Well Saturday started my trek back into running after a month off. My cardio is shot to hell, but it felt great and my shins feel like new. Yay! It was only three miles on a treadmill, but I'm very happy to get back into it.
Sunday I got to try out my new cross country skis on the Ray Brook golf course. (There was BARELY enough snow but I really wanted to play with my new toys.) It was...interesting. I kept trying to ski Alpine-style. I'll get the hang of Nordic style eventually. I can't wait to try again with more snow.
Today I went for my first outdoor run in almost six weeks. It took me over 27 minutes to run three flat miles, but what the hell. Like I said, I did need that time off.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Karate
Well, once again I'm keeping it very light this week, so the only update I have is Monday night's Karate class. Sensei couldn't make it once again, so Sensei SixPack taught the class. We started off with...SPARRING! Which I haven't done in ages. Of course Dr. Z and I squared off and danced a bit and as usual he kicked my ass. The other three fights I had were with younger, lower ranked kids where I did more teaching than getting schooled. (It was one or the other - the only other person there my rank or anywhere near was SoccerStar, who was tagged by Sensei SixPack for a marathon sparring session.)
Didn't do anything yesterday, although I should have done some weight work. My bad! Even a hardcore athlete like myself gets held up by a crazy week at work sometimes.
Tonight Sensei *should* be back, so I'm guessing bunkai and/or jujitsu will be the order of the day. I'm also hoping to at least go for a walk if work will allow.
Didn't do anything yesterday, although I should have done some weight work. My bad! Even a hardcore athlete like myself gets held up by a crazy week at work sometimes.
Tonight Sensei *should* be back, so I'm guessing bunkai and/or jujitsu will be the order of the day. I'm also hoping to at least go for a walk if work will allow.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Hiking and Biking
Good Morning! Here's your weekly off-season update:
Wednesday Night - Karate. Sensei was not there and Sensei SixPack had to leave early, so Dr. Z ended up being in charge. We worked Kata (spent most of the time teaching) and some self-defense.
Thursday - Last day at the gym. I had the bike up to level six and also worked on back and biceps. Very sad to see my pass expire, but I don't have the extra $45 a month a membership would require.
Friday - Day off. Did go to Karate with Dr. Z, where we worked on Bo sparring for the first time in over a year and reviewed kata. We left early thanks to loud Can/Am kids in the hotel.
Saturday - Gym with Dr. Z. I worked chest and triceps, after biking nearly eleven miles. (The bike at the FCI is definitely calibrated differently.)
Sunday - Hiking! We decided to do Scarface. Dr. Z got tired, so we turned around before summiting. (It was cold, windy, fogging and snowy anyway.)
Today is Karate and some weightlifting at home if I can find the time. One more week until I can start running again! (And only two until the Speedskating Oval opens!)
Wednesday Night - Karate. Sensei was not there and Sensei SixPack had to leave early, so Dr. Z ended up being in charge. We worked Kata (spent most of the time teaching) and some self-defense.
Thursday - Last day at the gym. I had the bike up to level six and also worked on back and biceps. Very sad to see my pass expire, but I don't have the extra $45 a month a membership would require.
Friday - Day off. Did go to Karate with Dr. Z, where we worked on Bo sparring for the first time in over a year and reviewed kata. We left early thanks to loud Can/Am kids in the hotel.
Saturday - Gym with Dr. Z. I worked chest and triceps, after biking nearly eleven miles. (The bike at the FCI is definitely calibrated differently.)
Sunday - Hiking! We decided to do Scarface. Dr. Z got tired, so we turned around before summiting. (It was cold, windy, fogging and snowy anyway.)
Today is Karate and some weightlifting at home if I can find the time. One more week until I can start running again! (And only two until the Speedskating Oval opens!)
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
P.S.
Forgot to mention - I added a feedback/rating thingamijigy at the bottom of the posts. They're hard to read, but you get to rate my workouts either "Kickass!" "Not Bad" or "Lazy Bum!" Let me know and kick my ass if I need it.
Gym Almost Over
Well, my month pass at the gym is almost over. I still haven't decided what to do next. Speedskating won't be starting for at least three more weeks. I did buy some running tights, so may take running up again even though Dr. Z would probably prefer I take a little more time off.
It really is too bad - I'm just starting to get half-decent on the recumbent bike. However, I don't have the extra $45/month for a full-time membership, especially when I don't even need it 4 or 5 months out of the year.
Any ideas, people?
It really is too bad - I'm just starting to get half-decent on the recumbent bike. However, I don't have the extra $45/month for a full-time membership, especially when I don't even need it 4 or 5 months out of the year.
Any ideas, people?
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Same Old, Same Old
Last night's Karate class was almost identical to Monday's class. Sensei was in a chatty mood again, so we didn't really get started until seven. After that it was about half an hour of teaching kata and then half an hour of jujitsu, just like Monday.
I'm getting better at the recumbent bike at the gym. It's still not very cardio-intensive, but I've built up some muscle and have been able to up the level to five. I'll need the leg muscles for speedskating anyway. Weights are going well as well. I had forgotten how much I love resistance training.
Tomorrow will be, guess what, more gym and Karate.
I'm getting better at the recumbent bike at the gym. It's still not very cardio-intensive, but I've built up some muscle and have been able to up the level to five. I'll need the leg muscles for speedskating anyway. Weights are going well as well. I had forgotten how much I love resistance training.
Tomorrow will be, guess what, more gym and Karate.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
More Updates
Some more random updates now that it's midweek:
- Sunday I bought my first pair of cross-country skis. The local place had a deal going and set me up completely for $150. Score!
- I noticed that they also had the Denali Lightning Ascents I've been coveting, so I asked if I could get a discount if I bought them at the same time. They gave me 15% off, knocking $40 off the price. Double-score!
The weather all week? Sixty and sunny. Hee. Not that I'm going to complain. I'll take the nice weather while it lasts and let my new purchases sit in the basement. Dr. Z and I were even able to go for a short bike ride yesterday.
Other than that, I've been hitting the gym. I canNOT wait to run again. I can't believe it's been less than two weeks and I've got at least another week off to go. ARGH!
Now that competition season is over, not much coming up except gym workouts and Karate. Once the snow falls, stuff will pick back up.
- Sunday I bought my first pair of cross-country skis. The local place had a deal going and set me up completely for $150. Score!
- I noticed that they also had the Denali Lightning Ascents I've been coveting, so I asked if I could get a discount if I bought them at the same time. They gave me 15% off, knocking $40 off the price. Double-score!
The weather all week? Sixty and sunny. Hee. Not that I'm going to complain. I'll take the nice weather while it lasts and let my new purchases sit in the basement. Dr. Z and I were even able to go for a short bike ride yesterday.
Other than that, I've been hitting the gym. I canNOT wait to run again. I can't believe it's been less than two weeks and I've got at least another week off to go. ARGH!
Now that competition season is over, not much coming up except gym workouts and Karate. Once the snow falls, stuff will pick back up.
Monday, November 03, 2008
Diamond Valley Classic Tournament
Ugh...well, the DVC was NOT our school's best showing by far. First off, the only people from Lake Placid who showed up were myself and Dr. Z. It WAS a 3.5 hour drive each way, but STILL. It's one of only two annual tournaments anywhere near the area.
Anyway, not only did only two of us compete, neither one of us did well at all. First off was kata. I forgot Chinto part of the way through. I tried to fake it, but I fooled no one, earning fourth place (i.e. last) from all of the judges.
That then set me up to be all frazzled and psyched out for sparring, which was immediately after. I not only didn't win any fights, I didn't get A SINGLE POINT. There was a long wait for weapons after that, and I considered not competing in that event at all considering what kind of day I was having, but Dr. Z talked me back into it.
I watched the other two competitors first, and realized I had a pretty damn good chance of taking first. I went up, and gave a pretty good performance (although I had a couple slight missteps) and got second place all around from the judges. So yay, my first silver in martial arts! (And several people actually thought I should have gotten first.)
Dr. Z had an even tougher day. After judging all morning (as black belts are required to do), his first event was weapons, which is usually his best. Although he did his bo kata as usual and it looked awesome as usual, he took last place, beat out by two people with flashier but much last practical kata. I personally think it had to do a LOT with the school the judges on that particular panel were from.
This psyched him out enough that he then went and FORGOT CHINTO AS WELL. Unbelievable. Both of us forgot it. He fudged it well enough to beat out one guy and take third place out of four.
His final event was sparring. Unfortunately his first round was with a former professional fighter who hit him so hard so many times his head was spinning at the end. This left him unable to beat a guy that he usually would have creamed in the second round.
So, not the greatest day for either of us, but there's plenty of time to practice and prepare for the Northeast Open next summer. In the meantime, I have to admit that I'm VERY happy to have a break from competing (in THREE sports) until canoe racing starts up again in April.
Anyway, not only did only two of us compete, neither one of us did well at all. First off was kata. I forgot Chinto part of the way through. I tried to fake it, but I fooled no one, earning fourth place (i.e. last) from all of the judges.
That then set me up to be all frazzled and psyched out for sparring, which was immediately after. I not only didn't win any fights, I didn't get A SINGLE POINT. There was a long wait for weapons after that, and I considered not competing in that event at all considering what kind of day I was having, but Dr. Z talked me back into it.
I watched the other two competitors first, and realized I had a pretty damn good chance of taking first. I went up, and gave a pretty good performance (although I had a couple slight missteps) and got second place all around from the judges. So yay, my first silver in martial arts! (And several people actually thought I should have gotten first.)
Dr. Z had an even tougher day. After judging all morning (as black belts are required to do), his first event was weapons, which is usually his best. Although he did his bo kata as usual and it looked awesome as usual, he took last place, beat out by two people with flashier but much last practical kata. I personally think it had to do a LOT with the school the judges on that particular panel were from.
This psyched him out enough that he then went and FORGOT CHINTO AS WELL. Unbelievable. Both of us forgot it. He fudged it well enough to beat out one guy and take third place out of four.
His final event was sparring. Unfortunately his first round was with a former professional fighter who hit him so hard so many times his head was spinning at the end. This left him unable to beat a guy that he usually would have creamed in the second round.
So, not the greatest day for either of us, but there's plenty of time to practice and prepare for the Northeast Open next summer. In the meantime, I have to admit that I'm VERY happy to have a break from competing (in THREE sports) until canoe racing starts up again in April.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Getting Better
Last night was Karate. We did about 45 minutes of self-defense based on kata, then the black belts broke off to work on upper kata while I ran the qu belts through kicking drills. After that, we all got back together for 15 minutes of simple self-defense techniques.
I went to the gym this morning after de-icing the car. I was able to ride the bike for 29 minutes at Level 3, so I'm getting there. Of course, by the time I'm really good I'll be back to running...hahahaha. I also did legwork since I didn't want to tire my legs the day before the tournament. It went pretty darn well. There was some foreign sports team there training as well. I couldn't tell what language they were speaking or what sport they do, but it broke up the monotony.
Tomorrow is gym, then it's off to Herkimer for the tournament!
I went to the gym this morning after de-icing the car. I was able to ride the bike for 29 minutes at Level 3, so I'm getting there. Of course, by the time I'm really good I'll be back to running...hahahaha. I also did legwork since I didn't want to tire my legs the day before the tournament. It went pretty darn well. There was some foreign sports team there training as well. I couldn't tell what language they were speaking or what sport they do, but it broke up the monotony.
Tomorrow is gym, then it's off to Herkimer for the tournament!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Still Slow
Not many updates lately, but there's also not much going on. Running is over and I'm doing the bike at the gym to let my lower legs heal, canoeing is over and we put the canoe away for winter storage a couple days ago, nothing new at Karate, and no speedskating yet. (Although we DID just have our first snow of the year - half a foot of the wet, heavy stuff fell last night.)
Dr. Z and I did do a quick hike up Mount Baker on Sunday. We would have done a longer hike but the weather was supposed to be really terrible in the afternoon so we didn't think we had a lot of time. Turned out to be gorgeous the entire day, but what the hell. You can never predict the weather in Lake Placid.
Don't worry, a couple more weeks and not only will I be running again (low-key, offseason stuff but running nonetheless), in a month the speedskating oval will be opening and I will once again be attempting to NOT fall on my ass.
Dr. Z and I did do a quick hike up Mount Baker on Sunday. We would have done a longer hike but the weather was supposed to be really terrible in the afternoon so we didn't think we had a lot of time. Turned out to be gorgeous the entire day, but what the hell. You can never predict the weather in Lake Placid.
Don't worry, a couple more weeks and not only will I be running again (low-key, offseason stuff but running nonetheless), in a month the speedskating oval will be opening and I will once again be attempting to NOT fall on my ass.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
More Gym
I've been going to the gym all week. I'm still getting used to running on a treadmill, but it's getting better. My muscles are also still trying to get used to weightlifting, but I'm getting there. I increased my weights slightly today. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.
Yesterday was no gym (too busy at work), but there was Karate. Sensei spent most of the class talking and giving out promotions, but we did work basics a bit, which was great. We also did some more jiujitsu. I still haven't been promoted, but hopefully it will happen soon.
Tomorrow, more gym and Karate with Dr. Z.
Yesterday was no gym (too busy at work), but there was Karate. Sensei spent most of the class talking and giving out promotions, but we did work basics a bit, which was great. We also did some more jiujitsu. I still haven't been promoted, but hopefully it will happen soon.
Tomorrow, more gym and Karate with Dr. Z.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Weekend Update
Friday night Dr. Z and I did some preparation for the karate tournament coming up in two weeks. A little touch sparring - my reflexes are still a bit off after not sparring much the past few months, and some review of kata and weapons. I'm still feeling a little rusty in general but hopefully I can get prepared in time to do well.
Saturday we went hiking with JewishMom and her friends. Despite concerns about Dr. Z's knee, we ended up going way ahead of them. We felt bad, but we really weren't going that fast at all. They were just at a real snail's pace. Anyway, it was still a good hike up Noonmark and back. It's nice to be getting back into hiking and was good practice for my trail run this weekend.
Today is a light gym workout (tired legs) and Karate. Tomorrow, gym and not sure what else. Unfortunately canoe season is over. :-(
Saturday we went hiking with JewishMom and her friends. Despite concerns about Dr. Z's knee, we ended up going way ahead of them. We felt bad, but we really weren't going that fast at all. They were just at a real snail's pace. Anyway, it was still a good hike up Noonmark and back. It's nice to be getting back into hiking and was good practice for my trail run this weekend.
Today is a light gym workout (tired legs) and Karate. Tomorrow, gym and not sure what else. Unfortunately canoe season is over. :-(
Friday, October 17, 2008
Gym!
I won a monthly membership to the local gym last week, so have been taking advantage all week despite it still being perfectly good running weather outside.
It's gone pretty well, although there's been a bit of an adjustment with running on a treadmill again. I've also been doing some very light weights. Gotta love living in a small town though. In the three times I've been there, I've bumped into IronMom, Sensei SixPack, and one of the Karate parents.
Otherwise, it's been pretty quiet in the world of athletics, with it being between seasons and all.
It's gone pretty well, although there's been a bit of an adjustment with running on a treadmill again. I've also been doing some very light weights. Gotta love living in a small town though. In the three times I've been there, I've bumped into IronMom, Sensei SixPack, and one of the Karate parents.
Otherwise, it's been pretty quiet in the world of athletics, with it being between seasons and all.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Bad News/Good News
Hey all two of my confirmed readers! Heehee.
Bad news first. The reason there was no posting last week is because I was battling a nasty, nasty cold and didn't exercise at all.
Good news (there's a lot more of this, luckily): I was well enough to go down to Connecticut to train with O'Sensei. We spent Friday night doing self-defense against knife attacks. Not my strong suit, but it was still amazing being in a roomful of very high-level martial artists. (At a high brown belt I was one of the lowest-ranked people there.) O'Sensei didn't seem himself from what people had described of him, but I found out later that he was stressed and upset due to some stupid martial arts politics. (Yes, they do exist and are in Tae Kwon Do and probably every other art in existence as well.) Afterwards, I found out from Sensei that O'Sensei was supposed to present me with my black belt certificate but politics kept it from happening.
So, I now have two black belts, just not officially yet. Not sure when I will actually be officially promoted because Sensei tends to be absent-minded about such things.
Saturday was the big banquet for O'Sensei's 60th anniversary of teaching. It was really fun to see everyone dressed up. What was truly amusing is that you could tell that most of the people there would have been a lot more comfortable sitting around in their gi's.
More good news: Yesterday Dr. Z and I went on our first hike in months. We decided to do Catamount, which in the end wasn't a good idea for me. I'm bad at rock-scrambling as it is, but I still had vertigo from my cold, which made it even more challenging. After hours of having to balance by sight alone, I was physically and mentally exhausted. I did manage to not fall off the side of the mountain though and am even not that sore this morning.
There's no Karate today because of the holiday, but I plan on trying an easy run and hopefully some canoeing with Dr. Z after work.
Bad news first. The reason there was no posting last week is because I was battling a nasty, nasty cold and didn't exercise at all.
Good news (there's a lot more of this, luckily): I was well enough to go down to Connecticut to train with O'Sensei. We spent Friday night doing self-defense against knife attacks. Not my strong suit, but it was still amazing being in a roomful of very high-level martial artists. (At a high brown belt I was one of the lowest-ranked people there.) O'Sensei didn't seem himself from what people had described of him, but I found out later that he was stressed and upset due to some stupid martial arts politics. (Yes, they do exist and are in Tae Kwon Do and probably every other art in existence as well.) Afterwards, I found out from Sensei that O'Sensei was supposed to present me with my black belt certificate but politics kept it from happening.
So, I now have two black belts, just not officially yet. Not sure when I will actually be officially promoted because Sensei tends to be absent-minded about such things.
Saturday was the big banquet for O'Sensei's 60th anniversary of teaching. It was really fun to see everyone dressed up. What was truly amusing is that you could tell that most of the people there would have been a lot more comfortable sitting around in their gi's.
More good news: Yesterday Dr. Z and I went on our first hike in months. We decided to do Catamount, which in the end wasn't a good idea for me. I'm bad at rock-scrambling as it is, but I still had vertigo from my cold, which made it even more challenging. After hours of having to balance by sight alone, I was physically and mentally exhausted. I did manage to not fall off the side of the mountain though and am even not that sore this morning.
There's no Karate today because of the holiday, but I plan on trying an easy run and hopefully some canoeing with Dr. Z after work.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Last 5K of the Year
Yesterday was the Tracks for the Train 5K. It was my first race in the cold - I actually wore tights under my shorts! I made sure to warm up really well beforehand.
The actual race wasn't my best despite a flat course and ideal weather conditions. Although there weren't any mile markers, I believe I went out too fast and ended up paying for it the last mile. (I actually had to take two walking breaks.) Despite losing time on mile three and coming in at an embarrassing 24:18, I ended up second overall, first in age group, and seventh runner in, exactly like last week. If I had paced better, I would have placed first overall and fourth runner in. Oh well.
Anyway, it's kind of sad that there's only one race left before the season is over. Hopefully my tights for my costume will arrive in time!
Today is a two-mile recovery run and Karate.
The actual race wasn't my best despite a flat course and ideal weather conditions. Although there weren't any mile markers, I believe I went out too fast and ended up paying for it the last mile. (I actually had to take two walking breaks.) Despite losing time on mile three and coming in at an embarrassing 24:18, I ended up second overall, first in age group, and seventh runner in, exactly like last week. If I had paced better, I would have placed first overall and fourth runner in. Oh well.
Anyway, it's kind of sad that there's only one race left before the season is over. Hopefully my tights for my costume will arrive in time!
Today is a two-mile recovery run and Karate.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Windy, Cold, and...hail? Yes.
Went for a light run today. I did four miles in 32:51 - an 8:13 pace. Maybe a little fast but after an easy two miles on Wednesday and yesterday off I desperately needed to work a LITTLE bit. It was a miserable run, weather-wise. It started off 49 degrees, overcast and windy. I wore my new white tights to keep my legs from freezing. The sun tried to come out a couple times but then it clouded back up and by the time I was doing my cooldown it started to freakin' HAIL. Good lord.
Of course, it's cleared up since...
Tonight is a little kata review, tomorrow a very slow 2-mile jog and then Sunday it's time to ZOOM in my last 5K of the season. (...sniff.)
Of course, it's cleared up since...
Tonight is a little kata review, tomorrow a very slow 2-mile jog and then Sunday it's time to ZOOM in my last 5K of the season. (...sniff.)
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Long Run and Karate News
Wednesday night we actually sparred in Karate! I was pretty psyched. Although I don't usually spar the week of an upcoming race, it had been so long that I couldn't resist. Unfortunately I took two nasty hits to my left leg. Dr. Z got me right in the shin splint area (ouch!) and this teeny tiny little ten-year-old nailed me right in the nerve center on the side of my quadriceps. If I had been fighting anyone bigger or more advanced, I would have had to bow out of the fight because my leg was USELESS. I had to do some heavy icing when I got home. Two days later and it's STILL bothering me.
Yesterday afternoon I received a very suprising e-mail from Sensei, who said that I could get my black belt certificate signed by O'Sensei, to be given to me at Sensei's discretion. I didn't think I was that close to becoming a black belt! Very cool.
Last night I did my second eight-mile run since the half-marathon. I came in at 1:07:41, which is considerably better than the last one, which took 1:09:24. That's an 8:27 pace versus an 8:41 pace. Of course, that last eight-mile run I was still sore. I actually would have finished closer to an 8:20 pace but my leg was still bothering me from Karate.
Today is a short run with maybe some strides, depending on how my legs feel. I want to get SOME speedwork in before Sunday's race! I'll also have Karate tonight.
Tomorrow? My damn day off. LOL.
Yesterday afternoon I received a very suprising e-mail from Sensei, who said that I could get my black belt certificate signed by O'Sensei, to be given to me at Sensei's discretion. I didn't think I was that close to becoming a black belt! Very cool.
Last night I did my second eight-mile run since the half-marathon. I came in at 1:07:41, which is considerably better than the last one, which took 1:09:24. That's an 8:27 pace versus an 8:41 pace. Of course, that last eight-mile run I was still sore. I actually would have finished closer to an 8:20 pace but my leg was still bothering me from Karate.
Today is a short run with maybe some strides, depending on how my legs feel. I want to get SOME speedwork in before Sunday's race! I'll also have Karate tonight.
Tomorrow? My damn day off. LOL.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Happy Birthday To Me!
Saturday I did a very light two mile run with Dr. Z. roaddogging. I practiced my kick by taking it up from 8:40 to 8:00 in the last mile. I was NOT happy with the humidity and prayed it would go down before Sunday's race.
Unfortunately not only was it humid enough to make sleeping less than ideal, the humidity increased Sunday morning, with gray overcast skies and not a single breeze. I bumped into the IronFamily, with IronDad doing the 10K and IronKid and EltonJohn doing the 5K with me.
I hit the first mile at 7:20, perfectly on pace for a PR. There was some guy breathing down my neck but I did my best to ignore him and just do my own thing. He passed me at the turnaround, but I passed him again shortly after and by the two-mile mark he was far, far behind me. (Basically he exhausted himself trying to catch me.) I can't remember my mile two split, but it was basically still on track. Unfortunately I had to rachet back at that point because I was starting to get a stitch from working so hard to breathe in the soupy air. I got confused at one fork that wasn't marked and had to ask a runner which way, but made up the time with a short sprint.
I came through at 23:47 and confirmed with Dr. Z that I was the second female runner in, beaten only by IronKid. (One thing I love about turnaround races is not only do you know how far you have left, you get a very good idea of your place in the race.)
I was very disappointed by my time, which should have been a minute shorter, but IronKid said her time was off by a minute as well, as was the lead guy's, who runs at the college level and can hit a 15-minute 5K. He actually said that he thought the course was more like 3.2 miles. (I later plugged 3.2 miles into my online log and it computed my pace at a more-accurate sounding 7:24. Yes, a tenth of a mile makes that big a difference.)
There was a long wait afterwards as not only did we have to wait for the 10-K runners to come in, they didn't use chips and had to tabulate everything manually. I used the time to do my cooldown jog and socialize while Dr. Z worked the finish line.
They finally started the door prizes. It was one of those "Everyone wins something" deals, so it took FOREVER. I one a book on the local canoe routes, which delighted Dr. Z to no end.
After long last, they STILL didn't have results, so they just did top female and top male for each event and said they'd mail out medals to everyone else who placed. I was very disappointed, as this is the second time I've placed overall and the second time I wasn't recognized officially. (The first time being the Dippykill Froggy Five, where I placed third but they didn't do awards.)
I'll be sure to post full stats once they're printed in the paper with field size. For the moment though, I was second overall and first in my age group. Yay!
For today, I did a two-mile recovery run, which went fairly well. I wasn't as sore as I feared. I also have Karate tonight.
Tomorrow is my long run. Maybe paddling as well, but looking at the weather I'm not holding out much hope.
Unfortunately not only was it humid enough to make sleeping less than ideal, the humidity increased Sunday morning, with gray overcast skies and not a single breeze. I bumped into the IronFamily, with IronDad doing the 10K and IronKid and EltonJohn doing the 5K with me.
I hit the first mile at 7:20, perfectly on pace for a PR. There was some guy breathing down my neck but I did my best to ignore him and just do my own thing. He passed me at the turnaround, but I passed him again shortly after and by the two-mile mark he was far, far behind me. (Basically he exhausted himself trying to catch me.) I can't remember my mile two split, but it was basically still on track. Unfortunately I had to rachet back at that point because I was starting to get a stitch from working so hard to breathe in the soupy air. I got confused at one fork that wasn't marked and had to ask a runner which way, but made up the time with a short sprint.
I came through at 23:47 and confirmed with Dr. Z that I was the second female runner in, beaten only by IronKid. (One thing I love about turnaround races is not only do you know how far you have left, you get a very good idea of your place in the race.)
I was very disappointed by my time, which should have been a minute shorter, but IronKid said her time was off by a minute as well, as was the lead guy's, who runs at the college level and can hit a 15-minute 5K. He actually said that he thought the course was more like 3.2 miles. (I later plugged 3.2 miles into my online log and it computed my pace at a more-accurate sounding 7:24. Yes, a tenth of a mile makes that big a difference.)
There was a long wait afterwards as not only did we have to wait for the 10-K runners to come in, they didn't use chips and had to tabulate everything manually. I used the time to do my cooldown jog and socialize while Dr. Z worked the finish line.
They finally started the door prizes. It was one of those "Everyone wins something" deals, so it took FOREVER. I one a book on the local canoe routes, which delighted Dr. Z to no end.
After long last, they STILL didn't have results, so they just did top female and top male for each event and said they'd mail out medals to everyone else who placed. I was very disappointed, as this is the second time I've placed overall and the second time I wasn't recognized officially. (The first time being the Dippykill Froggy Five, where I placed third but they didn't do awards.)
I'll be sure to post full stats once they're printed in the paper with field size. For the moment though, I was second overall and first in my age group. Yay!
For today, I did a two-mile recovery run, which went fairly well. I wasn't as sore as I feared. I also have Karate tonight.
Tomorrow is my long run. Maybe paddling as well, but looking at the weather I'm not holding out much hope.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Not Much New
Not much new here. Went for a short easy paddle with Dr. Z last night. It felt good to get out after being stuck in the house working all day. We took it real casual, not even timing it.
Went for an easy four mile run this morning. Did it in 32:44 - an 8:11 pace. It felt pretty good. I should be in good shape for Sunday.
Anyway, some easy Karate tonight, a two-mile jog tomorrow, and it's time for my birthday 5K!
Went for an easy four mile run this morning. Did it in 32:44 - an 8:11 pace. It felt pretty good. I should be in good shape for Sunday.
Anyway, some easy Karate tonight, a two-mile jog tomorrow, and it's time for my birthday 5K!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Tapering Time
Well, I've been taking it easy since Monday's tempo run. I did an easy 6 miles on Tuesday in an attempt to temporarily reschedule my long runs to accomadate the next few weekends of races. I had to stop at around 5.75 miles. It sounds silly to stop that close the end, but my muscles were talking to me so I listened. I did manage an eight minute pace, so I was pretty pleased with that considering how tired my legs were.
Yesterday I did a light two-mile recovery run. I forgot my watch so I did it by feel - probably an 8:15 or so pace.
I skipped Karate though. I just needed a break from it. I looked around online and in the phone book yesterday and there aren't many options available, even in Plattsburgh. Very disappointing - you'd think there'd at least be one Tae Kwon Do dojang in Plattsburgh.
Today is completely off. I might go for a light paddle with Dr. Z but that would be the most I'd do. There's an extra kata class today, but I can't make it due to a meeting. Stupid work getting in the way of athletics.
Tomorrow is a light four mile run and Karate with Dr. Z.
Yesterday I did a light two-mile recovery run. I forgot my watch so I did it by feel - probably an 8:15 or so pace.
I skipped Karate though. I just needed a break from it. I looked around online and in the phone book yesterday and there aren't many options available, even in Plattsburgh. Very disappointing - you'd think there'd at least be one Tae Kwon Do dojang in Plattsburgh.
Today is completely off. I might go for a light paddle with Dr. Z but that would be the most I'd do. There's an extra kata class today, but I can't make it due to a meeting. Stupid work getting in the way of athletics.
Tomorrow is a light four mile run and Karate with Dr. Z.
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