Ice Queen

If I hear one more person complain about the cold, I'm gonna womit!  That's how I felt last week when the temps were around zero.

OK, so that IS cold. But do we not have the most beautiful sunny blue skies in the entire nation???  Of course we do. And do these cold snaps last that long in Colorado???  No, of course not, despite what every out-of-state believes.

Anyway, it was very cold last week and running required an extra half hour just to do all of the necessary layering up but hey, we're talking about running here - it's totally worth it, dude!

So, here I am last Saturday, heading out for a long run in 6 degree weather. I have thermal leggings on under my tights, a long bra with two base layers and a silk t-neck under a running vest, and than a lightweight jacket. On my hands are liner gloves underneath mittens, and on my head is a headband, thin "skull cap" and last but not least, my Florida Ironman hat. Whew!

Any runner reading this will say "wow, I bet she got hot" and they would be right!  I was warm and toasty to start with which as most runners know, that is NOT a good sign. It means only one thing: HOT!

I actually didn't get hot for the first 30 mins and then was only mildly overheated the rest of the run. It was fine. I almost took my jacket off but didn't want to hassle with it. The temp never got above 10 degrees so its not like it was balmy outside.

Re how the rest of the run went - I can sum it up with one word: oo la la!  Or maybe that's 3 words, but either way, I felt so good. Had plenty of energy and everything just felt right. It was an "all systems go" type of run.

I had originally planned to run with Dan, Sarah, and Marshall but Kurt asked me to run from home so that the kids wouldn't be alone for too long (we would overlap our long runs, he's training for another Xterra triathlon). So, I went solo.

Ran out to WOW, taking a detour through Aims parking lot to use the restroom in one of their buildings. There must have been a firefighter training going on there because when I went in, there were about 20 firefighters all standing around with coffee. I'm sure I looked a little strange since they stared at me as I walked past them (with the B52's Love Shack blaring on my Ipod). When you gotta go, you gotta go.

There was quite a bit of ice on the road but it just doesn't faze me. I'm not a fast runner but I'm good at running on ice. You just gotta know where the really slick stuff is and how to balance yourself as you run over it. I'm pretty darn good at doing that.  Sometimes I even slide purposefully across it; you know, like kids do - arms outstretched, turning sideways with both feet going the same way - fun!

Sunday I took off because we were out of town and today (Monday) was the start of Master's Swim (oh, my achin' arms!).  Did 4 fast 200's and then 6 50's (kicking) and then 5 fast 100's. I didn't have time to finish the set but was happy that I did this much.

Before I leave, lest you think I was crazy to run in 6 degree weather, here is my dh finishing his run in MINUS 10 degree temps last Thursday:

Baby its cold outside!

Woke up to 13 below outside. I'm hardy but not that hardy. Grabbed my cycling shorts and hit the trainer with Troy Jacobson's Spinerval workout tape, #28. I had tried this one before but didn't have time to really check it out...did half the workout and really liked it!

Started with a 15 min easy spin warmup watching the news. Then, put the Spinerval tape in and the warmup which included three 30 second fast, all-out surges. Easy so far.

Then, it has you do 8 1-min reps at 80 rpms, with  30 second rest between each one, then 12 45-second reps at 90 rpm with 20 seconds rest between each one. I had to stop there because my kids really do need to go to school...

The next set (that I'll do next time) includes 16 30-second reps at some ungodly pace that I don't recall. No wonder they call Troy Jacobson a slavemaster!

I have to say that I felt great after doing only half of this workout. It wasn't that hard, which was surprising. I might be in better shape than I thought!  Or, I might be in denial (again).

I really need to lift weights...can't seem to get my lazy butt downstairs to do that but will try again today.

Goggle Eyes

Since Master's swim doesn't start until next week, I was very tempted to sleep in today. But I was good, and I got my sleepy rear-end out of bed at 5:15 this morning so that I could make it to the pool by 6:20 (gotta have that coffee first!).

Once I get there, I'm good. Sarah was there so I shared a lane with her. There are more people at the pool these days which is kinda nice, kinda not-so-nice (because I don't get a lane to myself anymore!).

I did not have a pre-planned workout. Forgot to read Richard's email that included suggested workouts for this week, of course. Decided on the spot to swim 400 free, 200 kick, 400 free, and 200 pull or something like that. So, that's what I did. A measly 1200 yards. My butt will be kicked hard next week when we start Master's again!

Thought about riding my trainer today but remembered that I shouldn't do too much too soon since I might burn out by summer time. Tomorrow is supposed to be super cold so it will be a good day to ride indoors.

Really need to do more strength-training. Can't get motivated to do that...rather, can't find the time to do it!  But that needs to be moved up the priority list.

Why do runners hate weight-lifting and muscle-heads hate running?

Awesome run

Today my plan was to do hill repeats and I did some but ended up combining it with a tempo run - felt great, but I can tell I have a lot of work to do.

Need to say a bit more about this run. I took Daisy and she did pretty well. Ran around the UNC campus and out onto the football field, where I unleashed her. Woo hoo - it was fun watching her leap over snow drifts and plough through really deep sections of snow. She rolled and jumped and skidded on slick parts and let her inner-puppy go. It was worth it just to watch her!

I charged up the hill as fast as I could, avoiding the slick parts as much as possible. The hill was still snow-covered and because of all the sledding that had gone on last week, much of it was really slick. But one thing I'm good at is running on ice and snow!  I leaped and slid around just like Daisy but never fell. In fact, I did 7 hill repeats and managed to stay afloat the whole time.

I was pleasantly surprised to feel little fatigue after doing the hill repeats. I could tell Daisy was tired and thirsty so I decided to run her back home and then do a tempo run. We leaped over more snow drifts and ice patches to get home - woo hoo - we made it!

I left her at home and took off on my own. Circled around to 23rd Ave and then down to 25th street. There, I had a long open stretch of bike lane on a street with little traffic. Once in the lane, I let it rip - took off as fast as I could in four 2-minute surges. Whew, that was tough!

I definitely need more speedwork. I think Tuesdays will be my hill/speedwork day. The only problem is that I start teaching next Tuesday at UNC. My class is at 9:30 and the kids need to be up by 7:10 so it will need to be an early run on the treadmill...I might need to re-think this schedule!  More on that later.

During my run, I thought about all the running I did back in Caribou, Maine, in the late 80's. I didn't have anyone to run with back then and Ipods weren't even around then. I did all of my runs alone with no music - how did I do that?! 

I remember many, many long solor runs in the Maine woods. Many late night runs on the SAC air force base I was living on with temps below zero (seriously!).  I remember going out my door about 7:00 PM in the still, darkness with the air being so cold that it burned my face and legs while I ran. But I kept going for some odd reason.

Now, I look back on that experience and feel thankful for having that experience. I became a very hardy runner living up there. My first marathon was in Montreal and I trained for 9 months by myself, starting from scratch. I remember running my first 15 mile run - a story I'll save for later - but I couldn't believe that I had run that far. Now, I can't believe I ran that far by  myself without music or aid stations!

I'm proud of myself for not giving up. There were many times I was cold, wet, and lonely for conversation but I just kept going. Just like I am now...except now I have a dog, Ipod, gu in my backpocket, and a group of wonderful friends to support me. Life is good!

One More Week...

....until Master's swim starts again!  One more week to relax in the water and do what I want to do. But one more week of boring swim workouts with no one to prod me along!

Made it to the pool this AM by 6:25. Jim, Tom, Marsha, Sarah, and Natalie were there (and a few other people I didn't know). Not bad for an off-week!

I swam about 30 mins but some of it was spent chatting with Sarah while we "walked" down the pool lanes (me with fins on and she with a jogging belt on). But the rest was spent doing plain ol' laps.

I can run or ride by myself, without anyone pushing me but swimming...as much as I enjoy it now, I still need someone to crack the whip! 

For one thing, I get so gosh darn bored. And I don't know what I should do....or how to do any drills. That's one thing I wish Richard would do more of, is show us newbies how to do drills (yes, I still consider myself a newbie!  Compared to the other swimmers, I am).

I wanted to bike when I got home but had to take the car out to Honda to get new tires...then the day got away from me. Oh well, glad I got the measley swim in!

Tomorrow I run - yay!

Hurts So Good!

Ran with Lynne, Jenny, Brenda, Dan, and Kevin today and wow, I haven't felt like that in a long time!

We ran 8 miles but since I did a hard Spinerval workout yesterday, my legs were tired. But it was a good kind of tired; I hadn't hurt like that since the IM!

I love running with my friends on the weekends. During the week I run alone and I treasure that time that I have to myself. Its truly (as they say) better than therapy. But I also treasure the runs with my friends on the weekends.

And today, Daisy went along and did really well. She ran 6.5 miles before we dropped her at my house, before we went for another 1.5. She only laid down twice and seemed to keep up really well.

Now, two hours later, I am incredibly sore (more than I had expected) but its OK, I'm used to it. It also tells me that I've done a good job of de-training because if I'm this sore after only 8 miles, then I have REALLY taken it easy these last two months.

Mentally, I feel fresh and ready to go. I'm really ready to get serious about training and get in the best shape ever. I turn 49 this year so its a great way to end my 40's!

Bringing in the New Year

Today is January 1, 2010 - woo hoo!  The year for an IM PR!

Started it off right with a Spinerval workout with Sarah. Took my bike and trainer over to her house and we did one of Troy Jacobson's killer workouts. Felt great but I can tell I've lost some of my fitness. Oh well!

So this is the plan for now:

Swim:
Master's Swim - Mon/Weds
Endurance - Fri

Bike:
Spinervals - Weds
Long spin or ride outdoors when weather permits - Sun

Run:
Tempo run - Tues
Speedwork - Thurs
Long slow run - Sat

Weight Lifting and Core Strengthening
2 - 3 x/week, days will vary

Race plans (as of now):
Colorado Half-Marathon, mid-May
Community Classic Metric Century, mid-May
Windsor Triathlon, late-May
Bolder Boulder 10k, Memorial Day
Greeley Triathlon, mid-June
Lake 2 Lake Triathlon, late-June
Ironman Boulder 70.3, early August
Blue Sky Half-Marathon, early October

Arizona Ironman, November 21st, 2010!!!

I'm stoked about training for another Ironman!  Its a gift (I believe) to have the opportunity to do this again. The time, energy, and money it takes to do an Ironman are pretty incredible and I feel very lucky to be able to do it again.

So today is Day One of training for AZ and its going great so far!