Bad me, or rather, busy me.

Sorry I have sort of dropped the bomb with this training blog. The more intense my training regime has become, the less I have felt a desire to document it.

My half marathon is in less than two weeks. I ran my final "long" training run yesterday and amazingly it went pretty well. As you know I've been struggling with on going knee issues, especially as my mileage started to ramp up. So, I finally got serious about it and did some investigation into what the actual issue was and how to treat it. Luckily what I have is fairly common with a lot of runners, so diagnosing wasn't too difficult. I have ITB syndrome. I know I have struggled with this issue on an off for several years. It is the type of thing that has flare ups and when I start training for a distance that includes lots of running that is usually when I start to have problems.

So, I investigated and found lots of info on how to keep this condition in check. Most professionals recommend lots of stretching, icing and the use of a foam roller. I ended up buying a nice foam roller from Road Runner and rolling my legs three times a day. Add in stretching, icing and ibuprofen and I seem to be making some headway. My 11 mile run yesterday was the first long run I've done without knee pain in who knows how long. Needless to say, I was thrilled.

This week is the very start of a small amount of tapering before the race. I plan on continuing my normal workouts this week (bike and swim), just lessening my running a bit. I think Saturday we will be heading down to Champoeg State Park to do a shorter run at the actual location of the race.

Why am I getting cankles?

That is all I could think of while I was running on the dreadmill this morning.

Why me? Of all places to retain water, my ankles?

Is there a procedure to remedy the situation? Lipo for ankles?

Well, the good news is that I've been on track and consistent with my training this week. I haven't missed a workout. I haven't cut anything short.

I may be making a little change in my race schedule this spring though. I'm considering not participating in the Spring Classic Duathalon in April and instead, replacing it with the Heart of the Valley Triathlon at the end of May. Jury is still out, but I'm leaning toward the tri.

Monday

Swimming:

1200 yards

28:45

Tuesday

Running:

4.3 miles

40:00

Wednesday

Swimming:

1250 yards

30:00

Thursday

Running:

3.3 miles

30:00

Strength training:

legs

25:00

Hippie Chick reality check

T minus 62 days and counting before my big half marathon is here. The Hippie Chick Half Marathon is May 8th. This past Saturday that fact hit me directly in the face as I came to the realization that I really needed to get more focused and committed to training for this race.

A half marathon is a challenge. It's not an enormous mountain to climb like a marathon, but 13.1 miles is nothing to sneeze at. I finally looked at the Hal Higdon training schedule I'm supposed to be following in preparation for the big day and I feel like I'm in okay shape to follow it closely. My goal is to run it in 2:08:00 or less. Last time I ran it in 2008 my goal was simply to finish and to not walk. I did both of those things and finished with a time of 2:15:09. I'm thinking it is reasonable for me to hope to knock 7 minutes or so off my last time since this go round I am starting with a much stronger base. Also, I'm including speedwork into my training this time and supposedly it should be helpful in making me a little bit faster. I'm just praying I don't have any nagging injuries to contend with or bowel problems (TMI) for that matter.

Wednesday
The Shred:
30:00

Thursday
Running:
5 miles (3 were speedwork)

Friday
Swimming:
1200 yards
28:09

Saturday
Running
6.2 miles
1:02:03

Swimming within the pod

Monday morning Wes and I headed over to the pool for our normal Monday morning swim. We had been a bit slack in the swim department because of Wes's head cold, so I had only swum once the previous week and Wes hadn't swum at all.

We got there at our normal time 5:55 am and the pool looked to be typical in its busyness. We hopped in the "medium" paced lane and started to click off the 23 laps we had planned. Within 10 minutes or so, the pool suddenly becomes quite busy. Another guy gets in our lane and joins in. This happens occasionally so I thought very little of it. Then another guy (breaststroke) joins us and things start to get quite crowded. Mentally, I decide to trudge on because I still about half my laps to go and I don't want to cut my work out short. Then another guy joins us in our lane and I start to wonder what the heck is going on. 5 people (4 men, one woman) are sharing our little bitty lane and bodies start bumping and back ups start happening.

After a lap or two I pop my head up and ask Dana (a friend) the life guard what the heck happened? She laughs at me and I plow on.

When I'm nearing the last part of my swim the slow (floater) ladies in the lane next to me stop me and ask if Wes and I'd like to swim with them. Then they turn their heads and see someone has joined them in their lane and floater ladies start to bemoan their fate. It's "splasher man"- their phrase, not mine. I know exactly who they are talking about (Dr. Johnson) and I thank them for the offer, but tell them I'm almost done and should probably just stay put in my ridiculously crowded lane. By this time Wes is starting to poop out because he's taken the previous week off and is just not in top form and a guy in our lane attempts passing him. Once the pass in successful Wes realizes maybe he is done for the day and we climb out and head for the showers. Crazy.

Monday

Swimming:

1100 yards

28:44

Tuesday

Running:

4 miles

Not sure on time.

Running Friends

All week I worked out by myself. Wes was sick and Mindy was single mothering it since her sweetheart was out of town. I actually enjoyed the flexibility of setting my own workout schedule to suit my time frames and pleasure.

But, it gets kind of lonely. No one to talk to. No one to complain to. No one to tell you to suck it up and do it.

This morning I joined Mindy and Marnie for our usual Saturday morning "long run". It started out last night with Mindy sending me this email:

If the weather is like this in the am for our run, I am out! Sorry ladies. If it is just a little rain, I will see you at 8am at the usual spot.

Peace!

Mindy

Okay lightweight.

Steph

Whatever. Tomorrow you might to be the one pushing me. :)

Mindy

is this Travis?

Steph

No, it is your unmotivated running friend, :) I will be good to go in the morning.

Mindy

This is typical banter between the two of us. One of us is usually worn out and unmotivated (me) and the other has to light a fire under the others rear.

So running this morning with Mindy and Marnie (our stalwart) was so nice. I asked for a flat run. Marnie asked if it was possible to find a flat run in Sherwood? I conceeded she was right and just asked we skip the largest hills around. We ran slow. We talked about life. We drug eachother up the hills with words of encouragement. The sun shone. The wind blew. And before we knew it six miles had past and it was time to head home, back to life as usual.

Thursday

Running:

3.0 miles

30 minutes

Strength training:

20 minutes

arms and back

Friday

Cycling:

6 miles

30 minutes

Strength training:

20 minutes

legs

Saturday

Running:

6.0 miles

1:01:09

Extra sleep can make you a better athlete!

I'm convinced!

Wes has been sick. Same story as the rest of us, blah blah blah. So, he told me that he wanted to take the week off from getting up super early to workout. I was more than happy to agree because I love sleep. If I could get paid to sleep, I would do it. Professional sleeper- yes, that is me.

So, this week I've been sleeping in until 7 am and each workout so far has been top notch. Not that I'm killing it out there, just that I feel so good. Rested. Happy. Awake.

So, in conclusion (reverting to ninth grade English class here), I believe more sleep is the answer for me. The only problem with it is the rest of my day is a bit more crowded, but it may be worth it. I'm going to keep this going, at least for the rest of this week, and make my final analysis then.

Saturday

Running:

5.7 miles

54:43

Monday

Running:

4 miles

35:00

Tuesday

Swimming

1150 yards

27:00

Are Thursdays cursed?

For the last two weeks I have missed working out on Thursdays. Last week because of fatigue, this week because I felt like crap. Wes has been under the weather too, so my swim work out buddy hasn't really been feeling up to getting up early for swimming. Fortunately, this evening we took our two youngest to the Y for open swim and traded off with them so the other could get in a swim workout. It's kind of weird swimming in the evenings when you are so used to swimming first thing in the morning. I could feel my orange chicken with rice dinner churning in my tummy while I was pounding out the laps. I think I prefer the morning routine.

Wednesday

Swimming:

1150 yards

29:04

Friday

Swimming:

1250 yards

30:00

Overdue update

The first two weeks of February are always a mad house for me because of multiple birthdays, Valentines day and the inevitability of having at least one sick kid at the time. Well, I got through it and am now ready to relax and continue on with a normal life again.

I still can't quite say I'm over my cold- three week anniversary today, but I do feel about 90% so I'll call that good. Like I mentioned before, with an impending half marathon on the horizon my training is going to start veering more to the running discipline until race day. My training partner Mindy must have been reading my mind about this because she has definitely decided to kick it up a notch in the running department and is kindly dragging me along for the ride.

Today we did a fairly easy five mile route and it was hard for me. I felt really terrible the last half mile and wanted to quit, but I didn't because of the girls I was running with were keeping me going. Another testament to the importance of training partners to help you over the hump.

Wednesday

Swimming:

1200 yards

29:09

Friday

Swimming:

1100 yards

28:30

Saturday

Running:

just under 7 miles

1:04:22

Monday

Swimming:

1100 yards

28:01

Cycling:

5.2 miles

22 minutes

Tuesday

Running:

5.1 miles

51:00

I know

I know I need to update, but I've been sick and when I'm sick I just don't have it in me to blog. My ears have been plugged up and hurting for two weeks now, along with a sore throat and a nagging cough. My training has been lighter because of it, but still going. I'll try to update thoroughly in the next day or two.

Grinding

Sometimes keeping consistent with my daily workouts feels like a total grind. Sticking with it despite the desire to sleep in, take a break or slack off is key.

My half marathon is coming up in three months so by the end of this month I will be on a training schedule that will give me a little more structure and focus. I'm planning on following Hal Higdon's second tier half marathon training plan in hopes of not only finishing, but beating my PR by eight minutes. I do struggle with a few nagging knee issues, so I'll have to customize the plan to accommodate my plan to not run back to back days in order to avoid knee pain at all cost. Obviously, I'll be substituting cross training workouts for some of the run days that I'll need to miss.

Monday

Swimming:

1050 yards

25 minutes

Tuesday

Running:

3.5 miles

35:00

Strength training:

Legs

20:00

Awesomeness!

What was awesome this week:

Getting in my first outdoor ride of the season.

Riding my longest ride ever (20 miles+)

Being able to swim Friday despite my many ailments.

Getting over my cold in two days instead of a week like most folks around here.

What was not awesome this week:

Getting a cold in the first place. Thanks kids.

Getting a crick in my neck Wed. night for no good reason. My range of motion was awful for a good two days.

Missing my morning run with my girls today because of scheduling difficulties.

Only working out three days this week. Ahhhh!

Tuesday

Running:

3.5 miles

35:00

Friday

Swimming:

1100 yards

27:09

Saturday

Running:

3.61 miles

32:54

Cycling:

20+ miles

Not sure on time.

Altitude

We've spent the last few days vacationing in Sunriver Or. celebrating my parents 40th wedding anniversary. I had planned on doing some running while I was away, but there was too much snow on the ground to make the pathways safe. Fortunately, there is a new workout facility here and they happened to have a lap pool so Friday Wes and I headed over there to do a quick swim workout. The pool was very nice and new so I was excited to give it a try. Also, it was relatively empty so there would be no crowding or lane issues. I didn't have my swim cap with me, but we did have our goggles so although I wasn't completely prepared for a regular swim it worked out all right. The water tasted a bit weird, but the strangest thing was dealing with the altitude difference. It was much harder to get a good breath of air. I felt like I was gulping for it and it took a good 500 yards for me to get used to it and not feel like I was struggling so much.

And, Thursday morning before I left, Mindy and I had a great run. We did a route that I have done numerous times before and although challenging (hilly) we both felt great. Yay for a good run! I love those days.

Thursday

Running:

5.03 miles

49:04

Friday

Swimming

1000 yards

No timing

Off week for exercise

I haven't been on my game this week in the workout department. I've had various children sick since last Friday and because two of them have been home from school for most of this week all of my regularly scheduled activities have taken a back seat to making sure they are resting up and taking their medicines. Then, to top it off, we are heading out of town for a long weekend, so I've been busily gathering up tons of snow gear, cleaning the house, finishing laundry and prepping the van for a possibly arduous journey through the mountains.

Tuesday

Running:

3.8 miles

36:08

Wednesday

Cycling:

20:00

Circuit training:

20:00

Lest I forget

I have worked out the last few days, but haven't recorded it yet. I'm not feeling 100% so my energy levels are dragging. Plus, it's the end of January and that is pretty much the worst time to live in Oregon- depressing gray skies and endless wetness.

I'm really aching to get my road bike down from the rafters of the garage and take it out on a spin in the sunshine, but that possibility is probably a couple of months away.

Sigh.

Saturday

Running:

5.5 miles in who knows how long. Forgot to time it.

Monday

Swimming:

1000 yards in who knows how long. Forgot to time it as well.

Exhaustion

I'm struggling a little bit with getting adequate sleep these days.

I'm usually awake by 5:40 am each morning, with the exception of Thursdays, when I get up at 6:45 am. This early morning routine makes my training schedule work for me. If I get my training done first thing in the morning, I'm much more consistent with it and rarely miss a workout because nothing else is really pulling at my time, except for sleep, at that early morning hour. Plus, early morning is when both Wes and Mindy workout and since they are my peeps it's what works for us all.

But, I'm tired. Real, real tired. I usually am in bed by 10 pm, but I often can't fall asleep until 10:45 pm or later. So, that doesn't really add up to a full eight hours every night. And, as the days go on my sleep needs start to build and by Friday I am exhausted and start to fall asleep on the couch on and off from 2 pm on.

I try to make up for my sleep needs not being met on Sunday afternoons when I usually take a good three hour nap. But, I'm fairly certain one long nap a week isn't really making much of a difference.

Does anyone else struggle with this issue? Have you found anything that helps (ie nutrition, meditation, drugs j/k)?

Thursday

Cycling:

spin class

1:00:00- with Katie G. who kicks my bootay every single time.

Friday

Swimming:

1250 yards

31:02

-wore Wes's goggles for this workout to see if they made a difference with my eye issues, and they were crazy funky goggles. Made for a weird workout.

Eyeball issues

I'm having a reoccurring issue with my right eye. Every so often it turns red. So, I have one white/blue eye and one red/blue eye. No particular pain, oozing, gunk, soreness, just the beautiful color red. Wes and I got to talking about it tonight and we have noticed that the days it turns red are the days I do my swim workouts. So, what does that mean? I have no idea. Is it my goggles? Chlorine? Why is just one eye red, but not the other?

Has anyone had a on-again off-again red eye problem?

Wednesday

Swimming:

1200 yards

29:35

New shoes- no good

I tried out my new running shoes for the first time this morning. As expected they felt rather stiff and restrictive. No biggie. But after one mile on the treadmill, my right heel was aching and I was feeling no support for either of my arches. I have high-ish arches and I felt a distinct gap between my foot and the shoe. So, they are obviously a no-go. I knew I shouldn't have tried branching out to a new brand. I should have just stuck with what I know works for my foot. Fortunately, Roadrunner Sports has an awesome return/exchange policy, so I'll be heading over there on Thursday to get what works for me.

Monday

Cycling:

1:00:00 spin class- with Heinz, not my fav.

Tuesday

Running:

4 miles

40:00

Why swimming workouts rock

I often talk to people about their weight woes. My job at the Y puts me in contact with an assortment of folks looking to change their bodies but they are often at a plateau in the weight loss journey. Whenever I listen to their challenges (bad knee, excess tummy fat, sore shoulders etc.) I usually suggest changing their workout routine a bit. I always bring up the option of adding swimming laps to their routine. Everyone, and I mean everyone, pooh-poohs the notion of swimming for exercise. I don't really know why, honestly. There are so many good things about swimming I thought I'd list them here for all to enjoy.

1. Swimming laps in very meditative. No noise. No loud voices, or music, or t.v.'s. Just you, your thoughts and the water.

2. Swimming requires very little workout equipment. Swimsuit, goggles, swim cap, towel. That's it. It saves me a load of laundry because my regular workout clothes get a break.

3. Swimming is a great shoulders, arm, back workout. Lets face it, during the summer months wouldn't you want to be sporting muscular arms, backs and shoulders? All those little cap sleeve tops look much better with toned shoulders and arms.

4. Swimming gives your legs a bit of a break. I do almost all of my laps freestyle, which is about 80% upper body and 20% lower body. So my swim days give my legs (which are usually taking a pounding) a bit of a breather.

5. Swimming widdles your middle. Seriously, if you have tummy flab and just can't shake it, swimming is the answer- plus eating healthy. The motion of swimming strengthens your stomach in ways that I just cannot explain.

6. Swimming is non impact. You can swim with almost any nagging injury and do just fine. Plus, swimming won't give you injuries. Win-win!

7. Swim workouts are quick. Thirty minutes, or even less if you are just beginning.

8. It feels totally awesome to swim faster than the person in the lane next to you. So, if you stick with it long enough you will either get faster or swim next to a very slow floater and they your ego will get a boost as you cruise by the swimmer next to you.

9. Swimming is a good skill to have. Say you are out scuba diving in the ocean and you pop up to the surface after 30 minutes or so and your boat has left you. Now you are 3 miles from shore. Knowing how to swim long distances will come in very handy. So, think of it as a great survival skill.

10. You get to take the most awesome hot shower right after your swim. I love standing under that steaming stream of water for a good 5 minutes as a reward for all of my hard work. BTW, at our local Y the shower stall closest to the pool in the ladies locker room is the best shower of the bunch. The water runs long and hot for at least 5 minutes, the others require you to push that blasted button every thirty seconds or so.

So, there you go. Ten good reasons to add swimming to your repertoire.

Friday

Swimming:

1200 yards

31:05

Saturday

Running:

5 miles

53:08- slow pace today. I felt sick to my stomach and needed to walk about 100 yards at the end. I'm still struggling with eating or not eating before workouts. I haven't come up with a good solution yet.

Short on time tonight

I worked my self to the sweaty bone today and, now I'm all tuckered out. Wes and I spent the evening at the temple and I had a very hard time staying awake. Wes had an even harder time because he nodded off several times.

I heard a statistic that 2/3 of adults are overweight in this country. I thought that number sounded kind of high. But, while sitting with eight other women in the temple tonight I realized that six of the nine were very overweight- at least two obese. So, maybe 2/3 is right. Hmmm.

Cycling:

spin class 1:00:00

Running:

2.08 miles

20:00

Slept in

Is sleeping in until 6:15 am really sleeping in? Sadly, at this time in my life, it is. Wes had worked very late last night and I didn't have the heart to wake him up this morning for a 5:45 am swim. I was awake at that time, but he was snoring softly and I knew he needed more rest. I don't want him to burn the candle at both ends.

I also had to work at the Y this morning, so I knew I would have to do my workout right after work. Fortunately, lap swim starts again a soon as my shift ends, so after work, I quickly changed in the locker room (with a gazillion large, elderly naked ladies who were finishing up their twinges-in-the-hinges class) and found an empty (yay!) lane to swim in. Felt good. Guy next to me was swimming with fins and a snorkel?!?!

I've been meaning to mention this article that I read in Bicycling Magazine the other day. I've always felt that we, as a society, are over medicating our children instead of finding healthier alternatives. This article on The Drug-Free Drug really hits home to me.

Swimming:

1250 yards

29:40

Hilly run

I met Mindy at 6 am this morning for a quick run. She suggested we run up and over Sunset hill and back. I'm not usually a fan of out-and-back runs, but this one was so hilly I was distracted by the elevation issue to be bothered by the actual route. Amazingly, I felt pretty good. I have some lingering knee issues so I make it a practice to not run back to back days. This decision has been beneficial in a couple of ways. First, my knee doesn't hurt and second, I usually feel quite fresh on my runs. Even though we ran up a very large hill, my lungs felt fine and my legs kept up with out much struggle. Overall, I was pleased.

Running:

4.1 miles in 40:45

*slow pace, but steady.

Working harder

Wes and I did our regular Monday morning swim workout today. We have figured out that it is much easier to get a lane (to share) if we arrive at the pool at 5:55am instead of 6am. There is consistently a little lull in the crowds right about that time. The 5am-ers are just finishing and the 6am-ers have not shown up yet. We got to the pool and the water temps were freezing (84.5 degrees). That is cold. I prefer the temps be right around 86-87 degrees. It took a few laps for the coldness to wear off and for me to warm up. After about 5 laps (250 yards) I decided I needed to kick it up a notch. Work harder. Breathe heavier. Sometimes it is so easy to keep yourself in cruise control and not push too hard. But, that mindset isn't really going to get the results I'm looking for, so I pushed the pace and Wes kept up. We ended up swimming 1100 yards in 25 minutes. For us, that is good.

I also ordered a new pair of running shoes today from Roadrunner. I've been meaning to pick up a new pair for a few weeks, but have delayed pulling the trigger because I've been scouring the stores and the computer for a great deal on my trusty Asics. Alas, no super deal was to be found. I decided to give these Brooks Defyance 2s a try this time around. Wes has a pair of them and likes them quite nicely. I've tried them on before and thought they would be a good option. Plus, I found a screaming deal on them. Hopefully they will work for me. If not, Roadrunner has a fabulous return policy, so it's all good.

Swimming:
1100 yards
25 minutes

Strength Training:
Abs, legs and triceps
45 minutes

It's time!

I've been thinking about starting this exercise/fitness/triathlon training blog for about three months because I've been wanting a place to write about my experiences training for and competing in endurance races. Although I feel like a complete newbie when it comes to the sport of triathlon (only two races completed thus far), I want to have a place where I report the training experiences of each day and feel a sense of accountability for it- a toe-the-line kind of thing.

Since the holidays are over I've been tenatively planning my race schedule for 2010. Here is is so far:

• Spring Classic Duathlon- 5K run, 15 mile bike, 5K run. April 3, 2010 at the Qwest Training Facility in Portland Oregon.
• Hippie Chick Half- 13.1 mile run. May 8, 2010 at Champoeg State Park in St. Paul Oregon.
• Run for the Roses- 10K run. June 5, 2010 in Sherwood, Oregon.
• All Women's Triathlon- 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 5K run. July 31, 2010 in Fairview Oregon.
• Scoggins Valley Triathlon- 1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run. Sept 4, 2010 in Forest Grove, Oregon **This is my A race for the year. My first attempt at an Olympic Distance, plus it is a hilly course.
• Best Dam Run- 10K run. Sept 25, 2010 in Estacada Oregon.

So, there it is in all its naked glory. All of my upcoming races typed out in black and white. Just seeing a list like that gives me pause. This is four races more than I did last season.

Upward and onward!