One week until the Poco Loco half marathon in Boston!
I'm going to require some serious tapering this week or perhaps I will completely lay off running and try to repair. My IT bands and hip flexors are incredibly tight and sore. They are decreasing my mobility significantly. At times during my run today, I was almost limping while doing a slow jog. Not good. I'm not really in pain, though, just uncomfortable and annoyed. It's definitely a muscle thing, so I should heal fairly quickly, right?
Well, I got my run in today, but I did it slowly and with long, frequent walk breaks. I put in 7 miles in 1:22 with splits at 11:02, 11:15, 11:27, 11:52, 11:28, 13:02, and 12:03.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Bruised IT band
Yesterday (Thursday), I had 45 minutes to get in a run that should take 60 minutes - or longer if I could take the time to stretch before and after.
I ran 5 miles in 51:25. My training plan called for mile 2 and 4 to be fast. I complied as best I could. My splits were 11:11, 8:49, 11:28, 9:05, and 10:45. During the run, my right hip flexor was giving me grief off and on (especially during and right after walk breaks during the slow miles). Afterward, my hip flexor and IT bands were tight, but not as bad as on Tuesday.
While I watched Val's softball game, I pressed on my right IT band (along the outside of my thigh) and tried to work out the balled up places along my thigh. Now I have 10 bruises that run up and down my leg. Nice. I must bruise pretty easily because I've done that to myself before, but never creating as many as 10 bruises. Usually I have just one or two places where I pressed too hard with my fingers and broke some blood vessels while trying to loosen a muscle.
My hand is swelling a bit more than usual right now. I wear my custom Lymphedema glove when I run, but I also wear it occasionally when my hand swelling seems to be more pronounced than usual. This week, I've worn it for a couple of hours just around the house and on the way to work. I think I'll put it on this morning after I publish this post.
The kids are off school today and I'm trying to get some work done from home. Actually, I got quite a bit done already and am taking a break to record yesterday's run information. I was planning to run today, too, but I'm waiting to see if my right hip flexor and IT band loosen up a bit. Right now, they are limiting my walking motion, so it's not looking good. I'm pretty beat up. I took some ibuprofen and will do some stretching after I get a little more work done.
I ran 5 miles in 51:25. My training plan called for mile 2 and 4 to be fast. I complied as best I could. My splits were 11:11, 8:49, 11:28, 9:05, and 10:45. During the run, my right hip flexor was giving me grief off and on (especially during and right after walk breaks during the slow miles). Afterward, my hip flexor and IT bands were tight, but not as bad as on Tuesday.
While I watched Val's softball game, I pressed on my right IT band (along the outside of my thigh) and tried to work out the balled up places along my thigh. Now I have 10 bruises that run up and down my leg. Nice. I must bruise pretty easily because I've done that to myself before, but never creating as many as 10 bruises. Usually I have just one or two places where I pressed too hard with my fingers and broke some blood vessels while trying to loosen a muscle.
My hand is swelling a bit more than usual right now. I wear my custom Lymphedema glove when I run, but I also wear it occasionally when my hand swelling seems to be more pronounced than usual. This week, I've worn it for a couple of hours just around the house and on the way to work. I think I'll put it on this morning after I publish this post.
The kids are off school today and I'm trying to get some work done from home. Actually, I got quite a bit done already and am taking a break to record yesterday's run information. I was planning to run today, too, but I'm waiting to see if my right hip flexor and IT band loosen up a bit. Right now, they are limiting my walking motion, so it's not looking good. I'm pretty beat up. I took some ibuprofen and will do some stretching after I get a little more work done.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Got away with it!
My legs have never been this tight for so long in to a run!
I went out to run 5 miles and for 3.5 or 4 miles, my legs were so tight I couldn't run faster than an 11 minute mile pace (with no walk breaks). My legs just wouldn't open up to my normal stride. I was taking small steps to avoid injury.
To cope with the issue, I slowed down and concentrated on breathing and relaxing to try to loosen my IT bands, hip flexors, and upper glute/lower back, especially on the right side. I even stopped a couple of times to try stretching, lunges, high leg and kick butt drills, and to massage my cramping IT band, but nothing helped until it finally loosened on its own a little before mile 4. On a more positive note, slowing down and concentrating on breathing and such made the run not seem so far or so difficult from an endurance point of view. My "wind" held out just fine and I didn't feel like I was pushing my aerobic endurance.
It was rainy most of the day and the forecast promises more of the same all week. I was able to flex my work schedule to find time between storm cells today, thank goodness. I ran 5 miles in 53:17 with splits at 11:06, 10:57, 10:58, 10:27, and 9:43.
Working through the adversity was tough, but I felt like a fairly hearty runner out there in the rain and in "almost pain" but getting in the run anyway. And I did it without causing actual injury. I know . . . that's probably all luck, right there. Continuing to run after a mile or so when I knew I wasn't loosening up was probably not the best runner decision, especially just 11 days before the Poco Loco half marathon. I've put in far too many miles to have a silly decision like that derail my 3 events in 3 weeks running bonanza. Glad I got away with it today.
My 3-in-3 bonanza includes a half marathon on April 30 (Poco Loco in Boston), a half marathon on May 7 (Columbus Capital City Half), and the Komen Race for the Cure 5K on May 14. It's probably crazy to do two half marathons in a row. I wish I could flip-flop the May 7 and May 14 races so the 5K is between the half marathons. Oh well, I'm going to give it a try anyway. Hope my luck continues to hold out. Knock on wood.
I went out to run 5 miles and for 3.5 or 4 miles, my legs were so tight I couldn't run faster than an 11 minute mile pace (with no walk breaks). My legs just wouldn't open up to my normal stride. I was taking small steps to avoid injury.
To cope with the issue, I slowed down and concentrated on breathing and relaxing to try to loosen my IT bands, hip flexors, and upper glute/lower back, especially on the right side. I even stopped a couple of times to try stretching, lunges, high leg and kick butt drills, and to massage my cramping IT band, but nothing helped until it finally loosened on its own a little before mile 4. On a more positive note, slowing down and concentrating on breathing and such made the run not seem so far or so difficult from an endurance point of view. My "wind" held out just fine and I didn't feel like I was pushing my aerobic endurance.
It was rainy most of the day and the forecast promises more of the same all week. I was able to flex my work schedule to find time between storm cells today, thank goodness. I ran 5 miles in 53:17 with splits at 11:06, 10:57, 10:58, 10:27, and 9:43.
Working through the adversity was tough, but I felt like a fairly hearty runner out there in the rain and in "almost pain" but getting in the run anyway. And I did it without causing actual injury. I know . . . that's probably all luck, right there. Continuing to run after a mile or so when I knew I wasn't loosening up was probably not the best runner decision, especially just 11 days before the Poco Loco half marathon. I've put in far too many miles to have a silly decision like that derail my 3 events in 3 weeks running bonanza. Glad I got away with it today.
My 3-in-3 bonanza includes a half marathon on April 30 (Poco Loco in Boston), a half marathon on May 7 (Columbus Capital City Half), and the Komen Race for the Cure 5K on May 14. It's probably crazy to do two half marathons in a row. I wish I could flip-flop the May 7 and May 14 races so the 5K is between the half marathons. Oh well, I'm going to give it a try anyway. Hope my luck continues to hold out. Knock on wood.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
13.1 today
Today I ran my last long run before the Poco Loco (April 30). I went out hoping I could do 13.1, but knowing that I was stiff and had been nursing an "iffy" knee and very tight lower back. I stretched quite a bit before going out and then ran 6 miles before taking a break to stretch more.
My Garmin says I ran 13.1 miles in 2:28:30, but it is mistaken. I paused the clock and GPS for 15 minutes after mile 6 during which time I used the facilities, got more water, and stretched. Still, adding 15 minutes to the Garmin time is not a terrible time for a half marathon for me. My only official half marathon was in 2008 and I ran it in 2:29:10, which included 2 on-the-clock portapotty stops. So I'm a little slower now, it seems. That's not surprising. I probably weigh 10 more pounds. And I haven't been as consistent in my training as I was for that first race. Oh, and I'm walking some of each mile now.
My miles were 11:09, 10:59, 11:10, 11:04, 10:47, 11:45, 11:38, 11:32, 11:54, 11:25, 11:18, 11:09, and 11:33. I think my running pace was fairly consistent at an 11 minute mile and my time variances are due to the amount of time I walked during the mile.
Next week, I'm only scheduled to run 3 miles on Tuesday, 5 on Wednesday, 6 on Saturday (may move this to Friday). I think I should alter the schedule a bit since that is a pretty light. Maybe I'll add a Friday run. Counting my run today, I got 25 miles in this week. What should I run next week? Only 13 miles seems light. Would 18 be a respectable number of miles?
My Garmin says I ran 13.1 miles in 2:28:30, but it is mistaken. I paused the clock and GPS for 15 minutes after mile 6 during which time I used the facilities, got more water, and stretched. Still, adding 15 minutes to the Garmin time is not a terrible time for a half marathon for me. My only official half marathon was in 2008 and I ran it in 2:29:10, which included 2 on-the-clock portapotty stops. So I'm a little slower now, it seems. That's not surprising. I probably weigh 10 more pounds. And I haven't been as consistent in my training as I was for that first race. Oh, and I'm walking some of each mile now.
My miles were 11:09, 10:59, 11:10, 11:04, 10:47, 11:45, 11:38, 11:32, 11:54, 11:25, 11:18, 11:09, and 11:33. I think my running pace was fairly consistent at an 11 minute mile and my time variances are due to the amount of time I walked during the mile.
Next week, I'm only scheduled to run 3 miles on Tuesday, 5 on Wednesday, 6 on Saturday (may move this to Friday). I think I should alter the schedule a bit since that is a pretty light. Maybe I'll add a Friday run. Counting my run today, I got 25 miles in this week. What should I run next week? Only 13 miles seems light. Would 18 be a respectable number of miles?
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Quick run
I put in a quick run today before mowing the lawn and heading to Val's game. I ran a 5K in 31:20 and went on to finish 4 miles in 40:50. My splits were 10:24, 10:13, 9:47, and 10:25. It was sunny and 71, but felt much hotter. I was certainly sweating more than during my 8 mile run yesterday. I walked twice for a short time during the 5K and twice during the last mile.
See my previous post for an update on Val's softball games yesterday and today.
See my previous post for an update on Val's softball games yesterday and today.
Dad of the Year
The umpire didn't show up for Val's softball game in Hilliard yesterday so Ken was volunteered (by me, mostly) to fill in so they could play. My only requirement was that he wear a mask behind the plate - he got a baseball in the face just this weekend while playing ump during Jason's practice.
I was very impressed with Ken - as was the other volunteer umpire who actually was certified for high school softball games. Ken called a great game and was very professional about it. He had to make several calls against our team, including two at the end of the game which resulted in our loss. On one of them, he even over-ruled the other umpire who had called the girl out at 3rd. Ken had a better view from the front and saw that she was tagged too high (in the shoulder) and, after conferring, the Hilliard player got the base. He also called that girl safe at home when the throw came in to Val too high to get the tag on in time.
Ken was almost sick about the game and about offering to help. On the ride home, he kept imagining Val getting treated terribly by her teammates on the bus. He expected her to be very angry with him when she got home. However, that's not how it happened at all. Val came home and was fine; did her homework, ate food, got ready for bed, and she treated her father and everyone else fine (and that's saying a lot for a teenager on any day of the week). When Val was headed to bed, I told her I was proud how she handled her father umpiring and making calls against her team. She responded by giving Ken a compliment. She said he did a good job at the game and he called the pitches better than some of their real umpires. She was proud of him, too. How cool is that?!?!
I told Ken that he taught his kids many things on that day. He set a good example for volunteering. He ran a competent game with good sportsmanship and a positive attitude. And he was fair. He did not make calls that favored his own team, but called them as he saw them. Val said that the other girls thought he was a very fair as an umpire. Although it was not easy, Ken was a great example for his kids today. In return, I give him the Father of the Year award! Great job, Ken!
Val had another game tonight. She is catcher and took a foul tip in the shoulder (above the chest pad) in the second inning. She played through the rest of the inning and even batted and made a run. No one knew she was hurt. However, her arm seized up and she couldn't throw when heading out for the third inning. So she sat the bench with ice on her shoulder and was sad and angry that she was letting her team down. Her team did great, though and they won with a 10 run rule in the top of the 7th. We went out to Dairy Queen with some of her teammates afterward and she was invited to a birthday party for tomorrow night. Yea! All is good with the world now.
I was very impressed with Ken - as was the other volunteer umpire who actually was certified for high school softball games. Ken called a great game and was very professional about it. He had to make several calls against our team, including two at the end of the game which resulted in our loss. On one of them, he even over-ruled the other umpire who had called the girl out at 3rd. Ken had a better view from the front and saw that she was tagged too high (in the shoulder) and, after conferring, the Hilliard player got the base. He also called that girl safe at home when the throw came in to Val too high to get the tag on in time.
Ken was almost sick about the game and about offering to help. On the ride home, he kept imagining Val getting treated terribly by her teammates on the bus. He expected her to be very angry with him when she got home. However, that's not how it happened at all. Val came home and was fine; did her homework, ate food, got ready for bed, and she treated her father and everyone else fine (and that's saying a lot for a teenager on any day of the week). When Val was headed to bed, I told her I was proud how she handled her father umpiring and making calls against her team. She responded by giving Ken a compliment. She said he did a good job at the game and he called the pitches better than some of their real umpires. She was proud of him, too. How cool is that?!?!
I told Ken that he taught his kids many things on that day. He set a good example for volunteering. He ran a competent game with good sportsmanship and a positive attitude. And he was fair. He did not make calls that favored his own team, but called them as he saw them. Val said that the other girls thought he was a very fair as an umpire. Although it was not easy, Ken was a great example for his kids today. In return, I give him the Father of the Year award! Great job, Ken!
Val had another game tonight. She is catcher and took a foul tip in the shoulder (above the chest pad) in the second inning. She played through the rest of the inning and even batted and made a run. No one knew she was hurt. However, her arm seized up and she couldn't throw when heading out for the third inning. So she sat the bench with ice on her shoulder and was sad and angry that she was letting her team down. Her team did great, though and they won with a 10 run rule in the top of the 7th. We went out to Dairy Queen with some of her teammates afterward and she was invited to a birthday party for tomorrow night. Yea! All is good with the world now.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Olentangy Trail
Today was beautiful! Sunny and lower 60s. Val had a softball game on the west side of Columbus tonight, so I decided to run at OSU and shower at RPAC before heading to the game. I find it difficult to run on campus because it's too small. Okay, yes, I know. I hear your exclamations and shouts of disbelief. OSU is one of the largest schools in the nation. It is far from a small school. However, running more than 5 miles on campus requires venturing on some very busy streets and doing multiple loops. I wasn't feeling particularly loopy today, so I decided to do an out-and-back on the Olentangy Trail between OSU and the Park of Roses.
Overall, I was satisfied to complete 8 miles in 1:26:25. I felt pretty good throughout, although it was a little warm during a stretch of the trail with no shade. I suppose I should mention that I was off the clock about 5 minutes or so when I stopped at a portapotty (mile 4) and stretched a little before continuing the workout, so my actual time for the 8 miles was probably 1:30 or 1:35. I hope we can find enough facility stops at the Poco Loco in Boston. I seem to have the bladder of a fly.
I was scheduled to do a 7 mile run with 5 of it at tempo, but I couldn't hang on to the tempo today, so I settled for 8 miles with 3 of them at tempo and another quicker mile thrown in for good measure. My splits were 11:21, 9:39, 10:18, 9:41, 11:05, 10:14, 11:31, and 12:28.
I tried some new podcasts because I'm caught up with Steverunner, Geekgirlrunner, the Slow Runner's Club, and Run Run Live. I wish I would have downloaded some Extra Mile podcasts instead: I enjoy Kevin and hearing everyone call in with race reports.
Although I wasn't thrilled with the three podcasts I previewed on my run today, I did learn something new. One runner complained that his legs get tight and won't relax during a marathon. He has learned to address the problem by walking a little at water stations and then running much faster for a hundred yards or so to catch back up with the pace group. He believes the longer stride and stronger push-off stretches his legs and helps them perform better as he relaxes back to marathon pace. Hmmm, that's a very good idea. I'm going to try it. I struggle with chronically tight calf and IT band muscles. Sometimes they invite the lower back, hips, and hamstrings to participate in the fun too.
Overall, I was satisfied to complete 8 miles in 1:26:25. I felt pretty good throughout, although it was a little warm during a stretch of the trail with no shade. I suppose I should mention that I was off the clock about 5 minutes or so when I stopped at a portapotty (mile 4) and stretched a little before continuing the workout, so my actual time for the 8 miles was probably 1:30 or 1:35. I hope we can find enough facility stops at the Poco Loco in Boston. I seem to have the bladder of a fly.
I was scheduled to do a 7 mile run with 5 of it at tempo, but I couldn't hang on to the tempo today, so I settled for 8 miles with 3 of them at tempo and another quicker mile thrown in for good measure. My splits were 11:21, 9:39, 10:18, 9:41, 11:05, 10:14, 11:31, and 12:28.
I tried some new podcasts because I'm caught up with Steverunner, Geekgirlrunner, the Slow Runner's Club, and Run Run Live. I wish I would have downloaded some Extra Mile podcasts instead: I enjoy Kevin and hearing everyone call in with race reports.
Although I wasn't thrilled with the three podcasts I previewed on my run today, I did learn something new. One runner complained that his legs get tight and won't relax during a marathon. He has learned to address the problem by walking a little at water stations and then running much faster for a hundred yards or so to catch back up with the pace group. He believes the longer stride and stronger push-off stretches his legs and helps them perform better as he relaxes back to marathon pace. Hmmm, that's a very good idea. I'm going to try it. I struggle with chronically tight calf and IT band muscles. Sometimes they invite the lower back, hips, and hamstrings to participate in the fun too.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Fat lip
On Friday, I put in a very quick 5K (30:00) with splits at 9:44, 9:48, and 9:34. It was supposed to be an easy 3, but I was squeezing in a run before heading to Val's softball game and I didn't have much time. Actually, I think I should count the run into the house, rushing through a shower, jumping into clothes, and racing to the car as part of the workout, too. I doubt my heart rate dropped during the whole process. I got to Val's game in New Albany ith 1 minute to spare.
Today I was scheduled for a 13 mile run, but I didn't get out in the morning as planned. Instead I ran in the heat of the day and it was 83 degrees F! My run was only 10 mile and was more of a walk than a run, really. I walked a lot more than usual, that's for sure. The 10 miles took me 2:05:52 and my splits tell the story: 10:29, 11:16, 12:19, 12:11, 13:16, 12:29, 11:51, 14:17, 14:37, and 12:59. I started out with good intentions to put in the time as I have for most of my runs, but I allowed myself more and more walk breaks as I went along. I stopped at a friend's house at about mile 4, replentished my water, and chatted for about 10 minutes off the clock. I also stopped at the library to get more water and use the facilities. I decided I wasn't in a hurry and was just wanting to do enough miles to qualify the run for a long run status. I hope 10 miles qualifies. It's not the 13 I'll have to do on the April 30 and May 7, but it was a warm couple of hours.
When I got home, I was sore and stretched a little and then got in the shower. Ken came in and talked to me and asked how my run was, if he could get me anything, etc. and it wasn't until I got out of the shower that I saw that he was the one who needed helping. He was running Jason's baseball practice and got hit in the nose/top lip with a foul tip. His lip is huge and looks very sore. His nose isn't broken and doesn't look too bad, but he says it's a bit torn up on the inside. His teeth made it though the ordeal unbroken, thank goodness.
Tomorrow, Val has to dress up at school and we found that she didn't really have any Spring dress clothes that fit, so we made a trip to Kohl's before church tonight. Val will be wearing a skirt (that's a shocker!). Many of her softball friends reported that they were planning to wear skirts, so I guess that opened the door for the possibility for Val. She's usually a t-shirt and jeans or sweats kind of girl. When dressing up, the jeans are tan or black and the t-shirt may be a bit more fitted and without words or pictures. So an outfit with a skirt, sleeveless shirt, and sweater jacket will be quite a stretch for her. Yea, Val!
Today I was scheduled for a 13 mile run, but I didn't get out in the morning as planned. Instead I ran in the heat of the day and it was 83 degrees F! My run was only 10 mile and was more of a walk than a run, really. I walked a lot more than usual, that's for sure. The 10 miles took me 2:05:52 and my splits tell the story: 10:29, 11:16, 12:19, 12:11, 13:16, 12:29, 11:51, 14:17, 14:37, and 12:59. I started out with good intentions to put in the time as I have for most of my runs, but I allowed myself more and more walk breaks as I went along. I stopped at a friend's house at about mile 4, replentished my water, and chatted for about 10 minutes off the clock. I also stopped at the library to get more water and use the facilities. I decided I wasn't in a hurry and was just wanting to do enough miles to qualify the run for a long run status. I hope 10 miles qualifies. It's not the 13 I'll have to do on the April 30 and May 7, but it was a warm couple of hours.
When I got home, I was sore and stretched a little and then got in the shower. Ken came in and talked to me and asked how my run was, if he could get me anything, etc. and it wasn't until I got out of the shower that I saw that he was the one who needed helping. He was running Jason's baseball practice and got hit in the nose/top lip with a foul tip. His lip is huge and looks very sore. His nose isn't broken and doesn't look too bad, but he says it's a bit torn up on the inside. His teeth made it though the ordeal unbroken, thank goodness.
Tomorrow, Val has to dress up at school and we found that she didn't really have any Spring dress clothes that fit, so we made a trip to Kohl's before church tonight. Val will be wearing a skirt (that's a shocker!). Many of her softball friends reported that they were planning to wear skirts, so I guess that opened the door for the possibility for Val. She's usually a t-shirt and jeans or sweats kind of girl. When dressing up, the jeans are tan or black and the t-shirt may be a bit more fitted and without words or pictures. So an outfit with a skirt, sleeveless shirt, and sweater jacket will be quite a stretch for her. Yea, Val!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Training Lapse
I haven't been keeping to my training plan . . . and I know it's probably the most critical few weeks of the plan. I've put so much time and energy and heart into the past 3 months, you'd think I could keep the momentum for the last few weeks . . . . yet I have so many excuses. Chief among them includes very sore muscles and places rubbed raw on my feet. Perhaps a very light week or two will be beneficial? I can dream, can't I?
This weekend, I skipped my long run entirely. To try to make up for it, I expanded my Monday run a bit. I was scheduled for 3 miles but ran 6 miles in 1:03:30 on the indoor RPAC track. We had a crazy day of thunderstorms and hail so I really had no choice. Despite running only 6 miles and having what should have been fresh legs, my run was tough and I was very sore immediately following and throughout the evening.
On Tuesday I didn't have a run planned. I attended Valerie's first softball game of the season. She made the Jr. High softball team and was their starting shortstop. She had a good game overall and made a couple of outs. Our team lost by something crazy like 14 to 0, though. The other team had a pitcher a full foot taller than Val and weighed about 150 pounds. She was firing in pitches only a few girls even connected the bat with the ball. Val was one of just 2 girls that put the ball in play, but got out at first base. The game was played despite the weather being 44 degrees with a wind-chill of 36. At various times, we had ice and slush raining down on us as we sat on aluminum bleachers. I was freezing. Although I wore my trail runners so my feet stayed dry, they were very cold and frozen. Burrrrr. Her next game is tomorrow and should be in the 60 degree F range.
Today I was scheduled to run 8 miles with 4 miles as speed work. I struggled through the 8 miles but ignored the speed part. I just wasn't up for it. I should have taken a GU with me or ate something on the drive home. I was totally wiped out. I also had a sore place on the bottom of my foot that was bugging me from mile 4+. Really, the only time I felt pretty good was mile 2. It was a strange run. My total time for the 8 miles was 1:26:59 with splits all over the place: 10:51, 9:58, 10:51, 11:01, 11:10, 10:50, 11:17, and 10:53. I walked whenever I felt like it, which was more frequently in the later miles than the early ones.
On a more positive front, work and home life is going quite well. I had a wonderful visit with my grandmother and parents who visited last week from Nebraska. I just love having them here. We visited and planned home improvement projects and Dad and Ken made quite a bit of progress on some of those projects. We now have trim in the basement. The kids' shower head is no longer held on by duct tape. We have a new kitchen faucet. And the blue tape directing visitors to use the correct doorbell is no longer required. Although I was off work all week during their visit, I kept up with email and have been very productive so far this week. I suppose the break did me some good, after all.
This weekend, I skipped my long run entirely. To try to make up for it, I expanded my Monday run a bit. I was scheduled for 3 miles but ran 6 miles in 1:03:30 on the indoor RPAC track. We had a crazy day of thunderstorms and hail so I really had no choice. Despite running only 6 miles and having what should have been fresh legs, my run was tough and I was very sore immediately following and throughout the evening.
On Tuesday I didn't have a run planned. I attended Valerie's first softball game of the season. She made the Jr. High softball team and was their starting shortstop. She had a good game overall and made a couple of outs. Our team lost by something crazy like 14 to 0, though. The other team had a pitcher a full foot taller than Val and weighed about 150 pounds. She was firing in pitches only a few girls even connected the bat with the ball. Val was one of just 2 girls that put the ball in play, but got out at first base. The game was played despite the weather being 44 degrees with a wind-chill of 36. At various times, we had ice and slush raining down on us as we sat on aluminum bleachers. I was freezing. Although I wore my trail runners so my feet stayed dry, they were very cold and frozen. Burrrrr. Her next game is tomorrow and should be in the 60 degree F range.
Today I was scheduled to run 8 miles with 4 miles as speed work. I struggled through the 8 miles but ignored the speed part. I just wasn't up for it. I should have taken a GU with me or ate something on the drive home. I was totally wiped out. I also had a sore place on the bottom of my foot that was bugging me from mile 4+. Really, the only time I felt pretty good was mile 2. It was a strange run. My total time for the 8 miles was 1:26:59 with splits all over the place: 10:51, 9:58, 10:51, 11:01, 11:10, 10:50, 11:17, and 10:53. I walked whenever I felt like it, which was more frequently in the later miles than the early ones.
On a more positive front, work and home life is going quite well. I had a wonderful visit with my grandmother and parents who visited last week from Nebraska. I just love having them here. We visited and planned home improvement projects and Dad and Ken made quite a bit of progress on some of those projects. We now have trim in the basement. The kids' shower head is no longer held on by duct tape. We have a new kitchen faucet. And the blue tape directing visitors to use the correct doorbell is no longer required. Although I was off work all week during their visit, I kept up with email and have been very productive so far this week. I suppose the break did me some good, after all.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Parents/Grandma visiting
I just put in 7 miles in 1:13:37. It was a tough day to be motivated because my parents and grandmother are visiting from Nebraska and I would have preferred to spend that hour with them instead of pounding the pavement. However, they are here for a week, so I can't totally neglect my training during that time, especially since Poco Loco is in just 29 days!
Today's run was supposed to include speed work, but I wasn't feeling too speedy. I did kick it up a notch every other mile as planned, but my slow miles were slower than planned. My fast miles weren't breaking any speed records, but I felt it was very respectable to be under 9:50ish for a fast mile. I know I've done this workout more successfully, but I'm just glad it's done today. My miles were 10:20, 9:08, 11:14, 9:20, 11:57, 9:41, and 11:52.
In other news, we've had a great week visiting with my parents and grandmother. We've played several hands of cribbage, gone for walks, and made many wonderful meals. Val's great grandmother taught her how to make proper mid-western gravy and the kids had their first real hot roast beef sandwiches. We've been keeping Grandma busy! She also bought some books at the library and helped us pick out Val's new backpack and binder for school. On Sunday, we'll go to church and then out to a nice brunch at the 94th Aero Squadron.
As is our tradition when my parents visit, we are making significant progress on home improvements for their new house and ours, too.
For my parent's house, Dad got the lawn cleaned up and fertilized and a new furnace filter installed. We also met with the contractor and made decisions on their new garage. The contractor is thinking the project will begin in mid-April.
In my house, we got new kitchen faucet, a replaced shower head for the kids' bathroom, a decent video game/karaoke stand for Jason's room, reorganized shop area, and removed an old doorbell. We also had Mom and Dad's contractor come to our house to look at our bathroom. Our shower is leaking and we need to decide how to replace it. Of course, I want a total bath remodel: Drop the huge soaking tub and create a huge walk-in shower. Ken was more open to the idea once we met with the contractor. Tomorrow, we'll go to some tile shops and a plumbing fixture store so we can get an idea of how much all this might cost.
Today's run was supposed to include speed work, but I wasn't feeling too speedy. I did kick it up a notch every other mile as planned, but my slow miles were slower than planned. My fast miles weren't breaking any speed records, but I felt it was very respectable to be under 9:50ish for a fast mile. I know I've done this workout more successfully, but I'm just glad it's done today. My miles were 10:20, 9:08, 11:14, 9:20, 11:57, 9:41, and 11:52.
In other news, we've had a great week visiting with my parents and grandmother. We've played several hands of cribbage, gone for walks, and made many wonderful meals. Val's great grandmother taught her how to make proper mid-western gravy and the kids had their first real hot roast beef sandwiches. We've been keeping Grandma busy! She also bought some books at the library and helped us pick out Val's new backpack and binder for school. On Sunday, we'll go to church and then out to a nice brunch at the 94th Aero Squadron.
As is our tradition when my parents visit, we are making significant progress on home improvements for their new house and ours, too.
For my parent's house, Dad got the lawn cleaned up and fertilized and a new furnace filter installed. We also met with the contractor and made decisions on their new garage. The contractor is thinking the project will begin in mid-April.
In my house, we got new kitchen faucet, a replaced shower head for the kids' bathroom, a decent video game/karaoke stand for Jason's room, reorganized shop area, and removed an old doorbell. We also had Mom and Dad's contractor come to our house to look at our bathroom. Our shower is leaking and we need to decide how to replace it. Of course, I want a total bath remodel: Drop the huge soaking tub and create a huge walk-in shower. Ken was more open to the idea once we met with the contractor. Tomorrow, we'll go to some tile shops and a plumbing fixture store so we can get an idea of how much all this might cost.
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