Fitness Yoga: 60 minutes
I arrived a couple of minutes late and the class was full. I kind of had to make space between two girls and half behind them (ummm, nice place to be…).
Jen’s class, so as always pretty tough. After an extended New Years ‘off’ period, about 4 days I think, I was sluggish and my balance was terrible. I wasn’t really awake yet.
I want to get in another 2-4 classes before I head home, as I will have to pay back home and I feel I am losing some strength.
The stats: 10K (6.25 miles) in 39 minutes
The story: I really did not want to run today, but my next race (Pemberton Trail 50K) is in 6 weeks. I have now had 2 extended breaks in an effort to heal my hamstring. I set today as the start of my training. I decided on a 10K. Things went well. I kept a nice steady pace with no fade. Next run will be a 10 miler, then I may hit the Pemberton Trail for a single loop (15.5 miles) on Sunday or Monday.
25 min cycle
Stretching, pull-ups
Yoga/Pilates.
25 mins cycle home
The class was with Jen today (who is usually very tough) though I don’t think it was any tougher than Terri’s class last week. It’s a good combination, but I think we end up missing something from the Yoga.
Still, I would like to do this class twice a week and Yoga 3 times a week.
I was surprised to look in the mirror and see me doing an almost vertical, front split; one foot on the floor,straight, with me folded down over that leg, with my other leg swung up behind me. My split was better than most of the women in the class, which is unusual.
My abs are wrecked from the Pilates now… Nice.
The stats: One lap of Pass Mountain Trail at Usery in 59:30 (PR!)
The story: I woke thinking I would do two loops, but my cough was pretty bad and I just generally felt like crap. I decided to do a single loop and go out fairly fast. I cruised to the big rock in 28:30 and knew if I could keep up the pace I would smash my PR. I did not let myself take a little break after the big climb to the saddle like I usually do. I just kept it in high gear. I faded a little at the end. I almost puke when I finished.
The Workout:
25 mins cycle to the gym
Stretching and static pull-ups.
3 sets of planks.
25 mins cycle home.
I really needed to get out of the house, freaking out about study, what I really needed was a rock hard run, but settled for pushing the cycle. I pretty much cycled the whole way standing up, pushing at the pedals.
Arriving in the scales tell me I have put on another pound, that makes me 165lbs (normal weight 158-162, the fluctuation is just about hydration). I have put on 3lbs since arriving. I’m not actually freaking at all, but I do want to make sure I don’t put on that hard fat that is impossible to lose again. 168 would make me 12 stone, a weight I would like to be naturally, as I have always been thin.
I feel really shit from this cold, it has really knocked me out, I had hoped to study and train, but I could see that I really wasn’t up to it.
I did some pull-ups, then hit the jacuzzi for stretching and the sauna for planks.
We hopefully go to Usury tomorrow, but I will take a hike round and let Charlie kick it up for a double loop. I have injured myself twice by not recovering properly from colds/flu before going back to hard training. Both instances left me in hospital.
I’m learning to listen to my body, I swear…
The stats: 9.5 miles in 64:30
The story: A lovely run from my house to my sister’s house. I felt like I was taking it easy and was surprised by my time when I finally looked at my watch. Not a bad run considering I had the previous 4 days off from running and have been eating like a pig. My belly flab was starting to hang over my running shorts.
The Workout:
25 mins cycle to gym
30 mins stretching and static pull-ups
60 mins Yoga/Pilates combo
25 mins cycle home
The Story:
The wind on the way in to the gym nearly blew me off the bike, loads of crap from trees was blowing all over the place. It was pretty exciting and hard work, and it rained.
Jacuzzi, sauna, jacuzzi, steamroom in an attempt to burn out this fever. I knew I was sick when I got in the jacuzzi and I was still cold.
30 minutes stretching and pull-ups whilst I waited for the Yoga/Pilates to start. I would hang off of the bar for a minute, then do a super-slow pull-up, hold at the top for a slow count of 10, then drop down really slowly and hang for another minute. I did 3 of these for a total of about 10-12 minutes hangout from the bar.
Yoga/Pilates was seriously hardcore. I think the instructor Terri went through a full hour program in 30 minutes to get us warmed up for the Pilates. The Pilates following was one of the hardest things I can remember doing. I didn’t crack, but it was pretty close. I clock-watched for the whole 30 minutes.
When we finished I walked out of the class on duck feet, my legs belonged to someone else. Ouch!
On the way home on the bike I was feeling the love from the Yoga, when some ass screamed and hit the horn on their car on the way past. The scream sounded like screeching tyres and I thought two cars were crashing right behind me. I jumped out of my skin, so much for low heart rates.
Guys like that, I want to break an arm at least. In ten years time when that old break aches, they would remember why being an ass doesn’t pay.
45 minutes stretching
60 minutes of yoga
50 minutes cycling
The Yoga was pretty hard. The instructor Dan, wasn’t as technically proficient as the two women, but he had us holding poses for long counts (front planks into side planks and back with no breaks)
A tough workout.
The cool shirt I got for my subpar performance!
The stats: 30K in 2:14:58 (14th out of 123 runners)
The story: First of all, I actually got 5 1/2 hours sleep before the race, which is a record for me. Unfortunately, I got that much sleep because I have been fighting a cold/flu bug and I felt pretty run down. But the truth is, I have had some pretty good runs while being sick, so I wasn’t going to let that stop me.
I woke up feeling pretty awful, but after 3 cups of coffee and 2 large glasses of water, I felt a little better. After an hour and half drive, I hit the starting line feeling good.
It didn’t last long as my hamstring gave out after the first big downhill at mile one. I put my hands down and caught myself. I walked for about 45 seconds, then went back to running. The hamstring wasn’t painful, but it was tight and swollen. I could not extend my right leg like I normally would. Luckily, I have run this way a couple of times since I first tweaked the hamstring a couple of weeks ago. Shorter strides, but more leg turnover. It’s not comfortable for me to run that way, but it will do in a pinch. If this were a marathon, I would have just turned back, but I figure I could gut out another 18 miles or so.
Other then the first nasty downhill, the front half of the race is a continuous slight, but noticeable, uphill. I just started churning out 7-minute miles. I took Gatorade at all the stops and ate 2 gels – one at 50 minutes and anther at 1:35. I hit the turnaround in 66 minutes. I looked forward to second half of the race and the downhill.
My excitement for the second half was greeted with a nasty wind that lasted the entire trip back. I hit the half marathon marker at 93 minutes. The hamstring started to really complain at about mile 14. I just had to grit my teeth. The last couple of miles were pretty bad. I felt ever footfall in that damn hamstring. I hit the finish line just under 2:15, a full 10 minutes slower than my goal time. A Bad Day at Black Rock indeed.
Even though I didn’t deserve it, I enjoyed Four Peaks brews and grub with the family afterward.
This race was only $35 and included a really cool long-sleeve running shirt. I’m starting to really appreciate Arizona Road Racers and the job they do. Simple, but efficient.
The stats: 5K in 17:30 minutes
The story: Decided yesterday that I would do a 30K race on Sunday. I was going to do a long run on Sunday anyway so might as well. Should be interesting. I have been taking it easy because of the hamstring. I figure I will either do extremely well because my legs are fresh or I will die from the lack of miles.
The 5K went well. Nothing too crazy.
