Train smarter, not harder - Day 1

First of all, the half marathon was a success! My final time was 2:13:33, which I'm very happy with. The whole thing felt good with only a few stumbling spots where I wasn't sure I was gonna be able to sustain the running. The course was beautiful - along the river, on both sides, in Eugene. My one complaint was the amount of zigzagging that was required for them to get the course to the right length...my knees did not appreciate having to make something like 6 right turns in the last .1 of the race. Aside from feeling like I was going to pass out for a bit about two after hours after it was over my recovery went well. The weekend was full of protein and carbs and although my quads were pretty sore on Monday by Tuesday I felt almost better and even went for a run on Wednesday.

Today was my first run with the heart rate monitor I ordered. I didn't put it on any settings per say, and just measured what I would say is a pretty typical run for me. Turns out my heart rate is way higher than it ought to be. I've been trying to do more research and looking into what I should be doing/looking for/etc and think I might have a better idea of how to use this thing to my advantage. It'll be an interesting adjustment period and I will try to do better about tracking that progress.

Whew...long time no update

The end of the school year sort of caught me off guard - with work, school work and school (all three different things) I was pretty busy with not a whole lot of time for exercising. Then we've been on all sorts of mini-vacations...so on and so forth, I will stop making excuses now.

The exciting news is that the last month I've been staying on top of things and will be completing *hopefully* two races in the coming month and a half: the bike portion of the Portland Triathlon and the Inaugural Eugene Women's Half Marathon. This basically means I've been either biking or running every day with a break here and there. It's felt really good and I think I'm finally over the hump with running and will be able to get some good distance going in the coming weeks.

That's about it at this point. Much and little happening at the same time, but I'm feeling good right now - I like this time of year.

Maintaining...

I've been in a stage of maintenance the last couple weeks. After being sick for a week it was hard to come back, so I was just trying to get myself out every other day doing SOMETHING. Today felt really great though - 3.15 miles, the longest run in awhile.
I was thinking about races while I was out and I think I'm going to focus on one triathlon and one half marathon for the season. Look out for an updated list on the right after I decide which one's I'm going to do and sign up for them so I can't back out.
The food battle has been going much better lately. Life in general has made it more difficult for me to snack continually, so I've been more deliberate about meals and cooking even small things when I get home from school and feel exhausted.
The journey is going well, but I'm thinking a solid work out buddy would be of great benefit right now...

Today did NOT go as planned

This was a busy weekend, and I had high hopes to go for a run this morning after putting pot luck coffee cake into the oven. Unfortunately, by the time that happened my mood had already turned sour and I decided not to go then.

Well, then, I ended up having to babysit the coffee cake for 10 or so more 15 min increments until it was actually done, at which point it was too late to go to the potluck, the constant drip of snot from my nose (and in my head in general) hadn't stopped, it had started raining, and I found out dragon boating practice for this afternoon was canceled - my one hope at getting any exercise in today.

In an attempt to get my butt out of the house Dan suggested a bike ride, but the absence of even an eyebrow raise from me wasn't too encouraging. So, I have spent most of the day napping off and on on the couch, feeling kind of 'blah' in general, but knowing that when I wake up tomorrow things will feel better.

Lesson for this weekend: Don't book up weekends weeks in advance. It's just not a good idea and causes more anxiety than necessary and then I end up having a day like today anyway. We'll see if I try to switch up the schedule this week and go out tomorrow - even for something short - or just stick to the regular schedule with a day off. I'm also hoping the weather will permit me to ride my bike to school at least one or two days this week.

This totally doesn't count as off the horse, just...like taking a rest stop.

Cycling! and allergies! YAY!

Dan and I went for a great ride this morning. It was just over 16 miles, which I think is longest ride I've done EVER, but it was also almost entirely flat. It felt really good though, and my core is slowly starting to strengthen itself no matter how hard it fights. I'm considering checking out some of the Group X classes at the Rec Center next term for this very purpose.

Things have been going well otherwise. I've been wanting to move myself every day and get out and just do something, even if it's a walk in the evening.

Some of the gals from school have been talking about cycling to the coast during the summer, which I have both both excited and terrified feelings about. Maya was trying to reassure me that I would survive though, so I think I'm going to give it a try.

I STILL haven't figured out a race schedule for the summer. I think it's going to be pretty low key - shooting for a half marathon and probably two sprint distance triathlons. List to be updated soon...

Things have been going very well!

The last few weeks have been awesome. I've been doing some distance of running, riding or swimming almost every day and I definitely can feel that it's keeping me from going crazy as the end of the term is more and more imminent.

Three things specifically have facilitated my ability to do this:
1. going running first thing in the morning - this includes being able to sleep in a little bit so my body is more prepared, figuring out how much I need to eat before going, slowly increasing my distance without killing myself
2. road tires for the bike! - I've had these for several months, but with Dan's encouragement and recent purchase of road tires I actually put them on my bike and the difference in the ride is phenomenal...have yet to go on a long ride
3. the pool at the SRC is open pretty much ALL DAY - which means I can go swimming whenever fits my schedule, and I got a locker in my department building (next door) so I don't have to truck my stuff back and forth from home.

For the foreseeable future I should be able to continue this, and my desire to do so doesn't seem to be waning in the face of aforementioned end of term craziness. I have the feeling I won't be able to figure out any sort of race schedule until next month - or, more appropriately, until I figure out what classes/other things I'm doing over the summer.

In the meantime I will enjoy my activities and at least momentary feel of accomplishment.

p.s. We found a place that does a spring CSA so at the end of the month we'll start getting weekly fresh veggies (and fruit?) which I'm VERY excited about.

scheduling conflicts

I just sat down to do previously-mentioned season planing, and realized that I need to do a little more thinking about my plans for the summer. There's an amazing farm internship that I want to apply for, and obviously do, but that takes out Sundays from August 3 - October 29 (ie the entire triathlon season). There are some other conflicts with the internship as well, but this was not what I was looking forward to when I sat down to go through these things...

back in the saddle again

I've gone for two runs in the last four days, and a number of small bike rides in town, and it's all felt good. My next task (aside from continuing to do these things through the end of the term...) is to sit down and really figure out a realistic schedule for the season. I now have the summer class schedule and I'll have a better handle on potential work in the next few weeks, giving me the scheduling tidbits I've been waiting for.

It's nice to remember how good it feels to move. At the end of last summer I really didn't want to DO anything. I was riding my bike to school most of the time, but other than that, the idea of going out for a run, or even a leisurely ride was out of the question. It's strange, being in a place now where I know how great it is, to think about having no desire to do these things. It's also nice to still feel like I'm doing it for me, because I want to, not for any other reason.

For the next month or so, my goal is to get up to running 3 miles 3 times a week, comfortably riding my bike around town to all sorts of errands, occasions and other things, and get back to swimming. Part of my problem with biking is that I don't like arriving places being/feeling sweaty and nasty, so I will also include getting over that in my goals.

Tomorrow...

...it all ends. For now anyway.

Tomorrow has been predicted as the final day of the February session, which means I get my life and my body back. I'm ready to get at it, and though I know school will be busier next term, I think it will be nice to focus primarily on school and exercise during my days.

Sometimes I wish Dan and I could run together better, but we both end up frustrated since he runs so much quicker than me. I think maybe the alternative option is for us to get up and GO at the same time in the morning, even if we're not going together. I also need to sign up for some races so I have some hard deadlines for myself. Eugene is not likely at this point, but maybe some other mid-Spring/early-summer half marathon? We'll see what happens when I get back on the horse.

Get ready horse - here I come!

So...about that....

I have barely moved my body since February 1st. Aside from walking between my car, buildings and bus (and occasionally running to catch the latter) I've been sitting at work desks, school desks or in bed.

Now, I'm not going to lie and say I didn't think this would happen. In fact, I pretty much assumed it was going to, but figured I'd get my butt moving for awhile in January anyway. Needless to say, I've still had the itch but have not had the time or energy to lose 30 mins of sleep here, or 45 of homework time there to appease.

Thus I am going to keep my expectations low for the next two and a half weeks and then remember all the things I've gotten done in a 24-hour period this month when I'm griping about not having any time to exercise next month...

Stupid High Schoolers...using their track

I've done pretty good the last few weeks with getting out regularly, even if it's just a short something in the morning. This morning I came up with a great plan for increasing my distance that involved using the track and increasing my distance by one lap (.25 miles) once per week. Today I was forced to wait until later in the day due to academic obligations, but at around 12:30, with this genius plan in my brain, I headed over to the Cleveland H.S. track only to encounter a mess of high schoolers in baggy t-shirts and gym shorts stretching and stumbling on the track surface -- foiled!!! So, I ended up winging it in the neighborhood and ended up at a distance shorter than my goal.

Dan and I went for a really nice bike ride on Sunday, which was the first time I've been on my bike since pre-mini-Arctic blast in early December. It felt good, and I think I'm going to hop on the bike tomorrow to head over to school.

I have weird ways of motivating myself...like in the shower after my run today I decided to wash my hair with shampoo AND conditioner, because then I would need to wash it again tomorrow, and why not go for a run/swim beforehand? Weird, I know. Speaking of swimming...

I haven't yet worked out at the new gym on campus. The prospect of having to pack in and out any type of workout stuff is less than ideal, but I'm going to try my best to start swimming on the days I'm on campus for class. Tomorrow may be the first attempt at this - we'll see.

In general, getting myself moving is going well. I'm working my way up and incorporating it into my daily schedule. Come February things are going to be super difficult...but I'm not worrying about that quite yet. Food has still been difficult. This is the first winter that we've tried to continue to eat locally/seasonally...and I can tell that I'm eating a lot less veggies than I was during the summer. We discovered the Hillsdale Farmer's Market two weeks ago, which is going to be a godsend, but they're only there every other week. Needless to say...we're still figuring it out (though the rack of canned goods looks beautiful).

Pushing on...perhaps in the water tomorrow?

Day One?

Yesterday's initial attempt at a run yielded a 1.7 mile treck. The run itself felt really good, though I feel that it had been awhile since the last one, AND I still have some crud left in my chest. But it felt good. I was surprisingly sore today (like places on my legs that I wouldn't think would hurt from a brief, hill-less run).

Already I can feel reality trying to creep in. I set my alarm for 6:30am on Monday (the same time Dan got up) with the hope and expectation of getting up and heading out early, but ended up in bed until about 7:30. I did still get up and run first thing - it was just later than I hoped it would be.

My plan was to go running tomorrow as well...but after getting up at 5:30 this morning (and even though I don't have to be in Salem until 9:30 tomorrow), the prospect of getting up early at all to run sounds horrific. If I wait until after class, however, the chances diminish further.

This is one of those pivotal moments that don't seem like a big deal individually, but over time they turn into dozens of missed runs. These are the moments that I need to kick myself in the butt, and rather than give up on what I'm hoping to do, I need to figure out what is necessary in order to make it happen (ie, go to bed earlier, set an alarm across the bedroom...whatever). More brainstorm ideas on this to come...

Getting off the couch

It's been several weeks (nearing months) since I've gone for a serious run. I think I went for one quickie after the 5k Thanksgiving weekend, but that was primarily because I had purchased new running shoes and felt the need to use them before going on vacation. So, this is start number 25,429 of being active again. I somehow manage to end up at square one if I don't exercise for more than about a week, so I'm not looking forward to yet another go 'round.

However...I have been itching to go out for a run for the last week, but illness has interfered. Watching other folks hit the pavement has made me wiggle a little in my car seat, and tomorrow will be the beginning of my first full season as a triathlete and my attempts at some longer distances as well. Part of my difficulty staying on the wagon in the past has been accountability to myself or anyone else. I avoid signing up for races until the last moment, so I can have the option to duck out...I have always given myself that option up to this point. My goal for this season is to decide early (once I know what my class situation is going to be) what races I'm going to do, and sign up for them as soon as I can. I'm also going to write out workout plans for myself that are realistic and get me where I need to be, hoping to incorporate others when possible.

Food will also be part of this journey. I've already started making many changes in the last year, but I'm continuing to learn more and figure out how to eat well, eat good and be happy with these decisions that I'm making. It's easy for me to fall off of that wagon as well, but it's something that has moral implications as well and thus carries a different kind of weight.

Tomorrow begins yet another one of these journeys - this will be my attempt to keep at it.