 3.01.44. Clearly my sprint was faster, but the walking averaged out the total lap time.

Fourth sprint/fifth lap: 3.20.63. Clearly getting tired at this point.

Fifth sprint/sixth lap: 3.18.54. Thinking I might die at any moment by this point.

Sixth sprint/seventh lap: 3.11.74. Here I think I hit a pace, and finally figured out how much I should be walking after the sprint. Still, considered lying down in the middle of the track and crying. My legs were falling off at this point.

Seventh sprint/eighth lap: 3.10.46. On pace, but pace is crappy. Think jogging into traffic might be less painful than more running.

Eight sprint/ninth lap: 3.23.25. Here, I am falling apart. I can't feel my legs, even though I am walking a significant amount of the lap after the sprint, and it takes me a long time to catch my breath after the sprint. I could swear someone ran up next to me and stabbed me in the ribs, but no. It's just a side cramp. Walk with my arms over my head like an idiot, trying to take slow, deep breaths.

Ninth sprint/tenth lap: 3.31.16. Struggling to stay upright. As I rounded the last corner, George tells us we should start the cool down. He means slow down and recover. I want to lie down and cry. I keep running.

I got in two extra laps at the end, one jogging and one walking, to cool down. My total time for the ten laps (or 2.5 miles) was 31.30.15, which averages out to a ~12 minute and 36 second mile. Slow.

But, my total mileage included a 2.25 mile warmup, a 2.5 mile speed workout, and a 0.5 mile cool down, for a grand total of 5.25 miles on the track. For me, that's good.

Afterwards, George, Erin and I went to Rojo's Wraps for dinner and I had a spectacular veggie wrap, then came home for a long hot shower. The thermometer on my car said 45 degrees when I came home, and I couldn't stop shivering.

Tomorrow night is a swim workout that I will call my recovery workout - it'll be in "the bubble," an enclosed pool that is hot, steamy, and crowded. It will be slow and it will feel like someone is sitting on my chest and I will probably hate it, but the warm water will be good for my legs.

Because my legs, tomorrow, will be screaming at me. I can already feel it.

Thanksgiving

This post will be quick because I just want to get in the workouts and move on to tonight's debacle of a run.

We went to Placerville for Thanksgiving to spend some time with Rob's parents. I'd packed my running gear, it was weighed and ready for loading...and accidentally left at home. I freaked out, as missing five days of workouts is like starting over. Rob, my hero, had a friend pick up the bag and meet him at a little airfield to pass it off so I could get a run in while we were out.

So in Placerville I dragged Rob out with me on Friday morning for a little 2.26-mile run that consisted entirely of hills. That was rough. The elevation profile is extremely entertaining, as is my speed, which is inversely proportional to the incline. Oh, I am slow. But - at least I got a run in. I felt good about that.

The swim last night was spectacular! There was a woman in my lane who was way faster than me, which was amazing - we were pushing each other and it was a nice change to the regular slow pace I usually get stuck in during those workouts. We crammed in a lot of yardage last night as well - about 2600 yards total:

300 yard warm-up
8 x 50 yards kicking
3 sets of 4 x 50 yards drill/swim
3 x 25 (fly back breast)
3 x 50 free
3 x 100 free
3 x 50 free
3 x 25 fly
6 x 50 yards pull
200 warm down

The evening workouts are hard for me - I am wired when I get home and find it hard to sleep, and last night was up until almost midnight (late for my morning personality). Tonight is no different... But that's for the next post!

Changes

You may notice there are ads on the blog. I know, I know. Ads are annoying. However, for each click on an ad, money will be added to a little account for me, and when it hits a threshold that money will arrive in the form of a check, and that check will go straight to my Team in Training fundraising efforts! So click away, people!

(P.S. I've been totally delinquent on the fundraising. I know this. For some reason I just have a mental block about it this year. I'll get on it after Thanksgiving, really.)

Seasonality and Fiberglass

Last night was an extra TNT swim at the Santa Clara Swim Center. We crammed in 2300 yards, which is pretty good - nearly 2 miles - for an early-season swim. I'm craving more actual intervals (like do 4 x 100 yards on 1:45 kind of a thing) instead of the nebulous 4 x 100 yards with ten seconds rest thing. I think it makes people push harder. Of course, that's hard to do when you've got such varying abilities sharing lanes, so I guess I'll save the intervals for when I swim on my own!

I need to shift my exercise focus from a seasonal one to a more constant one. I'm so used to having a swim season, where you swim your arse off for four months or so and then relax through the summer and fall, then jump back into full force again in the winter/spring. That won't work as a real life approach. I think the CrossFit I was doing in my "off season" over the summer was helpful - my fitness is coming back pretty quickly - but I need to make a concerted effort to keep the workouts/activities constant instead of giving myself such a long break after events.

As for the "fiberglass" part of this post, I went swimming today over lunch. Knowing I won't be in the pool until next week scares me, so I wanted to cram one last swim in before heading out for Thanksgiving. I swam at the Campbell Community Center, which has an open lap swim from 11:30 - 1 every day. I designed a 2100 yard workout for myself that was pretty good:

300 warm-up
4 x 100 IM
4 x 50 yards free
2 x 100 yards free
1 x 200 yards free
2 x 100 yards free
4 x 50 yards free
6 x 75 yards, kick, drill, swim
100 warm down

Not too bad, except that I can feel my form fall apart as I get tired. I know that will get better as I improve but it's frustrating to feel myself get sloppy in the water. Form makes such a difference!

The pool is pretty nice - big locker room, suit dryer (the best invention ever, like a salad spinner for bathing suits), big lockers, and eight lanes of pool space. The water was cooler than normal, as it's been raining and the pool isn't covered, but I enjoy a cooler pool (once I'm warmed up of course! The initial shock is never fun!) so I was happy about that. The body of the pool, however, is fiberglass. Fiberglass pools either leave little invisible splinters in your skin that itch like crazy, or they run your skin raw where you have lots of contact. The bottoms of my feet have lots of contact, as I'm flip-turning and pushing off the wall with every lap.

Now, the bottoms of my feet feel raw and achy. I assume this is from the fiberglass. I'm tempted to get water socks and wear them in that pool to prevent the fiberglass issues.

I suppose it's a small price to pay for increased fitness, but I'd like to know who the genius was that decided fiberglass was the material of choice for pools, where people are constantly rubbing their feet on it?!

The Quest for a Shoe

My feet are short, wide, and high volume. I have never once had "the perfect running shoe," and shopping for shoes has always been an exercise in frustration. I've taken to buying running shoes online, since I need a double-wide and the running stores almost never carry those sizes, and while I've been finding shoes that fit, there's always some minor issue that drives me crazy. Maybe the toe box is low so my toes push up against the top of the shoe and get sore, maybe there's a seam that hits a funny spot on my foot, maybe the heel slips a bit. I don't have the luxury of being as picky as other runners, and I almost always sacrifice something for the width I need.

I'm a New Balance devotee. They make a variety of shoes in double-wide and they're not all horrendous looking, which I appreciate. They also use different shoe "lasts," or molds, for their models, and there are descriptions of how the lasts differ from one another. My favorite last, the CL-2, has a standard heel, a high instep height (my shoes are almost always tight across the top of my foot so this extra room is amazing), deep toebox, and wide forefoot width - perfect for my freaky feet. Of course, they almost never make shoes with this last. My second choice has all the width but a narrow heel, and my heel pops out of those shoes. As I'm in the market for new shoes, I've been reading product reviews and poking around the New Balance web site to see how my old model has changed and whether there's another shoe I might like. The pair I have now have a seam that squeezes the inside of my foot and bugs me, so I was thinking of switching models.

Enter Zappos - they has some double-wide shoes from different manufacturers that I didnt' know existed. Because their return policy is so spectacular, I figured maybe I should branch out. I bought a brand new pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10 in 7.5 2E. Not cheap, but I liked the seaming up the side of the shoe since it appeared to flow with the foot and not cut across it. Here they are:

They arrived today, and I just put them on.

I think I heard angels singing.

The width is perfect. My heel isn't slipping. I don't feel like the top of the shoe is going to burst because my instep is too high. There are no seams cutting down over the sides of my feet. They feel springy and well-cushioned but not too heavy.

I cannot wait to take them out on the road. I'm seriously tempted to buy another 1 or 2 pairs, but they're like $100 and, well, with the holidays coming up and other things to take care of that doesn't seem reasonable.

I think I'm defecting. Brooks might be my new brand. It's seriously ridiculous how happy I am to have these shoes!

My Fiancee is the Best!

The TNT bike rides are usually in the morning on Saturdays. As it's winter, and winter is cold, the rides are quite chilly - add in a (somewhat small as I am slow) wind chill and it can get pretty frosty. My major issue last year was frozen feet; there were mornings where my feet went numb, and I couldn't feel them until about 30 minutes after the ride. Clearly that is problematic, especially when there's a run right after the ride. The issue might be resolved with a new pair of non-porous bike shoes, but the shoes I would need don't go with the pedals I have, so it would require a good chunk of change to upgrade. There are also neoprene-esque toe covers that you can buy to keep the wind out of your shoes, but the only work with the other kind of shoes that I don't have yet. I needed (and still need) a cheaper option.

So last year I started putting those little hard and feet warmers that skiiers use in my bike shoes to keep my toes warm. Brilliant! Warm and toasty toes for most of the rides. This year I'm out of those little portable heaters, and haven't had a chance to pick up any more yet.

Enter Rob. He loves Costco, and spends an inordinate amount of time there. The last time he went he came home with an econo-pack of hand-and-feet warmers for my winter season of training! I'm so excited to get out in the cold and ride now that I have warmers - unfortunately I have to miss tomorrow's workout, but post-Thanksgiving I'll have toasty toes!

It's Magic When it Happens

I ran almost 6 miles today.

I felt slow this morning, didn't want to get out of bed, didn't want to do much of anything, but as I have to teach a course this entire weekend (9 - 6 both days, ugh) I figured I'd better at least so something active today while I have the time. So running it was. I donned my running gear and felt slightly more motivated, but then I looked outside. Gray, cold, windy. Really, I wanted to go back to bed. I stood in the garage and stared at the treadmill for a few minutes, but just couldn't stomach the thought of getting on that "dreadmill" today. So, outside I went.

I had on my trusty GPS with HRM, and of course immediately my HR is through the roof. I wonder if that matters? Anyway, the batteries were also low, but as I didn't trust myself to get back outside if I went in to charge them I figured I'd risk the low batteries and run anyway. My legs felt pretty good - I think that day off yesterday treated me right. When I hit the halfway point from my last run, I just kept going. I felt pretty good, and I told myself that if I added distance I could walk parts of it. The stubborn part of me told that part of me to shut the heck up and keep running.

So I did.

I ran, and I ended up doing my favorite old ~5.8 mile loop that has a really big set of hills in the middle. The only place I walked (besides when I got stuck at the occasional stoplight) was at the top of the steepest hill, where I had to rest doubled over with my hands on my knees because I felt like I couldn't catch my breath. You know it's a good workout when...

The last 1/2 mile or so of the run was hard. I mean really hard. But I kept my legs moving and ended up running the entire distance. Of course, when I got into the garage I almost fell over, and had to sit on the treadmill for a few minutes to recover. When I looked at my GPS (I do love my statistics) I found that the batteries dies at some point during my run, so I don't have any record of the workout. Bummer.

Now, I'm back inside in a fuzzy robe, I've had my post-workout glass of milk and banana, I'm going to have Rubio's chicken tacos for lunch, and then I'm going to try and find a new pair of running shoes that I desperately need.

Shoe shopping for me is always an adventure. Have I mentioned I have freakishly wide, very short feet? And an extra toe? Should be fun. My last pair I special-ordered off the internet to get the right width...

The Politics of Swimming

Last night was a TNT group swim at an outdoor pool in Menlo Park. We met at 6:30 and spent some time on the deck doing core work, which was less core and more jumping jacks and push-ups. It was a fun group, perhaps not as focused on the workout as they could have been and more focused on the socializing; it reminded me of book clubs I've participated in that degenerate into gossip sessions. We got some "work" in at the beginning, but also a lot of laughing. But I guess that counts as core, no?

There are two pools at Burgess, both outdoors, both heated, but in the winter they cover one pool with a "bubble." The bubble is a large, inflatable plastic "tent" that rests on top of the pool. There are two doors, an inner and an outer door, and an "air-lock," so with both doors open the air rushes out of the bubble and the tent collapses (eventually, it's not dangerous). Anyway, if you've ever swum in an indoor pool you know that the water temperature is higher, the air is warmer, and the humidity is higher, and those are in climate-controlled buildings. The bubbles are not climate controlled, and as such are very much like chlorinated steam rooms. I prefer colder water (77-78 degrees is ideal, I think), and the pool under the bubble is in the mid-80's. It's hard to breathe, and I feel like somebody is sitting on my chest when I try to swim in there. Forget getting an actual workout in! We were all going to be in that pool which was going to mean about ten people per lane, which means it's really impossible to swim. I figured I got a gold star for showing up and would suffer through as much as I could, then hop out and call it a night.

Until - until! They announced that the speediest two lanes would be swimming in the outdoor pool! Brilliant! NOW I would get a workout!

Until.

We had eight people in each lane. Four is about the right amount of people, six is really pushing it, and eight is too many. I know there wasn't much of a choice, so I just let go of all thoughts of getting a real workout in and figured I'd just be happy to get the yards under my belt.

I know I've mentioned that there are some politics involved in swimming, and I'm very sensitive to them. I think that makes me assume other people are equally sensitive to the "rules," but I see that that's not the case. There were some swimmers who probably should have been in the inside pool, and because I don't ever assume I am going to be the fastest I always offer to let someone else lead the lane. Last night someone took me up on my offer, which was fine, until I realized I was a bit faster, but with so many people in the lane it was impossible to do anything but hang back and just be zen about the yardage.

The workout was actually fun:

250 warm-up
6 x 50 yards stroke drill
8 x 25 yards, starting in threes to mimic the crazy start of a triathlon (FUN!)
400 yards toes-to-fingers (so RIGHT on the feet of the person in front of you, and after 25 yards the first person gets over and lets the second person lead, then picks up the rear, and we rotated for 16 lengths - also fun albeit a bit frustrating)
8 x 50 yards, descending 1-4 and 5-8
250 yards warm-down

For a total of 1800 yards. Not too bad. I showered and headed home, where Rob and I lounged on the couch and watched Cops, our new favorite show. We've "purchased" a bunch through my amazon.com shopping link (up to $5 donated to TNT through the site! Woo!), and when they pull people over we play a game we call "Guns, Drugs, or Running?"

Clearly we need hobbies.

Today is an off day for me, which is actually pretty nice. Tomorrow, I run. I feel the dread already.

A Mote in Your Eye

I went running this morning! Like real running, on the road and everything! I was ridiculously slow, but at least I did it.

I ran south on Quito until I hit about 2 miles, then turned around and came back. It was simple route, but I know the distances so I'm not focused on how much longer; instead I can zone out. This morning the weather is gorgeous - sunny, warm, clear, and a breath of wind. I made the mistake of running during rush hour traffic, and there were a couple of distracted drivers that made me nervous enough to hop into the bushes and wait for them to pass. I think getting hit in a crosswalk has made me extra aware when dealing with traffic, which I suppose is a good thing.

For the first ~1.8 miles I felt pretty good, my legs felt strong, my lungs weren't burning, and I didn't feel "floppy" as I was running. I thought maybe I would try to go my 6-mile loop, allowing for lots of walking, but when I hit the 2 mile mark I had to turn around. I'd already been out about 30 minutes, and a 6-mile loop would put me at 1.5 hours. I didn't have water and was starting to get hungry. I also don't want to push myself too hard and get injured.

It's hard for me to not be able to go as far as I want to, and I have to keep telling myself that I am still in the early stages of training, that I'm not expected to be able to run the whole 6 miles yet, but it's still frustrating to feel that urge to walk and give in to it. I have to remind myself that my victory is to just be outside running, and not focus on my pace.

Of course, the GPS on my wrist makes not focusing on my pace hard! I might have to take pace and speed off the screen and just display time and heart rate.

Anyway, after I turned around to head back, I ran into a lovely breeze that stirred up a cloud of pollen, and something sharp landed in my right eye. It was excruciatingly painful, and I immediately stopped and doubled over, hand cupping my eye, trying not to move the eyeball. It took me a good minute or so to get whatever it was out, and even then my eye ached a bit. It feels better now, but I'm trying not to use that as a "see, I told you I shouldn't be running" moment. (Any excuse to not run...)

I walked a bit on the way back, mostly when I saw a sketchy-looking guy walking my direction stop and crouch down - I couldn't tell if he was tying his shoes or something, and I paused to consider crossing the street, but he beat me to it. The last leg of the journey I ran, and when I arrived back at the house I had to sit in the garage for a few minutes to recover. My running is really bad right now, and I am glad I didn't try to go the full 6 miles today. I need to build up some endurance first.

I loaded my GPS workout onto my computer and these are the somewhat pathetic stats:

Total Distance: 3.99 miles
Total Time: 54:19.66
Average Pace: 13:30 minutes per mile
Average Speed: 4.4 mph

So slow. It's hard to not get discouraged. Also, my heart rate is through the roof when I'm running. Even walking to warm up at the beginning of my run my HR gets up into the 120's-130's, and the actual running puts me upwards of 170. I don't know enough about HR training to know if that's bad or if it even matters, but it seems awfully high.

My recovery snack was a banana and a cup of milk, and that healed me - I feel full even an hour later, and I read somewhere that milk is one of the best recovery drinks out there because it's got sugars and protein. So far I have to agree.

Good day so far. First real distance run on the road is under my belt!

First Captain's Swim

One of the captains this year set up extra swim sessions for us at the Santa Clara International Swim Center. Tonight was the first workout, and it was a big, friendly group! Well, at least until no one wanted to get in the lane with me - as I hit the wall on my first warm-up lap I heard "but that's Megan's lane!" Finally I got a couple of brave souls to join me and we were off! I squeezed in about a 200 yard warm-up, and then we got into the set:

400 yards (25 yard swim, 25 yard drill)
100 yard kick
100 IM (I added this because I finished early)
Main Set: 25, 50, 75, 100, 200, 100, 75, 50, 25
5 x 50 yards easy free
100 yard warm-down

...for a grand total of 1650 yards. That's already longer than the swim leg of the race, and I feel pretty good about this part of the season. Again, it's my running that is in bad shape. Tomorrow, I run. Really.