I took an entire 8 days off and it was great. But coming back, even from just a week off, has been really hard. I tried every day this week to get up early, but when I have been used to going to bed at 11 and sleeping until 7, 5:30 comes really early. So the workouts are happening after work, and the first one was yesterday. I am doing the p90x program with daily cardio, but I am not doing any running until either next week or the following week (depending on how my ankle feels), so the trainer is going to get a lot of my time. I did abs and shoulders and back yesterday and an hour and a half on the trainer. I could barely get dressed this morning. Surprisingly my legs are hurting more than my arms are. I trust that I will get back somewhat quickly since I didnt take off too much time, but my body is not happy with me today.
I will be posting before and after pics from the training program, but not until the "after" happens. Happy training!
Jan 27, 2010
Jan 21, 2010
RR and Finally off season
Finally I have had time to get to the race report. I was hoping to run between 7:55 and 8:10 pace for the race and was doing well until about mile 6. I had skipped almost all of my long runs because of work and other conflicts, and really hadnt run any hills or off the treadmill except for once a week, so I wasnt sure what to expect. And good thing I didnt expect too much. I have never hit a wall so early in a race. Literally I passed the 10K mark and immediately started to see my turnover slow down, and I couldnt do anything about it. It was like they were full of lead. My pace slowed down almost a minute and a half per mile for the last 5 miles and all I could do was laugh at the end. I think my face says it all here.
I now know what I need to work on - strength training here I come! Lungs wise I could have gone all day, but my legs werent having it. The race was fun as always. I saw lots of friends on the way thanks to the pink arm warmers, and had zero stomach issues. Thanks for the suggestion on Hammer Perpetuem Beth and Maggs- it worked wonders! I have now ordered a huge bin that I hope my mom remembers to smuggle over to me next time she visits. I wanted a much faster time, but squeaked in under 2 hours (nothing to brag about I know). At least now I know what I need to work on for next year, and where I will be starting from. Chris, who ran a total of 5 times this year (3 in races), came in at 1:37 in his first ever half. Maybe I'll try his training regimine.
Now it is 2 weeks off of running which I havent had in over two years, and I must say I quite enjoy it. Im sure next week I will be itching to get back, but for now it is nice. It also couldnt have come at a better time because we are all in Cancun for our 2010 kickoff meetings, and running is the last thing on my mind. Here is a little taste of what we are doing :). Life is rough!
I now know what I need to work on - strength training here I come! Lungs wise I could have gone all day, but my legs werent having it. The race was fun as always. I saw lots of friends on the way thanks to the pink arm warmers, and had zero stomach issues. Thanks for the suggestion on Hammer Perpetuem Beth and Maggs- it worked wonders! I have now ordered a huge bin that I hope my mom remembers to smuggle over to me next time she visits. I wanted a much faster time, but squeaked in under 2 hours (nothing to brag about I know). At least now I know what I need to work on for next year, and where I will be starting from. Chris, who ran a total of 5 times this year (3 in races), came in at 1:37 in his first ever half. Maybe I'll try his training regimine.
Now it is 2 weeks off of running which I havent had in over two years, and I must say I quite enjoy it. Im sure next week I will be itching to get back, but for now it is nice. It also couldnt have come at a better time because we are all in Cancun for our 2010 kickoff meetings, and running is the last thing on my mind. Here is a little taste of what we are doing :). Life is rough!
Jan 14, 2010
I am still trying to finalize 2010. I was going to run Miami, but a little thing called work got in the way and I “have” to be in Cancun for the week prior, and Cabo after that. I tried to make it work, but it was too hard and expensive to swing a trip to Miami. Next year maybe. That means Houston is the last race until things start up again here. I tried to find some races in January and February, but they still have 2009 races up. I have to remember we are on Mexican time here which is even slower than Hawaiian time. After Houston I am taking 2 weeks off of running. I am starting to dread it again and want to be fresh for a new season. I am going to try and do some strengh work with P90x (anyone tried it?) and some more yoga and pilates. More means at least 1 class since I havent done anything in that area for over a year. Then it is back to running.
Some of the races I hope to do are the san diego marathon, Mexico city half marathon and either the NYC or Chicago marathon with some other races scattered here and thre. I hope I finally get to meet my superstud blogger friend Beth while I am in SoCal.
I am only signed up for one tri - the timberman half ironman. And it will be really interesting if I cant find a pool. I would normally do others to train and because I love them, but there arent any here and I dont have enough money or vacation days to travel around the world doing other races. We are renting a house with a big group, so it should be fun after we finish the race.
Hopefully things come together this weekend. I have my last run in mexico city tonight and I am hoping after 2 days of rest I feel better. I have packed already – yes I pack a week early – and it all fit in my smallest suitcase. One New Years reso down! I have about three different potential outfits to wear depending on the weather and all of them include dorky hot pink arm warmers. The race supposedly starts at 40deg. and ends at 60 and I hate wearing anything on my shoulders. So arm warmers it is. I wont be hard to spot - I will be the one who looks like a brown haired rainbow bright.
Some of the races I hope to do are the san diego marathon, Mexico city half marathon and either the NYC or Chicago marathon with some other races scattered here and thre. I hope I finally get to meet my superstud blogger friend Beth while I am in SoCal.
I am only signed up for one tri - the timberman half ironman. And it will be really interesting if I cant find a pool. I would normally do others to train and because I love them, but there arent any here and I dont have enough money or vacation days to travel around the world doing other races. We are renting a house with a big group, so it should be fun after we finish the race.
Hopefully things come together this weekend. I have my last run in mexico city tonight and I am hoping after 2 days of rest I feel better. I have packed already – yes I pack a week early – and it all fit in my smallest suitcase. One New Years reso down! I have about three different potential outfits to wear depending on the weather and all of them include dorky hot pink arm warmers. The race supposedly starts at 40deg. and ends at 60 and I hate wearing anything on my shoulders. So arm warmers it is. I wont be hard to spot - I will be the one who looks like a brown haired rainbow bright.
Jan 13, 2010
This taper isnt going as planned
I have a half marathon on Sunday. It is my last planned race until I start again with the 5Ks in February. I am going to be taking some time off running for a couple of weeks to focus on strength training, biking, and searching for a pool in my neighborhood. Normally I dont really taper for half marathons but since it is the last race I have for a bit, I decided to go ahead and do a week long taper. It sucks. I have been sick for the past two days with an upset stomach. Not bad enough to stay in bed, but bad enough that when I attempt to run at any speed whatsoever, I have to run to the bathroom. I tried running on monday. 4 miles. I couldnt do it. I hit 6.8 on the treadmill and that was the magic number to send me to the toilet. I am not kidding when I say I had to remain below 6.0 to continuously run for a couple of miles. Along with the stomach I still have an issue with my ankle. It doesnt hurt except for the first few minutes of running while it loosens up or when someone touches the part of my ankle where I am convinced a screw is coming out, but it is so swolen all the time. If you looked just at my ankle you would think I were preggers. I have to loosen my shoe and have to wear socks that are too big so it doesnt feel like the circulation is being cut off. Work shoes are another story. When I take them off, I have random lines all over my foot. It looks like a sausage. I have no idea what is going on with it. I really dont have too much pain at all, just the swelling and I am taking anti inflams to try and minimize it. I guess it is time for a dr visit. Hopefully bad taper = good race.
Jan 7, 2010
Is it still Christmas?
I finally remembered to take my camera out when I passed by our Mexico City Christmas tree. I guess this is what you get when you live in a concrete city. It is made of 100% scaffolding and has been up since the middle of November.
It even has little metal snowflakes and is sponsored by Pepsi.
I am all for holiday decoratinos, especially since it is the first metal tree I have seen, but it is January 7th and there is no sign of them taking it down. It took almost 3 weeks to put it up, so at this rate when my family comes in Feb, they will get to experience the Mexico City tree. I actually lived right across the street from this circle this time last year and I dont remember seeing this tree. I hope they dont leave it up year round, but maybe the economy is so bad here they cant afford to remove it.
Chris and I are headed to Houston next weekend to run the houston half. This race is my favorite and it filled up in about 2 minutes this year. Crazy! I have my last longish run on sunday of 11 miles and then it is an easy week next week. Chris has been tapering since he finished the turkey trot in November. I think he has run a total of 5 times this year and will still probably kick my ass.
Ok, now I need to go concentrate on what's really important in life...The Longhorns beating Bama in the game tonight. Hook EM!
It even has little metal snowflakes and is sponsored by Pepsi.
I am all for holiday decoratinos, especially since it is the first metal tree I have seen, but it is January 7th and there is no sign of them taking it down. It took almost 3 weeks to put it up, so at this rate when my family comes in Feb, they will get to experience the Mexico City tree. I actually lived right across the street from this circle this time last year and I dont remember seeing this tree. I hope they dont leave it up year round, but maybe the economy is so bad here they cant afford to remove it.
Chris and I are headed to Houston next weekend to run the houston half. This race is my favorite and it filled up in about 2 minutes this year. Crazy! I have my last longish run on sunday of 11 miles and then it is an easy week next week. Chris has been tapering since he finished the turkey trot in November. I think he has run a total of 5 times this year and will still probably kick my ass.
Ok, now I need to go concentrate on what's really important in life...The Longhorns beating Bama in the game tonight. Hook EM!
Jan 3, 2010
Happy New Year's and 2010 Resolutions
Our first new years eve here in D.F. was pretty uneventful. We cooked dinner, drank too much champagne, and played Guitar Hero and American Idol. I also learned one of the traditions here is to eat 12 grapes at midnight (one for each chime of the bell). They represent the months of the year and if you eat a sour one, that month is supposed to be a bad month. I can't eat grapes that fast so my months were all messed up, and I also have no idea if any were sour since I couldnt taste anything but champagne. At one point there was a bonfire outside that we went to investigate, but that was our big event of the night. Here is Nola with her beads that she got while we were outside investigating. Apparently she shows enough skin to earn here beads. And she also looks like she got into the champagne without us knowing. Maybe that is where she got the courage to show her boobs for the beads.
Me cooking queso - yes we snuck in the contraband to make queso when we came back from Christmas and thankfully weren't caught.
After all the champagne was finished and the black eyed peas were eaten, I sat down to make some of what I will be accomplishing in 2010 and some of the things I learned in 2009. Let's start with 2009.
1) After a year of no pool and no place to ride a bike, I realize how much I really miss triathlons. Running has gotten better but nothing can replace a triathlon race. Hopefully 2010 will be my last year without them.
2) Concentrating nearly 100% on running and training at altitude has taken almost 2 minutes off my mile times. I am pretty sure I cant swim a mile to save my life anymore though.
3) Even though I am living in a place where it isnt really possible to do triathlons, I am having a blast experiencing the new culture, people and city that I live in.
4) Stomachs do adjust to the bacteria in a foreign country, but it takes 6 months.
5) A 1.5 hour flight home is waaayyy better than an 8 hour flight home, and cuts down on the amount I spend on xanax every year.
6) I miss surfing and the beach, but not the cost of milk and cheese in Hawaii.
7) It is much more fun to have a driver and maid than to do everything yourself.
8) I would kill for an all fruit smoothie from jamba juice.
9) I can be happy living anywhere as long as I have Chris and the destroyers to make me laugh on a daily basis.
Now for what I WILL be doing in 2010
1) Smile every day and enjoy life as it happens.
2) Do not stress about the things I cant control and be a little more laid back in life. Really hard to do for the type A person that I am.
3) Since 2010 will be another all running year, I want to set some PRs in all distances, 5K, 10K, Half marathon and Full marathon. Once I get my schedule set I will have actual times that I will be training towards.
4) Eat healthier. We dont eat poorly and almost always cook at home, but we can all improve right? I am lucky to live somewhere where fresh fruit and vegetables are plenty and cheap and I need to be sure and eat them at every meal. I will still have an occasional krispy kreme though.
5) Really have a plan for 2010 and stick to it. No excuses. I am not moving anywhere (hopefully) for the next 12 months so I can concentrate on what I need to do to hit my running goals.
6) Watch the mouth. I cuss like a sailor.
7) Pack lighter. I dont know when I started to pack my entire closet since I used to be such a light packer, but Chris and I are both working on packing less.
8) No more drinking an entire bottle of wine. Especially if it is a school night.
9) Do not take Chris (or really any friends or family) for granted. I am lucky to have every one of them in my life.
10) Shop less, save more. Shopping for me is really all about clothes, shoes and equipment for running and triathlons, but shopping is shopping and I can do without.
There are more, but 10 is a good number for now.
Here's to a fab 2010 for everyone.
Me cooking queso - yes we snuck in the contraband to make queso when we came back from Christmas and thankfully weren't caught.
After all the champagne was finished and the black eyed peas were eaten, I sat down to make some of what I will be accomplishing in 2010 and some of the things I learned in 2009. Let's start with 2009.
1) After a year of no pool and no place to ride a bike, I realize how much I really miss triathlons. Running has gotten better but nothing can replace a triathlon race. Hopefully 2010 will be my last year without them.
2) Concentrating nearly 100% on running and training at altitude has taken almost 2 minutes off my mile times. I am pretty sure I cant swim a mile to save my life anymore though.
3) Even though I am living in a place where it isnt really possible to do triathlons, I am having a blast experiencing the new culture, people and city that I live in.
4) Stomachs do adjust to the bacteria in a foreign country, but it takes 6 months.
5) A 1.5 hour flight home is waaayyy better than an 8 hour flight home, and cuts down on the amount I spend on xanax every year.
6) I miss surfing and the beach, but not the cost of milk and cheese in Hawaii.
7) It is much more fun to have a driver and maid than to do everything yourself.
8) I would kill for an all fruit smoothie from jamba juice.
9) I can be happy living anywhere as long as I have Chris and the destroyers to make me laugh on a daily basis.
Now for what I WILL be doing in 2010
1) Smile every day and enjoy life as it happens.
2) Do not stress about the things I cant control and be a little more laid back in life. Really hard to do for the type A person that I am.
3) Since 2010 will be another all running year, I want to set some PRs in all distances, 5K, 10K, Half marathon and Full marathon. Once I get my schedule set I will have actual times that I will be training towards.
4) Eat healthier. We dont eat poorly and almost always cook at home, but we can all improve right? I am lucky to live somewhere where fresh fruit and vegetables are plenty and cheap and I need to be sure and eat them at every meal. I will still have an occasional krispy kreme though.
5) Really have a plan for 2010 and stick to it. No excuses. I am not moving anywhere (hopefully) for the next 12 months so I can concentrate on what I need to do to hit my running goals.
6) Watch the mouth. I cuss like a sailor.
7) Pack lighter. I dont know when I started to pack my entire closet since I used to be such a light packer, but Chris and I are both working on packing less.
8) No more drinking an entire bottle of wine. Especially if it is a school night.
9) Do not take Chris (or really any friends or family) for granted. I am lucky to have every one of them in my life.
10) Shop less, save more. Shopping for me is really all about clothes, shoes and equipment for running and triathlons, but shopping is shopping and I can do without.
There are more, but 10 is a good number for now.
Here's to a fab 2010 for everyone.
Jan 2, 2010
New year, new photo
New years resolutions and photos will be posted tomorrow, but I had to post the awesome new photo that Chris did for me tonight. He has literally spent 4 hours creating this and I love it. Welcome to 2010 blog!
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