Time's a Wastin'

Two weeks to be exact where I gave up training or only did so once a week. Needless to say, I wasn't feeling well. I kept thinking to myself, 'Oh shit, this isn't going to work. I shouldn't even bother with the race.'

W5D3
It was supposed to be an easy day of 2 miles and cross training. So why the hell does my knee hurt so damn much?! I've relented to taping it (neoprene braces are itchy) for the rest of my training, but goddamn! Another note to self - doesn't matter how few miles to put in for the day, deep fried mozzarella sticks are not the best pre-workout snack.

To deal with the dryness of the environment, I've been... sucking on things... sounds dirty, but, really, I've been sucking on things. My newest infatuation is with the Clif Shot Blocks. They help prevent dry mouth (for me) and aren't half as bad for you as one would think.

And what doesn't help me get back in the mood more than shopping? I've been postponing the purchase of a new pair of shorts for a while now.
My VSX Sport shorts just don't stay up anymore. My most comfortable pair of course, but I had to pair with only certain pairs of undies so I wasn't mooning anyone and, yeah, it was time to give them up after 5 years.
On to Fleet Feet Old Town! I tried on 6 pairs and it was no competition. The Nike Rivals were simply the most comfortable, light-weight and forgiving. Of course, this pair was also $20 more than all the others.
Oh well. :)

I don't have time for this

W2D4
What happened to the success of W1's 4miler? I was dying and had heartburn and almost didn't make it. And even worse, about halfway through, I thought to myself, "Wow, those 1minute breaks feel long." Apparently, I had somehow tripped my watch into 1:30min breaks. So, between that and the heartburn from only eating Epic Burger a few hours before, I was a mess.
Distance: 4 miles
Pace: 4:1.5 12:30/15:47

After going out hard Sunday night, and feeling like crap for the better part of the day, I've made the executive decision to reinstate my 3 drink rule. So, at least for a while, when I go out or stay in, I'm not having more than 3 drinks. Not to say that they won't be strong drinks, but you get the picture. It wasn't worth it to go out, spend a crapload of $, feel like crap and miss a day of training.

On top of that, I've been sick with cold/flu/allergies for 2 days now. I took Tuesday off from work on account of what I think was a 24hr flu, but had doped myself up so much that night that I was a total space cadet on Wednesday. And it gets better! I got to work and was immediately cold in my office. Within a few hours, I could hardly bend my right wrist after it had swollen so much from hives. (Yes, I'm allergic to the cold.) I had even taken all my preventative pills, but had to pop a Benadryl. When that didn't work after another hour, I gave up being miserable, went home, and popped a few more Bennies.

I really don't have time for this crap. I haven't run since Sunday, and my long run goes up to 5 miles this week. Now, I've run 5 miles before, but it's been 3 months now. I'm petrified.

11 weeks and 2 days til the half.

WTF Happened?

W2D2
What the fuck happened? I was doing so well on Saturday's 4miler! And now this?

Okay, maybe it had something to do with the following...
- lunch's cod tacos were not sitting well
- a mid-day wine tasting
- so many people around the stupid gym - I really have to stop going weekdays 5-630PM

Anyways, it sucked. I couldn't focus and the music just wasn't vibing.

Distance: 3miles
Pace: 4:1 12:45/15:47
Elevation: 0ft

On to tomorrow's 2 miler with "hills." FUn....

Just Move

While talking with friends about my half, I've learned that several of them are training for half marathons as well! So, while I'm choosing not to train with a group, I have the support of my fellow trainees. And despite being hundreds of miles away from some of them, I'm happy that they'll be checking in on me just as I'll be checking in on them.

Week 1 Long Run

I've run an 8K before, I knew I could do it. I hopped on the treadmill because, baby, it's cold outside, and set my watch for intervals. After 1 interval, I wasn't feeling as dogged as I have been. Is my body getting back into the swing of things? I thought so, and I needed a little feel-good push. Therefore, I went for the 12:45 pace no walking. I left my watch ticking through, though, just in case I wanted to dial back into it. So as the 4:1's kept beeping by, I kept movin. Every time I thought I would fall back into the intervals, Pandora's MGMT station would squash the idea with another perfect song. It was the last few minutes, quarter mile, and so on when "Home" - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros came on and I was able to push it. I know this training says I shouldn't have, but I had to finish during that song! So, I did and I felt great. It was like, damn, maybe I can do this. I just have to figure out how to keep that mentality during triple the distance!

Distance: 4 miles

Pace: 12:48/4.7MPH

Peak Pace: 9:30

Week 2 Cross Training

Ipo's contribution to my training - ice supervisor

45 minutes on the elliptical... Hello hamstrings! Hello my ass! These and my right shoulder seem to be my problem areas so far or at least the areas that seem to ache a bit after exercise. Hopefully by actually doing the cross training, it'll help them out.

This Is Not a Diet

Me? Diet? Hell no. I'll eat as many deep fried chocolate chip cookies as I want. And I'll drink as many beers as I want.

But I do realize that I'm trying to be healthy, so maybe my lunch won't consist of a burger and fries everyday.

I've downloaded an app to track what I eat. Yes, it counts calories, though,I'm not really paying attention to that unless I've had too few. What I'm concerned with is the nutrients and fulfilling my daily values. Turns out I suck at eating the recommended amounts of everything.

CVS was having a sale on V8 and I decided to pick 2 pints up unsure of how it would taste sans vodka. Turns out it tastes pretty damn good and about the same as a Bloody. And the low sodium version fills a few gaps in my system.

So I guess awareness is half the battle.

A Lofty Goal

February = 1 year anniversary of running
Do I run every week? No. Do I run fast? No, I'm a frickin' tortoise. Do I run far? Not yet...

The Goal: Door County Half Marathon
The Date: May 4, 2013

I have 12 weeks. Fuck me. Remind me why I'm doing this.

To answer my own question - I'm not really sure. I think it's for several reasons that just keep multiplying. I started running because I saw myself becoming unhealthy and I really wanted to keep eating boxes of cookies and drinking lots of beer. Therefore, moderation is key and exercise will help to balance it out a bit. Another reason is because I don't see myself as good at any physical activity. For me, I can be good at running. I don't have to constantly compare myself to others; I simply want the damn finishers medal.

I'll be logging my runs and training here while being brutally honest.

Luckily, my gym is down the street, so weather is no excuse. That's not to say that I won't be running outside.

I won't be training with CARA or any other organization quite simply because I can't afford it. Though, I will be doing a few races and the Six Leaf Series along the way.

I need to have fun, eat chocolate and drink beer, otherwise I'm going to quit tomorrow.


Week 1 Day 1
First day running since December's Rudolph Ramble 8K. Like I said, I'm a frickin' tortoise. No, I am The Tortoise. Considering my Ramble pace was 11:00, I was pretty disappointed when my body just told me "no." Upon realizing this, I came to the conclusion that I'd go with 4:1 intervals. There's no shame in walking.
It's been so long since I've ran that I totally forgot about chafing. The inside of my thighs were burning thanks to my too short shorts, and I wasn't near halfway done. There are eucalyptus scented cooling towels on hand that sounded like a lot more relief than they really were. Lesson learned, bring the deodorant.
Distance: 3.14
Pace: 13:15

Week 1 Day 2
Okay, I get it - I'm not in the same shape that I was last fall. At least my thighs weren't burning; though, clearly I didn't use the deodorant high enough. I didn't think I had to worry about it so close to the bikini line!
Distance: 3
Pace: 12:30

Week 1 Day 3
The Door County Half organizers make no secret of miles 4-7 being a bitch. And these are seasoned, experienced, good runners saying this. Why is this my race of choice? I googled some treadmill hill training, but it seemed a little intense for my just beginning.

Anyone want to take me back to grade school? All I see is hell. 

So, I decided to start easy... or so I thought. It was supposed to be my "easy" run of "2miles."
I started with the plan of warming up at 1% incline, going on for a bit and then doing a half mile of 2%, winding back down to 1% at an even slower pace.
Why didn't anyone tell me that this was going to hurt so much? I was going even slower than my other paces and I wanted to ball my eyes out and quit within 1min of "running." I'm pretty sure my body was telling me to stop, but the gloom-and-doom of miles 4-7 are just haunting me. Also thought that maybe it was just a threshold that I'd just have to push through. And push through, I -kind of- did.
Everything hurt with every footfall until 1.25miles. After that, turning up the tunes seemed to help. Last night, I read an article about how to hold your hands while running. The basic elbows at your side, loosen up, and then "picture yourself holding 2 butterflies." Admittedly, the butterflies helped. The damn flutter-ers occupied my mind long enough to finish (without walking).Then, everything resumed hurting.
Tomorrow, I'm going to figure out how to make that foam roller lend some relief to my thighs. And why do my shoulders hurt?
Distance: 2
Pace: 13:00
Distance Climbed: 119feet

COLORS ~ Shake the Sheets!

It’s COLORS time again! Columbia Yacht Club says, “It’s time to shake the sheets and sweep away the cobwebs.”

 The ebb of entrants over the past few years due to the economy put a damper on the event, but now  a resurgence of 77 boats is a promising turn. This is the highest number of entries in the past three years.

COLORS has traditionally been a locals-only event with a few boats from across the northern border, but Race Chair Olof Andersson says, “Not for long.” This year the Race Committee has made the ambitious decision of adding a second race circle. “If you want to be a big racing Club, you just gotta do it.” In the past years, Columbia’s hosted 60+ boats all on the same circle. “It gets too crowded at the leeward mark.”

The Farr 40’s preparing for Worlds in September make up just one of eight one design fleets on the two courses tomorrow. “This is their first big chance to feel each other out and test their new gear,” foresees  Andersson. The J/111’s are all registered, several of the Beneteau 40.7 and 36.7’s, three Flying Tiger 10 Meters and most of Chicago’s traditional Tartan 10 fleet are all showing up. Compared to past years the PHRF and ORR sections have nearly diminished, but this regatta began as a one-design event for “level” racing so it doesn’t have the race organizers concerned.

All the boats will be testing new gear, breaking in new crew, and, simply, getting back into the swing of things. Where do most boats get it wrong? The leeward mark. “We expect to see a large shift in talent from Saturday to Sunday.”

Results will be posted on a live basis on Yachtscoring with Twitter updates from the race courses @ColYC.

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Columbia One-design Level Offshore Racing Series has been hosted by Columbia Yacht Club in Chicago since 1995. It is identified as the kick-off race for the season as well as the tune-up for the NOOD the following weekend.