Back from Business Trip

*dusts off blog*

Hello? *tap* *tap*

Anybody still around?

Seriously though, I can't believe I haven't updated in two weeks. I spent the second week of December in L.A. on a business trip, where the only workout I managed to get in was a 1.5 hour ride on a recumbent bike. (The only bike the hotel "gym" had.)

I've managed to get right back into the swing of things though, so yay! I've been missing the swim workouts because of the pool being closed, but am hitting all of the bike and run sessions.

Yesterday was an hour easy on the bike. The plan said to find rolling hills, so I simulated that on my trainer by putting it into a higher gear for a few minutes every so often.

Last night Dr. Z and I went out and helped with the children's class. It was SUPER easy - no one-on-one training at all. Spent most of the time just kinda standing around. We got a half hour of private training afterwords as our reward. Well worth it!

Today was one of the toughest run workouts I've ever done: 20 minutes easy at 8:57 pace, then seven sets of 3 minutes at an 8:00 pace followed by a two minute recovery at 9:05. Finish that off with another 20 minutes easy, this time at 9:05 because I was TIRED. Total workout: 8.54 miles in 1:15. WOW!

Tomorrow is a well-deserved day off. (There's supposed to be an easy swim workout, but...POOL CLOSED.) I'll do some walking to loosen up the legs but that's it.

Swim and Run

Yesterday's swim workout went fairly well. I did 3x400 for my main set and hit 10:03 in the middle one. ALMOST a 2:30 pace. I'm looking forward to taking another swim lesson when I get back from L.A. I don't expect to ever be a fish, but I do need to get my long-distance speed down to 2:00-2:15/100, which I think is a perfectly reasonable goal.

Today was long run day. I did seven miles again. It took me longer than last week on the treadmill, but there's some nasty hills, a strong headwind, AND my hamstrings were killing me. I did keep it at my goal 9:00 pace with a time of 1:02:42.

Anyway, tomorrow will be hitting the pool and a short stint on the bike trainer. Sunday is my day off, which works out well since I'll be spending most of it travelling.

Let's see if I get up early Monday morning to do a long bike before meeting my client. At least I have the time zone change working in my favor!

Officially Signed Up! AAAAHHH!!!

It's official. I'm signed up for the Tinman 70.6 in June. Bib number 67. I've added a countdown at the top of the blog. AAAAAHHH!!!

Anyway, been a few frustrations lately. I cut yesterday's long swim short after not being able to crack a 2:45 pace. Dr. Z. keeps going on about how at least I'm not exhausted at the end and can go forever, but I've been looking at even MOP people's paces and that just won't cut it. I was hoping to see much more improvement between all the time I'm putting in and the lesson I took, but no luck. I'll definitely be scheduling another lesson after next week's trip. That brings up another annoyance with swimming: The pool will be closed for the holidays when I return. It's a college and everything closes down for winter break. ARGH!

On top of that, I had to bring the bike to the shop today. Turns out that I had the trainer drum too close to the wheel and have prematurely worn out my tire - to the canvas in one part! Now I have to go online and try to find a trainer wheel in a 650 size - they only had 700s.

So anyway, much frustration. Many technical and form issues to work out before my swim and bike are on par with my running.

Swam over a MILE!

You read that right. After an awesome 4.5 mile run this morning, I swam 2000 meters in 55:12. That's 1.14 MILES. How cool is that?

TrainerChick was there after teaching a water aerobics class, and unbidden gave me a tip on how to rotate to breathe without using my kick, so yet another form issue solved.

My average was 2:46/100, which sound pathetic, but I was still working out form issues in the first 500, hit my peak of 13:16 in the second 500, did the third 500 in 13:51 and had to fight both fatigue and a nasty foot cramp in the last 500, coming in at 14:05. So, I know I can do even better next time. I'll start with hitting under 55:00 and go from there.

YAY!

Training Back on Track

Training for the Tinman is finally back on track...for now. A second business trip, this time to L.A., may very well derail it, but I'll enjoy it while I can.

Saturday I swam for 1250 yards, doing a 200 yard warmup, 10x100, and then 50 yards to cool down. I left my watch home again, but stayed ahead of the woman next to me, which made me feel good.

That evening I did another speed workout, this timeon the trainer. 45 minutes of awesome pain.

Sunday was a much-needed day off.

Today I did my long bike - 90 minutes at a heartrate of around 140. My legs were all wobbly when I got off!

Tomorrow is a long swim (2000 YARDS!) and a run. After that, failure may come again as the stupid pool is closed Wednesday - Sunday for the holiday. Suckage.

First Swim Lesson, Great Long Run

Tuesday's swim lesson went really well. It was held in the endless pool, so TrainerChick was able to stand next to me and correct my form as I swam. Turns out I have good body position, but it goes to hell when I breathe, so I worked on rolling my entire body and tucking my chin in to breathe. Also, I was forcing the kick, so I worked on that as well. (TrainerChick: "Think mermaid!")

I ran on the treadmill right after since I was at the gym and boy was that a mistake. Had a terrible run. I do seem to remember that the treadmill I used is set a bit fast, so that might have been the issue.

Wednesday I got on the trainer for an hour easy. Kept the heart rate in the 130s. I find the monitor keeps me honest on the trainer since I can't measure distance. I was supposed to run after, but was SO exhausted from staying up late the night before that I bagged both that and Karate.

Yesterday was back to the pool to put what I had learned on Tuesday to practice. Unfortunately I was actually SLOWER than before. I know that I have to slow down to make corrections, but it was still very frustrating. Dr. Z suggested that I leave the watch at home for now and I'm going to use that advice. My plan goes by distance for swimming anyway. I'll start timing myself when the changes have been incorporated smoothly.

Today's long run went much better, which was nice. (Hey, I may not be much on the bike or swim yet, but dammit I can run.) I ran 6:75 miles in an hour despite a cold rain and a nasty headwind on the way back. It was definitely a "mental toughness" day, but I was rewarded by my fastest hour-long run in ages.

Tomorrow is a speed session at the pool and 45 minutes of intervals on the bike trainer. Sunday will be a much-deserved rest day with much watching of the football.

Back to Work(ing Out)

Lost of last week due to illness WHILE being at a work conference. Blech!

Anyway, finally getting back into it. I did 45 minutes easy on the trainer last night, which went well. Followed that up with 3.5 miles at an 8:43 pace this morning. I'm hoping to do another hour easy on the trainer after work, but am losing steam fast.

Tomorrow is my first swim lesson. I am so excited! Hopefully I can start to fix all my form issues and because if not fast, at least efficient in the water. Yay! Also will be running 3.5 miles easy again.

Great Wintery Run

Yesterday Dr. Z and I hit the pool again. I did 3x400 and came up with my usual ten minute-ish times. At the end, one of the local trainers who was leading a water aerobics class said, "You guys were working hard. I could make you so much more efficient. I'll bring a card to Karate." (Her kid takes classes.) It was like we were painful for her to watch, LOL. Dr. Z got there too late to grab her before the end of the kid's class, but I'm hoping to stop by the gym and pick up a card - I'd love to take lessons from her.

Last night's Karate class was pretty good. It was a TINY class - the flu is just rampaging through town right now. Half the people there were black belts. We worked sai for a while, then did conditioning drills, tae sabak drills, and a little bunkai. No sparring, but I think it was because the class was too small.

Today was my long run. It was AWESOME! 35 and no wind - perfect running weather for me. I covered almost 6.75 miles in an hour. Yay! I don't even feel wiped from it.

It's weird only doing one workout today, but no teaching Kid's Class because of Business After Hours. Must network!

Tomorrow is swimming, biking, and Karate.

New Tri Plan

My new Half-Ironman training program is going well so far. Did a long swim yesterday. I'm still slow, but getting better.

Last night's Karate class was wonderfully low-key, which I needed after a hard run and a hard swim. We did some sai, conditioning drills, and self-defense.

Ran again this morning - First time I've run two days in a row in a long time. It was a slow, easy run though - 3.2 miles in 30 minutes. Will be doing 45 minutes easy on the bike later today.

Tomorrow is a swim and Karate class. Easy!

Good Run

Did a 40 minute Z3 run this morning. Zone 3 unfortunately is just under a 9:00 pace nowadays, but I know that I'll get my speed back now that I'm running regularly again. I went about 4.53 miles. It felt great - I love running in the cold!

Looking forward to swimming during lunch. Have a 1500 yd set scheduled. It'll be the first time I've ever swam anywhere near that far without stopping, so it should be interesting.

Tonight is Karate. Really looking forward to that as well after missing last week completely.

Yep, that's three workouts today. Phew!

Unscheduled Day Off and New Plan

Ended up taking yesterday off, not even going to Karate. The car was in the shop all day and my period had just started, leaving me wiped. Thanks Mother Nature! (NOT!)

On a positive note, I'm starting a new training plan that's geared for Half Ironman. That's right, I'm doing Tinman in June! Haven't signed up yet because of money, but will soon. It's actually slightly more than a half IM, at 70.7 miles instead of 70.3. (The run is long, according to the website.) I think I'll be truly excited and nervous once I actually sign up...yikes!

Hitting the pool after work...can't wait! (Assuming it's not crowded...downside of going after work instead of during lunch.)

Tri Training Goes On

Not much new...been swimming and biking. Finally started to ease back into running on the treadmill, which my foot hasn't complained about so far. Getting a new pair of trainers didn't hurt.

Pool is going well. I can do 50 yards in 1:06, which is an improvement but I can't hold the pace for long. I've been going with Dr. Z., who can speed right by me in the next lane. My only solace is the fact that he burns out fast.

Biking is still about the same. I keep forgetting to pump up my tire a bit. It's way too soft - to the point where the resistance on the trainer is being affected.

Hoping to hit the gym today for a short run on the treadmill and some weight work. That is, if I can get my car back from the garage. (If only it were a bit warmer - I'd just bike over.)

Splashing Around in the Pool

Yesterday's pool workout went great! No wait for a lane; in fact, at one point I had the entire pool to myself.

The main part of my workout was 10x100 @3:00. I shocked myself and hit a couple 2:35'a. INSANE! (At least for me. I know a decent triathlete goes at sub-1:45 or at least sub-2:00) I had to stop at eight, but still. Between that, warmup, and cooldown I swam a total of 1600 yards. That's right - a mile! Sweet!

Did 75 minutes on the trainer this morning. Kept it fairly light since it was an endurance workout. It felt good, although that long on a trainer is mind-numbing, even with HGTV on.

Hoping to hit the gym later for weights and core.

Tomorrow: MORE swimming! And Karate!

No Running (For Now)

Went hiking up Big Slide on Saturday with Dr. Z. It ended up KILLING my foot, especially when I had to supinate to stay on the rocks. After the hike, my foot was really swollen and discolored and hurt like a sonofabitch.

I decided to ice it and give it overnight to feel better before going to Urgent Care. It hurt just as much in the morning, so it was off to the doctor's. The good news is that it's a pulled ligament, not a broken metatarsal. The bad news is that running is out, and as I found out at last night's class, is Karate. Sigh.

Biking doesn't seem to bother it - I did an hour on the trainer yesterday without problem. I even did a weight circuit.

I'm off to the pool shortly - we'll see how the foot handles swimming.

First Swim in Weeks

Got my shiny new gym membership yesterday, which...yay! That meant today I could hit the pool for the first time ever.

Although it's out in Saranac Lake, it took me less than fifteen minutes to get there, which, can't complain. I was worried about it being crowded, which seemed a well-founded concern at first with all the lanes full, but then a.) The lifeguard said it's "never this busy" and b.) a lane (occupied by none other than the awesome P.) opened up within 30 seconds. Sweet!

The 2000 meter workout my plan called for DID seem a stretch after not swimming for a month, and it was. I did a 300 meter warmup, 6x50 meters, then 7x100 meters at a 3:00 pace. Cooled down with 100 meters. So, not as ambitious as I hoped, but my arms were tired and I was running out of time anyway. (Whoever gave the time estimates for these swims were evidently using Phelp's pace.)

It just felt SO GREAT to be back in the water. If I have to be in a pool, at least it's a clean, close, and empty one. Can't wait to go again!

First Race Win EVER! YAY!

Saturday's Pumpkin Run 5K went better than I could ever imagine.

At first I wasn't confident of a decent time because it was FREEZING cold, gray and windy. Even during my warmup, I just wasn't "feeling fast." I started thinking, well what the hell, it's a nice little local race for charity. After Stride for Pride's great time, I can't get to upset at a slow time.

We all lined up. It was a small race - about two dozen people or so, a lot of teenagers. The gun went off and although my legs weren't tired per se, they did not feel speedy at all.

Somehow I still managed to find myself in third place overall, with one girl and one guy ahead of me. The guy was the same kid who dropped me in the last mile at Stride for Pride, but more on that later.

I didn't see any mile markers, so didn't check my watch the entire time. The first half was down Mt. Pisgah and all I kept thinking was, "Oh man, the second half back up the mountain is going to SUCK."

Hit the turnaround and the lead girl started flagging the minute we hit the uphills. I managed to catch her around mile 2.5 or so. There was an extra loop on the way back to make it a 5K, so I lost my feel for where I was on the course, and didn't realize I was near the finish line until I was on top of it. I only had 200 meters or so to open up and sprint. If I had known the course better I might have been able to shave a few seconds off my time AND catch the lead guy.

Anyway, I finished first woman, second runner in. Usually not a big deal since it was such a small race. The important number is my time, which was a season best 23:17.

It was a great way to end the season - a season best AND my first win.

Now, back to triathlon training and hopefully getting my endurance up in time to do Tinman next season. Getting my pool/gym membership today.

Last Taper Before Last Race

Did two miles easy this morning - 17:53 total. Tomorrow is the Pumpkin Run (I'm doing the 5K) and the last race of the season.

Last year at this time I was feeling beat up and actually cancelled my last race, but I've recovered from the 90-Miler and am kind of sad at the season ending. I guess I just have to look at it as time to build a decent endurance base and get ready for next season.

Anyway, hopefully I will do as surprisingly well as I did at the Stride for Pride, but we'll see. It'll be fun just getting out there and racing.

Long Run

Did an hour of running this morning in the snow. Made it even further than last week - 6.7 miles and stayed just under a nine minute pace. Yay! Once my running muscles come back I'll be able to go even longer.

Last night's Karate class was pretty much as expected - taught kata and bo, but did get some work with kama with Sensei.

Yawn...the constant cold, overcast weather is really zapping my energy. Hard to think about tomorrow, but will try to get on the bike, either outdoors or by finally getting the new trainer set up. (Need to bring the bike in for a tuneup and a trainer tire first.)

Rest Day...Mostly

Today would usually be a bike day for me, but seeing as it's 37 and alternating between rain, sleet, and snow, I'm thinking I'll take my first rest day in ages. Afraid once the front wheel wedge for my bike arrives, it's time to take her to the shop for one final tuneup, buy a trainer wheel, and put her in the living room for the winter. I can always take out Beast for a spin if it's nice.

Of course, I DO have Karate tonight, but it should be pretty low-key since they had sparring on Monday. Hope we get to work sai some more! (Or actually bo - I'm starting to get a little rusty!)

Tomorrow will be a long run, hopefully in better weather. Also helping to teach Thursday kid's class.

Wet Run

Headed out for some VERY soggy speedwork today. It was pouring and 50 degrees. Yuck! Got 'er done though. Ten minute warmup at 9:00 pace followed by 4x30 second strides for a total of fifteen minutes. Blah! It was great to get back inside and dry off.

Stride for Pride 5K

First off, I just looked at the lack of posts over the summer and apologize. I definitely need to get back to updating more often. Hopefully now that summer's winding down I'll be better about it.

Yesterday was the Stride for Pride, a local 5K for charity. Last year I took second overall, but was just going to do it as a fun run this year since I haven't been logging many miles on my feet.

It was rainy, cold and overcast. I was actually happy about it because 50 and drizzly is what I run the 5K distance best in. I did my usual warmup - about ten minutes of jogging with striders.

The gun went off and I was careful to pace myself - I have a long history of going out too fast and burning out around mile 2.5. I felt good and in control, so was very surprised when I hit mile 1 at 7:30. My first thought was "Oh crap! I'm going to pay for this in a mile!" I eased off the gas a bit and was actually talking a bit with the guy next to me.

I got close to the turnaround and realized (this is the great thing about a race that's out and back) that I was the second female runner. Crap. Now I was going to have to get serious.

I hit mile two at 14:50 and was incredulous. A negative split going 30 seconds/mile faster than I planned or hoped! I knew that all I had to do was hold on for another 1.1 or so and I would not only come in second, but run a close-to-PR race.

I did start running out of gas, but just kept commanding my legs to go. In the end, it was a good thing because as it turns out IronKid's younger sister was right behind me the entire time.

I crossed the finish line at 23:20. Unbelievable. A 7:30 pace on the dot, assuming a true 5K. (And I've heard rumor it may be closer to 3.2) The other great thing is that I paced almost perfectly the entire time, which has always been an issue for me.

So I was second female overall, first in my age group, beating by only, as in last year, IronKid. (She was hoping to break 20 and was disappointed with this year's 20:55. Poor baby! :-D )

So, I almost PRed after months of running less than ten miles a week. Amazing! Guess all that bike training paid off in ways I didn't see.

On the agenda for today is a nice, easy bike ride during lunch to shake out the legs.

Back to Tri

Now that the 90-Miler is over, I've been able to refocus on triathlon training.

I've actually been mostly biking and just getting more comfortable being clipped in. I'm getting much better, really. I had the seat adjusted, which made all the difference. Mr. Z got me a mirror, which is great to have. I actually hit 30.4 MPH going down the hill to River Road, which is cool.

Went running today and did a ten minute warmup run followed by 4x30 second strides. It went pretty well, although it was very short. I have an hour-long run scheduled on Thursday, so I should finally get some time on my feet then.

Found out today that Dr. Z. got me a trainer for my birthday. Yay! The bikes at the gym are very nice, but don't adjust for me well. Plus there's nothing like being on one's own bike. (Not to mention the convenience factor.)

Tomorrow will be a 75 minute bike ride and Karate if I have time to bike during the day.

THIRD PLACE! HOLY CRAP!

So much for burying the lead, right? Seriously though, Dr. Z. and I smashed all expectations, starting with finishing 1.5 hours under our time goal of 18:00 (16:31 finish) and ending with not only JOGGING one of the portages, but TAKING THIRD PLACE.

Day One we were both a bundle of nerves. It was FREEZING COLD that morning and we were shivering while waiting for the paddler's meeting and then the seven waves before us to go off. However, once the gun went off for us we settled into our long-distance pace and ended up surprisingly close to the front of the pack. We knew this would be our toughest day because of all the portaging, but we followed our game plan of alternating between yoking and shoulder carrying the boat. JewishMom rocked the hizzouse as Pit Crew, meeting us at every portage and handing us food that we ate while walking. We finished the day in 7:10 and were quite happy with that.

The morning of Day Two we checked the results and found out we were TWENTY TWO SECONDS away from third place after our worst day (i.e. the one that played against our weakness in the portaging). That's when we realized we had a VERY good chance of placing. Holy crap! Problem was, there was another boat only 2:30 behind us, making it a three-way dogfight for third. CRAP! We stuck to our game plan and just mowed people down on the open water. With only one portage the entire day, we finished the 31 miles in 5:35 and felt sure we had improved our position. Unfortunately we had neglected to note the numbers of the other two boats so we weren't sure.

Day three we were practically frantic to look at the results. We were in third place. Once again, HOLY CRAP! The other two boats were five and seven minutes behind us. Still a dogfight. We all got each other's number during warmup and everyone was going to be bringing their A-game, you could tell. The gun went off and as we expected, the other two boats went flying off in the distance. We planned to do what we had been doing and just wear them down. Unfortunately, they weren't slowing down, so we had to stay at the top end of our speed. We caught one boat before the first portage, but although we ran the portage they still passed us. For the rest of the day, we were chasing the other two boats. We FINALLY passed one of them with only a couple miles left to go, but we didn't know if they were the boat that was 5 or 7 minutes ahead, so we had to keep chasing the other boat hard. Despite a sprint finish, they came in 38 seconds before us. However, it was not enough to beat our cumulative time. (As it turns out, they were the ones that were seven minutes behind us.) I gave a paddle-five to the other woman, and complemented her on their speed that day. She replied that she "felt good [that day]".

So, I am now not only a 90-Miler, I placed third! WOW! And...OW. For anyone who runs, it was basically like doing a marathon two days in a row and then running a half-marathon at your 5K pace.

Just a Quick Note

...to say that I leave for the 90-Miler in 2.5 hours. Yikes! I'm so nervous - I've spent all spring and summer training for this event and it's finally here.

I shall be back on Sunday evening with a full race report.

Ack! So much going on!

Been tapering for the 90-miler, which starts in THREE DAYS! Yikes! Did the Round the Mountain route (10 miles) at a very slow, easy pace on Saturday. Definitely getting the tapering itch. One lap easy around Mirror Lake tonight and then it's off to the races. Eeep!

Tri training is going great. Did my longest bike ride ever, 15 miles, yesterday. Dr. Z is letting me use his old bike computer, so I now have exact distances, current speed, and average speed. It's awesome. Averaged 16.3 yesterday. Definitely have to work on that to be competitive.

Major breakthrough in swimming. I was getting frustrated with my slow speed that didn't seem to be improving, so I gave up on recording speed/distance and just went by time for a while, also getting used to my wetsuit. My swims FELT let they were finally going well, but still slow. However, yesterday I decided to go back to using the 200m buoy and measuring my speed. To my shock, I did the first 400 in a PR-blasting 11:10 and the second 400 in a second-best 12:18. Yay!

The one downside is that I'm losing my running fitness due to only running a few miles every week lately. My ankle is finally well-rested, but I've paid for it. Will be bumping my running mileage back up in order to be ready for the Stride for Pride race on the 27th. Thank God it's only a 5K!

Too Busy to Blog

Yeah, sorry about that.

Tri:
Still working the 3x Balanced Sprint program. Only missed one day so far - a 20 minute run that I just couldn't work around Sunday's 27 mile paddle. I did do an extra bike on Saturday though, because...

I BOUGHT A ROAD BIKE! I love her and have so far only crashed once while clipped in. Dr. Z had to order his, but bought clipless pedals for his hybrid. I'm still not comfortable taking her full speed, but I'm hoping to do so tomorrow.



I also swam in my new wetsuit for the first time last night. It went great - helped me float AND kept me warm despite the cold air temperature. (In fact, I was a bit overheated while swimming.) The only downside is that I can't zip it up by myself.

Paddling: The last Sundowner went really well - we had a sprint finish and just BARELY beat out this other couple. Didn't hit a PR, but there was a NASTY headwind. As mentioned, Saturday was our last tough workout - 27 mile "group" paddle that ended up just being us by ourselves because we were between groups.

So that's what's going on. Tonight will be a very light, easy paddle. Tomorrow is bike, swim, and Karate.

Final Prep for the 90-Miler and New Tri Plan

Saturday was our second-to-last long paddle before the 90-Miler. We did Day Three, just over 20 miles, in 4:06. So far it looks like we can adjust our original goal of 20 hours to closer to 18 hours. Yay!

Sunday we volunteered at XTerra. It had rained all night, making the bike and run course extra muddy for the competitors. It was a ton of fun - we were both pointers, and then I manned a run aid station while Dr. Z continued pointing. Dr. Z wants to do it someday, but I'm more of an on-road girl, at least when it comes to bike.

Monday I started Beginner Triathlete's "20 Week 3x Balanced Sprint" program as a start to increasing my endurance for tri. The first month is ridiculously easy on the bike and run (for me, anyway), which is perfect. It allows lots of extra energy to focus on paddling while allowing me to get my swim up to par.

So the first day called for a 24 minute bike (which was easy for me, like I said) in which I managed to cover six miles. I then did an afternoon "short" swim of 12 minutes. I'm getting more comfortable in the water, but not any faster. Managed 350 meters in that time.

Last night Sensei wasn't at Karate, so of course Sensei Sixpack had sparring. I sparred two rounds with Dr. Z and one round with one of the SkaterTwins. I am VERY unhappy with my sparring skills - must work that with Dr. Z at Friday night class.

Today's only workout called for a 12 minute run. Once again, easy. I upped the difficulty by aiming for an eight minute pace. I managed a 7:53 pace, so I was very happy with that. I haven't hit under eight much this season.

Tonight will be the last Sundowner (boo!), which with Fun Runs and Mini Tris already over signals the end of summer. Oh well. I'm kinda ready for the break, but kinda already can't wait for next season!

Tomorrow is a 32 minute bike in the morning with my longest swim ever (16 minutes) in the afternoon. Here's hoping I don't drown! LOL

In the evening is Karate, as always. We should be working Kata.

Last Fun Run of the Year

Last night was the last Fun Run of the year. Boo! It's always so sad - Fun Runs, Sundowners and Mini-Tris all end within a week of each other, so it's like saying goodbye to summer. Usually everyone disperses right after the fun runs, but there was a lot of loitering last night - I think everyone feels like I do.

Last night we did the Kiwassa out and back route. I elected to do the three-mile option instead of four because I really wasn't feeling well. As it turned out I made the right choice - it was also very humid and my legs were sore from biking on Wednesday.

With the Mini-Tri done and over with, it's time to focus on paddling. Tonight will be three or so laps around Mirror Lake, and tomorrow we'll be doing Day Three of the 90-Miler, which is about 20 miles or so.

Also today - Friday night Karate and (maybe) swimming.

Tri Report

Okay, here goes. Warning: Looooooong post ahead. Get yourself a cup of coffee and a comfortable chair.

I was nervous all freakin' day. I could barely work or do anything. Never pick an evening tri as your first one, that's for sure.

FINALLY it was 5:30 and time to go. After rechecking my bag, we headed up to the lake. I registered and got marked and my swimcap. Dr. Z of course just had to take pictures of my numbers. I arranged and rearranged my transition area a million times, and even remembered to put my bike in the gear I wanted to start in.

Got in the water after the pre-race meeting and did a few quick strokes just to warm up the arms a bit. I also ate some Chomps and hydrated well since it was in the mid-eighties.

I placed myself in the back of the pack since I'm a ridiculously slow swimmer, and the horn sounded. I felt strong and fast...for two or three minutes. Then I couldn't catch my breath. I had gone out way too fast. I panicked and finally ended up holding on to the sweeper kayak for a few minutes. Even when I started swimming again my form was completely gone. The 400 meters took me a redonkulous 15 minutes and also cost me a lot of energy. Amazingly enough I was only the SECOND to last person out of the water.

T1 went fairly well...found out later that it took almost 3 minutes...way too slow. A lot of that was having to tie and double-knot my running shoes. Bike shoes will make that go faster next time.

Bike was pretty good, although not as fast as I hoped - 52 minutes and change. That's when I had to let my original goal of a sub-1:30 finish go. I did, however, pass four people on road bikes while on my heavy-duty mountain bike, some while going UPHILL. Can I mash or what?

T2 went REALLY fast since I didn't have to change shoes - just drop off my bike and helmet.

I was hoping to run an 8:00-8:15 pace, but it was not to be. My legs still had plenty of juice, but my only long training has been paddling and I had no endurance left. My stomach was getting that "Nay, nay not today" feeling it got at mile 12 of the half-marathon last year. I kept it to a 9:00 minute easy pace and just focused on not stopping. I managed to pass another four or five people nonetheless, which was cool.

When I was coming down the homestretch, IronKid (who had finished literally almost half an hour earlier) cheered me on from the lake. I finished in 1:35 and change with a huge grin on my face. That was the most fun I've ever had competiting!

Anyway, I've been fully bitten by the tri bug and can't wait to do it again!

Tri Tonight!

Olga Run was amazingly well - it was blistering hot and humid, yet I ran the three miles in 24:10 at a pretty easy RPE to win my AG. I can't believe it! I've had to haul ass to hit that pace this season and Saturday it didn't feel that hard even in the heat.

Yesterday I took it easy - 400m swim and practice getting on and off my bike quickly. Amazing the little details you have to think about in tri!

Anyway, I'm super nervous but also super excited for tonight's Mini-Tri. T-4 hours and counting!

Gearing Up to Tri

Tuesday night's Sundowner went really well. We were only 12 seconds off our PR time despite a nasty headwinds (magically) both ways.

Wednesday I did my first brick ever. 10 mile bike followed by 1 mile run. Wow. Tough. My legs could barely move the first half mile. I was all proud of myself until Dr. Z mentioned his daughter (also just starting tri but currently a pro runner and gifted swimmer) doing a 18 mile bike/5 mile run brick. Sigh.

Wednesday night's Karate class was pretty good. We did a lot of self defense and also Kata.

Thursday I swam the mini-tri course again, doing the 400 meters in 13:44, a big improvement over last week. Last night's Fun Run was good - I did the 4.1 mile course in an easy 37:24. (Well, it WOULD have been easy if it hadn't been so hot and humid out.)

This morning's swim went even better - I did the course in 13:31, shaving another 13 seconds off my time.

Tonight will be an easy lap around the lake in the canoe, followed by a low-key Karate class.

Tomorrow is the Olga Run, which I will be running easy (hey, it's for charity) in order to rest up for the MiniTri.

Scoping out the Tri pt. 2

Went to the mini-tri again last night. There were a ton of beginners there - made me wish I had done it. I actually would probably have not been the last person in. Made me decide to do next week's, which is the last of the year.

Saturday I explored the bike course of the tri, and today I decided to check out the run course. Luckily they gave out good enough directions last night that I was able to follow it this morning. I completed it in 24:24, which is doing good whether it's 3 miles or 5K.

I'm hoping to do an easy swim this afternoon, but that might be unrealistic with the Sundowner canoe time trial tonight. We'll see.

Tomorrow starts my taper for Saturday's 5K. I'll definitely be swimming and going to Karate. Bike work remains to be seen. If I do it, I'll be going easy.

Busy Busy Busy!

Thursday night's swim was a bit of a disaster. It was the first time wearing my wetsuit (more on that later), which instead of making me faster like I thought it would, slowed me down. Mainly I wasn't used to wearing something so constricting while swimming and felt like I couldn't breathe. However, my suit was holding WAY too much water - we ended up going back to High Peaks Cyclery and exchanging it for an extra small. (Which took about 20 minutes for me to get into.) I'm a little leery of wetsuiting it up again - swimming's hard enough just in the swimsuit.

We ended up skipping the canoe lap around the lake since the swim and wetsuit exchange took so long.

Friday's 30.9 mile paddle was INTENSE. Only one carry at least. We did it in 6:37 despite getting completely lost at one point and having to spend a good while just sitting there trying to figure out where we were. We also had a NASTY crosswind all the way down Long Lake, which slowed us down.

Saturday we took it easy. We checked out the sprint tri bike route, which is 12.2 miles. It's tough though - a fun downhill bomb the first few miles, then rolling hills, and then a nasty climb back up to regain all that altitude. I also learned how to change my tires, as we put on my new slicks and thinner tubes.

Sunday was the St. Regis canoe race. We did good except for crapping out on the carry and came in first in our class. We were the third boat in out of 5 mixed stock boats.

Today's bike ride with the new tires went well - I managed a 47:50 time despite being sore and tired and there being a nasty wind.

Haven't decided on whether to swim today or not, but will definitely be spectating and cheering at the mini-tri tonight. There's only two left!

Tough Day

Tuesday totally kicked my ass. After the run and the swim, Dr. Z and I put in 8.5 miles of paddling hard. I slept like an absolute rock and woke up the next morning not sore, but worn out.

On a postive note, before the paddle, I bought my first ever wetsuit at High Peaks Cyclery. It took me over 15 minutes to get the damn thing on, but it fit great. They were having a 25% off sale on all wetsuits, so I was able to get a much higher quality suit than planned for only about $25 more than I was originally planning on spending.

I did my usual 12.2 mile bike ride in the morning. I was tired and there was a nasty wind, but I managed to keep it over a 15 mph pace at a time of 48:30. I was supposed to go swimming while Dr. Z was at Hapkido, but was waaaaay too beat. I listened to my body and rested until Karate.

Karate was a low-key class, which I expected. I spent the first 45 minutes teaching kata and then doing some review of my own. Sensei then spent most of the rest of the class talking about his trip to Okinawa. We also learned that we had all been tying our belts incorrectly. Poor Dr. Z. nearly blew a fuse trying to figure it out.

Today was another tempo run since there's no way I can do speedwork yet on this ankle. Did three miles in 24:31 again, but paced much better this time, running negative splits. Tonight will be swimming with my new wetsuit with Dr. Z. and then an easy lap around Mirror Lake in the canoe.

Tomorrow? A 30 mile paddle down Long Lake, doing the second day of the 90-miler. HELP!

Great Swim, Okay Tempo Run

Yesterday's swim went great - 300 meters in 9:15. It was a nice break after a not-so-good bike earlier in the day. I'm hoping to get out to the sprint tri buoy for 400 meters later today. That's the one thing holding me back from trying a sprint.

Speaking of which, Dr. Z. and I skipped Karate to watch the mini-tri last night. It was tons of fun - EltonJohn, IronDad and IronKid all competed and did great. IronMom is still trying to build up enough base to get back into it.

This morning's tempo run went pretty well considering that my ankle started bothering me again and I've barely run the past month. Three miles in 24:30. It's way off my times last year, but what the hell. I definitely won't be PRing again in Olga this year.

Anyway, I'm going to try for 400 meters of swimming this afternoon, and then it's a long paddle with Dr. Z. this evening since there's no Sundowner this week.

Tomorrow will be bike, swim, and Karate. Sensei will be freshly back from Okinawa, which should make class interesting.

Major Catch-Up Time and a Big Announcement

Hey All!

I'm going to do a quick overview recap since it's been three weeks.

Track meet went great. Blasted through my goal by doing a true mile in 6:37. There were three of us in the over-18 division and I came in second.

Saranac Flatwater Challenge was last weekend. We didn't do that great, but okay. Not too many people showed up but at least the weather was absolutely beautiful - warm and sunny.

IronMan was absolutely awesome, which brings me to my big announcement:

I'm doing IronMan in 2012.

God help me.

No More Sicky!

Well, the past two days ended up being a complete washout thanks to a bug I've been fighting off which left me completely drained of energy. I skipped Karate on Wednesday in favor of crashing on the couch, missing a good sparring class. Thursday I felt a bit better but decided to stay away from the Fun Run (which I was going to do as an easy run anyway) and take another day to heal up for the track meet. At least I didn't miss any quality workouts. (Aside from the sparring, which I really DO need to work on but wouldn't have taken part of anyway with a race this weekend.)

Today I'm back up to about 80 or 90% so I decided to go ahead with an easy three in my racers to prep for tomorrow. I did a couple slow laps on the track just to get a feel for it in my racers. I felt kinda silly because there was this hardcore there (spikes and all) getting ready to do some serious speedwork.

I was very happy because I was able to do it all without socks without getting a blister, which means that much less weight on my feet tomorrow.

Anyway, an easy lap or two around the lake tonight followed by some kata review in Karate. Tomorrow's my first track meet ever. Yikes!

Final Time Trial

Last night's Karate class was very low-key. We ran the kyu belts through basics and then broke them off for kata. It was Sensei's last class before leaving for Okinawa for two weeks.

This morning I did my last hard workout before the track meet - a 1600 meter time trial at the track. IronKid was supposed to join me to rabbit me to a 6:45-6:50 time, but was out late and overslept. (For which she was extremely apologetic.) Despite no pacer and a very nasty, strong wind on the backstretch I managed a 6:56. Missed my goal, but what the hell. It's nine seconds better than just two weeks ago.

Tonight is a Sundowner series.

Tomorrow, thank God, is a rest day.

Slight Injury

Thursday's Fun Run didn't go quite as planned. The route of the day was HillyMan. I came in at 32:27 (I think), which was okay-not-great. My PR on that course is under 31:00. It was the hills that got me - I managed to keep up with IronDad most of the way but he pulled away on the climbs and was too far ahead to chase down by the time we got back to the last half mile, which is flat. IronKid of course finished in under 27:00, but there's something wrong with her. LOL.

Unfortunately I twisted my ankle at the beginning (HillyMan starts off on the grassy park), so I couldn't run on Friday. Luckily it was only suppposed to be an easy four, so no big deal.

Saturday was the Northeast Open. My first event was empty-hand kata. I was going against a blue belt (surprising, but like me he had three years of training), and a brown belt (much closer to my rank). I took first by a hair. Coming in a close second, surprisingly, was the blue belt.

Weapons held an even bigger surprise. The only other person competing was a green belt who got bumped up to my division. I did the best Toye No Sai in my life, but she won. I was a bit shocked, to say, the least, but they must have scored us on a steep grade. After taking first in my last event I wasn't going to complain.

My last event was sparring, which didn't go nearly so well. They basically threw ALL of the over-18 females together. My first round fight was against the girl who ended up beating the second-place girl 5-1 in the final bout. I literally didn't score a single point on her. She was so good (not to mention a foot taller than me) that even Dr. Z. was like, "I don't know what to tell you except that she was a phenomenal fighter."

Sunday was 400-meter repeats at the track. I could only do four before my ankle gave out (I wanted to do five), but they went well - 1:34, 1:35, 1:37, and back down to 1:36. That's right - a negative split on the FOURTH. Sweet.

Dr. Z and I then did four laps around Mirror Lake later in the day. It took about 1:35 or so, but went very well.

Today's easy run was great. The double track workouts are really paying off because I ran four miles in 34:37 and it felt easier than ever.

Well, that's about it. Tonight is Karate - probably kata since Wednesday was sparring. Tomorrow will be tough - a 1600 meter time trial at the track followed by a Sundowner in the evening. Phew! Good thing I have Wednesdays off!

Updates, Getch'er Updates Here!

Here goes. *deep breath*

Thursday I skipped my pre-flight tempo run because my knee was really, really bothering me. I did, however, do a couple laps around Mirror Lake with Dr. Z so it wasn't a totally lazy day.

Friday I did a three mile walk-run in the heat with MomTook. Not the original plan, but some MORON had attempted to grease the squeaking treadmill, leaving OIL ALL OVER THE BELT. SO dangerous. Anyway, we headed out into the 95 degree, 95% humidity of the Gulf Coast summer and got it done.

Saturday we spent two freakin' hours looking for a damned track. We finally found ONE, but it was locked up tighter than Fort Knox. I ended up using the Pinellas Trail to do my speedwork. Much less exact, but what the hell. (And yes, the two-hour delay meant I didn't get started until after ten, which meant being in the heat AGAIN.)

Sunday was a day off. Left Florida, boohoo.

Monday was an easy four miles followed by Karate class. (In this case, LITERALLY followed by Karate class since I didn't have time to run during my lunchbreak.) We did Kata, which was awesome.

Tuesday was another 1600 meter time trail. I fell apart due to going out too fast - did the first lap in 1:37. What the hell. Made up for it by setting a new PR around Mirror Lake that night - broke 23:00! We then did two more laps, because we are awesome. Or insane.

Yesterday was a day off.

Tonight is a Fun Run. I shall post results later.

Tough Tuesday

Two grueling workouts yesterday. Glad I have today off to recover! (Of course, on Monday Sensei said we'd have sparring tonight, so it may not be much of a break after all.)

Started with my track workout. I did a 1600 meter time trial to see where I was at. Finished in 7:05. I'm ambivalent about that result - on the one hand, it's actually a 4 second faster pace than my 1500 last week, so yay. On the other hand, that is still not a great time, plus I know I have more speed than that. (I've run faster miles than that on the road during a 5K.)

Last night we had the third Sundowner of the year. Despite a strong headwind the entire way out, Dr. Z and I smashed our PR, coming in at an even 52 minutes. Yay!

So now I'm trying to recover and enjoying getting ready for a long weekend away in Florida. (Where yes, I will be doing my regular Saturday track workout at the school down the street from my mother. In the heat and humidity. Joy.)

Beating the Heat

The heat was still around for Friday's recovery run, which went a bit better but still less than a 9 minute pace. I only did three miles instead of four as well. The paddling went a LOT better though - Dr. Z and I set a new PR for going around Mirror Lake by quite a lot. Awesome!

Saturday's long paddle went pretty well - we did the first 18 miles of the 90-Miler. The longest part was driving all the way out to Old Forge in separate cars. It's almost as far as Albany! We're still having issues with portaging (shoulder carrys are giving me bursitis on my shoulders and Dr. Z's arthritis and bad rotator cuff can't handle the Paddleboy.), but we're figuring it out. The actual paddling went great.

Sunday's track workout was tough but good. I jogged the 1.75 miles to the track to warm up, and then did four 400 meter repeats with what was SUPPOSED to be 100 meter recoveries, but I didn't catch my breath quite that fast. The good news is that all four repeats were fairly consistent: 1:35, 1:36, 1:37 and 1:42. I then walked 800 meters around the track to recover and jogged the 1.75 miles back home.

Today was four easy miles in 34:47. It was the first run I've had in non-melting weather since Tuesday, which was nice.

Tonight is Karate, and tomorrow will be a 1600 time trial/tempo at the track and a Sundowner time trial in the evening.

Tough Fun Run

The temperature soared (for up here) to 87 yesterday, making for an extremely tough Fun Run last night. It was originally supposed to cloud up and start raining by the end of the day, but that never happened. While this made most of the runners happy, freak here who prefers running in a cold rain and can't stand the heat knew she was in for a rough time.

I managed the first mile in 8:11, not great, but not bad under the circumstances. Unfortunately I bonked shortly after and had to walk most of the way. I know that almost everyone put in a bad time because of the heat and humidity but I was about SEVEN MINUTES off, which, in a four-mile run, is bad. What the hell.

Today is Three Workout Friday. An easy four mile run, an easy one lap paddle around Mirror lake, and some light tournament training at Karate.

Tomorrow - paddle, paddle paddle!

Trail Report

The Mountaineer Trail Race went pretty damn well. The muddy, slippery conditions forced me to slow down my downhill bomb and as usual I had to walk a lot of the uphill, but I still managed to come in at 33:02, shearing off nearly 45 seconds from last year's time. This is especially awesome as 1.) I couldn't bomb the downhills, as a nasty spill in the mud finally convinced me, 2.) I actually took a wrong turn (I was the first runner at that point) and lost some time there and 3.) I lost time during said fall.

Because none of the hardcores showed up, my time was good enough to land me third overall. Sweet! My prize was a voucher for a new pair of trail runners, which officially makes this the first profitable race ever for me.

Sunday Dr. Z and I did a very long paddle with more carries than I've ever done in my life. Exhausting, especially after racing the day before. In fact, I actually ended up skipping my usual two-mile recovery jog.

Yesterday was an easy run. I was still very, very sore so I only did three miles in a very slow 26:40. It felt like a tempo run I was so achy and tired.

Because I was still hurting and knew I had a tough track workout the next day I took it very easy in Karate last night. The black belts worked some kata for a while, then we did a whole bunch of bunkai, which I mainly just stood around and helped during.

Today's track workout was awesome. I LOVE track! I jogged the 1.5 miles there to warm up, and then met Dr. Z at the track, where he went over the basics (such as which way you run) and then it was time for a 1500 meter time trial. Although I've run FASTER 1500s at my peak, this was the TOUGHEST 1500 meters I've ever ran. I came in at 6:42, which isn't too bad, especially since there was a very nasty headwind on the front stretch. I'm hoping to hit around 6:00 even for the meet.

In any case, the trail race went really well and I can't wait to get back out on the track next week!

Last Taper

...and tomorrow, we race!

Did an easy two miles in 17:57. Man is it warm and humid out. Blech. It's looking like the trail will probably be pretty messy for tomorrow's race. Good thing I bought trail runners! Maybe I should have gotten ankle gaiters too. Of course, it wouldn't be a trail race if you didn't end up with mud and dirt halfway up your legs and back.

Tonight will be an easy lap around the lake (since I have a race tomorrow) and Karate.

Wish me luck tomorrow!

Taper Taper

Yesterday I definitely felt the results of the circuit training class followed by Tuesday's tempo run. I could barely WALK, forget running. Luckily it was my day off anyway.

Karate class was not good. We had to come up with bunkai, or self-defense from our kata and then show Sensei. I totally froze and not only came up with only five instead of the eight required for black belts, I totally blanked and could only remember two when it was time to show Sensei. Suckage. Oh well.

Today's run was tougher than it should have been because I'm still a bit sore plus it's humid and raining. I did four miles in 34:42. I decided to skip tonight's Fun Run since the competitor in me has trouble dogging it when there's other people around. I might still go to hang out - depends on if the weather improves or not.

Tomorrow will be a two mile jog and some light Karate.

Saturday - TRAIL RACE! YAY!

Fun Run Pics

Here's some pics from the first Fun Run of the year:



And we're off! (That's me in the aqua tank and black shorts.)



Dr. Z loves to road dog.

Great Tempo Run

Just had an awesome tempo run this morning. I did my 3.5 mile hilly route in 27:51, meeting my goal of a sub-8 minute pace. What made that truly impressive is that my legs are actually already killing me from a circuit-training class I did last night. (Not something I usually would have done the night before a tempo run but it was through the Learning Circle and I hadn't seen those girls in ages.) I'm feeling strong and ready for the race. At least, I will once I can walk again.

Tonight is a Sundowner. Hope I have the energy to do well after this morning's hard workout. The trail race on Saturday has forced me to do my tempo on the same day - can't wait to get back to doing it on Monday instead.

Tomorrow will be a day gloriously off except for Karate. Gotta rest my legs for Baxter Mountain!

Madrid Madness

Saturday I attempted to run nine miles at a 9:00 pace after skipping my long run two weeks in a row. Mistaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake!! I actually managed the first seven miles, but after another half mile, including going up the hill from River Road, I decided to walk the last mile and a half. I would have run-walked the rest of the way, but Dr. Z and I had a canoe race the next day so I didn't want to push it.

Sunday's race went okay. It was our longest race ever - 13 miles. Only two other stock boats showed up, but I think most of them showed up for the shorter stock race (nine miles) the day before. We were creamed by the other two boats, but they were both men only. I will admit I wasn't happy with our performance, but after last week's race I can't complain.

Today's easy run went well - 4 miles in 34:37. I eventually want "easy" to be an 8:30 pace, but I don't want to go any faster until 8:40 feels ridiculously easy.

Tonight will be a strength-training for women seminar. Probably won't learn anything I didn't already know, but you never know, plus I haven't seen this group of friends in ages.

Tomorrow will be a tempo run and a Sundowner. Woohoo!

First Fun Run of the Year

Wednesday was a total rest day for me - even skipped Karate so I'd actually have an evening off for once.

Yesterday was the first Fun Run of the year, now run by the good people in Sports Medicine. IronKid and her sibs showed up, which was awesome. (She, of course, was out of sight after the first half-mile.) I ran the 4.13 mile course in 32:42 for an 7:56 pace, a personal best on that course and seventy seconds faster than last year's times. It started POURING during the last mile or so, but it actually felt really good at that point. Hopefully I'll be able to get back under 31:00 next time I run the Fun Run hard in two weeks. (Next week I'm doing it as a jog because of the Mountaineer Trail Run.)

Today is going to be a bunch of easy workouts - an easy four-mile run, an easy lap around the lake before Karate, and a low-key Karate class.

Tomorrow will be my third attempt at running nine miles at a nine-minute pace.

First Place!

The Tupper Lake 9-Miler went really well. How well? We took first in our division for the first time. Yay! We actually beat this couple who always beat us last year. The difference is back when we were both in rec class, they had a longer boat, giving them an advantage. Now we have boats which are the same length and weight and we kicked 'em. The other difference is that for the first time we actually had an awesome start at the gun, hitting 7.0 and then settling nicely into our race pace. (Usually we get a slow start and spend the rest of the race playing catchup.) We came in middle of the pack of all the stock boats, which isn't bad for only our second race in stock class.

Sunday was my long run, wherein I learned a Very Important Lesson: Peanuts are a terrible pre-run food. I know, big ol' DUH. I had to stop after four miles for fear of vomiting peanut butter. Unfortunately, that means a second week in a row with no long run.

Yesterday's hill workout (last one before the Mountaineer trail run) went really well. I upped it to four repeats, which I finished in 14:44. My legs now feel nice and strong for climbing Baxter Mountain.

Last night's Karate class was also good. After teaching kata for a little while, we all geared up and sparred. I was severely out of practice, but Sensei gave me some good pointers since he's short like me. (It was also tough because I rely on speed to make up for my lack of reach and size, but couldn't move fast because my legs were tired from the hill workout.)

Today was an easy four miles, which I finished bang on schedule in 34:40. I got rained on, but I love running in a cool rain.

Tonight will be a lap around Lake Placid. Gotta get ready for the Madrid Canoe Weekend on Sunday!

Tomorrow is my day off, with Karate only.

Not-So-Easy Easy Run

Yesterday's circuit around Kiwassa went really well, although we did have wind yet again. We finished in just under 50 minutes, so we still have work to do, but we didn't want to push too hard anyway since we have the Tupper Lake 9-Miler tomorrow.

Today's easy run was surprisingly tough. First of all, my legs were tired from yesterday, then my blister patch ripped and I ended up bleeding into my sock (as I discovered post-run). The heat and wind didn't help. I was hoping for a 8:40 pace but came in at 34:53 for an 8:44 pace. Oh well.

Tonight will be tournament prep with Dr. Z. I have been totally neglected Karate lately because of all the paddling and running but have to get serious about getting ready for the Northeast Open.

Tomorrow is the Tupper Lake 9-Miler. Woohoo!

Prep for the Mountaineer's Trail Race

The first Sundowner time trial (kind of the paddling equivalent of a Fun Run) went okay. I wasn't happy with our placement (last, although we WERE paddling against serious hardcores) or our time (not as good as last year, but it's still early in the season). Hopefully we'll get faster as the season goes on. We always do. We're still trying to figure out the best way to do buoy turns in the longer boat.

Yesterday was a rest day from running and paddling. As it turns out, good thing because the Sundowner really torqued my SI joint out of place. As it was, the black belts spent most of the class watching the kyu belts perform their kata as if it was a tournament and I ended up having to sit because the standing in one place was KILLING my back. On a positive note, a few old students I hadn't seen in ages showed up, which was very cool. Also, the black belts got to work on Toye No Sai for the last twenty minutes of class. I managed through it with my back, but just barely.

Today's tempo run went okay. I started from my usual spot, ran up Colden Ave, around the lake and back down. It's about 3.5 miles (guesstimate) and it took 28:29. In retrospect, I actually held back a little I think. I am REALLY feeling the improvement from doing the hillwork. My legs are nice and strong again. I'm feeling ready for Baxter Mountain, which is good since it's only a little over two weeks away.

Tonight will be a four mile paddle around Kiwassa. Dr. Z. and I were originally planning something longer, but we paddled hard on Tuesday and have the Tupper Lake 9-Miler on Saturday.

Tomorrow will be an easy day, with four miles easy and Karate with Dr. Z. Also, a trip to the chiropractor. I was originally going in for a knot in my back that's affecting my stride AND my paddling form, but may have to have the SI joint taken care of instead and come back for the knot later. We'll see.

Hill Repeats

Did my second-ever hill workout today. Three repeats up Olympic Drive in 13:33. Since my watch wasn't working last time, I had no idea how SHORT my hill workout is. Oh well - it still kicks my ass. Hopefully I'll be doing even more repeats by the time the Mountaineer's Baxter Mountain Trail Race comes around - the first mile straight uphill really killed me last year. (Plus the Froggy Five Miler will most likely be my next race after that and...ditto on the uphill part.)

Tonight is the first Sundowner. I'm very excited to see how we do in the new boat compared to last year. Along with the Fun Runs starting next week it seems that summer has officially arrived. Now if only someone will tell the weather that.

Tomorrow is a day off with nothing but Karate.

Freihofers! And JOAN BENOIT-SAMUELSON!!!!

Well, Freihofer's was INSANE. 500 more people showed up than last year for a total of over 3600. (Over 4000 people actually registered.) Here's a picture so that you can see what 3600 runners trying to fit on one standard two-lane street looks like. I literally walked the first half mile and jogged the second half mile. (My one mile split was 9:30, including the minute it took me to cross the start line.)



I finished in 24:45 according to my watch, which means that my last two splits were around 7:42 - Not bad at all for this time of year. Still not as good as last year, but I seriously think the additional runners had something to do with it, because although my official time was worse, as was my placement, I finished slightly higher percentage-wise - 14.6%.

So, I was so-so in my happiness. That goal of top 10% still eludes me. Dr. Z was laughing because I was already coming up with strategy for next year while COOLING DOWN.

Anyway, the most exciting part of the day was MEETING JOAN BENOIT-SAMUELSON. That's right, bitches! She did a signing in the health expo. She autographed a picture of herself winning Boston with "To Veronica: Run in good health for many miles to come. Joan Benoit-Samuelson." Needless to say, it's already framed and hung.

The woman is incredible. 52 years old and she finished well under 18 minutes. Yes, that's right. She's almost old enough for AARP and her 5K pace is sub-6:00. She came in 25th overall, pretty much beaten by only the 20-and-30-something elites.

Here's a pic - don't mind the stars in my eyes:



Anyway, it was an okay race, but I'm hoping to do better next year.

Almost Freihofer Time

...and by that, I don't mean scarfing down an entire box of their scrumdiddlyumptious chocolate-chip cookies in one sitting. Not that I've ever done that. Ahem.

Last night's Karate class was great - worked on bo while the lower ranks warmed up and then spent the rest of the night doing a slow, thorough review of kata together as a class. My only regret is that my energy level was at -4539 and I couldn't properly enjoy it.

Today's run went fairly well. I ran four miles in 35:12, with a few strides thrown in just to make sure I was ready for the fast footwork of a 5K. My hamstrings are feeling sore, which I'm very unhappy about this close to a race, but they have close to 48 hours to recover.

Tonight will be paddling - probably two laps around Mirror Lake.

Tomorrow is two miles very easy in my new street racers and maybe some VERY low-key Karate.

Awesome Holiday Weekend

Memorial Day weekend ROCKED. First off, I haven't had a day off work since dinosaurs last roamed the earth, so the break was Most Welcome. Secondly, Dr. Z and I kept busy with fun outdoorsy stuff.

Saturday I stretched my long run up to nine miles. Dr. Z road-dogged and remarked the mile and half mile points. Turns out his bike computer was a bit generous with its definition of "mile", meaning I haven't been running as fast or as far as I thought. Boo!

I kept my goal 9:00 pace for most of the way despite the increased distance between miles, but ran out of gas around mile 6. I didn't have to stop and walk or anything, but I slowed down to more a 9:15 pace around mile 6. I walked the hill up from River Road after my legs said, "Oh HELL no" to running it (I tried a couple times). I finished in 1:23 for a 9:12 pace. I'm hoping to hit a 9:00 pace at that distance next time. (Which is my goal before upping to ten miles.)

Sunday we went white water rafting down the Hudson. It was AMAZING! We had an awesome guide, Todd, who was covered in tattoos and told dirty jokes the entire way. Flatwater just seems so boring now! They even fed us both lunch and dinner. The only downside was that we were put with a group of guys from Jersey who weren't even TRYING to paddle. In fact, at one point one of them sat in the MIDDLE OF THE RAFT and was dead weight. Dr. Z and I are definitely going again, but are equally definitely bringing our own group along next time. Here's some pics of us hitting a Class 4:

Monday was our long paddle. We did the first fifteen or so miles (forgot the GPS) of the 90-miler. It went fairly well, although we did not have a good portage at Barlett's Carry. The Paddleboy kept snagging on rocks and such. We definitely still have some bugs to iron out when it comes to portaging.

I also ran an easy four miles in 35:00 on Dr. Z's treadmill.

Yesterday was my last tempo run before Freihofer's. I did 3 REAL miles (now that they're remarked) in 24:19. I wasn't happy with the time, but not only is it farther than before, there was an incredible headwind the entire way back.

We also did an easy lap around Mirror Lake last night to shake out our arms. It took over 27 minutes, but we weren't pushing ourselves and were both tired from the paddle the day before.

Today is FINALLY a day off. All I have is Karate. (Even if we have sparring it'll be an easy day since I never spar right before a race. Too much chance of getting injured.)

Tomorrow will be an easy four miles and paddling.

Easy Day after a Hard Paddle

Last night's paddle was...interesting to say the least. The wind was crazy once again, making it very challenging. Our speed was about the same as Tuesday but at least my muscles weren't killing me like they were on Tuesday.

Today was an easy run day. I did an easy four miles in 34:59. My legs were only a little tired from yesterday's hill workout, so I'll probably up it to three hill repeats after Freihofer's.

Tonight is Karate and hopefully brushing up my kata for the Northeast Open.

Tomorrow will be a nine-mile slow run. First time going that far since the half-marathon last September! Didn't think I'd be up to nine miles this early in the season, but so far 6,7, and 8 miles have gone great.

First Hill Workout Ever

Tuesday's paddle was TOUGH. I hadn't realized how sore I was from Round the Mountain, but an easy four mile paddle around Kiwassa was GRUELING.

Last night's Karate class was pretty quiet. Once again, Sensei wasn't there. We worked the lower ranks through drills, kata and then some orryo.

I just did my first hill workout ever - I started from my usual spot, ran up Colden Avenue up to Main Street and then did two repeats up Olympic DR. Wow. I'm not feeling it yet but I'm sure I will tomorrow. Dr. Z wanted me to be conservative since it was my first hill workout ever and I have Freihofer's in nine days. I have no idea what my time was since my watch battery wore out today, but it wouldn't help much anyway since I have no idea what the distance is.

Tonight will be another paddle workout, followed by an easy three or four miles and Karate class tomorrow.

Tough Weekend

Round the Mountain was on Saturday. Oh. My. GOD. The wind was INSANE. At least three boats went over and another three had to be towed in by the sweeper boat. Lifejackets were required and there were multiple checkpoints where they were tracking boat numbers. Quite frankly, I'm surprised Mac still held the race, but he does 1000-mile races up in the Yukon, so this probably was nothing to him.

Dr. Z and I did fairly well considering it was our first time racing in stock class. Our actual time sucked (2:00:33), but we were third of four teams in our class (coming in 1:30 and 2:00 behind second and first place, respectively) AND we beat a total of four stock C-2s to the finish. We would have done even better, but made a strategic error in the beginning, trying to cut straight across the lake instead of hugging the shoreline (which is the long way around) and getting blown every which way, which cost us a LOT of time. We DID have a kick-ass portage though and actually PASSED A TEAM while portaging.

Sunday was a long run day. The wind was still vicious, so I opted for Dr. Z's treadmill. I ran 8 miles at a 2% incline in 1:11:30 for an 8:57 pace. Awesomeness!

Yesterday was a well-deserved easy day, doing a slow 5K around the lake in 26:42. (I actually did most of it slower but decided to bomb the last half-mile, which is all downhill.)

I had to miss Karate to work, which is too bad since they had sparring last night. Dammit!

Off for my three-mile tempo run. (And paddling tonight.)

Back Under Eight

Yesterday's tempo run went well despite the high winds. I managed to run three miles in 23:55. It turned out to be a good thing Dr. Z and I decided to paddle on Wednesday instead because there was no way in HELL paddling in that wind would have been safe.

Today I decided to up my "easy pace" to 8:45 instead of 9:00 in light of my increasing speed on tempo runs. I had tired legs but managed it exactly, finishing three miles in 26:15.

Tonight - Karate - hopefully tournament prep. I have to get ready!

Tomorrow is the first canoe race of the year - Round the Mountain. Can't wait!

Easy Run on Tired Legs

Last night's class turned out to be a surprise - sparring! It went much better than the last sparring class, although two of the people I fought were only yellow belts. I fought a black belt twice my size and as Dr. Z said, "Mopped the floor with him." I also fought Sensei Sixpack, who as usual mopped the floor with ME. He said I did well though and also complemented my restraint with the yellow belts.

Unfortunately doing a tempo run and a sparring class yesterday meant that my legs were absolutely dead today. I did an "easy" three miles in 26:16, but definitely had to work at it more than I usually would have.

Tonight Dr. Z and I are going to do the Round the Mountain route. Should be a beautiful day for it, aside from a bit of wind.

Tomorrow is a REST DAY. Even Karate should be physically easy since we sparred yesterday. Thank God. I want to be well-rested for Thursday's tempo run.

Almost a Breakthrough

Very busy weekend - Friday night was Karate. Dr. Z and I spent most of the time helping out one of the yellow belts who showed up, so I didn't get in as much work as I hoped. Oh well.

Saturday's long run went AWESOMELY well. I had bumped it up to seven miles in light of how easy last week's six-miler was. As always, my target was a 9:00 pace. I ended up blowing that away by finishing in 1:01:21 for a 8:46 pace with plenty of gas left. (I actually practiced my kick and sprinted the last ten or so meters because I had so much left over.) I'm definitely upping it to eight miles this week.

I also went to Blue Line and stocked up on shoes. Dr. Z had to go anyway AND my current trainers are almost up for replacement. I mentioned to Sally (my shoe guru - GO SEE HER and tell her I sent ya) that I had never gotten my money back on the Sauconys I had to return because they WORE OUT after LESS THAN TWO HUNDRED MILES. She checked and guess what? They had lost the paperwork. In return, she GAVE me my new trainers for FREE. YES. As a thank you, I checked out their huge shoe sale and picked up some trail runners for THIRTY BUCKS. Yes ladies and gentlemen, I picked up trainers and trail runners for a total of thirty bucks. I am that good.

Sunday ended up being a rest day since Dr. Z still couldn't paddle. It was really crappy weather anyway - 30's, rainy and windy. In freakin' MAY. Blech.

Today's tempo run went exceptionally well also. I didn't quite break 8:00 yet, but came DAMN close with a three-mile time of 24:03. A little more practice and a little less wind and I should be back under an 8:00 pace for the 3-4 mile distance. YAY!

Tonight is Karate (God knows what we're doing with Sensei back and fresh from Florida) and tomorrow will be my core work and a long paddle in preparation for the Round the Mountain on Saturday.

Yay for Friday!

Just did an easy three miles in 26:32. It felt great!

Tonight is Karate, which should be mostly tournament prep for the Northeast Open coming up.

Tomorrow will be my first seven mile run since SEPTEMBER. Yikes! Hopefully it'll feel almost as good as my six-mile "long" run last weekend. (Which is why I'm upping it.)

Blah Weather, Blah Run

Did a 6 mile paddle with Dr. Z on Tuesday, which went really well, although I was tired from my tempo run earlier that day. We finished in about 1:25 or so.

I took yesterday off completely, needing to give my poor body a break. It felt great.

I thought I'd be raring to go on my tempo run today, but the overcast drizzly weather took the wind out of my sails a bit. I still went out there, aiming for an 8:05 pace after Tuesday's 8:08 paced run. Although I hit 1.5 miles at 8:08 and 2 miles at 16:10, I quickly fell off my pace during the last mile and came in at 24:36 for an 8:12 pace. Blech. Part of it is that my leg muscles were tired, probably from trying to get back into running. In any case, I was not happy with my time.

Tonight will be weights since Dr. Z can't paddle.

Tomorrow will be another light day - 3 miles easy followed by a low-key Karate class.

Hiking and Running

Yesterday's hike up Catamount was a lot of fun. We didn't make it all the way since JewishMom and I were the only non-injured people, but we had a blast anyway. Here's some pics of "Pip and the Gimps" as JewishMom called us.


Me and the Gimps



Me going up the chute



Taking a break

Today was an easy three miles in 26:20 - the weather was perfect! Shame it wasn't a tempo day.

Tonight will be Sensei's first night back to Karate since his month-long trip to Florida. Should be...interesting, to say the least.

Tomorrow is a tempo three miles and paddling.

Great Long Run

Just got back from a great long run. I did six miles in 53:34 and it felt really good. It was such a good run that I'm going to do seven miles next week. I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up that nine mile pace, but I won't increase it again until I can.

After I recover, I'll have to do upper body work for paddling and then more core work.

Tomorrow is hiking Catamount with JewishMom and other fine ladies.

Easy Run, Easy Day

I did core work last night, but got lazy and didn't do my paddling strength training. My bad.

Did an easy three miles today. There was wind as always, but I finished in an easy 26:12, and that was with backing the hell off at the end because I was above my target pace. (I had been aiming for 9 minute miles.)

Tomorrow is a six mile long run, along with weight training. (For real this time.)

Good Tempo Run

Last night's Karate class was pretty good, although I had to really drag myself to go. Sensei SixPack, Dr. Z. and I were the only blackbelts there so we rotated through teaching different groups of adults and kids with their kata. After the kids left, we worked competition presentation. We went in order of rank, which meant I had to do chinto after Dr. Z. killed on his. Oh well. He's practically a sensei and I just barely got my black belt. After we all went through and presented our kata, we moved on to stick defense, which was fun.

Today's tempo run went much better than last week and Tuesday. The weather was cool, dry and sunny and the wind had FINALLY died the hell down for once. I managed three miles in 25:58. Still not a great time, but a definite improvement. I'm going to try for an 8:10 pace next Tuesday.

Tonight will be some weight work for paddling plus core work for both paddling and running.

Tomorrow is an easy three miles. Dr. Z wanted me to run Friday night Karate class, but I think I want a chaperone the first time I run class, so I'm holding off until he gets back and will do it next Friday.

No Paddling After All

The beautiful 80 degree sunny day we were having turned into a vicious 50 degree pouring rain, so when I got to the boat launch in Saranac Lake, Dr. Z had already decided that seven miles in that kind of weather was NOT a good idea, especially since I'm still recovering from being sick. He's out of town from Thursday until Sunday, but hopefully we'll be able to do that route next Tuesday. We're also missing the Canton Canoe Weekend because of his trip. Between weather, trips and illness, we're certainly getting off to a slow start for a year when we're supposedly focusing on paddling. Oh well.

Today is a much-needed day off. It's nice and sunny out (although much cooler), so I'll probably play in the gardens a bit. Other than that, it's Karate (likely a kata class) tonight.

Tomorrow, another three mile tempo run, hopefully more successful than yesterday's, and some upper body weight work in lieu of paddling.

Behind Schedule

Last night's Karate class was non-stop sparring. Between having run earlier AND it being in the eighties - tough. Took a nasty hook from Dr. Z that had me seeing stars. Boy am I out of practice!

The frustration continued this morning when I went for a three mile tempo run and it took an incredible 26:05. Did I have, like, concrete in my shoes or something? I decided to cheer myself up by looking at what I was doing last year at this time and was greeted by FOUR mile tempo runs in 32:30 or so. FUCK. Excuse my language, but rather than being ahead of last year, I'm majorly behind.

I know everything will work out and I've been in running slumps before, but God DAMN.

On a positive note, paddling the last seven miles of the Round the Mountain race tonight. At least I'll feel a bit more prepared for it this way.

Tomorrow - Pretty much a day off except for what will no doubt be a low-key Karate class (since we had sparring yesterday). I may run an easy two miles as punishment for my slow performance today. Haven't decided yet.

Back to Monday

Friday night's Karate class went fairly well. Dr. Z and I managed to work on some black belt katas. Only one other student, a yellow belt, showed up, so Dr. Z alternated between grilling him and working with me.

Saturday we had PLANNED on using the 80-degree weather to do the Round the Mountain course. Unfortunately, the fierce wind had other ideas. After 3 miles in a dangerously strong wind, we took a break, then said screw this and turned right back around. Although we ended up drastically shortening our paddle, it was so tough that it was still a good workout. I'm still not happy though - I'm feeling very underprepared for the actual race. It's almost 11 miles and the most we've done is six. Unfortunately Dr. Z is going to be out of town Thursday-Sunday so we won't get another weekend to try again.

Yesterday was supposed to by my long run, but after running around Plattsburgh all day, I just didn't have the energy. (It being cold and overcast didn't help.) My bad. Freihofer's is practically around the corner so I have to stop goofing around.

Today will be 5K easy with my new toy I bought yesterday - an IPOD! Yes, after three years I finally replaced the one that broke in the move to NY. And no worries - I'm running a route that's all sidewalks and has lots of people on it, so it's relatively safe to listen to some tunage.

Tonight will be Karate - sparring if I have to guess.

Tomorrow - paddling and a 3 mile tempo run.

Running and Paddling

The new boat is working out great. Dr. Z and I managed to get out for a lap around Mirror Lake on Tuesday, blasting our old PR. Unfortunately yesterday was 36 and windy, so we settled for doing some upper body weight work instead.

I'm trying to get back into running after a week off. I started Wednesday with an easy three miles. I did an 8:41 pace and it felt great. Unfortunately yesterday's tempo run didn't go nearly as well - the aforementioned 36 and windy weather really affected me. I hit the 1.5 mile marker in a planned 12:10, but turned around into the wind and slowed down so much it took me 13:32 to get back, ending up almost the same pace as the day before with a hell of a lot more effort. Oh well, better luck next time. Yesterday was also Lake Placid Sports Medicine's annual running clinic. I found out that despite the fact that I supinate while standing and walking, I actually OVERPRONATE when I run. Astounding. Everyone was gathering to look at the film of me running. My extremely bowlegged lower legs make for an interesting running form, to say the least. I also found out from two stations that I need to incorporate core work into my training two or three times a week. I didn't think I'd get any new information since I had gone last year, but I'm thinking I should go every season because they always find something for me to work on.

Karate on Wednesday was all teaching unfortunately, but whatcha going to do? I at least had some good students to teach in the adult class. (Unfortunately I can't say the same about the children I ended up teaching first, but I managed to at least keep them busy for the duration of class.)

Today will be an easy three miles again, followed by Karate tonight.

Tomorrow - paddling the Round the Mountain route!

Back in Karate

Karate class last night was cool. We did sparring, but not "normal" sparring. We started with sparring in the normal ring, but then narrowed the space to only four gym squares, and then to only one, which is so small two people can barely FIT, forget FIGHT. Dr. Z also did a couple "2 on 1" rounds, taking on two kyu belts at a time. Lots of fun!

After that, we worked knife defense for a while, also cool. It just felt great to finally make it into class!

Stomach was iffy this morning, so instead of a run, I walked my 5K course. Mainly I need to build muscle strength after months of running on a treadmill anyway. Mirror Lake is completely open, so Dr. Z and I will FINALLY be taking our new boat out for a spin tonight! YAY!

Paddle-Free Weekend :-(

Saturday I went for my long run as planned, even giving up a hike with JewishMom, Dr. Z and a few others. I ran six miles in 53:52, making me very happy as I haven't run that far since last fall. It felt pretty damn good too.

Sunday Dr. Z and I were SUPPOSED to take our new canoe out on the water and get six miles in, but the weather decided otherwise. Despite it being APRIL, it was in the TWENTIES with wind gusts up to 30 MPH. It was simply to unsafe to go out. Unfortunately that means only a couple casual paddles before the first race of the year on Sunday. What the hell.

Today I did an easy four miles in 25:43. Well, it would have been easy if the wind hadn't been blowing for the THIRD RUN IN A ROW. ARGH! Headwind the entire way back and not a light one either. Man. I just keep telling myself that all this wind training is making my legs stronger.

Tonight I should FINALLY be able to attend a Karate class. I'm looking forward to it!

Tomorrow is a tempo run and a light paddle.

Freihofer's Prep

After having to take a two-day trip to Boston, I'm back into getting ready for Freihofer's next month. VeggieSis and I are officially entered as a Sister/Sister team.

Yesterday I did my new favorite workout - speedwork. I did 1 mile easy (9:00), then six intervals of .25 miles at 6:40 and .25 mile recoveries at 12:00, finishing off with another mile easy for a total of five miles. It felt GREAT! I had to do it on the treadmill (hence the mile measurements instead of meters), but it was too cold and windy to do trackwork. On a positive note, I need to do some hard workouts in warm temperatures anyway - it's going to be hot in Albany, especially with the later gun time, and that is a real weakness for me as a runner.

Today will be an easy four miles outside, followed by Karate tonight. (Which I've missed a ton of since getting my black belt between vacation, illness, work and the Boston trip. Sigh.)

Tomorrow I'm skipping out on hiking with JewishMom and Dr. Z in order to do my long run. Once Freihofer's is over and I'm prepping for the Mountaineer's Trail Run, the hikes will fit into my training nicely. (The Friehofer's course is flat as the top of a table compared to even my "flat" route here in the Adirondacks, so I'm not even doing hillwork right now and focusing more on speed.)

Back from Vacation

Arkansas was great! (A sentence I never thought I'd utter...hahahahaha.) It was 80 and sunny every damn day except the very last one, which was a more seasonal 50 and overcast. We covered about 80 miles, from pruitt down to the Highway 14 bridge. I had never camped in warm weather before and boy have I been spoiled!

Since I got back I've been kicking up the running in preparation for Freihofers. BabySis had to back out, so I registered VeggieSis and I as a sister/sister team. We shall rock the other sister teams like a hurricane! I'm doing the old 5K route around the lake in 25:08. I'm planning on getting it under 25 minutes this week.

Karate has been awesome - I was PROMOTED TO BLACK BELT! Yay! I had a "I'm not ready for black belt" freakout moment, but otherwise it rocks.

Paddling is just starting - Dr. Z and I went on Lake Flower for an hour on Saturday. We also stopped by Mac's, who does still have a stock boat reserved for us. It's going to cost $2300 - OUCH! Dr. Z may be able to sell the old boat today - that would go a long way towards paying for the new Jensen.

I'm supposed to go for a 5K tempo run today, but am not feeling well. As it was, I missed Karate last night. We'll see - I'm just playing it by ear for now.

Quick Note

I know I've been bad about updating, but it's kind of between seasons right now.

Anyway, I am leaving for vacation - paddling the Buffalo again! - and will be back on Monday the 23rd with pics and updates.

Then starts hardcore running and paddling! YAY!

Over a Week Passed AGAIN!?!?

Man, I am just not keeping up with my blog here.

Saturday I attempted to do a long run, but had to stop at four miles. Blech. My legs were just tired for some reason.

Sunday I was off to VeggieSis's wedding (YAY!), so no exercise that day.

Monday was a recovery day from all the traveling, so all I did was Karate class, which was a low-key kata class. I got to work on a new kata (Sayunchin), which was cool.

Tuesday was a light run, followed by upper body weights except for shoulders.

Tuesday night I didn't sleep well, so I took the day off from the gym and it turns out is was a good thing. Karate was sparring, and Sensei had me sparring one of the other brown belts for something like 15 minutes straight. Damn.

Yesterday was my tempo run, which I did indoors. I managed an 8:13 pace even with a 1% incline, so my speed is coming back slowly but surely. I also did legs and shoulders in the weight room.

Today I did a light run outdoors - 3 miles in 26:53. Faster than I meant to go (I wanted to do a 9:15 pace), but it felt good, so what the hell.

Tonight will be Karate. No plans for the weekend yet, although I do need to get a long run in at some point.

Outside Again!

Last night's Karate class was pretty quiet - almost all of the black belts showed up and there were very few colored belts, which made for an interesting class. We mostly worked on Sayunchin, which I had never learned. (It's one of the black belt kata.) Sensei was finally back, which meant that we worked on self-defense, of course. I messed up a breakfall and took a nasty fall onto my back, nearly knocking the wind out of myself. Very graceful.

It's warmed up to the upper thirties today, so I went for an outdoor tempo run. Finally broke 25:00 on my flat three-mile course. I did it in 24:57, for an 8:19 pace. Not bad considering I was aiming for 8:20 today. I would have done even better but my legs were tired from yesterday's bike and weights workout. I'm hoping for an 8:15 pace next week.

I haven't decided what to do tomorrow. I'll probably do a recovery run and maybe some weights. We'll see. And of course there's also Karate.

Gym and Karate

Hey All!

Last night was sparring - lots of fun, although after fighting Dr. Z, SoccerStar and Sensei Sixpack in a row without rest I was pretty beat. (Mainly because of the five miles I had run earlier.) We then went over some black belt katas - always good, and finished up with my favorite - sai! All in all it was an overview of all my favorite things.

This morning was a light jog at the gym - 3 miles in 28:37. I had a lot of errands to run, so I kept weights short - just chest, back and tri's (and of course abs). I'll finish up the rest tomorrow - I'm doing bike which I never last long on so I'll have plenty of time.

In addition to the gym, tomorrow will be the first Karate class with Sensei in two weeks!

Catching Up Yet Again

Well, Thursday Dr. Z and I (with the help of IronMom and IronDad) ran the kid's class in Sensei's absence.

Friday was gym - I did an easy three miles at a 9:31 pace, followed by a whole bunch of weights. I purposefully left out upper legs, figuring those would get a workout over the weekend.

Saturday proved that I wasn't wrong - Dr. Z and I went to Cascade Ski Center and spent an hour and a half Nordic Skiing. The weather was absolutely beautiful - sunny and 20s. I fell on almost every downhill of note, but hopefully will get the hang of it - Nordic skis are just so much harder to control than Alpine ones.

Sunday was a much needed day off. Went for a short walk but that's it.

Today was long run day - I did 5 miles at a 9:04 pace, the usual, but this time added a one percent incline. I did it for 3.5 miles before crying uncle and putting it back down to no incline. This is for endurance, after all.

Tonight is covering for Sensei in Kiddie and Adult class, and tomorrow will be weights.

Upper Body Today

Today's gym workout was all upper body. I warmed up on the recumbent bike for ten minutes - kept it at level one since my legs are already tired from yesterday's workout. I just wanted to get the blood flowing before I went and did weights.

I did all of my upper body - shoulders (three different exercises - need strong delts for the upcoming canoe season!), chest, back, tri's and bi's. I also did some ab work.

I purposefully skipped any real cardio because Sensei is out of town and with Sensei Sixpack in charge, we will most likely be sparring. I didn't want to make the same mistake I made last week of doing a tempo run and then going to class later in the day and sparring all the freakin' black belts and Sensei himself.

So tonight is probably sparring and tomorrow shall be a tempo run. Hopefully outdoors - it'll be warm enough, but a storm's coming in so we'll see how clear the sides of the roads are.

Legs, Legs, Legs!

Last night's Karate class was low-key, as expected, although I'm not going to complain after doing my first five-mile run in months earlier in the day. I actually spent almost the entire time teaching.

I changed up my gym plan today. I started off doing an easy 9:30 jog, which was too easy so I put the treadmill at a 1% incline. After doing that for three miles, I figured I might as well make it a full leg day and did all my lower body work in the weight room.

Not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow, aside from Karate class of course.