160 mins of hill runs
5 miles of pacing
THREEE, WHOLE DAYS OFFFFF
13 miles of crap
One recovery run
Lots of spinning work
And a whole week with-out in-ju-ry.... :)
I officially hopped onto Vic's training plan on Saturday the 18th, so it's technically been more than a week, but I couldn't resist. So far so good, aside from a few small complaints from my shins that I think will work themselves out.
I really dig the plan because every run is different and has a purpose. It's nice leaving the house knowing exactly what needs to be accomplished, even if it's just "Run REALLY slowly and cover the distance." The heart rate training has been kind of frustrating, though, because it means I may as well be walking on hills for how slowly I'm scaling them and I don't like spending a second more than I need to going uphill. This past Saturday I had the humiliation of being passed not once, but TWICE by some younger studly track guys doing hill work on Heartbreak and they almost barrelled me over going uphill. Sick.
Tonight, I'm scheduled to run 9 miles in the bitter cold (again) then this weekend will be a workout that I'm very much looking forward to - a "marathon predictor" run. By doing a specific number of 800 meter repeats and applying some magic marathon math (Woo! Alliteration!), you can pretty accurately predict your marathon finish time.
Now that the holidays are over, I'm hoping to more frequently blog my way through the training season, as a way to document how it goes. Hopefully I stick to it!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
The People in The Neighborhood
Last night I did 5 miles along the marathon course. As I was running, I started thinking about the familiar faces I often see around town and immediately had this classic Sesame Street song in my head.
In honor of this train of thought, I'd like to share with you all the people in my neighborhood - "the people that you meet each day."
The Tricycle Guy is a person in my neighborhood. He can be seen riding around the Back Bay on an adult-sized tricycle pulling a little cart behind him, with a tall flag streaming off the back. As he rides around, he makes a sort of "awooooga" noise really loudly to let people know to get out of his way. Sometimes in the summer when I have my windows open, I can hear him bombing down the street several block away. Once, I saw him on a roofdeck at a bar, dressed in a really nice purple button down shirt.
The Spare Change Guy is a person in my neighborhood. But he's EVERYWHERE. The Common, Copley Square, Fenway - you name it. He has a rather nasally gruff voice, in which he sloooowwwlly calls out "Hassss annnyyybooddyyy got any spaaaaaaare chaaaaaaange?" I once heard he wandered his way into the burbs and ended up in jail.
The Power-Walking Woman is a person in my neighborhood. She's not a local legend like the others, but I see her every time I'm out for a run. She barely reaches 5 feet tall, is often wearing sunglasses even though it's nighttime, and almost always has on a blue and yellow Adidas windbreaker that looks like a marathon jacket but doesn't have any logos on it - it's just plain blue and yellow. She always comes scooting by me like a woman on a mission, going in the opposite direction as me, and I like to imagine that back in the day she was a bitchin' fast marathon runner (BFMR) who can no longer run and has to power walk, but likes to get in a late night workout, just like she did when she was a BFMR.
The Blanket Lady is a person in my neighborhood. I'd love to know her story. I usually see her crossing the Mass Ave bridge or walking the Cambridge side of the river and she's wrapped up in several huge patchwork quilt blankets, even during the summer. It goes over her head, around her whole body and she has some sort of a dress on underneath it. The other day I saw her elsewhere in the Back Bay when I was out for a run and was surprised to see she had ventured away from the bridge area.
The So Totally Screwed Over in Life That She Had a Mental Breakdown Lady is a person in my neighborhood. The first time I saw her on Newbury Street, I thought she had just been fired and was yelling so that her former employers could hear. Then when I saw her again doing the same shtick months later in a different location, I realized whatever happened to her wasn't recent and that it pushed her to relive it every day. She's appears to be a totally normal average woman until she opens her mouth and starts yelling things like "Good riddance!! Let you do that to me... If you only KNEW what they did. If you LISTEN TO ME. You'd be protesting. You wouldn't let it to happen to your sister or daughter." She typically just mopes along the street yelling.
And THESE are the people in the neighborhood - the people that you meet each day! It certainly keeps life interesting and ensures there's never a dull moment when I'm out for a run.
In honor of this train of thought, I'd like to share with you all the people in my neighborhood - "the people that you meet each day."
The Tricycle Guy is a person in my neighborhood. He can be seen riding around the Back Bay on an adult-sized tricycle pulling a little cart behind him, with a tall flag streaming off the back. As he rides around, he makes a sort of "awooooga" noise really loudly to let people know to get out of his way. Sometimes in the summer when I have my windows open, I can hear him bombing down the street several block away. Once, I saw him on a roofdeck at a bar, dressed in a really nice purple button down shirt.
The Spare Change Guy is a person in my neighborhood. But he's EVERYWHERE. The Common, Copley Square, Fenway - you name it. He has a rather nasally gruff voice, in which he sloooowwwlly calls out "Hassss annnyyybooddyyy got any spaaaaaaare chaaaaaaange?" I once heard he wandered his way into the burbs and ended up in jail.
The Power-Walking Woman is a person in my neighborhood. She's not a local legend like the others, but I see her every time I'm out for a run. She barely reaches 5 feet tall, is often wearing sunglasses even though it's nighttime, and almost always has on a blue and yellow Adidas windbreaker that looks like a marathon jacket but doesn't have any logos on it - it's just plain blue and yellow. She always comes scooting by me like a woman on a mission, going in the opposite direction as me, and I like to imagine that back in the day she was a bitchin' fast marathon runner (BFMR) who can no longer run and has to power walk, but likes to get in a late night workout, just like she did when she was a BFMR.
The Blanket Lady is a person in my neighborhood. I'd love to know her story. I usually see her crossing the Mass Ave bridge or walking the Cambridge side of the river and she's wrapped up in several huge patchwork quilt blankets, even during the summer. It goes over her head, around her whole body and she has some sort of a dress on underneath it. The other day I saw her elsewhere in the Back Bay when I was out for a run and was surprised to see she had ventured away from the bridge area.
The So Totally Screwed Over in Life That She Had a Mental Breakdown Lady is a person in my neighborhood. The first time I saw her on Newbury Street, I thought she had just been fired and was yelling so that her former employers could hear. Then when I saw her again doing the same shtick months later in a different location, I realized whatever happened to her wasn't recent and that it pushed her to relive it every day. She's appears to be a totally normal average woman until she opens her mouth and starts yelling things like "Good riddance!! Let you do that to me... If you only KNEW what they did. If you LISTEN TO ME. You'd be protesting. You wouldn't let it to happen to your sister or daughter." She typically just mopes along the street yelling.
And THESE are the people in the neighborhood - the people that you meet each day! It certainly keeps life interesting and ensures there's never a dull moment when I'm out for a run.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Jingle all the Way
Yesterday I ran the Jingle Bell 5K in Davis Sq. and I'm happy to report that I set a sweet new personal record for myself - 23:28, which the race results say is an average 7:34 minute/mile. While most of my speedy friends could probably run that pace without breaking a sweat, for me that translates to "bitchin' fast."
Maybe it was my hot new sneakers, the bells I pinned on them or the cold crisp air that propelled me into that pace. Or maybe I was just so eager to show Vic what I was capable of that I went full thrust and hoped I could sustain it. Either way, I was grinning at the finish line and wishing I didn't have to tack on 5 more miles -- I wanted to go celebrate with my friends! I, of course, did plenty of celebrating when I finally finished my workout.
Speaking of Vic, he's officially going to be coaching me and getting me to Hopkinton injury-free this April. He emailed me this morning and said that a sub-4 Boston is attainable. Boy would that be nice! To complement the motto, my Boston Marathon 2010 theme song (of the moment) is: The hit 1983 single "Break My Stride" by Matthew Wilder. It's damn catchy.
Last but not least, only 10 shopping days until Christmas. Who's going to get me a few more hours in the day or some extra daylight? I'd also settle for a personal assistant or a clone Brenda who I could make to do all the things the real me doesn't want to do. And if you really wanted to add a personal touch and get her monogrammed, I bet Mike at Kaleidoscope Tattoo would be happy to oblige.
Maybe it was my hot new sneakers, the bells I pinned on them or the cold crisp air that propelled me into that pace. Or maybe I was just so eager to show Vic what I was capable of that I went full thrust and hoped I could sustain it. Either way, I was grinning at the finish line and wishing I didn't have to tack on 5 more miles -- I wanted to go celebrate with my friends! I, of course, did plenty of celebrating when I finally finished my workout.
Speaking of Vic, he's officially going to be coaching me and getting me to Hopkinton injury-free this April. He emailed me this morning and said that a sub-4 Boston is attainable. Boy would that be nice! To complement the motto, my Boston Marathon 2010 theme song (of the moment) is: The hit 1983 single "Break My Stride" by Matthew Wilder. It's damn catchy.
Last but not least, only 10 shopping days until Christmas. Who's going to get me a few more hours in the day or some extra daylight? I'd also settle for a personal assistant or a clone Brenda who I could make to do all the things the real me doesn't want to do. And if you really wanted to add a personal touch and get her monogrammed, I bet Mike at Kaleidoscope Tattoo would be happy to oblige.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
All I Want for Christmas Is Vic (and a BQ)
No, I'm not contemplating leaving Noah (come on... who else would put up with me and find me as amusing as he does?). Vic, in case you haven't been following along at home, is Noah's coach, and the man who has been subjecting my muscles to abuse each Monday night for the last 3 weeks.
Sadly, strength class is over. But the good news is that my Christmas present from Noah is a customized marathon training plan from Vic that will hopefully keep me injury-free this marathon season - and keep me honest on my workouts. What Vic knows already is that I'm prone to shin splints, that my half-mary PR is a 1:48, that my Boston half-mary PR is a weak little 1:51 (and change) and that my Boston Marathon PR is 4:16 and change. What he doesn't know (until he reads this blog post, that is) is that I'll do whatever it takes to see a BQ this spring, if it's even remotely possible in a far off land. Even if it means double workouts and lots of those knee drop squat things that I hate so much. Go big or go home, I say.
On that note, I've also come up with my Boston Marathon 2010 training motto (ahem...): Nothing hurts as much as a BQ feels awesome. I know... it needs some work. But you get the idea. It's a variation on coke-a-rexic Kate Moss' recent quote of "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." Kate, honey, you've obviously never tried sweet potato fries or apple pie or black raspberry ice cream or chocolate chip cookies. Because I'm pretty sure they ALL taste better than even the skinniest day feels.
Now for the housekeeping: I went to the last strength training class of the lot last night and surprised myself by being able to hold a 20 pound weight in each hand straight in the air while laying down and do a couple of reps with each arm, dropping the elbow and lowering the weight then raising it again. RAAAWWRRR!!! Yeah, that's the sound of me being ripped. I also (barely) survived the knee drop squat thingies with a 10 pound weight in each hand for all 4 sets, but was playfully teased by a fellow classmate because my "poor little legs" were shaking. But today? No pain! Felt pretty good, minus a little tightness that loosened right up during my weekly 5-mile date with Mary Ann.
Tomorrow comes the real test; waking up at 5 to work out BEFORE work, because I have plans after work that prohibit my visiting the gym. Can I do it? We shall see...
Sadly, strength class is over. But the good news is that my Christmas present from Noah is a customized marathon training plan from Vic that will hopefully keep me injury-free this marathon season - and keep me honest on my workouts. What Vic knows already is that I'm prone to shin splints, that my half-mary PR is a 1:48, that my Boston half-mary PR is a weak little 1:51 (and change) and that my Boston Marathon PR is 4:16 and change. What he doesn't know (until he reads this blog post, that is) is that I'll do whatever it takes to see a BQ this spring, if it's even remotely possible in a far off land. Even if it means double workouts and lots of those knee drop squat things that I hate so much. Go big or go home, I say.
On that note, I've also come up with my Boston Marathon 2010 training motto (ahem...): Nothing hurts as much as a BQ feels awesome. I know... it needs some work. But you get the idea. It's a variation on coke-a-rexic Kate Moss' recent quote of "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." Kate, honey, you've obviously never tried sweet potato fries or apple pie or black raspberry ice cream or chocolate chip cookies. Because I'm pretty sure they ALL taste better than even the skinniest day feels.
Now for the housekeeping: I went to the last strength training class of the lot last night and surprised myself by being able to hold a 20 pound weight in each hand straight in the air while laying down and do a couple of reps with each arm, dropping the elbow and lowering the weight then raising it again. RAAAWWRRR!!! Yeah, that's the sound of me being ripped. I also (barely) survived the knee drop squat thingies with a 10 pound weight in each hand for all 4 sets, but was playfully teased by a fellow classmate because my "poor little legs" were shaking. But today? No pain! Felt pretty good, minus a little tightness that loosened right up during my weekly 5-mile date with Mary Ann.
Tomorrow comes the real test; waking up at 5 to work out BEFORE work, because I have plans after work that prohibit my visiting the gym. Can I do it? We shall see...
Monday, December 7, 2009
There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather...
...Only bad clothes (that's a Jack-ism). I found this out the hard way on Saturday, as after running in shorts and a long-sleever on Thursday (and feeling over-dressed, at that), winter finally made an appearance this weekend.
When I left the house on Saturday for my long run, it was 45 degrees, overcast and just starting to spit a little. Weather.com was calling for the temperature to drop with each minute of my run, making getting dressed a challenge - Do I dress for mile 10 and sweat for the first half of my run, then end up wet and cold because I sweat through my clothes? Do I dress for mile 3 and feel comfortable until the temperature drops, then end up wet and cold because it's rainy and damp? Since the result was going to be "wet and cold" no matter what, I opted for some flavor of option 2 -- tights, t-shirt, baseball cap, light gloves and water resistant wind breaker.
Here's the rundown:
Miles 1-4: Comfortable. Thinking "Well done! I think I actually dressed properly for this one"
Miles 5-6: The wind is starting to pick up a bit and I can feel the temp starting to drop. Still not too bad, though
Mile 7: Gloves are damp with sweat and drizzle. Hands are starting to get cold. Merde.
Mile 8: Legs/arms starting to get cold. Wrists are bright red
Miles 9-10: Wind is almost knocking me down. Gloves are soaked through. Hands are numb. Arms/legs on their way to joining.
When I hit my doorstep and couldn't move my hands properly to get my key out of my tights, I was audibly whimpering. When hit the elevator button and it made that familiar ringing noise to let me know some jerk left the door open on another floor and I had to take the stairs, I was audibly cursing. When I hit the shower and the warm water slowly thawed my hands out, I was audibly sighing in relief.
The running itself wasn't so bad, though. I strapped on my heart rate monitor to get an idea what my effort is like at different paces and realized that when you're running hills the whole way, the monitor is useless. You're ALWAYS in a high zone. I took it easy though and felt pretty good for all 10 miles. Casual training pace. No injuries this year.
Sunday I went to MIT with Noah and hit the pool for an hour. He showed me a few drills to help my form a little, then dug into his scheduled workout. I alternated drills with actual laps. When his workout was done, we raced a half a lap just for fun. He kicked my butt.
Pooped from a weekend of tough workouts, I easily could have fallen asleep on the car ride home from the gym. Then I DID fall asleep on my living room floor in front of the fireplace, where Noah and I had a Thai takeout pic-a-nic, complete with a roaring fire and a bottle of wine. When he left, I contemplated just staying right there on the floor for the night. But I knew that my stiff muscles would thank me even less for the hard surface than they would for the workout, so I dragged myself to bed and was out like a light.
When I left the house on Saturday for my long run, it was 45 degrees, overcast and just starting to spit a little. Weather.com was calling for the temperature to drop with each minute of my run, making getting dressed a challenge - Do I dress for mile 10 and sweat for the first half of my run, then end up wet and cold because I sweat through my clothes? Do I dress for mile 3 and feel comfortable until the temperature drops, then end up wet and cold because it's rainy and damp? Since the result was going to be "wet and cold" no matter what, I opted for some flavor of option 2 -- tights, t-shirt, baseball cap, light gloves and water resistant wind breaker.
Here's the rundown:
Miles 1-4: Comfortable. Thinking "Well done! I think I actually dressed properly for this one"
Miles 5-6: The wind is starting to pick up a bit and I can feel the temp starting to drop. Still not too bad, though
Mile 7: Gloves are damp with sweat and drizzle. Hands are starting to get cold. Merde.
Mile 8: Legs/arms starting to get cold. Wrists are bright red
Miles 9-10: Wind is almost knocking me down. Gloves are soaked through. Hands are numb. Arms/legs on their way to joining.
When I hit my doorstep and couldn't move my hands properly to get my key out of my tights, I was audibly whimpering. When hit the elevator button and it made that familiar ringing noise to let me know some jerk left the door open on another floor and I had to take the stairs, I was audibly cursing. When I hit the shower and the warm water slowly thawed my hands out, I was audibly sighing in relief.
The running itself wasn't so bad, though. I strapped on my heart rate monitor to get an idea what my effort is like at different paces and realized that when you're running hills the whole way, the monitor is useless. You're ALWAYS in a high zone. I took it easy though and felt pretty good for all 10 miles. Casual training pace. No injuries this year.
Sunday I went to MIT with Noah and hit the pool for an hour. He showed me a few drills to help my form a little, then dug into his scheduled workout. I alternated drills with actual laps. When his workout was done, we raced a half a lap just for fun. He kicked my butt.
Pooped from a weekend of tough workouts, I easily could have fallen asleep on the car ride home from the gym. Then I DID fall asleep on my living room floor in front of the fireplace, where Noah and I had a Thai takeout pic-a-nic, complete with a roaring fire and a bottle of wine. When he left, I contemplated just staying right there on the floor for the night. But I knew that my stiff muscles would thank me even less for the hard surface than they would for the workout, so I dragged myself to bed and was out like a light.
A Week of Wicked Workouts
Ahhh alliteration, how I love thee.
I'm pleased to report that I worked out EVERY DAY this week except Friday, which was my rest day. Monday used to be my scheduled day off, but I think I'm going to play around with swapping it to Friday this year. I like the idea of being fully rested for Saturday long runs.
Tuesday brought 5 solo miles, as Mary Ann had another commitment that conflicted with our usual Tuesday night date. I ran hard, I felt strong and when I met up with Noah and some friends afterwards for a hot toddy and pumpkin soup on that cold December night, he was greeted with a big post-run grin. My runs have been pretty inconsistent lately, as far as how I feel while I'm doing it, so I've been relishing in good runs when I can.
Wednesday I actually set foot in my gym for the first time in months so I could repeat Vic's strength workout. I think I remembered the routine and I was amazed at how much stronger I felt after only a couple of classes. I have to admit, though, that I ended up having to skip The Wheel of Misfortune because my gym didn't have one or anything I could improvise with. I did push-ups instead.
Thursday was my usual 7 miles, around the block then out and back on the marathon course. Uphill and into a headwind the whole way out. I can't remember the last time I was so darn glad to see my turnaround point! I suffered through every step, and as I ran the last stretch of Beacon toward my finish, the illuminated Crossroads sign never looked so beautiful. Nor did the pizza and beer ever taste so good!
Friday's rest day was well-earned (for once). By the time I got home from work and ate dinner, I all but face planted into my bed and slept for 12 hours - but could have easily done 14. Every year around this time I'm reminded of how exhausting marathon training is, when done properly. It's going to be a long, but rewarding, 4 and a half months!
I'm pleased to report that I worked out EVERY DAY this week except Friday, which was my rest day. Monday used to be my scheduled day off, but I think I'm going to play around with swapping it to Friday this year. I like the idea of being fully rested for Saturday long runs.
Tuesday brought 5 solo miles, as Mary Ann had another commitment that conflicted with our usual Tuesday night date. I ran hard, I felt strong and when I met up with Noah and some friends afterwards for a hot toddy and pumpkin soup on that cold December night, he was greeted with a big post-run grin. My runs have been pretty inconsistent lately, as far as how I feel while I'm doing it, so I've been relishing in good runs when I can.
Wednesday I actually set foot in my gym for the first time in months so I could repeat Vic's strength workout. I think I remembered the routine and I was amazed at how much stronger I felt after only a couple of classes. I have to admit, though, that I ended up having to skip The Wheel of Misfortune because my gym didn't have one or anything I could improvise with. I did push-ups instead.
Thursday was my usual 7 miles, around the block then out and back on the marathon course. Uphill and into a headwind the whole way out. I can't remember the last time I was so darn glad to see my turnaround point! I suffered through every step, and as I ran the last stretch of Beacon toward my finish, the illuminated Crossroads sign never looked so beautiful. Nor did the pizza and beer ever taste so good!
Friday's rest day was well-earned (for once). By the time I got home from work and ate dinner, I all but face planted into my bed and slept for 12 hours - but could have easily done 14. Every year around this time I'm reminded of how exhausting marathon training is, when done properly. It's going to be a long, but rewarding, 4 and a half months!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Little Wheel Keep On Turnin', Whole Body Keep on Burnin'
Rollin' on the gym floor. Doot doot doot doot...
I'd like to tell you I'm dancing like Tina Turner right now as I'm blogging this - but that would require functional movement.
Last night I subjected myself once again to the torture that is Vic's strength class and I've actually found a workout that hurts more than hills, strides and squats combined. I like to call it The Wheel of Misfortune. Here's how it works -- There's a little wheel on a stick that has handle grippers on each side. It kind of reminds me of a single Lego wheel.
<-- Wheel of Misfortune
You kneel on the edge of a mat, grip each side of the stick like a barbell and then roll out as far as you can go without feeling pressure on your your lower back, keeping your back flat as though you could balance an apple on the small of it. Then you roll back. And every muscle in your upper body screams. Sounds lovely, doesn't it? It's gotta be effective, too, because MAN am I feeling it today.
Vic also added a 4th set to the rest of our typical 3-set workouts. He was telling me and Noah before class that the 4th set totally kills some athletes and others can handle it like a champ, but in all his years of coaching he's never been able to figure out why some and not others. I'm happy to report that the 4th set didn't kill me any more than the 3 did last week (so basically, I ache head to toe, but no more than last week). He also mentioned that women often do better with it than men, so maybe I have my female parts to thank for that.
So that's the report. YES I did my strength, YES I am aching today and YES I plan to run 5 miles tonight. It's marathon season! Wooo!! I also finally got my fundraising email out. Shame on me for waiting this long. Is it REALLY December 1 already? Where did the fall go?
I'd like to tell you I'm dancing like Tina Turner right now as I'm blogging this - but that would require functional movement.
Last night I subjected myself once again to the torture that is Vic's strength class and I've actually found a workout that hurts more than hills, strides and squats combined. I like to call it The Wheel of Misfortune. Here's how it works -- There's a little wheel on a stick that has handle grippers on each side. It kind of reminds me of a single Lego wheel.
<-- Wheel of Misfortune
You kneel on the edge of a mat, grip each side of the stick like a barbell and then roll out as far as you can go without feeling pressure on your your lower back, keeping your back flat as though you could balance an apple on the small of it. Then you roll back. And every muscle in your upper body screams. Sounds lovely, doesn't it? It's gotta be effective, too, because MAN am I feeling it today.
Vic also added a 4th set to the rest of our typical 3-set workouts. He was telling me and Noah before class that the 4th set totally kills some athletes and others can handle it like a champ, but in all his years of coaching he's never been able to figure out why some and not others. I'm happy to report that the 4th set didn't kill me any more than the 3 did last week (so basically, I ache head to toe, but no more than last week). He also mentioned that women often do better with it than men, so maybe I have my female parts to thank for that.
So that's the report. YES I did my strength, YES I am aching today and YES I plan to run 5 miles tonight. It's marathon season! Wooo!! I also finally got my fundraising email out. Shame on me for waiting this long. Is it REALLY December 1 already? Where did the fall go?
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