Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Day 244: Steady Pace

I felt great post-swim and post-run, and really enjoyed the work-out at spin class yesterday morning. I mistakenly thought the class was heading for the finish line, and pushed myself as hard as seemed possible for the last leg, then discovered we had some extra bursts yet to complete. But after a minute of rest, I was ready for more. Bizarre. I got to wear my new bright pink top. I'm getting a fondness for fitness clothing. I put it on, and it's like putting on a uniform, I'm ready to go to work.

Yesterday was my youngest's third birthday, so we let the kids stay home from school and my husband stayed home from work, too. But I got a good solid nap in after breakfast, and I also fit in a yoga class over the noon hour--a new time slot that we're going to try to make work, because with the kids starting their outdoor soccer season and my husband doing the same, my evening yoga classes will be a thing of the past. It worked well. It's only an hour class, so it feels easy, but the stretching is good and necessary.

Want to note, too, that the pool feels all around friendlier, now that I've gotten to know it on my early morning swims. My kids started swim lessons on Monday, so I was back again in my swimsuit, twice in the same day, because the youngest is in transition lessons which require me to attend for the first few weeks ... and I felt kind of at home there. Everything about the place seemed friendlier. Best of all was watching my eldest daughter burn through a length using the crawl stroke. We were able to talk about technique, and she said afterward that she'd been able to blow out all of her air underwater for the first time ever--I'd been showing her how I do it. I used to feel very powerless to help the kids in any way with their swimming--it was so foreign to me--and it's exciting to have that change, and to have new ways to motivate and encourage them. (Though one of them said that since I'd learned as an adult, why should they have learn as kids?!).

This morning, I went for a run with my friend. It's still cold!!!! But I got to wear my new snazzy jacket. And I felt strong and comfortable. We went about 7.5km. And now for this morning's power nap, in a lovely quiet house.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Day 242: Get This Week Started

I love starting early on Monday morning. By 7:45, I am already home, and have accomplished my work-out goals for the day: today I swam 2km, and then ran 6km at a steady, 5km pace--fast for me, though I felt good and pushed the last 500m even faster, ending in a sprint. I probably looked insane on that track. There are usually no more than two or three joggers, and a whole lot of senior citizens out for a stroll. This morning, the sun was coming up, and the light was lovely.

The pool is becoming my friend. The water feels less and less like a foreign and dangerous element (though I realize it could still be that, given the circumstances). I am swimming faster. My technique must be improving (my positioning in the water feels more stream-lined; there were laps this morning when my body felt incredibly buoyant). But this means that I need to figure out how to pace myself in the water. Before, I was--without exaggeration--swimming exactly as fast I possibly could. It didn't matter whether I kicked harder or spun my arms faster, I simply could not drag myself from one end to the other any more quickly. But now I can. And I just about wore myself out with the excitement of it in the first twenty minutes. I went for 50 minutes, and probably slowed down a bit during the second half.

When I think of how it felt to swim when I started in January, I'm darn near thrilled by my progress. I no longer rest at the ends. I know how to get my goggles to stick before jumping into the water. I'm completely comfortable breathing every three strokes, using alternate sides (so comfortable that today I didn't even use the every-other stroke--I didn't even think of using it, actually). I can swim further, and get there faster. My endurance is higher, too. The girl in my lane used to lap me at least every 200m, and today she just didn't. (Okay, she lapped me a couple of times ... but I passed her, too, on her short rest breaks--which look quite appealing, actually--she builds them into her swim).

The run afterward was not what I felt like doing, but as I said to my friend, "The faster I go, the faster I'm done." That's my philosophy for these Monday morning runs. I felt the potential within me to go even faster for the 5km, and to keep the pace going even longer; that's why I went an extra kilometer. I still haven't worked up by weekly increments to 10km at the 5-minute pace, as planned, but I imagine it will possible. It will probably also be painful. That's the thing nobody mentions. Part of what gets built, when adding endurance, is a tolerance to pain, or a willingness to push harder and to know that it's temporary. "Giving it your all" means you're spent at the end, and it hurts to spend all of yourself on a task, no matter what the task is.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Day 241: Day of Rest

Today I woke up and decided to do ... nothing. It's been liberating. I am already looking forward to tomorrow's swim/run combo in the early morning. The day of rest is not even over, but I feel, yes, rested, refreshed, ready for a new week.

This week's work-outs: three runs, two swims, one spin, two yoga classes. Way down on the yoga classes, which is a pity that I can't figure out how to rectify. My husband and I will be getting together tonight to do our weekly scheduling, and we need to find placement for yoga classes. Our eldest daughter is starting her rep soccer season (practices only), and swim lessons for all the kids start tomorrow, and with music, and the indoor soccer season still going on, not to mention my husband's sports, too, and only one vehicle ... well, suffice it to say it takes a scheduling sleight of hand to discover two consecutive spare hours in the day to throw at a yoga class. I miss it, and my body misses it, too. But I'm grateful for a good week, and for ending with a strong swim, and a good run yesterday. The long run feels like a necessary part of my weekly routine, now. I *love* it. There's no other way to put it. I love running and running and running. I don't listen to music, and so far I've gone alone, but I don't get bored. My mind is free to rest and to drift.

This week I ran approximately 24km total ... less, but that's okay. At least I got out in the snow.

Next week's planned work-outs: three runs, two swims, one spin, two yoga classes (I hope, I hope, and I wish it could be more, three at minimum).

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Day 240: Run

I ran this morning, got up early to squeeze it in. I couldn't run as far as I would have liked, for training purposes, but made it 14km nevertheless. Not bad. And I felt good afterward, though during I would have enjoyed a sprightlier sensation. There were a few sections that took some slogging. Snow is back on the ground. People haven't cleared sidewalks. Ice chunks and patches to negotiate.

The rest of the day has been a full-out sprint, so I spent the run feeling grateful--that was my down-time, quite frankly. That was my quiet space, my taking-it-easy portion of the day. The rest of this day has been exhausting, but I'm still standing (technically sitting, but only for a minute, here), and if I can just make it till 7pm, there might just be a movie in a dark cinema waiting for me--if I can stay awake to enjoy it. I will flop into that seat and RELAX.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Day 237: Ebb and Flow

What a strange week it has been, energy-wise. After the high of the long-run last Saturday, I found myself in the pool on Monday morning dragging a weary body up and down the laps. I wasn't sorry to end early, and the run afterward was more of a struggle than a joy. And then I neglected to nap.

Tuesday morning's spin class also started slowly. I spent the first ten minutes wondering how I was going to make it through class. Luckily, the class was well-led by the instructor and I soon forgot myself and got into the rhythm and lost track of time. Had I been watching the clock, it would have been agony, but instead I pushed myself good and hard and felt pretty good by the end. Not exactly filled with elation, but better than I'd imagined feeling after those first ten minutes. I couldn't go to yoga that afternoon due to my husband's work schedule. I didn't find myself overly saddened by the thought.

Wednesday morning I woke up and stared out the window at a snowy winter wonderland. The snow was still falling. I strapped the yaktraks onto my shoes, and my friend and I waded out through the drifts. It was too deep run on the sidewalks, but the streets were quiet. The side streets we usually take in a loop were not cleared, but we found one that ran perpendicular that was totally clear. The plough had already been up and down this street. (It was the same street that was clear on the last deeply snowy run we had, so we're wondering who the heck lives on that street--MPP? Mayor? Snowplough company owner? It is not a busy street that would need to be ploughed for any practical reason I can imagine. Not one car went down this street on our entire run. But another snowplough did!). Anyway, it was a shorter distance than we usually go, but it was not easy running, even on the cleared street. We felt like heroes just for getting out. When I got home, I grabbed a shovel and cleared our walk--a futile task, as the snow was still falling heavily, but a good extra strength work-out. I'd arranged to go to yoga that evening, and even though I didn't feel like it at all, especially after eating baked black beans and cabbage salad (what was I thinking???), I went because the complicated arrangements had been made, and it would have been a terrible pity to waste them. It was a difficult class, perhaps because I have been going to the yang-ying stretching classes and the vinyasa classes instead of the straight-up Moksha series classes ... or perhaps because I hadn't hydrated and eaten properly ... or perhaps because the room was unusually humid and hot ... or perhaps because I was plumb tired out ... Who knows. All I knew was that I needed to take a break at a moment in the series when I usually do not. So I took a break. I spent class reflecting on how this triathlon goal is preventing me from relaxing and enjoying some of the elements in my life. It's hard to let go when I know I have another scheduled work-out waiting for me early the next morning. I'm not being very spontaneous and fun these days.

Thursday morning I got to sleep in (til 7:15!!!), so my husband could go to yoga. Together, we went to the kundalini yoga class last night, where I again found myself being challenged to let go and push past my anxiety. What am I anxious about? Why am I holding back? The teacher (who is also a good friend) kept asking those questions of the class as we pushed through the last and quite challenging kriya, which also happens to be one of my very least favourite kriyas--the woodchopper. "I'm anxious about being too tired to go swimming tomorrow," I answered her in my head. "I'm anxious that I'm going to be too sore to go for my long run on Saturday. I'm afraid of hurting myself. I'm afraid of losing control." But as she urged us to push past whatever we were holding back, my thoughts started shifting. "That's tomorrow. What if I never get to tomorrow and I'm spending all of today worrying about making tomorrow easier?"

And it turned out that tomorrow was fine with the decision to let go and push to a point of exhaustion. This morning, my friend and I made it to the early swim (she was also at the kundalini class, and she was also worried about not being able to lift her arms over her head!). I swam for the full hour, and got stronger and faster as the minutes ticked by. This morning, I didn't count lengths, just swam and let my mind go. It was wonderful. I'm not going to bother counting lengths again. I know roughly how far I go in an hour--2k--and I don't need to know more than that. It was thrilling to feel my body cutting through the water, and find a strong rhythm of stroke and breath. It reminded me that yoga is movement with breath. So is swimming, powerfully so.

I've decided to relax about tomorrow's run, and perhaps go shorter than originally planned, somewhere in the neighbourhood of 12k. I feel certain I can finish the half-marathon with the training I've got under my belt already. And there is still a lot of snow on the ground. And my husband is working. And I have so many errands to run, and children's activities to accomodate that it seems foolish not to relax and do what I can and what makes sense, rather than adding stress to a long Saturday by pushing too hard toward one goal.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Day 233: Quick Note

Just wanted to remark on this morning's work-out, for posterity. That's posterity, not my posterior. Guess what I forgot to bring to the pool today? Nope, not my suit, that would have been worse. My towel!!!! Thank goodness for a good friend. Who let me use hers post-shower and pre-run. I guess I could have borrowed one from the lost and found bin by the door, but that would really require desperation. Everything fit so easily into my backpack this morning--should have known it had nothing to do with magic or improved packing skills!

Last week I only got up super-early on one morning. I think my energy levels throughout the day were higher, and my thinking slightly less foggy. Slightly less. This week, I've planned the usual four early mornings, but I'm considering going to the pool an hour later on Friday. The lanes will inevitably be more crowded, but it might be a worthwhile trade-off. Today, I swam for about 45 minutes, and went a bit more than 1500m. I felt weary. Maybe Saturday's run has caught up with me. Despite a general fatigue, I felt relatively smooth in the pool. I'm working to make my turns quicker and smoother, so there is no rest at the ends, not even the second-long rest of grabbing on and pushing off, and also to have a greater sense of continuity. I've been swimming in the same lane with another woman for the past few weeks, and she does a very smooth turn, so I asked her today for tips. I also found out that she's training for triathlons this summer, and that she does about four every summer, and this will be her fourth summer--she said that it's addictive. And she promised me that Guelph was a great place to swim. Maybe she's got the scoop on the best triathlons around the province.

So that was my swim. The three-stroke-breath feels easy-peasy now, very natural.

I followed up with a drink and a 25-minute run on the indoor track: 5km. It was hard to keep the pace up, but I managed, putting one foot in front of the other at a continuing speed. I had no desire to push for another kilometre or two. I went straight home and showered and got supper in the crockpot and the kids out the door for school and nursery school. Still need to find time for a nap today .... I'm headed to the dr to beg for help for an infected pair of eyelids which are getting progressively worse.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Still Day 232: I SIGNED UP!!!!

I signed up!

Deep breath.

As mentioned early, I am signed up for a half-marathon, April 9 (the Marden marathon).

Today, I added three more races to this year's plan.

I've signed up for the 10km Mudpuppy Run in Kitchener, May 1.

And I've signed up for the sprint triathlon at Guelph Lake, June 18. (I debated on this one, and strongly considered signing up for the Olympic-length triathlon, but decided to play it safe for my first triathlon attempt. It's the swim that intimidates me. 750m swim, 20km bike ride, 5km run. If all goes well, and I feel inspired, I will attempt the Olympic-length later in the summer. But I'm not signing up yet.

Finally, I've signed up for the Run for the Toad, a 25km trail run, October 1.

I feel excited, if a bit nervous. Anyone want to join me?

Day 232: To Sum Up

This week: one swim, one spin, three yoga classes, three runs. At the track, I ran 6km fast (by my standards, which means 5 min/km). I ran 7km on my own on Thursday morning. And I ran 18km yesterday. Total this week: 31km.

Next week's goals: two swims, one spin, three yoga class, three runs. I will do one more long run, hopefully about 20km, this coming Saturday, and then drop the distance back quite significantly the following Saturday in order to taper off for the half-marathon the Saturday after that. My husband's work schedule is more complicated this week, and the children are back at school, which means there won't be any flexibility in terms of alternate exercise times ... so I am hoping for health and good sleep at night to carry me through my work-out goals.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Day 231: Long Run

The longest I have ever run: 18km. That was this morning. When I consider that I have been steadily boosting my distance by 2km each week, and that when I began at 10km that seemed far, I am really really happy with my progress. What felt best about this morning's run was that my pace was steady and consistent, my breathing calm, and I ran with ease, not distress. This was not a fast run. I went at approximately 6 minutes/km. My favourite moment of the run was on my fourth loop around, which had me at about 14km, and I thought, wow, this is amazing and I feel great! The funny thing was that all the external factors were negative: I was running uphill into a stiff wind, and my fingers were darn near frozen. But I felt fabulous. That shows the power of the mind, I think, and the access to that peaceful interior space that comes from difficult physical effort. Zen.

I remember when I was running last fall wondering how to gain endurance. The answer turns out to be quite simple: just keeping running, and slowly adding distance. I had become very comfortable running 8km by January, and so it's just been a steady incremental increase of distance, staying within my comfort range.

Today, I drank some sports drink and sucked on some sports gummies during the run. I also ate a banana and half of an energy bar, and drank a half cup or so of sports drink before leaving--I got up early and left as soon as I was dressed and ready. That might have factored in to making this run easier than the last one. Plenty of energy, having just risen. I am going against my beliefs by eating and drinking packaged stuff rather than homemade food-food, but I'm not an expert at feeding myself during such a long run, and I want to feel as well as possible. I must confess that the good feeling was temporarily turned into a feeling of slight illness when I stopped--it didn't last, though. Probably about fifteen minutes of feeling slightly ill, not dreadfully off, but I could imagine feeling much worse had I pushed myself to go faster.

I need to keep doing the shorter faster run, in order to up my speed over longer distances.

Wow. I really like running, and I really like running for a long way.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Day 230: Sailing

It's been a reasonable training week here, despite March break interruptions. In fact, March break has afforded me some leeway in my schedule, which has been really welcome. When I had to miss my early Wed. run, I ran Thursday morning instead, making up the mileage. Same with my usual Tuesday yoga class--couldn't make it, so I went to Wed. afternoon yoga instead. Neither of those last-minute schedule changes could happen in the ordinary scheme of things, with kids' music lessons and soccer (and soon-to-be swimming). I've enjoyed the relaxed pace. It's made the training feel lighter, although I haven't lightened up too much.

I did miss my Monday morning swim. But I swam this morning for an hour, again experiencing the early feelings of oh my goodness this is hard and why the heck did I think I liked doing this, remind me again, please? I thought I'd make it half an hour and go home. But then the joy kicked in and the ease, and the second half hour was: yo, I know how to swim! The pool was crowded because we went an hour later than usual (again, thanks to March break). That brought with it some frustrations and I had to switch lanes, but I finally landed on a lane in which four of us were going approximately the same speed. It was motivating to have people ahead of and behind me, too.

I am planning a long run tomorrow, but fiddling with my route. I've got some gummies to try on the run, and also plan to hydrate before leaving. If that means stopping in at home for a bathroom break, so be it. I'll probably be running for about 2 hours ... early, I hope.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Day 225: Break

My kids are on holiday from school. My youngest, coincidentally, has had a fever since Thursday night, and has been up regularly during the night for the past three nights--as many as ten times a night. He won't accept help from anyone but me, and screams when I send in his daddy instead. Ergo, I am getting very broken sleep. Ergo, I am starting to break down. I missed my swim on Friday morning. I did not get up early to run on Saturday, but did manage the long run in the afternoon, feeling somewhat refreshed by the break. I ran long and slow, this time for 16km. The guide I'm following would have me do the same length next week, then go shorter, then up to 18km for two weeks, then shorter again, and then 20km, then a very short run, and then the half-marathon. Which would be awesome, except the race I'm working toward is in four weeks. Yes, I signed up for something. I tried to find a half-marathon race that would fit with the guide's schedule (should have done it the other way round, I know, I know), but there was nothing geographically nearby. This race is nearby. It is also in four weeks. There is no way to prepare by the book, but when I signed up, I felt confident that I could complete it, and completion is my goal, not doing it within a particular time.

16km was fine. But I was dreadfully hungry. By mid-way, my stomach was literally growling. I drank virtually all of my liquids en route, without ill effect, but the last two kilometres my legs started to feel heavy, almost that feeling that is described as "hitting the wall." I think it was food-related. I ate a small breakfast and then spent the morning with another ill child at a walk-in clinic (yes, we're falling apart all over the place here; have I mentioned that I have an eye infection, too?), then raced home, absolutely famished, and ate a huge bowl of leftover pasta, then went directly for the run. I'd had a cup of coffee and maybe one or two glasses of water all day. And then I went and ran for an hour and forty minutes. It felt like the half-marathon distance was within my capacity to complete, but it also felt like it could potentially feel torturous--those last few kilometres. The funny thing about running for a long time is that it's not really that hard. I go at about a 6-minute/km pace, and it's basically just like any other run except it's longer. Running and running and yup here I am still running. My loop takes me around and around the neighbourhood, and mainly what I've noticed about running for a long time is that I keep hoping not to be noticed multiple times by the same neighbours. There's a feeling of excess, and vague pointlessness, about the long run. I feel a bit silly.

Today, I got to an hour yoga class to stretch out, and my muscles and joints feel generally good; but I'm definitely still more tired than usual.

With my kids on March break, and my sleep so terribly disturbed, I've been reflecting on being gentle on myself and taking this coming week slightly easier. Not taking it off, but dropping a few work-outs, and focusing on being with the kids (no naptimes possible either!) and enjoying the time together. I had planned to swim and run tomorrow morning early, having missed the Friday swim, but now I'm considering setting my alarm for a bit later, and getting up just for the run. I'd rather prioritize the run tomorrow, given next month's half-marathon goal. That's a lot sooner than the triathlon. I still hope to swim on Friday.

Last week: three runs, one swim, one spin, three yoga classes. Ran for 27 and a half km.

Plan for this coming week: three runs (one long), one swim, one spin, three yoga classes. Basically the same as last week. I hate to drop yoga classes, but there is only so much time. That's one less class than I'm planning to aim for when I ramp up the training again next week.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Day 223: Wah!

Well, the tired hasn't gone away. And I've decided that yes, it is in fact a physical weariness. Being up half the night with a sick child decided me on turning off my alarm and emailing my swimming friend at 3:30am to say, "I'm out." For today, anyway. So, no swim. I also missed kundalini yoga last night, as we had to cancel the sitter due to the aforementioned sick child. Truthfully, I was so tired, I'm not sure I could have made it anyway.

I need more sleep. Or maybe I'm fighting a virus. I'm definitely moving in a fog. As soon as I finish typing this, I'm taking a quick nap. A quick and powerful nap, I hope hope hope. I'm so hoping that I feel up to the long run tomorrow.

What a difference a week makes. And not always for the better.

To look on the bright side, I have done more this week than I would have done a year ago, or even six months ago. So even with feelings of weariness weighing me down, I'm still able to keep going.

Could it be burn-out? Man, it better not be. I still have months of training to go. It's frustrating to feel my body not getting stronger but actually feeling weaker, despite the effort.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Day 221: Checking In

I'm tired this week. Don't know why. I think it's a mental weariness as much as a physical weariness. I'm doing generally the same things I did last week, but I feel less pep, less vim and vigour. My husband had to convince me to go to yoga on Sunday morning. He'd just been to the previous class, and knew it would do me good to go, but I had this overwhelming feeling of, wah! I don't wanna!

I went. It was good.

I'm glad for the other people in my life who are doing this with me. Otherwise, it might prove impossible. I've heard it said that anyone can do a triathlon, or even an Ironman. I actually get that, the more training I do. It's all about the training, not about the talent, if you know what I mean. Basically, every able-bodied adult has the skills to swim, bike, and run; most of our kids have these skills by age seven or eight. Training to gain endurance in these skills is therefore largely a matter of will. In that sense, it's a very accessible goal. (Ironman is not my goal, by the way, nor has it ever been; and the further I get into training for an Olympic-length triathlon, the less appealing training for an Ironman becomes.)

I'm wrestling with the idea of whether or not it ever becomes easy--to go for a long run, or even a short run. To stretch my way through a long yoga class. To swim lengths for an hour. To take a spin class. I don't think easy is ever what it becomes. It becomes do-able. It becomes something that you know your body can manage and handle, even if you're feeling a bit tired or off.

This morning, I did not feel peppy on my run. Thankfully, I was meeting a friend. She only went half-way with me, but that was enough, because it got me into my running clothes and out the door. And as I continued on my run without her--having time to think about what my body was feeling, in the absence of distracting conversation--I thought about how this remains a hard thing to do. To run. To push oneself up and down hills. To labour in the cold, pre-dawn hour, alone. I never felt great this morning, never felt fleet or loose or strong; but I felt confident. I think that's the difference. Training has given me confidence. I know that I can go the distance, even if I'm not feeling fabulous. I ran 7.5km, not with any great speed, but knowing I could go further, if needed. That it was okay not to feel fabulous.

I had a similar experience in last evening's yoga class. It was extremely hot and humid, more than usual, and the 90-minutes felt long. At one point in the second half, I chose to rest rather than do several poses. I never choose that. Never is not an exaggeration. It was such a good choice. I stretched out my shoulders and found a sense of calm, and joined in again when I was ready. I paced myself.

Aha! Pacing myself! Maybe I need to do a bit of that right now, during this training process. Figure out how to pace myself just a wee bit. I'm thinking of doing slightly less next week, on March Break, when the kids are all home from school. Not taking a full holiday, but perhaps doing one less early morning, one less swim. And letting my body breathe and relax and prepare. It's a long road.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Day 219: The Week Begins

I started counting lengths in the pool today. I finally figured out a way to keep the numbers straight in my head. Instead of thinking in terms of distance travelled, I just counted the lengths: one, two, three, four, until I got to 100. One hundred and seven is where I stopped. If my math is correct, that's just slightly more than 2km. That took me 50 minutes. I used alternate breathing almost exclusively, but got a bit bogged down in the middle, worrying about how long I will have to swim in the lake, and finding that the stroke requires my body to use oxygen more efficiently. So I turned to the same-side breathing for a length here and there when I felt like I needed some recovery. I'm still not swimming without pausing at the ends--well, to be accurate, most of the time I pause to turn around and push off, and that doesn't feel like stopping. But there are other occasions when I pause for longer, for a couple of breaths, to catch my breath, and that won't necessarily be practical in a race situation. My goal, eventually, is to swim the full hour without stopping, and to use the alternate breathing exclusively. So it's a lofty goal. That's my kind of goal.

After the swim, I showered and changed, and ran on the indoor track. I also drank some sports drink in between. It made me burp. Kevin says that could be the fructose. (On a side note, Kevin's nutrition textbook has a recipe for making homemade sports drink, which I'm going to try out. It's very simple. I'll give you the proportions when I make it: water, fruit juice, salt). Anyway, onto the run. My goal was to run 6km at a 5-minute pace, and I did it! I wasn't sure I'd want to run another kilometre at that pace, but was pretty sure I could have, if I were being chased by hungry lions or something. Which is to say: it was challenging, but I didn't suffer. I used the motivational language that the spin instructor uses, telling myself that the extra kilometre was where the good work would get done, building endurance and speed. I'm not sure that's factually accurate, but it kept my legs going. My goal for the post-swim indoor run is to add a kilometre every week til I reach 10km, and to keep the same 5-minute pace. I'd like to be able to run 10km in 50 minutes. That seems doable, though I'm not there yet. And once I get there, will I want to keep shaving time off, or adding kilometres? Probably. That's just how my brain works.

Also, I've heard back from the triathlon people, and the online registration should be working by the end of the week ... at which point I will sign up and pray.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Day 218: A Week Gone By

I did it! I ran 14+km on Saturday, and it was really raining. I changed my loop to lengthen it by a kilometre, which added some variety to the run, but essentially I just ran around in a big circle five times, sticking to a pace of approximately 6 minutes/km. And then I ran home. I felt remarkably good after the run, which is the longest distance I've ever run in my whole life. I made it to a one hour yoga class to stretch it out in the afternoon, and was back again today for a 90-minute yoga class that involved even more long, held stretches.

I think I'll be ready to start this routine all over again tomorrow. I think so.

Here's how the past week looked: two swims, one spin, three runs (one long), and five yoga classes, including one kundalini class. I combined one swim with a run. Otherwise, any combined days of exercise included at least one yoga class. I'm reasonably satisfied with the amount of work I'm doing and my only change for this week is to add a kilometre to my indoor track run, post-swim tomorrow, hopefully at a 5-minute/km pace; and to up my long run on Saturday to 16km. This week, I ran for a total of 26.5 km, give or take.

Thank heavens for naps!

I tested out wearing water bottles on the long run, and drinking a sports drink. I didn't feel too geeky. And I was thirsty, and glad for a drink. I'll need to keep practicing to improve my drinking-while-running technique. It felt like I was wasting a fair bit of time wrestling with the bottles. My husband, who is a kinesiologist, has been reading up on nutrition for me, and it basically comes down to carbs. Eat more carbs, enjoy greater endurance, especially as your muscles train to change carbs into energy at an ever more efficient rate. He's got a gigantic text book that I've only just peeked at, but it's quite fascinating information.

Speaking of carbs, my eldest daughter informs me that supper's ready. She's made baked potatoes.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Day 216: Rain

Tomorrow, for my long run, it's supposed to rain. And rain and rain. I can do snow much better than rain, and I am slightly dreading it. Must not dread it! Dread never makes anything easier!

In preparation for running more than an hour at a time, I popped into the Running Room yesterday evening and got advice from an old friend of my brother's who is also the store manager. He's an ultra-marathoner (or something like that--he mentioned running for 20 hours at a stretch, which is longer than I'd comfortably like to be awake at a stretch), and when I asked about his training, he told me he runs 100km a week, more during race season, a bit less during the off-season, and usually in 25km chunks. Which made me feel every so slightly wimpy about asking what I should be drinking on, um, [whispered] a 14km run. But he was very nice about my ambitions, and I ended up getting a pack with two 10-ounce bottles to wear around my waist, so I will look especially ridiculous as I trot around the neighbourhood on Saturday morning--oh, it's so far, I must have liquid or I shall die! But I need to experiment with feeding myself before getting into the race. I have some packets of electrolytes and calories to add to water, and I have a packet of gel to try, too. The bars and chews looked too much like a meal. He recommended eating/drinking during the bike riding portion, as the body could digest at that point, and does not digest as well (or at all?) during the run. The thought of eating while running makes me queasy.

But I have been working out with some food in my stomach, so my body is already somewhat accustomed to the idea. My longest quiet stretch of this week is from Wednesday morning's early run (7.5km) to Thursday afternoon's yoga class (90-minute vinyasa), which this week was followed by a hurried but unadvisadly gigantic meal of pasta, hamburger, red sauce, and delectable local greens, which was then followed almost immediately by a 90-minute kundalini class, during which I fought diligently against the two plates of pasta. Not sure what the solution is, since I'd like to do both classes (Thursday will now be "yoga day"!), and I have to eat in between. Guess I'll just eat in between and consider it training.

Post-kundalini, I was able to lift my arms over my head for this morning's swim, though I cut it back to 50 minutes. I am thinking of Friday as an easy day, now. All I had to do was add a run to the swim on Monday, and the just-a-swim day turned into an easy day. I like that. It's the same principle that turns 7:30am into "sleeping in"--simply get up at 5:15am a couple of times a week. I'm up to four early mornings a week, and that's all I plan on doing. Every early morning requires a nap later in the day, so I schedule it in.

I am living a life of such luxury. Writing time. Time for daily exercise in a variety of places. A body that remains willing, so far. Family support and interest. Good food for every meal. Time with my kids. An observable benefit to this project is that I'm taking time for ordinary things. On Thursdays, which are quiet, at-home days, with two of my kids home all day, I'm relaxing into the idea of accomplishing very little. Coffee with friends, make supper, do laundry and dishes, read to the kids, tiny walking-distance errands, and nothing more. And more importantly, not even thinking about what else needs to be done, and not telling myself that I should be doing other things. Just being where I'm at. That is something that any physical practice teaches--how to settle into doing just one thing. It's why yoga is so restorative--you're emptied out and focussed in and it forces you to stay where you are and rest there.

:::

I've picked a race but have been unable to sign up for it yet. The triathlon site seemed to indicate they were still working out issues with their online sign-up form, and I emailed for more info, but haven't heard back. When I sign up officially, I will post it here!

And one more note: I swam for a full kilometre using the alternate breathing. One-two-three. One-two-three. Since I don't have years of a different method routed into my brain, it hasn't been that difficult to make the switch. Still, when I need an easy length, I return to the same-side breath. But the other method is definitely growing on me. It's a keeper.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Day 213: Brief Entry

Must get to bed, directly. Up to run with a friend early tomorrow, and I'm tired.

But I have to write about this morning's spin class, because it was definitely different. Fifth time's a charm. I felt like I was getting the hang of it, or my muscles were, and I did not suffer quite as exquisitely. In fact, I felt pretty pumped and happy. But there was a small cautionary moment in the locker room afterward. Another woman commented that she no longer gets dressed at home. With all of her training (she is a triathlete), she is doing something--running, swimming, spinning, etc.--every single morning of the week. Every single morning. I admire her determination. But I don't want to go down that road. Man. If I get to that stage, please, friends, hold an intervention on my behalf. Remind me about the pleasures of wine, and staying up late talking with friends, and going out dancing. Remind me that I am not, in fact, an athlete, but a writer, and that this is all an experiment, and that I can take the good things--like learning to swim!--and head off into the sunset contentedly leaving behind the daily exercise routine.

Though I might miss these arms.

Also made it to a 90-minute hot yoga class tonight. My muscles thanked me for the stretch. And then I came home and ate a cold supper. But I didn't have to do the dishes, or brush anyone's teeth but my own. And I needed that time alone in my own head. Better than a glass of wine. Um. Don't remind me of that when you're holding the intervention.