Hello friends,
Last week Dave and I went on a 10 mile run, which to be honest I didn't know I was capable of. However, it was really awesome and felt fantastic. It took awhile though approx. 1hr 50 min, so I'm not really on pace to do a 2hr half, but that's ok just as long as I finish I'll be happy!
We did this loop at Stanford around EV then up to the dish, then toward campus to make a loop and a half. I am proud to say that we ate the GU twice and it was not as bad as I thought it was. Definitely going to use it during the half to make sure that I don't crash and actually do finish my first half marathon O.O
After the workout however, I was exhausted. First things first was stretching and a shower to warm myself up --- apparently it's a thing to get cold after exercise? Well it happens to me. Then there was dinner 1 at 4:30, which was a very healthy tofu scramble. Then basically lying around for three hours in a pile of exhausted until dinner 2, which was lentils and quinoa then sitting in front of the TV for a couple of hours until it was a socially acceptable time to sleep (which is really what I wanted to do since 4:30 since I was feeling so out of it), ie 9:30. After like 10 hours of sleep though I felt great, and only partially sore the next day. Overall very good experience.
This past week has been the week of loooonnnggg workouts 1) to get my endurance up and 2) (see one). Well there was the normal speed work out, which was supposed to be a 4 x 1600. It was only a 2 x 1600 because I felt awful (and dehydrated). Actually, my face got all tingly so I stopped and of course googled my symptoms and came up with that I was having a heart attack, stroke or was dehydrated. Thinking back on the day and knowing that the only liquid I drank was coffee... I decided to push away my hypochondriac thoughts and determine that it was indeed dehydration that caused a momentary drop in my blood pressure. Regardless, the workout ended there and I commenced drinking lotsa water.
On Sunday (Saturday?) I did another long work out, a 6 mile tempo plus 2 miles warm up/cool down since it was raining outside so I couldn't do a long run. Then I got on the bike for 20 minutes (which is really all I can stand on the exercycle --- hehe) to get to an almost 2 hour workout. That...my friends is a long time in the gym, good for the endurance but not so good for the boringness.
Tonight was more exciting, I did the weights class (haven't been in weeks and most certainly felt it) followed by a speed work out that was super easy 3 x 800. I think I could have easily done 4 but I was exhausted and hungry and put my legs through a lot of squats already so they deserved a break. Maybe if I'm sore tomorrow I'll cross train on something else, just to get in the cardio workout. On Sunday I begin to taper because that is 1 week to the race!
I can't believe it's so soon! I'm very excited. I will probably start blogging even more as the time draws nearer. But until then... have a wonderful night!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Four weeks to go
Amazing how fast time flies when you don't write for 33% of the 3 months that you are training :)
I'm actually a little worried because although 4 weeks sounds like a lot I feel like it's going to go really quickly especially since the last week is a winding down and resting. So this week is the build up for next week, which is supposed to be the most difficult; then two weeks of winding down - although I might go a little bit harder the second to last week to really solidify my training. At this point I don't think that I'm going to make it under the 2 hr mark for the Feb 5. half, I mean I guess we'll see but i'm certainly not at that pace during the long runs.
So here is this week:
Monday - Rest
Tuesday -Rest (I was really sore -- and too lazy to cross train, i know, fail)
Wednesday - 4 x 1600 - tonight was difficult but more than anything it was looooonnnggg, I spent 1.5 hours in the gym total. There goes my night...not that I usually party on wednesday nights... do you?
Thursday - Weight training
Friday - Tempo 6- mile
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - 10 mile long run
Not super looking forward to the hard week next week (I'll post it later) but that's all part of the challenge :) I can't dread these things, just have to accept and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Maybe i'll even experience the "runners high" that i'm not entirely sure i've ever experienced. I assume it's one of those "know when you know" things - so we'll see. I'm clearly in a very nonchalant mood right now, haha maybe tonights workout took a lot out of me - and it's 12 minutes past my bedtime.
Till next time!
I'm actually a little worried because although 4 weeks sounds like a lot I feel like it's going to go really quickly especially since the last week is a winding down and resting. So this week is the build up for next week, which is supposed to be the most difficult; then two weeks of winding down - although I might go a little bit harder the second to last week to really solidify my training. At this point I don't think that I'm going to make it under the 2 hr mark for the Feb 5. half, I mean I guess we'll see but i'm certainly not at that pace during the long runs.
So here is this week:
Monday - Rest
Tuesday -Rest (I was really sore -- and too lazy to cross train, i know, fail)
Wednesday - 4 x 1600 - tonight was difficult but more than anything it was looooonnnggg, I spent 1.5 hours in the gym total. There goes my night...not that I usually party on wednesday nights... do you?
Thursday - Weight training
Friday - Tempo 6- mile
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - 10 mile long run
Not super looking forward to the hard week next week (I'll post it later) but that's all part of the challenge :) I can't dread these things, just have to accept and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Maybe i'll even experience the "runners high" that i'm not entirely sure i've ever experienced. I assume it's one of those "know when you know" things - so we'll see. I'm clearly in a very nonchalant mood right now, haha maybe tonights workout took a lot out of me - and it's 12 minutes past my bedtime.
Till next time!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Constantly hungry
Nothing profound.
Just thought I would tell you that I'm hungry....constantly. Blergh. This is uncomfortable.
Just thought I would tell you that I'm hungry....constantly. Blergh. This is uncomfortable.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Bonking
Hello,
After a long hiatus, I've decided to resurrect this blog. But fear not, an absence of writing was not simultaneous with an absence in training. Well, i've been training consistently except for the christmas week where I sat on my butt and ate anything sweet within a 10ft radius of myself. Well anywhos...as I expanded I knew it was time to get back to training so this past week (first week of january when everyone else s exercising too) I ramped up the training. Here is what the week looked like:
Monday - 2 mile tempo
Tuesday - 3.5 mile tempo
Wednesday - speed work out (4 x 800)
Thursday - none
Friday - 4.5 mile tempo
Saturday - none
Sunday - 8 mile long run
So not bad. The first couple of days were painful. That was what I thought the worst part of running was getting back into it after all. Really, really painful as your body is like 'oh, ok I guess we're doing this again...but I don't really want to, so maybe if I make everything painful you'll stop'. I also read somewhere recently that your body naturally runs in the gait that preserves the most energy. Thus, to burn more calories, and not hurt yourself you have to run harder and faster than you think you do. Just a fun fact for you to chew on.
The big moment of this month was "bonking", which I thinking means having sex if you urban dictionary it, but that's not what I'm talking about. To "bonk" according to cyclists and triatheletes (?) (ie my boyfriend) is to work out really hard and then in the middle lose all energy and just feel like collapsing. This is often preluded by a gnawing hunger that presents itself in the middle of your work out that gets worse and worse the harder you push. This had never happened to me, so I never believed it existed. Unfortunately, today I found out that I was wrong. On mile 6 of this long run I started feeling extremely hungry...like, feed me now type of hungry... so I called my boyfriend worrying that I would pass out and he advised that rather than walk the last two miles I should run them if I could. Which I could, so I did, but it felt awful. And by the end I was so tired that I went directly to safeway to get a vitamin water and a power bar all of which I ate in less than 5 min. I know I was out of it though because as I was walking in the aisles I was trying to figure out why 80 minutes was not 2 hours... it was truly, truly confusing.
Anyways, I feel much better now. And "the goop" has now been recommended to me... although hopefully they have snacks on the course so I don't have to eat gross processed liquid gel grossness. gross. Not to tell you how I truly feel.
Until next week!
:)
After a long hiatus, I've decided to resurrect this blog. But fear not, an absence of writing was not simultaneous with an absence in training. Well, i've been training consistently except for the christmas week where I sat on my butt and ate anything sweet within a 10ft radius of myself. Well anywhos...as I expanded I knew it was time to get back to training so this past week (first week of january when everyone else s exercising too) I ramped up the training. Here is what the week looked like:
Monday - 2 mile tempo
Tuesday - 3.5 mile tempo
Wednesday - speed work out (4 x 800)
Thursday - none
Friday - 4.5 mile tempo
Saturday - none
Sunday - 8 mile long run
So not bad. The first couple of days were painful. That was what I thought the worst part of running was getting back into it after all. Really, really painful as your body is like 'oh, ok I guess we're doing this again...but I don't really want to, so maybe if I make everything painful you'll stop'. I also read somewhere recently that your body naturally runs in the gait that preserves the most energy. Thus, to burn more calories, and not hurt yourself you have to run harder and faster than you think you do. Just a fun fact for you to chew on.
The big moment of this month was "bonking", which I thinking means having sex if you urban dictionary it, but that's not what I'm talking about. To "bonk" according to cyclists and triatheletes (?) (ie my boyfriend) is to work out really hard and then in the middle lose all energy and just feel like collapsing. This is often preluded by a gnawing hunger that presents itself in the middle of your work out that gets worse and worse the harder you push. This had never happened to me, so I never believed it existed. Unfortunately, today I found out that I was wrong. On mile 6 of this long run I started feeling extremely hungry...like, feed me now type of hungry... so I called my boyfriend worrying that I would pass out and he advised that rather than walk the last two miles I should run them if I could. Which I could, so I did, but it felt awful. And by the end I was so tired that I went directly to safeway to get a vitamin water and a power bar all of which I ate in less than 5 min. I know I was out of it though because as I was walking in the aisles I was trying to figure out why 80 minutes was not 2 hours... it was truly, truly confusing.
Anyways, I feel much better now. And "the goop" has now been recommended to me... although hopefully they have snacks on the course so I don't have to eat gross processed liquid gel grossness. gross. Not to tell you how I truly feel.
Until next week!
:)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)