Sunday, June 3, 2012
Friday, June 1, 2012
BEST RUN EVER!!!
All I can say is WOW! I was running like I was possessed tonight! We went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant tonight and afterwards I was feeling pretty good so I decided to go for a little run. The only thing I have done all week was some swimming on Sunday and the Cotton Row on Monday, but no training. So I went home and changed and headed to the greenway. Since I missed the Tri101 classes on Tuesday, I decided I was going to run for 30 minutes. It was about 68 degrees out and not very windy—PERFECT!. I got my music like I like it, a little Nine-Inch-Nails to start off, and I started running trying not to start off too fast. I started at 11:00 min/mile and was feeling good. I got to 15 minutes and was going to turn around, but since I was feeling good, I decided I would just go ahead and do 5K. So I kept going and was going to turn around at 1.6 miles.
When I got to 1.6 miles, I was still feeling unusually good, so I decided to go for 2 miles and make it 4 miles total. When I got to 2 miles I thought to myself, “wouldn’t it be a kick if I did a 10K”. I was still feeling ok, so I kept going. When I got to 3.1 miles, I could see then end of the greenway so of course, I kept going. When I got to the end of the greenway I had gone 3.55 miles in 42:10. Which is about 12 minutes/min. Not exactly tearing it up, but I had run continuously, with no walking, for 42 minutes. AND, I still felt ok. I didn’t have any pain and was not breathing that hard.
So, I turned around and kept going. I told myself I would try to run for 60 minutes. On the way back, my left foot and my right ankle started hurting a little. When I got to 60:05 and had gone 4.94 miles non-stop. My foot was hurting, so I stopped and walked for a while. My legs felt really weird and walking actually made my foot/ankle hurt more. So I spent the remainder of the time running/walking trying to ignore the ever increasing pain.
I ended up doing a total of 7.09 miles in 1:33:24 (13.1 min/mile). NOT BAD!! And the best thing was I wasn’t tired or breathing hard. My feet were KILLING me, but other than that, I may have been able to do more.
Some notable times, 1st mile – 11:57, 1st 5K – 41:08 (13.2 min/mile), 2nd 5K – 40:19 (13 min/mile) (how about that! a negative split!!), total 10K – 1:21:27 (13.1 min/mile).
When I got home I immediately iced my foot and ankle and took an anti-inflammatory, drank some water and ate a banana. I am feeling pretty good, but my legs kind of hurt. I am really STOKED about running so far. I probably would be able to walk for two days, BUT I DON’T CARE!!!
Like always, I try to learn something every time I do something and apply it next time. First of all, I think I ran a little too far. I am excited I did it, but I may have compromised my training next week. Going to be hard to bike or run if I can’t walk. Second, I run WAY better with music. There is nothing like Metallica and Guns and Roses for running. It’s too bad you can’t wear headphones at most events. And lastly, USE BODY GLIDE!! My nipples were literally bleeding when I got home. (yeah I know – OUCH!)
When I got to 1.6 miles, I was still feeling unusually good, so I decided to go for 2 miles and make it 4 miles total. When I got to 2 miles I thought to myself, “wouldn’t it be a kick if I did a 10K”. I was still feeling ok, so I kept going. When I got to 3.1 miles, I could see then end of the greenway so of course, I kept going. When I got to the end of the greenway I had gone 3.55 miles in 42:10. Which is about 12 minutes/min. Not exactly tearing it up, but I had run continuously, with no walking, for 42 minutes. AND, I still felt ok. I didn’t have any pain and was not breathing that hard.
So, I turned around and kept going. I told myself I would try to run for 60 minutes. On the way back, my left foot and my right ankle started hurting a little. When I got to 60:05 and had gone 4.94 miles non-stop. My foot was hurting, so I stopped and walked for a while. My legs felt really weird and walking actually made my foot/ankle hurt more. So I spent the remainder of the time running/walking trying to ignore the ever increasing pain.
I ended up doing a total of 7.09 miles in 1:33:24 (13.1 min/mile). NOT BAD!! And the best thing was I wasn’t tired or breathing hard. My feet were KILLING me, but other than that, I may have been able to do more.
Some notable times, 1st mile – 11:57, 1st 5K – 41:08 (13.2 min/mile), 2nd 5K – 40:19 (13 min/mile) (how about that! a negative split!!), total 10K – 1:21:27 (13.1 min/mile).
When I got home I immediately iced my foot and ankle and took an anti-inflammatory, drank some water and ate a banana. I am feeling pretty good, but my legs kind of hurt. I am really STOKED about running so far. I probably would be able to walk for two days, BUT I DON’T CARE!!!
Like always, I try to learn something every time I do something and apply it next time. First of all, I think I ran a little too far. I am excited I did it, but I may have compromised my training next week. Going to be hard to bike or run if I can’t walk. Second, I run WAY better with music. There is nothing like Metallica and Guns and Roses for running. It’s too bad you can’t wear headphones at most events. And lastly, USE BODY GLIDE!! My nipples were literally bleeding when I got home. (yeah I know – OUCH!)
Cotton Row Run 2012
Another 5K in the books. I ran in the Cotton Row 5K on Memorial Day and had a blast. I came in at 39:05 and was number 1349 out of 2047. Not too bad. I was hoping for under 35 minutes, but couldn’t quite get there. My time was more than a minute better than the last 5K, so I can’t really complain. I felt pretty good afterwards except the outside of my left foot hurt pretty bad.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Run Forest...RUN!!!
I "almost" did my longest sustained run at Tri101 on Tuesday...30 minutes. I say almost, because I did walk for about 30 seconds at the 23 minute mark but other than that I ran the whole way. I was having issues with my GPS so it did not record the run correctly. But according to Google Earth, I ran 2.7 miles in 30 minutes which is 11.1 min/mi. Not too bad I guess.
I am trying not to get frustrated that I am not seeing quicker improvements in my times. I was really hoping to be under 11 min/mi by the Cotton Row 5K this Monday and around 10 min/mi for the tri. I know, I know, "it takes a while...it's a process", yada, yada, yada. It is a personality flaw and I know it, I have very little patience with myself. Something I need to work on.
I am trying not to get frustrated that I am not seeing quicker improvements in my times. I was really hoping to be under 11 min/mi by the Cotton Row 5K this Monday and around 10 min/mi for the tri. I know, I know, "it takes a while...it's a process", yada, yada, yada. It is a personality flaw and I know it, I have very little patience with myself. Something I need to work on.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Tour de Cure
The Tour de Cure was the past Saturday and it went pretty well. We went down to Birmingham on Friday afternoon about 2:00pm. We stayed in a Hampton Inn in Inverness that was near the race. Pretty nice hotel, clean, quiet. We had promised the kids we would eat at the Cheesecake Factory so we dropped my bike off at the hotel and headed out. Surprising there was no wait when we got there even though it was 6:30 on a Friday night. I had not been to a Cheesecake Factory in a long time. Last year at this time I could have gone crazy. All the food looked so good! But this is the "new" me, so I got the healthiest looking pasta dish I could find. It still wasn’t that healthy, but it could have been worse...a lot worse. I did have to get a piece of cheesecake, but I only eat half of it :-)
Saturday morning I got up at 5:00 and started getting ready. The hotel had a very nice complimentary breakfast, eggs, biscuits and gravy, oatmeal, waffles, etc... I had some fruit, yogurt, and a hardboiled egg. We headed over to the race about 6:45am. When we got there I got checked in and rode around a little to warm up. By about 7:00 there were a hundred riders there. Since this was my first race, I wasn't really sure what to do. I just kind of followed everyone and got lined up toward the back of the pack. I could barely hear the announcer from where I was. They sang the National Anthem and had a prayer and then they were giving out instructions. I should have gotten a little closer so I could hear, because apparently they were the instructions for the 100 mile ride!! I was apparently in the wrong group. I was going to do the 25K ride. I did not know they were starting the different groups at different times.
I heard someone counting down and then heard GO! and we were off. It was kind of exciting. This huge pack of people all trying to fit through this rather small start gate. We finally made it out on the road and I was feeling pretty good. After a few minutes, there was one group that took off ahead, but I was doing a fairly good job keeping up with the middle of the pack. We were averaging about 23 miles/hour. Since the course was an out and back, when I got to 5 miles I thought it was a little strange that I hadn't seen anyone from the lead group coming back yet. At about 7 miles I could not keep up the pace anymore and started to drop back. When I finally made it to the 10 mile point there were only about 10 people behind me.
There was a rest area at 10 miles and a lot of people were stopped getting water, GU, and bananas. I noticed a big sign that said "25K Turn Around". I also noticed that everyone seemed to be continuing on. That is when I realized that I had left with the wrong group. I asked one of the volunteers if this was indeed the 25K tour around and if the course was the same on the way back. They said yes. So, realizing that I was in the 100 mile group, and there was no way I would make 100 miles, I turned around...by myself.
On they was back, I passed the 50K group and then finally the 25K group. I was a little embarrassed, but I decided to do the best I could. When I got back, I did not go through the finish line. I pulled off just before where Stephanie and the girls were sitting. Stephanie was smiling, because of course, she realized what had happened too. We laughed about it and my kids got a big kick at of me coming in "first". When a couple more people finally came back, I went up to the finish line told them what happened and checked in.
All in all, I was a great experience and I had a great time. I can't wait until next year. And next year I will make sure I start in the right group!
Saturday morning I got up at 5:00 and started getting ready. The hotel had a very nice complimentary breakfast, eggs, biscuits and gravy, oatmeal, waffles, etc... I had some fruit, yogurt, and a hardboiled egg. We headed over to the race about 6:45am. When we got there I got checked in and rode around a little to warm up. By about 7:00 there were a hundred riders there. Since this was my first race, I wasn't really sure what to do. I just kind of followed everyone and got lined up toward the back of the pack. I could barely hear the announcer from where I was. They sang the National Anthem and had a prayer and then they were giving out instructions. I should have gotten a little closer so I could hear, because apparently they were the instructions for the 100 mile ride!! I was apparently in the wrong group. I was going to do the 25K ride. I did not know they were starting the different groups at different times.
I heard someone counting down and then heard GO! and we were off. It was kind of exciting. This huge pack of people all trying to fit through this rather small start gate. We finally made it out on the road and I was feeling pretty good. After a few minutes, there was one group that took off ahead, but I was doing a fairly good job keeping up with the middle of the pack. We were averaging about 23 miles/hour. Since the course was an out and back, when I got to 5 miles I thought it was a little strange that I hadn't seen anyone from the lead group coming back yet. At about 7 miles I could not keep up the pace anymore and started to drop back. When I finally made it to the 10 mile point there were only about 10 people behind me.
There was a rest area at 10 miles and a lot of people were stopped getting water, GU, and bananas. I noticed a big sign that said "25K Turn Around". I also noticed that everyone seemed to be continuing on. That is when I realized that I had left with the wrong group. I asked one of the volunteers if this was indeed the 25K tour around and if the course was the same on the way back. They said yes. So, realizing that I was in the 100 mile group, and there was no way I would make 100 miles, I turned around...by myself.
On they was back, I passed the 50K group and then finally the 25K group. I was a little embarrassed, but I decided to do the best I could. When I got back, I did not go through the finish line. I pulled off just before where Stephanie and the girls were sitting. Stephanie was smiling, because of course, she realized what had happened too. We laughed about it and my kids got a big kick at of me coming in "first". When a couple more people finally came back, I went up to the finish line told them what happened and checked in.
All in all, I was a great experience and I had a great time. I can't wait until next year. And next year I will make sure I start in the right group!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
SWIM DAY
Swimming again this morning. Same plan as last time, two 4x100's. This time I went to a different Y and there were far less people there. This Y has eight lanes and there were only two other people swimming. I also took an antihistamine before I left the house this time and it seem to help a lot. I didn't get the congestion I got last time. I was a little dizzy when I got out of the pool, but that could have been because I didn't have breakfast before I swam.
I did the two 4x100's with no problem this time. I rested 5-10 seconds between 100's and 1:30 between sets. Felt great. I was swimming about 1:15/lap (50 yards) and felt like I could have done 800 more yards at that pace. I think that should be about 11 minutes for 400 meters. I can probable shave a couple minutes off that by race time. I am shooting for 8 minutes.
I need to find a place to try some openwater swimming. I can go down to the river, but I need to find someone to follow me in a canoe or something in case I get tired.
I did the two 4x100's with no problem this time. I rested 5-10 seconds between 100's and 1:30 between sets. Felt great. I was swimming about 1:15/lap (50 yards) and felt like I could have done 800 more yards at that pace. I think that should be about 11 minutes for 400 meters. I can probable shave a couple minutes off that by race time. I am shooting for 8 minutes.
I need to find a place to try some openwater swimming. I can go down to the river, but I need to find someone to follow me in a canoe or something in case I get tired.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
SWIM/RUN
Had a "two-a-day" yesterday - swim in the morning and run in the evening.
I got up early and headed to the Y to do a little swimming. My plan was to do two 4x100's with each 100 separated by 30 seconds and a two minutes between the sets. The Y was pretty packed. I can tell it is getting closer to the meat of the triathlon season. This Y has 5 lanes and they were already occupied when I got there. Four of the lanes were already doubled up, but one lane only had one guy in it. So I quickly jump in before anyone else showed up (which they did).
So I started my from 4x100. Only two laps per 100, so the first couple 100's went pretty good. I am applying similar logic to the interval approach to training for a 5K. I was a little winded after they first 4x100 but not too bad, and my arms/legs felt good.
The second 4x100 was a little tougher. Just after I started, I noticed that I was getting a little congested and it was hard to breath correctly. I wasn't having difficult breathing, it was just hard to get the timing down. I sucked in some water a couple times and came up coughing which got me a concerned look from the life guard. I gave her a thumbs up, and went about my business. (More on the congestion later)
Well, I only finished two of the four 100's. My muscles were starting to fatigue a little and I was getting tired of inhaling water. So I packed it up and headed to work.
I passed on the lunch bike ride since I knew I was running that afternoon. I got some ribbing from the guys I ride with, but I didn't think I could do all three in one day...yet! And since we were doing the 20-minute run evaluation that night, I didn't want to be to worn out.
The topic at the training session was bike fit. Not much new information, except maybe a little about forward/aft seat positioning. It did start me thinking, however, about how hard it would be to convert my road bike to more of a triathlon setup. May be a good project for this winter.
We finished up the discussion and did our 20-minute run. I pretty much stayed with the 5:30 run/1:30 walk group this time. I still can't do much more than 1 1/2 miles running continuously...yet! We finished the 20 minutes and I had gone about 1.73 miles or so which is about 11:34. About the same as last time. When I was done, I noticed that I was getting congested again and my voice sounded funny, like I was horse. I asked one of the trainers about it and he said I might have "exercise induced asthma". He said he used to get it, but doesn't anymore.
I wasn't completely satisfied with the answer, so I looked it up when I got home. Well, there actually is such a thing as "exercise induced asthma". I am not sure I have asthma though. I think the difficultly breathing was being out of shape and still 50 pounds over weight. When you have asthma, you have difficultly mainly exhaling, and that was not what was going on. What I did find out was very interesting.
There are several exercise induced conditions that center around histamine production. Apparently, some people start producing more histamines when they exercise. "See, I told you I was allergic to exercise!". Some people get rashes and some (although rare) even go into anaphylaxis. This also may be a cause for people feeling dizzy right after the stop exercising. Who Knew! Anyway, the article I was reading suggested trying a non-drowsy antihistamine a couple hours before exercise and see if that helps. So I guess I will try that next time.
Next Session: BIKING!!! (finally, something I can do)
I got up early and headed to the Y to do a little swimming. My plan was to do two 4x100's with each 100 separated by 30 seconds and a two minutes between the sets. The Y was pretty packed. I can tell it is getting closer to the meat of the triathlon season. This Y has 5 lanes and they were already occupied when I got there. Four of the lanes were already doubled up, but one lane only had one guy in it. So I quickly jump in before anyone else showed up (which they did).
So I started my from 4x100. Only two laps per 100, so the first couple 100's went pretty good. I am applying similar logic to the interval approach to training for a 5K. I was a little winded after they first 4x100 but not too bad, and my arms/legs felt good.
The second 4x100 was a little tougher. Just after I started, I noticed that I was getting a little congested and it was hard to breath correctly. I wasn't having difficult breathing, it was just hard to get the timing down. I sucked in some water a couple times and came up coughing which got me a concerned look from the life guard. I gave her a thumbs up, and went about my business. (More on the congestion later)
Well, I only finished two of the four 100's. My muscles were starting to fatigue a little and I was getting tired of inhaling water. So I packed it up and headed to work.
I passed on the lunch bike ride since I knew I was running that afternoon. I got some ribbing from the guys I ride with, but I didn't think I could do all three in one day...yet! And since we were doing the 20-minute run evaluation that night, I didn't want to be to worn out.
The topic at the training session was bike fit. Not much new information, except maybe a little about forward/aft seat positioning. It did start me thinking, however, about how hard it would be to convert my road bike to more of a triathlon setup. May be a good project for this winter.
We finished up the discussion and did our 20-minute run. I pretty much stayed with the 5:30 run/1:30 walk group this time. I still can't do much more than 1 1/2 miles running continuously...yet! We finished the 20 minutes and I had gone about 1.73 miles or so which is about 11:34. About the same as last time. When I was done, I noticed that I was getting congested again and my voice sounded funny, like I was horse. I asked one of the trainers about it and he said I might have "exercise induced asthma". He said he used to get it, but doesn't anymore.
I wasn't completely satisfied with the answer, so I looked it up when I got home. Well, there actually is such a thing as "exercise induced asthma". I am not sure I have asthma though. I think the difficultly breathing was being out of shape and still 50 pounds over weight. When you have asthma, you have difficultly mainly exhaling, and that was not what was going on. What I did find out was very interesting.
There are several exercise induced conditions that center around histamine production. Apparently, some people start producing more histamines when they exercise. "See, I told you I was allergic to exercise!". Some people get rashes and some (although rare) even go into anaphylaxis. This also may be a cause for people feeling dizzy right after the stop exercising. Who Knew! Anyway, the article I was reading suggested trying a non-drowsy antihistamine a couple hours before exercise and see if that helps. So I guess I will try that next time.
Next Session: BIKING!!! (finally, something I can do)
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