Nothing to See Here

I'm feeling kind of lazy these days. So I have nothing much to report. I won't have yoga class for another week or so. And I haven't attempted to fit in yoga this past week either. And it's a shame, because I feel I should. I really need something more than a running schedule. I need an activity schedule. I was checking out tri training programs. No, it's not in my head to do a triathlon. But the training would do me some good and keep things interesting. I really should swim and bike more. I haven't pulled out my bike all month. And I haven't swum outside of my weekly swim class this month. I will try to work on that. And maybe, just maybe I will use the bikes at the Y if I don't feel up to riding outside. And I can bring a book. That's a thought. We shall see.

So here's what my lazy behind has done since the last post:

8/19 - 4mi Track (36:35 - 9:08 pace)

8/20 - 7mi Track (1:08:19 - 9:45 pace)

8/22 - 3mi Treadmill (27:32 - 9:10 pace)

8/23 - 8mi Treadmill (1:18:43 - 9:49 pace)

Anyway, tomorrow's a rest day. Let's hope I actually make myself useful, NOT be lazy and actually cross train. Wish me luck :)

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

Posted from bimactive.com

8 on the 8th Race on the 9th

I was pretty nervous about this one. It's been about 7mos since I've run this distance. I wasn't sure how my body would handle it. I had a small cup of chocolate soymilk. I waited until it worked it's way out of my system. Then I set out in yet another running dress (blue this time), a water bottle with a small sandwich bag of fruit and nut trail mix stuffed into the little zipper pouch on the side, and some tunes. I was good to go. I started out slow at 10:39 in the first mile. But after I saw that I ran 10:11 in mile 2, I began to wonder if I'd continue to have negative splits. I mean, I did have 6 miles to go. Could I keep this up? Heading into mile 3, I started to get a cramp in the left side of my stomach. Maybe the water was too much? I would take a gulp every so often. Not a big gulp but bigger than a sip. A lady I had passed a few times on the path told me that I make it look so easy. Yeah, holla at me 5 miles from now and tell me how I look then. Somewhere in mile 4 I decided it was a good idea to snack on a couple pieces of dried fruit. I did that again in mile 6. Mind you, I began to feel tired then. I was originally scheduled for 6 miles. So It would make sense that I'd get a little tired at this point I should be ending my run. Okay, so I'm in mile 7 when I damn near twist my ankle. There was a woman walking toward me wearing a sweat suit made out of what could be mistaken for a trash bag. I really think she distracted me and I ended up stepping where the asphalt met the dirt. I flexed my ankle a bit while running. By mile 8, my boo boo was long gone. At this point, I just wanted to get this over with. The good thing is that I set the display screen on my Garmin to just show my pace and the distance remaining. Really, that helps a lot. When you're busy looking at your time, you're thinking I've been out here for how long? Oh man, I've got such and such time to go. That's not a good way to be on a long run. In any case, I finished in 1:20:28 at a 10:03 pace. That just blows my mind. The first time I ran this race, I finished in 1:33:44 at an 11:43 pace. That's a huge improvement. So during the cool down, I ate the rest of my trail mix and finished my water. I'm surprised I didn't drink more during the run, but with the stomach cramping, I guess too much water or any liquid just doesn't agree with me. Remember a couple weeks ago the coconut water didn't agree with me. Anyway, I interrupted my cool down walk with a few minutes on the swings. There were a couple of kids at the playground with their dad (I think) but they were too small for the swings. So the swings were all mine. When I got home I did some yoga and completed Week 4 Day 3 of the Hundred Push Ups Challenge. Let me just say that it's not a good idea to do push ups after 8 miles of running. Yoga after running, though, I highly recommend. Now I'm just extremely thirsty. I definitely didn't have enough water. I weighed myself when I got back. Mind you, this is after I drank the water I brought and ate the trail mix. I was still down 1.2lbs. So yeah, I need to work on that. Hopefully while I'm working on that I won't be eating everything that's not nailed down. I had lunch with a friend at Baja Fresh a couple hours ago. And now I feel like I can go for another veggie combo at Norma's. But first, I need a nap. Music: 4hero Presents....Brazilika Activity Route: Park Elev. Avg: 0 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 08/09/08 Up/Downhill: [+0/-0] Time: 08:45 AM Difficulty: 0 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 71 F temp; 59% humidity 71 F heat index; winds NW 8 Performance Distance: 8.00 miles Time: 1:20:28 Speed: 6.0 mph Pace: 10' 03 /mi Heart Rate: 180 bpm (Avg) Calories: 905 198 bpm (Peak) Notes Cool Down = 1.02mi At .60mi into my walk, I spent a few minutes being a big kid on the swings. Yoga: 30min Yoga For Every Body: Hip Mobility Girl Push Ups = 92 I rested in child's pose between sets. Pace (min/mile) Heart Rate (bpm) Heart Rate Zones Zone Range (bpm) Time In Zone Distance In Zone 1 93 - 111 0h 00m 0% 0.04 mi 2 111 - 130 0h 00m 0% 0.06 mi 3 130 - 148 0h 02m 2% 0.21 mi 4 148 - 167 0h 05m 7% 0.54 mi 5 167 - 185 0h 33m 41% 3.28 mi (none) out of range 0h 39m 48% 3.94 mi Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Heart Rate Elev Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 10' 39 +0' 36 5.6 -0.4 151 -- ft 2 10' 11 +0' 08 5.9 -0.1 174 -- ft 3 10' 05 +0' 02 5.9 -0.1 177 -- ft 4 10' 05 +0' 02 5.9 -0.1 185 -- ft 5 10' 02 -0' 01 6.0 +0.0 185 -- ft 6 10' 00 -0' 03 6.0 +0.0 188 -- ft 7 9' 52 -0' 11 6.1 +0.1 191 -- ft 8 9' 31 -0' 32 6.3 +0.3 194 -- ft Versus average of 10' 03 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com

Finally a good one

So I took Jen's advice and refueled during the run. My splits weren't the best. But can I just say that I felt wonderful? The wonderfulness is kinda odd because I ended up getting my monthly visitor after the run. That explains why I felt like crap last week. It would also explain why I've been feeling fat lately. Hormones can talk to you into thinking that you're fat when you know you're not. Anyway, back to the run. I felt good and the time seemed to fly. Usually, I'm aware of every minute I'm out there. This run felt shorter than my last 7 miler. Weird, but good. I'll take that. And, I shaved 3min off my time. I wasn't even trying. Go me:) I really don't understand how I manage to speed up in the later miles. I think I convince myself that the first couple miles are just a warm up. So here's the breakdown.

Music: Cherry by Lisa Shaw (mile 1-5) and Musique, Vol. 1 1993 - 2005 by Daft Punk (mile 5-8)

Stats
8.00mi/1:28:34
Avg pace: 11:05/mi
Heart Rate: 171 Avg/186 Max
Calories: 953

1mi @ 11:37
2mi @ 11:32
3mi @ 11:05
4mi @ 11:14
5mi @ 10:47
6mi @ 10:55
7mi @ 10:44
8mi @ 10:38

Breakfast: Cornmeal mush w/maple syrup, flaxseed and unsweetened soymilk
Pre/during run: Orange (finished in mile 4)
Post-run: Huge cup of chocolate soymilk diluted w/unsweetened soymilk
Lunch: PB&J w/rooibos chai (rooibos tea is good for recovery too)
Dinner: Baked bbq tofu, steamed collard greens, and baked potato w/olive oil and S&P
Snack: Apple and Clif Builder bar (chocolate mint)

8 Horrible Splits

I ran on the path through the woods in the park. It's so much harder than the road. It's not as smooth with potholes everywhere. Also there are more inclines, so much that it felt like I didn't get a chance to rest a bit. I probably should have run the path a couple times in the opposite direction. I finished the last 1.5mi on the road. So yeah, my splits aren't good at all. But I was a bit faster than my 8 on the 8th. I burned more calories too. I predicted I'd do an avg pace of 11:30/mi. I was close.

Music: Collected by Massive Attack

Stats
8.00mi/1:31:51
Avg pace: 11:29/mi
Heart Rate: 177 Avg/189 Max
Calories: 957

1mi @ 11:35
2mi @ 11:13
3mi @ 11:14
4mi @ 11:29
5mi @ 11:35
6mi @ 11:39
7mi @ 11:38
8mi @ 11:25

Breakfast: Cornmeal mush w/maple syrup, flaxseed and unsweetened soymilk
Lunch: PB&J w/rooibus chai
Dinner: Smoky grilled tempeh, steamed collard greens, and a baked sweet potato w/S&P and EB
Snack: Smoothie w/strawberry, blueberry, banana, hemp protein and unsweetened soymilk
Late night snack: Rooibus chai w/the last two sugar cookies (I must make more)

8 on the 8th

Today, I participated in the 8 on the 8th run. My plan was to run 2mi yesterday then 6mi today. But I just didn't feel like running yesterday. It was cold, and I had somewhere to be (2hr drive). So I decided to suck it up and do 8mi today instead. I gave myself 1hr 45min to do it. That should be plenty of time. And if I ran 8mi today, that gives me permission to not do anything productive for 2 days.

Instead of the track, I went to the park. Oddly enough, the park usually bores me. I'm not too sure why. But today, the cars didn't have access to the road through the park. So I jogged on that instead of the path through the woods. It was nice and clear with blue skies. Beautiful day, about 48*. Perfect running weather.

I must say that running 8mi doesn't feel any different than running 5 or 6mi. For the most part, I just have to find something to do with my mind for the time that I'm out there. Today's distraction was some tribal house music. Okay, so here are the numbers...

Music: Global Underground: NuBreed by Steve Lawler

Stats
8.00mi/1:33:44
Avg pace: 11:43/mi
Heart Rate: 167 Avg/188 Max
Calories: 901

1mi @ 12:41
2mi @ 12:36
3mi @ 12:18
4mi @ 11:36
5mi @ 11:37
6mi @ 11:22
7mi @ 11:24
8mi @ 10:08

After mile 5, I was ready to wrap it up. In mile 8, I had to pick up the pace. Lately I try making the last mile my best mile. And as you can see, it was significantly better than the rest. I must give a shout out to track 8, HiFi Freaks, for having a tight bass line. I must give another shout out to the little hills and slight inclines along the way. I ran those faster than when the road was flat. Go figure.

Alright, so today's fuel consisted of oatmeal with raisins, cinnamon, flaxseed, maple syrup and unsweetened soymilk. I had a couple of cold french fries from last night. Then right before I left, I had a lil bit of OJ. Now that it's over, I've had half a banana and a lil bit of water. And on that note, I'm off to do some yoga before something locks up on me.

Have a great weekend, everyone :)

P.S. Race results can be found here.