It's Been How Long?

I know, I know. I've done a terrible job at maintaining this blog. For one, I'm always logging everything on dailymile. It posts to Twitter and Facebook. So if you follow me on there, you know what I'm up to. Two, I was in a funk. I took some time away from all things running..my blog, your blogs, and of course actual running. In the midst of the funk, I had an injury too. It's still here. So I've cut my mileage way down. Yeah, I ran 113mi in August. Then ran less than 30mi in September. Big difference. Gained a couple pounds from inactivity. I even stopped hitting the club while in my funk. If you know me, you know that I love to dance and that I dance hard (like hard running in a race). But it's cool. I'm active again and those couple pounds are gone. And I was out last night wearing a groove in the floor. So all is good. I ran today and it was cool. Pretty graphs below. I also pulled out my bike for the first time in ages. It was a short ride (3.24mi). I was riding to the track to get a run in, but there was a football game going on. I took the scenic route home and ran in the park instead. As far as my current running state goes, I am not following a plan. Maybe another time, but not now. No need to pressure myself, especially when there's an injury involved. If I feel like running, I run. If I'm not feeling it, I don't. Usually my hip lets me know anyway. It can go from being sore, to being okay, to feeling like I've been shanked. Gotta play it by ear. But my goal is to run 3 or 4 days a week, allowing plenty of rest. In the meantime, I've spent a lot of time swimming and doing yoga. I had my last swim class a couple weeks ago. And I'm really keeping up with my practice. I'm at the pool 2-4 times a week. If I have the time, I swim for at least an hour. I have two yoga classes this session on Mondays and Wednesdays. The Monday class is 90min long and more intense than Wednesday's 60min class. The classes really help my home practice. Yes, I'm doing yoga on my own too. I feel strong. No, I'm not balancing my whole body on my finger tips. I may never do that (too much junk in the trunk for all that). But my arms look like I hit the free weights. And we all know how I feel about strength training. HATED IT! Another thing I've been doing in my spare time is belly dancing. No, I'm not taking classes. I bought another dvd. Yes, another. I have one from a few years ago, but it's not very good to learn from. But the instruction on this new dvd is on point. Love it! That reminds me, I'm signed up for Zumba next session. We all know how I love all things Latin. Along with that, I'm signed up for more yoga (the same two classes), a chisel class (because I hate strength training but really should), and a step/sculpt class. I'll be busy, busy, busy and hoping to love every minute of it. Why am I all YMCA class crazy? Because it's free with my membership of course. It may not always be like this, so I gotta take advantage when I can. On that note, I've done all the catching up I'm gonna do for now (because I'm tired). I hope all is well. And I plan to catch up with y'all soon. Well, that's if my Google reader hasn't exploded :) Activity Route: Park Elev. Avg: 26 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: -27 ft Date: 10/11/09 Up/Downhill: [+173/-200] Time: 02:10 PM Difficulty: 1.8 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 64 F temp; 42% humidity 64 F heat index; winds NW 8 Performance Distance: 5.00 miles Time: 0:45:47 Speed: 6.6 mph Pace: 9' 09 /mi Heart Rate: 172 bpm (Avg) Calories: 561 189 bpm (Peak) Notes Cool Down = .45mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Heart Rate (bpm) Heart Rate Zones Zone Range (bpm) Time In Zone Distance In Zone Zone 5 180 - 200 0h 17m 36% 1.92 mi Zone 4 160 - 180 0h 25m 54% 2.71 mi Zone 3 140 - 160 0h 07m 14% 0.70 mi Zone 2 120 - 140 0h 00m 0% 0.04 mi Zone 1 100 - 120 0h 00m 0% 0.03 mi (none) out of range 0h 00m 0% 0.00 mi Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Heart Rate Elev Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 39 +0' 30 6.2 -0.3 153 -49 ft 2 9' 24 +0' 15 6.4 -0.2 169 0 ft 3 9' 08 -0' 01 6.6 +0.0 175 +13 ft 4 8' 55 -0' 16 6.7 +0.2 181 +13 ft end 8' 39 -0' 30 6.9 +0.3 184 -3 ft Versus average of 9' 09 min/mile

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Run + Swim + Recap

I haven't run in the park in weeks, but I went today. I didn't have time to fit a run in at the Y before swim class. See, I run at one Y (there are more treadmills and an indoor track) and have swim class at the other Y (closer to home). I didn't have time to be driving from town to town, so I sucked it up and went out in 87° with a heat index of 93°. Before I stepped out I prayed, "Lord, please don't let me crash and burn." I also blurted out a, "Lord, have mercy on me" somewhere in the middle of the run. I was expecting the heat to take me under since I've been running indoors lately. Thank God, it was overcast. If the sun was out, I'm pretty sure I would have been laid out. I was also expecting the little hills and inclines to get me since I've been running on extremely flat surfaces, i.e. track, treadmill. But that didn't bother me at all. What did bother me was the extremely thick air. I tried to slow my pace for consistent splits. But consistency is not my forte, so I decided to go with negative splits instead. Pretty graphs below. So I make it to my swim lesson on time. I have no idea how far I swam. At some points, there were others in the lane, so I would only go part way and back. I did some kicking drills (frog kick forward and backward, flutter kick forward and backward), breathing exercises, front crawl, competitive breaststroke, and backstroke. Now my shoulders and back are sore. It's okay though. I was expecting to be sore way before now. I was out dancing last night. Woke up fine though. And, now let me recap where I left off... 8/9 - 3mi Track (25:47 - 8:35 pace) 8/11 - 5mi Treadmill (50:00 - 10:00 pace) I began making an effort to run slower, since my mileage is getting up there. Really helps with recovery. Swim Lesson (30min - 550yd) 8/12 - 5mi Treadmill (50:00 - 10:00 pace) Yoga Class (1hr) Right before yoga 8/13 - 6mi Treadmill (60:00 - 10:00 pace) 8/15 - Namaste Yoga (25min Fit TV) Shimmy (2 x 20min Fit TV - Belly dancing and loving it) 8/16 - 10mi Treadmill (1:40 - 10:00 pace) With keeping my speed down, I didn't even feel this run the next day. So there is something to long SLOW distance runs, huh. Oh, and I must mention that I skipped a 5miler. If I keep my runs slow, I should have no problem making it up. But if I run outside, I can't guarantee a slower run. So we shall see. Activity Route: Park Elev. Avg: 27 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: -32 ft Date: 08/18/09 Up/Downhill: [+200/-232] Time: 05:30 PM Difficulty: 3.1 / 5.0 Weather: Partly Cloudy 87 F temp; 61% humidity 93 F heat index; winds Vrbl 3 Performance Distance: 5.00 miles Time: 0:48:02 Speed: 6.2 mph Pace: 9' 36 /mi Heart Rate: 169 bpm (Avg) Calories: 554 194 bpm (Peak) Notes Cool Down = .43mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Heart Rate (bpm) Heart Rate Zones Zone Range (bpm) Time In Zone Distance In Zone Zone 5 180 - 200 0h 15m 31% 1.63 mi Zone 4 160 - 180 0h 25m 51% 2.57 mi Zone 3 140 - 160 0h 06m 12% 0.63 mi Zone 2 120 - 140 0h 03m 6% 0.28 mi Zone 1 100 - 120 0h 00m 0% 0.02 mi (none) out of range 0h 00m 0% 0.03 mi Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Heart Rate Elev Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 54 +0' 18 6.1 -0.2 145 -49 ft 2 9' 49 +0' 13 6.1 -0.2 165 +16 ft 3 9' 39 +0' 03 6.2 -0.0 172 -19 ft 4 9' 23 -0' 13 6.4 +0.1 182 +17 ft end 9' 15 -0' 21 6.5 +0.2 184 +3 ft Versus average of 9' 36 min/mile

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Do I Drink Too Much?

I don't know what it is, but whenever I have a long run, I can't stop going to the bathroom. My first major hydration issue was back when I ran Broad Street. I was gonna pee on myself before the race. Finally had a potty break before race start. But then, I had to go again at the start. Same thing happened last weekend for my 9miler. I peed numerous times before I left the house. Then when I finally get out to run, I've got to go. Lo and behold, the same thing happened today. Back and forth to the bathroom, then I get to the track and have to go again. Now I'm wondering if I'm so concerned about long runs that I over hydrate. Or is it that long runs make me nervous, and peeing is a nervous reaction? Can it be both? Really, long runs get to me. Somewhere in the back of my head, I'm thinking it's going to be a disaster. It takes so much psyching myself up just to get out the door on a normal day. I'm so much worse when it comes to long runs. Yes, I prepare for them. I eat a great dinner. I don't drink (alcohol) the night before. I hydrate throughout the day. Go back and forth to the bathroom. I pick out a comfortable outfit. Then I take my sweet time getting out the door. But before I step out for good, I go again. And you know what? I have to go again at the beginning of my run. What the heck? Anyone else have this issue? So on to today's run (pretty graphs and splits below)...It was a nice night. The humidity was low. There was a nice breeze. But too bad I just didn't feel like being out there. The good thing is, I did my long run today instead of tomorrow, when it's supposed to be a hot one. And trying to pull 7 miles out of my behind on a hot day when I already don't wanna be out is a recipe for disaster. I can, however, pull out 3 miles on a sucky day. So that's the plan for tomorrow. Now, let me recap what the heck I've been doing when I'm not blogging here... 8/1 - Yoga (30min dvd) 5mi Treadmill (45:20 - 9:03 pace) 8/2 - 9mi Track (1:27:32 - 9:43) I know, I know. Who the hell runs 9 miles on the track? I went out late, so that was my option. Luckily, I wasn't bored enough to shoot myself. 8/4 - 5mi Track (47:13 - 9:26 pace) 8/5 - Yoga Class (1hr) 3.4mi Indoor Track (29:45 - 8:45 pace) Not sure how accurate this was. I was using my Tech 4o watch that was calibrated like 3 times. I think I have to calibrate again though. 8/6 - 5mi Track (44:48 - 8:57 pace) I do feel like I've been slacking though. It all started when my cousin from Alaska called me at some ridiculous time and had me up til the wee hours of the morning. My sleep schedule ain't been right since. And I canceled Tuesday's swim class because I was just tired. I did make sure I got in that day's run though. I'll try to do better this week. It's supposed to be 98° on Monday. Maybe that will make want to swim on a non-swim lesson day. We shall see. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy your weekend. Peace. Activity Route: Track Elev. Avg: 36 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: +3 ft Date: 08/08/09 Up/Downhill: [+6/-3] Time: 06:57 PM Difficulty: 2.0 / 5.0 Weather: A Few Clouds 72 F temp; 68% humidity 72 F heat index; winds SE 5 Performance Distance: 7.00 miles Time: 1:04:48 Speed: 6.5 mph Pace: 9' 15 /mi Calories: 777 Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 36 +0' 21 6.2 -0.2 +3 ft 2 9' 29 +0' 14 6.3 -0.2 0 ft 3 9' 25 +0' 10 6.4 -0.1 0 ft 4 9' 20 +0' 05 6.4 -0.1 0 ft 5 9' 15 +0' 00 6.5 -0.0 0 ft 6 9' 07 -0' 08 6.5 +0.1 0 ft end 8' 35 -0' 40 7.0 +0.5 0 ft Versus average of 9' 15 min/mile

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It's been a while

I haven't actually blogged a run since July 2nd. I must rectify that. But just so you know, I have been running and such. I tweet workouts on twitter. And I log my activity on dailymile. It's like Facebook or Myspace for athletes. Am I an athlete now? I kind of feel like it. I am taking yoga and swim classes. I haven't broken out my bike yet for the month though. I must get on that. I don't want to be a triathlete or anything. I just want to stay healthy and active. So I feel like I should recap what I've done. So here goes... 7/3 - Yoga (30min dvd) 7/4 - 3mi Run (26:09 - 8:43 pace) 7/5 - 7mi Run (1:04:48 - 9:15 pace) 7/7 - 5mi Run (44:11 - 8:50 pace) Swim Lesson (30min) 7/8 - 5mi Run (48:25 - 9:41 pace) Yoga Class (1hr) 3mi Run (27:10 - 9:03 pace) 7/11 - 3mi Run - Daytona Beach (28:02 - 9:20 pace) 7/13 - Swim (700yd) 7/14 - 6mi Run (54:40 - 9:06 pace) Yoga Class (1hr) 7/15 - 3mi Run (26:30 - 8:50 pace) 7/16 - 4mi Run (37:36 - 9:24 pace) 7/18 - 3mi Run (25:48 - 8:36 pace) Then I ran last night. Pretty graph is posted below. So far, I have 58mi for the month. I've skipped only one run, and that's because I was in Florida. I actually ran twice in one day since I had to travel on a run day. So no slacking on my part. Hopefully, I can keep this going. Activity Route: Park Elev. Avg: 25 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: -49 ft Date: 07/19/09 Up/Downhill: [+305/-354] Time: 07:21 PM Difficulty: 3.0 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 75 F temp; 61% humidity 77 F heat index; winds Calm Performance Distance: 8.00 miles Time: 1:14:27 Speed: 6.4 mph Pace: 9' 18 /mi Calories: 889 Notes Cool Down = .63mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 39 +0' 21 6.2 -0.2 -52 ft 2 9' 36 +0' 16 6.2 -0.2 +17 ft 3 9' 21 +0' 03 6.4 -0.0 -19 ft 4 9' 15 -0' 03 6.5 +0.0 +23 ft 5 9' 16 -0' 02 6.5 +0.0 -26 ft 6 9' 06 -0' 12 6.6 +0.1 +10 ft 7 9' 13 -0' 05 6.5 +0.1 +13 ft end 9' 00 -0' 18 6.7 +0.2 -13 ft Versus average of 9' 18 min/mile

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Gotta get up

I don't feel like blogging. So I'll leave you with today's theme song. Gotta Get Up Another Day - Jill Scott Activity Route: Track Elev. Avg: 36 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: +3 ft Date: 07/01/09 Up/Downhill: [+3/-0] Time: 05:10 AM Difficulty: 1.8 / 5.0 Weather: Fog/Mist 65 F temp; 93% humidity 65 F heat index; winds Calm Performance Distance: 5.00 miles Time: 0:45:20 Speed: 6.6 mph Pace: 9' 04 /mi Calories: 552 Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 53 +0' 49 6.1 -0.5 +3 ft 2 9' 12 +0' 08 6.5 -0.1 0 ft 3 9' 05 +0' 01 6.6 -0.0 0 ft 4 8' 41 -0' 23 6.9 +0.3 0 ft end 8' 28 -0' 36 7.0 +0.4 0 ft Versus average of 9' 04 min/mile

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I couldn't do it

I just couldn't get up. When my alarm rang at 4:30am, my thought was, you've got to be kidding me. It didn't help that a few minutes before, I had gotten up to go to the bathroom. So while dozing off my alarm rings. Yeah, not happening. I was still tired. I should have gone to bed a lot earlier. Finally, I woke up at 6:15am. Still pretty damn early. But I didn't get out until about 7am. I had to get my stomach together first. Alright, so I get out there and it takes a while for me to get it together. My breathing wasn't right until about mile 3 or so. But the humidity was taking a toll on me. I just wasn't feeling it. So with that, I stopped at 5 miles, instead of going for 7. Now, I'm sorta kinda thinking about going to the Y for a swim later. Actually, I want to take swimming lessons at some point. My swimming skills are all tore up. I've never had formal training. It's never too late, right? So right now, I'm sipping on a berry smoothie. I'm thinking I may take a nap, then do the Y thing. We'll see. Activity Route: Park Elev. Avg: 26 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: -62 ft Date: 06/28/09 Up/Downhill: [+200/-262] Time: 06:58 AM Difficulty: 2.2 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 66 F temp; 83% humidity 66 F heat index; winds N 5 Performance Distance: 5.00 miles Time: 0:47:19 Speed: 6.3 mph Pace: 9' 27 /mi Calories: 555 Notes Cool Down = .78mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 46 +0' 19 6.2 -0.2 -50 ft 2 9' 30 +0' 03 6.3 -0.0 +13 ft 3 9' 24 -0' 03 6.4 +0.0 -20 ft 4 9' 22 -0' 05 6.4 +0.1 +23 ft end 9' 14 -0' 13 6.5 +0.1 -30 ft Versus average of 9' 27 min/mile

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