Bike, Swim, Stretching

30 Nov

Bike: 60 min
Swim: 5500 yd
Stretching: 10 min
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Bike--I went mtn biking out at Cabin John Regional Park in Bethesda today. The trails are rated beginner. I had a GREAT time out there! The weather was perfect too. It's a great place to work on basic mtn biking skills. I LOVE my mountain bike!!!!

Swim--I moved up to the fastest lane on my masters team today. And I got it handed to me. Big time. Wow, I am going to be sore tomorrow. I can't remember the whole set, but there was a LOT of fly and a LOT of 200 IM. My abs are shredded from all the fly kicking. I hope I can hang with them from now on. They were very nice!

Lessons--I listed to Simply Stu's podcast yesterday (while doing radon homework), and I really enjoyed it. Stu's coach, and the coach of RaceAthlete, spoke about the focus and purpose of the off-season, which was really informative. I don't have the funds to hire a coach, but I have read quite a bit on periodization. It was reassuring to hear that his thoughts on how to train in the off-season are very similar to mine. And Desiree Ficker is AMAZING! I met her at the IronGirl Triathlon last August, and she is just an amazing person. To hear her account of her Kona race was incredible. The best part of the interview was when she talked about her friends yelling "Drop the bomb!!" That rocks!!! The podcast was chock full of triathlon (and life) lessons--patience, consistency, discipline (in training, recovery, and nutrition), pushing aside the pain, mental strength, and positive attitude. Those pros are amazing.

Swim

29 Nov

Swim: 4500 yd
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Swim--HUGE MILESTONE! I broke 200,000 yd for the year! The purpose of the set was aerobic and to work on freestyle skills.

The Set
400 SKPS
4x100 IM (nailed them all on 1:45)
12x100 free (50 dr/50 sw)
50EZ
5x200 free pull
50 EZ
12x100 kick (odd fly, even free w/ fins)
200IM

Reflection--As I rode my bike to the pool, I was thinking about how excited I was to jump in swim a good set. I almost take for granted now how I can just jump in and even come up with a good set on the fly (pun intended).

Who I was:
Ran indoor track in high school for purely social reasons
4:41 first marathon as a sophomore in college
Cut from college cross country team (I was the only one!)
Earned D's in water survival and swimming at USAFA
For a month I couldn't figure out how to work the shifters on my road bike
I really thought triathletes were nuts and I could NEVER EVER finish one
Deathly afraid of group rides
Zero pull-ups
Terribly intimidated and unfocused

What I have become:
Started swimming a year and a half ago
Competed in several swim meets and open water swims
Elected swim team captain, supports the team
Placed in my AG in 3 of 4 tri's in my very first season this past summer
3:27 marathon PR, 3:33 this season
Finished Boston 3 times, negative split 3 marathons
Can do 8 pull-ups, push-ups until my arms fall off
Completed a 50 mile race in 9:49!!!
Stronger and more dedicated than I have ever been before
Lifetime athlete

Motivation--I think the source is the title of my blog. We're only given one body, but sometimes we're fortunate enough to have second (third, fourth, or more) chances to try to take one more step further, faster. I feel more and more alive with every swim-bike-run I finish. I also achieved each of my goals in my profile, which really fueled my desire this year. The new goals for 2007 will push the envelope. Those goals will still have to wait until the end of the month. It's a great day to be a triathlete.

Goals for the 2006 Season
1) requalify for the Boston Marathon at Marine Corps Marathon 2006
2) finish my first 50-mile race
3) enjoy my first triathlon season in summer 2006

Swim

28 Nov

Swim: 3000 yd
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Swim--I actually cut the set short due to a not-so-good feeling in my right shoulder (stupid golf!). Nonetheless, I worked pretty hard, so it's all good. The times for the 3x100 free were very slow (see below), and I stopped timing after that. Don't worry, I'll be back to my old, spunky self in a few more days! This recovery process is taking a bit more time than I anticipated, that's all.

The Set
400 SKPS
4x100 IM (1:49, 1:51, 1:50, 1:51)
4x100 fly (50 drill/50 swim, 1:39, 1:42, 1:46, 1:43)
3x100 free (pain started here, 1:42, 1:48, 1:49)
12x100 kick w/fins (even fly, odd free)
100 free pull
200 back w/fins

PS--I'm a huge dork. I could have just kicked another 310 yards for an even 200,000 yd for the year-to-date. Looks like I have a project for tomorrow. Yippie!

Core, Stretching

27 Nov

Core: 17 min
Stretching: 10 min
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Core--These exercises do the trick during a study break while watching a movie! It seems like my core is the only body part that actually works right now!

Nutrition--I have been logging my meals ahead of time in the USDA Food Pyramid website to track my nutrients and caloric intake. There are many food tracking websites out there, and this one is my favorite. You can even input pretty specific types of exercise as well.

Stretching--It feels like my body is falling apart, even after so many days off! Maybe this is exactly what it needs. My mind is anxious to run, but this body is still in the healing process (from something). Stretching really does help everything feel a lot better.

Motivation--I'm excited to start up some harder marathon/triathlon base training again, which is a really good sign. I am putting off nailing down my training plan, my goals, and my upcoming race season for just a few more weeks. It's just as important to rest the mind and push this stuff away for a while to play as it is to give my body a break. 2007 is going to be exciting!

Rest

25-26 Nov

Rest
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Rest--On Saturday we did a lot of walking around on the beaches. At night we played goofy golf (or "goofy glof," as my youngest sister calls it). On Sunday my dad and I went out to the driving ranges before heading out to the airport. My arms are sore!! I'm a wimp, what can I say.

Watch out Tiger Woods!

Two holes-in-one, but mom still crushed me!

X-Train, Bike

24 Nov

X-Train: 30 min elliptical, 8 mi bike
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X-train--I kept waking up several hours before everyone, so I just decided to do a little bit on the elliptical machine. The arch on my left foot hurts like a biznatch!!! If it's this bad later this week, I will probably make an appointment at the podiatrist.

Rest

21-23 Nov

Rest
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Rest--I flew to Florida to visit my parents and my youngest sister. My middle sister (AKA younger-older sister) flew out from Phoenix, and it was a crazy mini reunion. This was the BEST vacation I have ever had! It was the first time my sister and I had visited my parents since they moved. Ya... white sandy beaches, crystal clear water, dolphins about 10 minutes away!!! It was GREAT!!!

We stuffed ourselves completely silly too.

My parents' backyard!!!

I swear, I'm not related to these people

Slumber party!!

The girls in Seaside

A "normal" family photo on the beach

Rest

20 Nov

Rest
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Rest--Another rest day, but I DID ride my bike to the hospital this morning! Now THAT'S progress! And, yes, I was in the granny gear the entire time. It's hard being a physicist after having your brain scrambled by a 50 mile race. Trust me on that one.

Rest

19 Nov

Rest
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Rest--I'm not running for a month! Oh man, I sure hope eating is a sport. Enjoy the race report of my FIRST ultramarathon.

MCRRC (80+ runners!) at the Start

These shoes and socks are GLORIOUS!!!

Steph at 27.1, Heaven!

Who ran 50 miles?! WE DID!!!

Steph and E-Speed, STOKED to be ultramarathoners!!!!

Run

18 Nov

JFK 50 Miler
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JFK 50 Miler Race Report
AKA "My First (and Last?) Ultra Marathon"
AKA “Putting Total Trust into Total Strangers”
AKA "What are we DOING here?!"
AKA “Welcome to the Dark Side… We Have Cookies”
AKA “I am NEVER doing this again! Maybe… Heck, I’ll be here next year.”
AKA “50 Miles is One Far @$$ Race”

“Before I realized what I was about to do”—There was nothing to report about pre-race really. I spent the night at a total stranger’s house, I’m on a team where I don’t know or couldn’t recognize anyone, I dropped my mid-race bag off at a total stranger’s house (who I didn’t even meet until mile 27.1), and I was about 90 miles away from where I left my car the day prior. I didn’t eat my normal pre-race breakfast (salmon, baked potato, challah, and OJ) and I didn’t eat my normal pre-race dinner (Ben & Jerry’s with sushi). A recipe for success, to be certain. Luckily all of the Montgomery County Road Runners Club (MCRRC) runners had black shirts that said “Welcome to the Dark Side” on the back so we could recognize each other. Before I knew it, we were lined up behind some sort of start line facing a huge asphalt hill. If there ever was an appropriate time to pee my pants, that would have been it. Then the gun (buzzer, horn, whatever it was) went off! I was ready to peel out of there with my record-breaking 14:00/miles. Goals are good.

Lessons Learned—Figure out how often to eat/drink BEFORE the race starts, don’t even think about the fact you’re about to run 50 miles all at once, racing a marathon (even Goal B) is too soon to run a 50 miler afterward. Oh, maybe it’s a good idea to at least meet the people you’ll be spending the night with and leaving your stuff with beforehand.

“Panicking Before the Appalachian Trail”—A bunch of us ran the Appalachian Trail (AT) a few weeks prior, so we knew how much this part was going to suck. On a scale of suckitude of 1 to 10, our practice run on the AT was an 11. I had never felt bones splintering before. As we were rocketing up this asphalt hill road (by rocketing I mean we made snails look like they were going mach 3), I just started to panic more and more as I reflected upon the training run two weeks ago. But it was also a nice chance to talk to some folks and follow some experienced MCRRC ultra runners.

Lessons Learned—Running the AT beforehand was the smartest thing I have ever done in my life. That part of the race demands respect, and I bow down before thee with humility. I also wore exactly the right clothes for the weather (low 40’s to mid 50’s, cloudy). I also set my watch timer to beep at me every 20 minutes so I would remember to drink. After every 2-3 beeps I would eat some gels or a snack. I also ate something at every aid station.

“Let the Bone Crunching Begin!”—We finally reached the AT… and it was NICE! My biggest fear in this race was that the leaves (the horrible, loud, dry, ugly death leaves) were covering all of the rocks (whose only purpose was to crush my body and soul). But most of the leaves were gone or smashed down! Oh man, was I ever singing my halleluyas! Literally. For 14 miles of trail I was singing this. Good thing I learned lots of Halleluya songs in Hebrew school. I walked a lot of the trail with a guy from southern PA who was running with Team in Training and a guy named Blake in which the JFK 50 Miler was his first race EVER. Ouch! Partway through the AT we walked/ran up a very hilly stretch of road. Halfway down the AT we ran through an aid station through a grassy field, and man, I totally felt like a rock star. I actually ran through it twice since I felt so cool. I survived the AT without even a scratch, thank the high heavens. And, dare I say, it was fun!

Lessons Learned—I had forgotten how much fun it is to run on trails. I miss snowshoeing. And I think I converted some people to snowshoeing out on the trail, which ROCKS!

“Crossing Over to the Dark Side Part I”—Most people I talked to after the race didn’t feel any type of low point or hit the wall, etc. I entered the 7 level of hell at mile 16, right after we crossed over to the C&O Canal towpath. I wanted to jump off a bridge, but I couldn’t find one. I wanted to trip on a rock and just roll down the towpath for a while so I wouldn’t have to use my legs, but no big rocks could be found. I wanted a strong man with highly defined muscles and a PhD in astrophysics to whisk me away so we could go elope… oh wait, the 50 miler. Anyway, my body was hating life, and it was only mile 16! I was in some trouble. My lower legs were hating on me, it was so freaking quiet out there, and I needed some external stimulus. There just wasn’t anything out there. I just focused on making it to the next aid station and trying to find more MCRRC runners to pathetically latch myself onto.

Lesson Learned—Next time I will take a long break at the aid station at the beginning of the towpath. I also know that we run west and not east along the Potomac (that was an unpleasant surprise!). It would have been nice—no, necessary—to run that part with someone. Misery makes company or so they say. I should also have made a list of “35 Things to Think About,” one item for each mile to keep my mind occupied.

“From Death March to Looong Delusional State”—I remember the exact moment I felt 10000000000000 times better. A porta-potty was positioned on the left side of the towpath at around mile 20ish. I could see its angelic rays of light radiating from all its glory. The pot of gold (figuratively) at the end of a rainbow. The powerball jackpot. Christmas morning (well, being Jewish, I can only imagine this). This is where I knew Goal A would be achieved. This was my first religious experience out on the trail. I wonder if the Talmud says anything about that. Moving right along. At around mile 22ish I found some MCRRC runners who didn’t mind my incessant talking! Score! This group became the Pied Piper for MCRRC runners throughout the day, and I was their first rat. Their plan, headed by a 3x JFK finisher, was to walk for one minute at every mile marker and then run to the next one. Genius, I tell ya! The only time I looked at my watch during the race was at the halfway point.

Lessons Learned—I saw the most awesome gaiters everywhere! I really want to buy a pair of those. I wonder if they’re waterproof for snowshoeing too… Leaves, sticks and crap kept getting into my shoes and socks. Setting goals before the race is key. Walking breaks are good, stretching breaks are bad. Potato chips and salty pretzel nuggets work great! My fanny pack/water bottle holder didn’t bother me one bit.

“Don is My HERO”—I left my mid-race bag at “Don’s” house with some snacks, socks, and my purple Asics! YESSSSS!!! There he was at the MCRRC Illegal Substance Table at mile 27.1 with my bag! And I had an opportunity to meet him. Putting those shoes on felt like a feet transplant, my body flooding with happiness (still in the delusional state). And the MCRRCs were off again.

Lessons Learned—Fresh shoes and socks (with pre-sprinkled foot powder) is the best feeling ever. Also, challah is my favorite food in the world. This rest station may have been better than the finish line for me.

“More Pied Piper Action”—For a while we were running in a group of 12 or so, having a great time! I don’t remember anyone’s names (well, we had 4 Daves, so I can remember that. Oh, and my buddy Angelo), but I know all about their feelings on potty training pets, Turkey Day plans, marathon history, and why the F they were all doing this race. This segment (miles 27-39) actually went by very quickly, and everyone felt and looked fantastic!

Lessons Learned—Oh man, I think my happiness from rest station 27.1 carried me through these miles! The time went by very quickly when everyone started remembering why they were out there in the first place. None of our reasons were even close to being rational at this point.

“Enter Dark Side Part II”—At mile 39 the gnome village which usually lives happily in my GI system (they're known for rebelling) all at once staged a huge offensive on my left arch! I have never felt anything like this before. I could have sworn my foot totally broke in half and that the only thing keeping it together was my magical purple Asics lightly coated with foot powder. Those gnomes were armed with medieval maces, battle axes, flamethrowers, rabid dogs, killer squid, you name it. Oh, it was awful! I had no idea what was going on down there, but I decided that if I stop running now, it was all over. I wanted to be done running SO BADLY that nothing was going to stop me. I wanted to take my shoe off more than I wanted that finishing medal! This was my second religious experience. I knew I could finish, but more importantly, I was so thankful that I had developed the mental and physical strength to actually push the pain aside and finish upright. My Goal A could be achieved! I would finish in one piece under 12 hours and have a religious experience!

Lessons Learned—Motivation is motivation, I suppose.

“Hauling Buns to the Finish Line”—I thank my lucky stars every minute not only for the smashed leaves on the AT, but for having run Riley's Rumble 1/2 Marathon this past summer. The last 8 miles of the race I ran alone (since I wanted to finish so badly!), and the atmosphere of this part of the race was identical to that half marathon. I was SO excited to be out on a real road! I ran the entire 8 miles.

Lessons Learned—100 mile week saved me, long runs the day after tempo runs saved me, hilly half marathon training saved me, saving tons of energy with the MCRRC Pied Pipers saved me, paying attention to nutrition and hydration saved me, changing shoes saved me, and I had FUN!!!

“I RAN 50 MILES!!!!”—I still can’t believe that I actually achieved my Goal A for this race. It didn’t really occur to me that I could break 10 hours until I was about a block away from the finish line. I had NO clue how to run an ultra (still don’t), and to break 10 hours was the applesauce with my latkes. Oh man, I was SO surprised! As I was running up that hill toward the finish, people were cheering so loudly, and I actually saw E-Speed cheering for me at the finish too! I hadn’t seen her all day, and she had an absolutely fantastic race also! (I wonder if she went bowling afterward…) It was completely awesome watching people finish this race! What a trip!!!

Lessons Learned—I did take my time on that last mile, just to try to soak in as many emotions, feelings, sights, sounds, tastes as I possibly good. I also remembered my own reasons for being there, and how wonderful the feeling was. It was simply amazing.

“Big MCRRC Family”—I love the MCRRC team. All of them. The person who was supposed to drive me back to my car didn’t finish the race, and she actually went back to her house an hour and a half away. I was stuck there! I started to panic. But I just found some MCRRC shirts and our team captain, and within a few minutes, a bunch of people offered to give me a lift. Whew! It was so nice! I did lose my 27.1 mile bag somewhere, and I hope I get that back. It still has some challah left in there.

Lessons Learned—I need to find a tri club or a running club no matter where I move! If there isn’t a club, I’ll start one. There is no way in heck I would EVER do one of these again without having the teamwork and camaraderie that only a team can provide.

“24 Yr Old Woman in 100 Yr Old Body”—Everything was/is stiff and sore. I broke ALL recovery rules! I could definitely write a book on what NOT to do after long races recovery-wise. But I did make it to IKEA on Sunday night, which heals all wounds. I actually rode my bike (albeit very slowly) to the hospital this morning. Now that’s progress! The foot is still quite painful, but it’s nothing a butcher knife can’t take care of.

Lessons Learned—I’ll write about recovery later. It’s time to drink another beer and eat another bowl of Ben & Jerry’s.

“Would You Do It Again?!”—Not having children of my own (only a 7 yr old sister and a 23 yr old sister), I can only speculate. But someone once told me that running long distances (marathon +) is like childbirth. You have to forget about the pain of the first one before you even think about trying again. Can I get an amen?? I DID have fun, but man, I am messed up! But it’s not something (a lot of) turkey and pie can’t fix. If YOU decide to do a 50 miler, make sure you talk to me first!

Splits for last 7 miles (I forgot the first one of the 8 road miles, 9:06 avg pace)
8:41
9:29
8:17 (+1:31 for 9:48, fizzy Pepsi was a BAD idea)
18:10
8:46
8:51

First Half--5:45
Second Half--4:04
Total Time--9:49:37 (11:47 pace)

Rest

17 Nov

Rest
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Rest--I should write "rest" since today is anything but a rest day! I didn't have time to do nearly the amount that I wanted/needed to do today, but that's how life goes sometimes. In a few minutes it'll be time to head toward packet pick-up and my overnight stay near the start line. Deep breaths, deep breaths!!! See you on the other side...

Swim

16 Nov

Swim: 3800 yd
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Swim--Yay for masters swimming! It's always interesting when our coach allows us to work on a particular stroke in a set. All the backstrokers came today, while I was the only fly girl (hahahaha!). Most of the sets were anaerobic, which was a nice switch. I had an opportunity to practice that 200 fly today!

JFK 50 Miler--It hasn't set in yet that I'm running this silly race. It's almost midnight, I'm not even CLOSE to being ready to hop into bed, this place is a mess, and tomorrow is going to be NUTS! A very awesome runner is looking to run a sub-10:00, and she definitely can and will! For me, Saturday is just going to be an awesome time with 2000 of my best friends (if we don't know each other now, I'm sure we're going to be really friendly after 10+ hours on this course). I'd rather finish in one piece and get ready to start my experimental training project for Boston rather than totally thrash myself and hate life. Plus I'm on a negative split kick anyway!

Shabbat--Yes, the race is on Shabbat. But I will have challah and the whole nine yards. I'm not sure if this is what God had in mind, but I think I can make it work. My project for tomorrow will be trying to tie running into a d'var Torah for Chayei Sarah (well, not the part at the very beginning where Sarah dies...!). This will be a memorable Shabbat for sure!

Rest

15 Nov

Rest
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Rest--Holy moly, another rest day! The next few days will be filled with some stretching, relaxing, and whatnot.

Race Calendar--Sometimes the military lifestyle drives me NUTS! I love moving around and having crazy experiences, but a little bit of stability is nice too. Nonetheless, in spite of the uncertainty of the next few months (training, location, deployment, etc), I am 90% done with my training plan. I haven't nailed down the exact races, but I'm looking for 5K, 10K, 1/2 marathon and Oly tri PR's. Given some of the times and workouts I ran this past season, all of those are within reach. If everything falls into place and the planets are in alignment, a marathon PR, perhaps even a sub-3:20, might be within reach in a late fall marathon (San Antonio Marathon maybe). I'll elaborate more later with specific goals and the big picture training ideas. Time to recover/taper for now though!

Run, Core

14 Nov

Run: 6.4 mi
Core: 13:30 min
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Run--Today was beautiful, and I thought it would be a good idea to run in the Brooks today, since we're going to become best friends on Saturday.

Core--Mom called me, so I did my own core exercise routine while on the phone with her. Exercise balls are the best! I did 6 mini sets of 3 exercises (2 abs/oblique, 1 back) each in 0:45 intervals.

Nutrition--My little "rules" for eating seem to be working well. 1) Eating a piece of fruit before lunch, 2) eating/drinking a serving of dairy before lunch, 3) eating a raw vegetable salad with/for lunch or dinner. If I manage to plan my menus around those rules, I find I eat a lot better throughout the day!

Race Nutrition--I just bought 2 new Clif Bar flavors: Caramel Apple Cobbler and Spiced Pumpkin Pie! I can't WAIT to eat those during the 50 miler this weekend! I have a good idea of what my stomach can handle, so now's the time to start planning my JFK 50 Miler 10 course meal out there!

Rest

13 Nov

Rest
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Rest--My body hurt yesterday. I still have a LOT to learn about recovery (i.e. 13 mi trail run 5 days after racing a marathon isn't such a good idea)! What do YOU do to recover??

Run, X-train, Core

12 Nov

Run: 3.5 mi
X-train: Elliptical 30 min
Core: 7:30
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Run--The rain was coming down pretty hard, and I didn't want to run for an hour (legs still feeling a bit weird). I really don't mind running on treadmills at all!

Core--I love THIS WEBSITE! Earlier this week I did 1:30 intervals. With the JFK 50 Miler this weekend, I don't want my abs to shred apart, so 0:30 intervals seemed reasonable, slowly and with good form. I did some pull-ups at the gym (I can only do 2 right now!). Time to work on those! I really miss working out with my friends, so through the instant messenger, one of my best friends from South Dakota (our Motherland) did the entire ab workout with me. We call it "virtual workouts." We went on quite a few "virtual runs" earlier this year. We would agree to run at the same time for 30 minutes (often more) and try to leave and come back at around the same time. It's a great way to muster the motivation to go outside in the winter if you know someone else is going out at the same time.

Training--I was thinking about all the Ironman athletes who competed last season. You all are brave (crazy) people! I know that's not for me, at least right now. Right now being next 5 years or so. My former roommate at the Academy and I were co-captains of the Marathon Club. Her first marathon was a 5:57 and her second marathon was a DNF. She works RIDICULOUSLY hard and she is an amazing athlete, but she promised herself she would never run another marathon until she could guarantee she could run a sub-4:00. That seems perfectly reasonable to me. Anything longer for her just isn't fun; it's a death march. That's the way I see Ironman. Not only is my body (and mind) NOT mature enough to handle 140.6 miles, but I need to come up with a similar rule to my roommate. I don't even want to attempt an Ironman until I can consistantly run sub-3:30 marathons and average a 20+mph speed bike in an olympic tri. I don't want to qualify for Kona or win (obviously). But I would race to a) finish and b) finish in a healthy state.

Race Strategy--Of course, that had me thinking about this weekend's race, my FIRST 50 miler.

Goals for Saturday:
Goal A: Finish in one piece in under 12 hours and have a religious experience
Goal B: Finish in several pieces in under 12 hours (not lose any pieces)
Goal C: Not get lost and eventually make it to the finish in the same weekend

Run

11 Nov

Run: 5 mi
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Run--My aunt and I ran all around the Mall in DC, which was a neat way for her to see all the monuments. She likes her 10:00/mi pace, which was just fine with me since it feels like the muscles in my legs are ripping apart. It was amazing to see all the veterans assembled out on the Mall. Especially inspiring was the WWII memorial, honoring veterans from our Greatest Generation reflecting upon their memories of the war. I feel so proud and connected to them in such a special way. No, I haven't deployed (yet!), but I can't help but wonder of my patriotism and my love for America is a reflection of their bravery, courage, and pride. I hope so.

WWII Memorial, Washington, DC

Steph's Aunt and Steph in DC

X-train

10 Nov

X-train: Hiking
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X-train--My aunt and I went to the Billy Goat Trails at Great Falls, MD. It was a beautiful day. The legs were SORE out on the hike for some weird reason, but we had a lot of fun!

Steph and Steph's Aunt climbing on big rocks

Rest

9 Nov

Rest
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Rest--My aunt came to town to visit me (yay!), and I spent the morning cleaning up the place, grocery shopping, etc. I ended up feeling REALLY lousy, but I'm "tapering" so I didn't care about taking an extra day off.

Swim, Run

8 Nov

Swim: 4800 yd
Run: 6.4 mi
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Swim: Emphasis on freestyle drills and kicking today, not as much fly this time. Must develop those hip flexors and abs! Lunchtime is the BEST time to swim.

Warm-up 400 SKPS

Set 1 (drills)
4x100 IM
10x100 free (50 drill/50 swim)
50 EZ

Set 2 (aerobic)
5x200 free w/paddles
50 EZ

Set 3 (sprints)
8x25 fly
4x25 br

Set 4 (kick w/fins)
12x100 (3xIM order)
100EZ

Run--Today's run was wonderful! It was drizzling just a bit and then it turned into this really eery fog! I only saw a handful of runners out on the trail, which is quite a difference from this past summer. The leaves are changing colors (the red is my favorite). I averaged ~8:40/mi, which felt pretty good, although the legs are still pretty tired. My mind needed this run today too. I need to remember to leave earlier (before 4:00) since the sun sets a lot sooner.

2007 Race Calendar--I'm trying to put this thing together, but it's proving to be a difficult task given my move to Texas sometime this summer. Well, a lot of races occur in the summer. Basically May and June are huge black holes, which is a huge bummer. Maybe the Air Force will give me a more definitive answer in January. I'm toying with the idea of running the San Antonio Marathon as my main race for 2007. Time to do my running homework!

Rest

7 Nov

Rest
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Rest--Ya, I'm feeling those core exercises from yesterday. I decided to take a day off (wasn't originally planned) because the calf injury from this summer seems to be coming back. It doesn't hurt so much when I run, but I need to stay off the bike again. It was caused by a crappy bike fit at the tri shop near here. The dude raised the seat too high, and I over-extended my right leg (for a LOT of miles). I competed with that pain all summer, and it's still not completely gone. I want to do whatever I can to make it go away because JFK 50 Miler is going to "challenge" every muscle fiber in my body. I'm ready. I just want to make sure my legs are too!

X-train, Core, Run

6 Nov

X-train: 25 min of rowing
Core: 22 min
Run: 2 mi
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X-train--Rowing is so much fun, and I hope to do it a lot more this winter. Time to strengthen those lats for some hard-core freestyle swimming for next summer's tri's!

Core--Try doing every exercise on this website in a row for 1:30 each. I wanted to cry by the end. My goal is to eventually get through that entire routine twice in a row in 1:30 intervals. The exercise ball is fun too; it's nice to have variety. My abs are going to be hating on me tomorrow.

Run--I'm still pretty sore from Friday's crazy run. This was just to shake out the legs and hopefully remember what it feels like to run again. Treadmills aren't so bad. It felt like some time had passed since I last ran, and my brain just needed my legs to move for a while, whether my legs wanted it or not. Today was a ROUGH day, and I feel a TON better!

Bike

5 Nov

Bike: 22 mi
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Bike--Brrr, it was chilly! Some friends and I rode a huge loop from Bethesda, down the CCT, and up Rock Creek Park. It was a leisurely ride, and we took quite a few breaks. I did ride LUCKY, which was nice (we seem to be getting along a LOT better now), although I wish I had rode my mountain bike SPOOKY instead. I just love riding that guy! Much fun was had. After I arrived at home, I just lay in the middle of my floor for about 30 minutes attempting to defrost.

Rest

4 Nov

Rest
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Rest--I could barely walk after Friday's run. Everything above my shins, totally fine. Below the shins, 100% pain. Trail running uses those weird stabilizing muscles we all forget we have. Oh, I am now WELL AWARE of every single one of those muscle fibers now!

Run

3 Nov

Run: 13 mi
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Run--The practice run of the first leg of the JFK 50 Miler. It was rough going after the three of us ran MCM last Sunday. What were some lessons we learned today??

-Get used to the feeling of ankles breaking. Embrace it!

-The Appalachian Trail (AT) is rocky as crap.

-Today was COLD!

-Carry Gatorade (fav drink powder) in those TINY sandwich baggies

-Brimmed hat/hat with a bill is a MUST!

-Tie shoes tight

-Wear high socks

-Capris were a good idea

-Hopefully the leaves (covering the death rocks) blow away

-Bring extra shoes and socks

-Use foot powder

-Memorize cut-off times

-It's FUN!!!

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Some quotes from the day:

“Mmmm, the white cream in oreos can sustain me for a 100 miler.”

“BRRRRRRRRRR!!!!”

“Where IS the trail?!”

“Dammit, it looks like I brought Andrea’s gloves. What the… ?! Two left-handed gloves! Looks like I’m going to have to be Michael Jackson today.”

“You brought two left-handed gloves, you can’t find the trail, and you’re a doctor?!”

“I love being a weapon of ass.”

“I love that feeling of bones snapping.”

“My knees don’t need this.”

“Good thing none of us ran a marathon 5 days ago!”

“The race director needs to use a leaf blower out here.”

“At least we have the camera to identify our bodies…”

“When I ran this last time, I didn’t even make it this far!”

(upon seeing a full set of long underwear carefully placed on the side of the trail) “Uh oh, looks like someone didn’t make it…”

Trevor--“I did this skateboard grinding thing off that log, then tripped over my own feet and started hurling my body down this hill! Good thing you caught me!” Mike--“If I had seen you coming, I would have moved out of the way!”

“So the first stick tripped me and then the second stick was pointing straight up from the ground toward my throat.”

“My body lost 5 pounds in the form of snot today.”

“These switchbacks are sweeeeet. My knees are loving this.”

“Pick up the pace, you’re almost home!”

“We ran 13 miles?! It’s not even 13 miles to the other car! I’m not feeling very good about this!”

"Instead of running a 100 miler, I'd rather nail a 2x4 to my knees and ankles. It hurts the same but I'm less tired."

"Now, WE TAPER!"

Professional photography here! (I'm on the left)

Shout-Out--Good luck to all the IMFL athletes this weekend!!!! We're so proud of you!

Swim

2 Nov

Swim: 4400 yd
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Swim--Here's the set

Warm-up 400 SKPS

Set 1 (drills)
4x100IM
9x100 (50 drill/50 swim) fly/br/free
50 EZ

Set 2 (aerobic, free w/paddles)
2x100/200/400/200/2x100
50 EZ

Set 3 (sprints)
8x(2x25 stroke/50 free) odd fly, even br
50 EZ
400 kick (odd 100 br/even 100 fly)
50 EZ

October in Review

Swim: 11100 yd (6.3 miles)
Bike: 22.5 mi
Run: 183.8 mi
Strength/Core: 0
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Swim--Masters swimming went by the wayside for a while since I was doing a lot of my running at the same time. This 200 fly debut is coming up quick! I came up with a plan to swim with more frequency over the next few months. It's time to concentrate on this race and work on technique. Also on my list of things-to-do is create some focused swim workouts and lists of drills. I seem to forget them when I'm in the water.

Bike--Every time I ride my bike, it seems to aggravate the same muscle I injured last June when I had that stupid bike fit. I lowered my seat considerably, and it feels a LOT better, but I can still feel it. The very top part of my calf/lower back of knee is killing me still. LUCKY needs a new saddle pronto! I do ride SPOOKY to the hospital several times a week though, without any problems! Sometime this winter I will also buy a trainer and come up with some good drills and workouts.

Run--Lots of hard pace workouts, lots of miles, a weird taper and a MARATHON! I didn't do as well as I had wanted to in the race, but I still think I ran a smart race. I ran a good Army 10 Miler. That race might show that I have some untapped potential. It's critical to stay focused on the JFK 50 Miler though. Two and a half weeks away...

Strength--Wow, I just let that go. BAD idea. This winter I'm psyched to throw some weights around again. I miss those guys at the front desk at the gym!

Bike, Swim

1 Nov

Bike: 16 mi (14mph)
Swim: 2000 yd
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Bike--LUCKY and I went down the CCT toward Georgetown and back. Oh man, I am going to have to buy a new saddle SOON.

Swim--Just an easy set tonight at the base:
400 SKPS
6x100 (50 drill/50 swim)
3x200 (w/ paddles)
400 kick

Life--Believe me, I know this blog is boring. Everyday my brain is stuffed full of crazy equations, math models, a bazillion questions and facts from grad school and from my job as a health physicist. I'm also a high school youth group advisor. In my "free" time I am studying for rabbinical school. It's also fun to volunteer in the community in different ways. I also play the double bass in an orchestra. It's nice to have a space for all the fun stuff (my training!) to overflow. One of the best parts of my day is the daily workout and trying to figure out how a little piece of training fits into the big picture. I guess this blog is just a place to freewrite, brainstorm, and create a plan to achieve some specific goals.