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.

Catching Up

I hadn't realized it had been a week since my last update - Yikes! Last week was unusually busy, as my disaster area of a house on Sunday morning attested to.

Tuesday was a much-needed day off. No running, Karate or cross-training.

Wednesday I did a three mile tempo run in 25:59. I was not happy with that pace, but what the hell - it's February. In any case, it felt great to run outdoors instead of on a treadmill. Wednesday night was sparring, starting with Sensei and ending with four fights, only one of which was NOT against a black belt or Sensei. Needless to say, I slept like a baby that night.

Thursday I attempted an easy treadmill run, but my freakin' foot cramped up on me something fierce. It ended up being three miles very slow. I then went in the weight room and did abs, chest and tris.

My foot was still really bothering me on Friday, so I didn't even bother trying to run or do anything on my feet. Instead I made it a hardcore weight training day, with abs, shoulders, back, biceps, quads and hamstrings. I begged off of Friday night Karate to let my foot heal, especially with a hike planned for the next day.

Saturday, Dr. Z, JewishMom and two others bagged both Porter and Cascade. That's a total of three High Peaks done and accounted for, all in winter. It was windy as hell at the top but otherwise a beautiful day to be outside. The trails were jam packed with people.

Sunday was a much needed day off, although Dr. Z and I forced ourselves to go for a walk to work out some of the mucho stiffness from our first serious hike in months.

Today I went back to the gym and did my long slow run. It was only five miles, but that's plenty for now. I did it in 44:39, which is about my usual long slow day pace. I ran out of time and energy to do any weight training, and figured I needed to leave something for tonight's kids class and regular Karate class.

So, tonight will probably be relatively low-key since we just sparred on Wednesday, and thank God. *LOL*

Tomorrow is a light three mile run easy and upper body weights.

Busy Weekend!

Friday I went for a two-mile jog to stretch my legs before the Fun Run. I oh so brilliantly forgot my watch, but that was probably a good thing because it forced me to rely on my PRE instead of trying to beat the clock. (Which kind of misses the whole point of a light workout the day before a race.)

Saturday was the Fun Run. Although the forecast called for temperatures approaching forty, it was TEN FRICKIN' DEGREES out. Nonetheless, about 25 intrepid runners showed up to race. Yes, we're all nuts. I nearly died when I found out that we were doing the HillyMan route. (For those not in the know, it's called the HillyMan because it's a four-mile loop with three hills out, a HUGE LONG loop of a hill you run up and back down, and then those same three rolling hills coming back.) It was truly a brutal choice for an off-season run.

I started out totally bundled because I was freezing. Check it:









Luckily not only did it warm up fifteen degrees during the race, Dr. Z was there to take my parka when I finally warmed up. I crossed the line at 36:10 as 9th runner in, 3rd overall and first in my age group. Yay!





I was sore on Sunday(of course), but I went snowshoeing with JewishMom to stretch out and warmup the muscles a bit instead of going for a recovery run. It was absolutely beautiful out - thirties and sunny.

Today I went to the gym and just did the treadmill. I'm trying to build endurance, so I did a "long" run of 4.5 miles. I started at a 8:41 pace and dropped it to a 8:56 after a couple miles. Next Monday or so I'll lengthen it to five miles. I decided that that was enough of a workout, especially with Karate tonight, so I left the weight work for tomorrow.

Getting Ready

As usual, I took yesterday off from running since it was three days before the race.

I did have Karate last night. We actually sparred. At first we were all lined up in two rows facing each other. We did some feinting drills, then sparred for a few minutes, and then one line would rotate and we would spar someone else. The first three were pretty easy - kids who were lower-ranked. However, the last two were Dr. Z and Sensei sixpack, so I was wiped. Sensei noticed I was trying to catch my breath and he said, "We're just getting warmed up. We haven't even started the regular sparring yet!" I thought he was joking, but oh no he wasn't. We got a couple rings going and fought some more. I sparred Mr. G with Sensei AND Dr. Z both burning holes in the back of my head because they were watching so intently. Yeesh. I woke up this morning with my ribs literally sore from breathing hard.

So about twelve hours later, it was time for MORE cardio. Hey, have to get ready for the fun run on Saturday after all. I did three miles in 26:41. (An 8:54 or so pace.) I did some light weight work as well - shoulders and obliques.

Tomorrow will be a two-mile (hopefully outdoor) jog at a 9:30 pace and some light Karate work. Saturday is the Fun Run! YAY!

Karate and Gym

Karate last night was pretty good. Dr. Z and I helped out with the kids' class beforehand - I was the model for stances and blocks while Dr. Z went around and corrected everyone. Doing good stances for half an hour is TIRING! My legs were shaking by the end.

In class, we started off with bo. Sensei actually pulled me out from doing warmup so he could teach me sakagawa bo (the second bo kata) along with the blackbelts. Cool! In the actual class we did some bag work, followed by bunkai from Nahanchi Shodan.

Today I decided to run at the gym although it's not too cold because I've already done two outdoor runs in a row and want to ease back into it. It was crazy busy there because a bunch of luge teams had just come in. Luckily they only do cardio to warm up, so I didn't have to wait long for a treadmill. I did three miles in 26 minutes. It felt weirdly easy, and I suspect it was the treadmill I was using. It was one of the older ones and not one I usually use. No way an 8:40 pace should have felt that easy. We'll see on Thursday when I (hopefully) can get back on my regular treadmill.

Tomorrow is a day off from the gym and running since I have the fun run on Saturday, so it'll be Karate only.

Finally Somewhat Warm

The arctic sub-zero temperatures have finally let up, at least for a little while. Although a nasty wind turned Dr. Z and I around from skiing after about a mile on Saturday, we skied almost four miles on Sunday and only turned around because we didn't want to overdo it, especially with me having the Fun Run on Saturday.

Today was warm again, 30 degrees, and it was a pleasure to run outside. Or, it WOULD have been a pleasure if I were in shape. I ran four miles for the first time since October and it was TOUGH. Took me 35:58 with lots of walk breaks, but I wanted to get a feel for four miles before Saturday.

The rest of the week will be easy. Tomorrow will be three miles on the treadmill, followed by Wednesday off, three miles on Thursday and a two mile jog on Friday. Yay!

Tonight is Karate as well. After today's run I think I'll cry if we have sparring. LOL!

Breaking 15!

Happy Friday Everyone!

It was finally warm enough to run outside today. I wore my neck warmer this time and was able to do more because everytime my lungs would start aching from the cold I'd take a few breaths through it and the lungs would feel better.

Because next Saturday's Fun Run is four miles, I upped my distance to 3.5 miles today, which I completed in 30:53 for a pace of 8:50. I'm really happy because at least Sunday-Tuesday should be warm enough to run outside. I plan to take Wednesday off, do an easy three miles on Thursday, a two mile jog on Friday and then go for it on Saturday. Even though it's just for fun, I still want to do the best I can, of course!

When I did my log today, I realized that I had logged over 15 miles in a week (16.2, to be exact) for the first time since last October. YAY! It's funny because my appetite's really picked up over the past couple days and I was wondering why. Now I know!

Tonight is Karate with Dr. Z and tomorrow should be skiing as long as the weather holds.

Forgetful Me

I ended up taking yesterday off due to the storm that came through and dumped a foot of snow on us. Should make for GREAT skiing this weekend! Yay!

Went to the gym today - It was tempting to run outdoors, but I'm already planning on running outdoors tomorrow AND Sunday and I need to ease into it after weeks on the treadmill. When I got there I realized I had forgotten my SHOES. When I was mainly there to RUN. Wow. Luckily, I had happened to wear my old, broken-down trainers there, so I just cleaned them up and dried them out real well (You're not supposed to wear street shoes on the machines) so they wouldn't get the treadmill all wet with snow.

Once I was actually ON the treadmill, I did pretty well. I managed a 6.8 pace the entire time and that was with adding a minute to the length. I'm actually going to have to increase that even more because...

FUN RUN IN SARANAC LAKE ON THE SEVENTH!!!! Woohoo! I am SO starved for a race it's not even funny. It's four miles, which is why I have to up my distance. My only regret is having only a week and a half to prepare for it, especially when I'm just barely starting to get back into gear.

Tomorrow is supposed to be near 30 degrees, so I'm looking forward to getting out there and going for a real run. Still haven't decided whether to do three miles or four.

Back Where I Was

Well, it took a while, but as of today I'm actually slightly AHEAD of where I was before I got sick. Took a little longer than it used to, but such is reaching ones thirties.

I kicked the speed up to 6.7 for the first fifteen minutes, which is what I had been doing the entire half-hour before the bronchitis, and then kicked it up to 6.8. I finished off with two minutes at 7.0 for a total of 3.21 miles in 30 minutes.

After the treadmill, I went downstairs and hit the legs. 2x15 calf lifts at 100 lbs, 2x15 quad extensions at 30 lbs, and 2x15 hamstring curls at 30 lbs. My right shin started talking to me, so I found a resistance band and was able to work my tibialis muscles. That should help. I finished off with 30 crunches on the exercise ball.

I'm looking forward to the bike tomorrow, just to shake it up a bit. I'll also be doing upper body work. Can't wait for Friday when it's supposed to be warm enough to run outside!

Too Cold!

Brrr...after a nice warm day on Friday allowing me to run outdoors, the temperature just PLUMMETED. Not that it was a surprise, but it still curtailed any outdoor plans.

Saturday, skiing was just out of the question, with windchills well below zero and non-windchill temperatures barely reaching 2 or 3 degrees. Dr. Z and I thought we might be able to ski on Sunday, with temperatures forecasted to reach the tens, but we barely got our skis off the truck before the vicious wind drove us back indoors.

We ended up settling for the gym. I bumped the treadmill up to 6.6 for the entire time. It was a real tough run, but the Ray Brook treadmills are definitely faster than the ones at LP Health and Fitness.

Today was gym as well. I ran the first 15 minutes at 6.6 and the second at 6.7, making for 3.16 miles covered. It felt easier than yesterday because of the difference in treadmills, but was still fairly challenging. I also worked my entire upper body (except shoulders) in the weight room.

Tonight I'm helping to cover for Sensei at the kid's class. Not sure if I'm going to stay for the adult class, but we'll see how much energy I have. (Especially since with Sensei Sixpack in charge we'll most likely spar.)

Tomorrow will be treadmill (hopefully at 6.7 for the entire time, at which point I'll finally be back to where I was before I got sick) and legwork.

Outdoor Run

Yesterday ended up being this week's day off since my meeting schedule at work didn't allow for an escape to the gym.

Today it was finally warm enough to run outside for the first time in weeks. The roads were slushy, which isn't dangerous like icy roads are, but did make for some loss of traction and added effort.

I was not happy with my time, 27:37, considering it was a tempo run. I've really lost a lot of my cardio. Oh well - it will come back. In any case, it felt good to do a non-treadmill run.

Tonight will be yet more Karate with Dr. Z, followed by the gym tomorrow. (A high of 4 means it'll be way too cold to run outside again.)

Cross-Training Day

Got on the bike today. It went pretty well - I'm still not great at it compared to running, but I'm getting more comfortable in the saddle. I went 6 miles in 25:56 or so. (Hey, the route I used was a hill - up to 11% grade.) It was a great way to work out some stress.

Downstairs in the weight room I did back, biceps and abs. Decided to not do my entire upper body since the weekend is forecast to be super cold again and I'll probably be stuck with an extra day at the gym as opposed to snowshoeing or skiing.

Tonight is Karate. I'm guessing kata since we sparred on Monday. SoccerStar is getting promoted to black belt tonight (Sensei sent a heads-up e-mail last night) so congrats to him!

Tomorrow, more running and legwork. Hoping to actually run outdoors on Friday. It's supposed to be in the upper 20s!

Don't Laugh at Me!

Last night's Karate class was a melange of different things. It started off with us brown belts running the colored belts through kicking drills while the black belts got to work on bo. (I was NOT happy about missing out on that.) Then we sparred VERY briefly. By briefly I mean most people only got one match. Definitely better than nothing though. After that it was self-defense time.

Before class, IronKid and I were chatting about training. She kind of gave me a "poor wussy newbie" look when I told her that I don't run outside when it's colder than 25 degrees out. She's not the first one either. There ARE also other reasons I run indoors when it's cold: icy roads and giving my shinsplints a break. Am I really that much of a wimp? (Vote below using the usual voting options of Lazy Bum, Not Bad and Kickass.)

Today was gym, and yes, running on the wimpy treadmill. I upped the speed even more today and it still felt good. I ran at 6.4 for 15 minutes, then raised it to 6.5 for another 12:30. The last 2:30 I sprinted at 7.5.

I did legwork downstairs. Calf raises, quad extensions, and crunches on the exercise ball. I've really lost a lot of my strength. Remind me to never get sick again!

Anyway, I'm pretty much all healed from the bronchitis. Now it's just a matter of getting back the cardio and strength I lost from not being able to workout.

Tomorrow is bike, back and biceps strength training, and Karate.

Run, Run, Run

Friday night was pretty fun at Karate. Dr. Z and I worked Bo a lot after doing a quick kata and sai review. We worked the general "high, medium, low" drill until it felt comfortable again.

As planned, I took Saturday off, which was really needed at that point.

Yesterday the supercold air FINALLY left Lake Placid, so Dr. Z and I went cross-country skiing at the Lake Placid golf course. The weather was perfect - 20 degrees. We went for about an hour before heading out to catch the playoffs. (Speaking of which, the big bad Cardinals defensive lineman with tears running down his cheeks while being interviewed right after their win? Awesome.)

Today was treadmill day at the gym. I started off at a 9:30 pace but upped it to 9:22 after only ten minutes or so. I sprinted the last two minutes at an 8:00 pace. No coughing at all this time. Yay! I'm finally back to the point where I'm being challenged a little, so tomorrow I'm going to go for doing the entire run at9:22 and try 2:30 at an 8:00 pace at the end. I also added a little weight work back in, doing chest presses and tricep extensions.

So, tonight is Karate and I have no idea what we're doing. It's been weeks since we've sparred, so I'll be crossing my fingers for that. And finally being promoted to black belt.

Gym Part Infinity

Hey all!

Wednesday night at Karate I spent about half the class teaching a white belt. He's a young kid who usually has trouble paying attention, but he managed to keep what for him was pretty good focus. I think what helped was my changing things up very frequently. He's not exactly the type of student you can spend half an hour breaking down one kata with. The other part of class was spent going over bunkai to gojushio. IronKid was promoted to 2nd Dan, so good for her. Yay!

Yesterday was back to the gym. I ran again - I'm starting to up my mileage in preparation for the racing season. I started off at a 10:00 mile and by the end was down to a 9:40 mile. I even managed an 8:00 sprint for the last minute.

Today was more of the same. This time I started right off with a 9:40 mile. After 15 minutes took it down to a 9:30 mile and finished up with 90 seconds at an 8:00 sprint. Very little coughing, so it looks like my lungs are pretty well healed.

Tomorrow will probably be a rest day. I'm hoping to either cross-country ski or hike on Sunday when it warms up.

Virtual Bicycling!

Today I used the upright bike at the gym, this time with biking shorts - MUCH more comfortable, even if they make you feel like you're wearing a diaper. I love having the courses and other bicyclists on the screen - really keeps me going! (Which I need considering that I am NOT a strong bicyclist by any stretch of the imagination.) I did about 25 minutes, which was more than enough - my legs were all wobbly after.

Weightlifting had to be nixed because of time constraints, unfortunately. WHY do I have to have a job instead of just exercising all the time? *LOL*

Tonight is Karate. I have no idea what we're going to do. I'm guessing bunkai/oyo or (maybe) sparring. Tomorrow will be back to the gym with more running.

Even Faster Today

Last night's Karate class was thankfully low-key: Kata review. (Which I needed more of anyway after being out for so long.) I was a bad brown belt and didn't volunteer to take a turn teaching the kyu belts, but a.) I was using up the last of my energy as it was and b.) Mr. G had already started them on self-defense drills, which are NOT my specialty in the least.

Today's gym workout went great. I started at a 10:20 pace and after 15 minutes bumped it up to 10:00. It still felt pretty easy so on Thursday I'm going to go for around a 9:30 and see how it feels. I only coughed a little bit at the end, so my lungs are definitely on the mend. Yay!

Tomorrow will be bike and maybe a LITTLE weightlifting, followed by Karate in the evening. We'll see how it goes.

On a technical note, sorry for the ugly "Page Not Found" error for my "Who's Reading Me" blog tool. Mine is not the only blog showing it, so they must be down. If it continues, I'll remove it. Hopefully I won't have to - I love seeing where y'all are coming from.

Slowly but Surely Improving

Friday night Dr. Z and I did a marathon kata review - hit all of the non-black belt katas. Dr. Z then went on to work bo, but by then I was tired and needed to sit down.

Saturday we went hiking with JewishMom. We got about 45 minutes in and I had to turn around, mainly because the 5-degree air was making me cough too much. It's frustrating, but I just have to keep telling myself I'm doing better than before.

Sunday I didn't do a damn thing except watch football. (THREE wildcard teams winning? The HELL?) I also watched "PreFontaine," which of course left me a blubbery mess at the end. I mean, the hearse going around the track to the pace of PreFontaine's PR while R. Lee Hermey intones, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Steve PreFontaine's bell lap" and the crowd cheers "Pre! Pre! Pre!"? Excuse me while I run up Kleenex's stock price.

Today I went to the gym - managed half an hour of an 11 minute pace and only a little coughing at the end. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to do a 10:30 pace.

Tonight is my first real Karate class in weeks, so that should be interesting.

Jogging Again

Hey All!

I went to the gym again today. This time I was able to actually jog 12 minute miles for half an hour. I did pay for it after with a huge coughing fit, but otherwise it felt great. I'm slowly but surely coming back. I'm just glad it's in the middle of the off-season so I have plenty of time to let my lungs heal.

Tomorrow will be a light, easy hike with Dr. Z and JewishMom. I'm a little nervous because it's supposed to be super-cold tomorrow morning (low of -10 overnight tonight), which is what really aggravates my lungs right now. I'm not going to be stubborn though - if my chest starts hurting, I'm turning around.

Anyway, tonight is Karate for the first time in weeks. I really need to review my kata because it's been so long.

Back in Action! (Kinda)

Karate WAS cancelled last night, so I stayed home and rested. Today I felt even better, so I actually went to the gym! Yay! All I did was a half hour walk on the treadmill, but it was something. It felt pretty good so I may try a slow jog (11-12 minute mile) tomorrow.

Anyway, it feels great to be on the mend, even if it'll be a while before I'm back to 100%.

On the Mend

Good Morning Folks!

After a week and a half of being sick, I think I'm finally starting to turn a corner. It'll be a while before I'm up to training again, but at least I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.

I went back to Urgent Care on Monday, where I was diagnosed with bronchitis from all the hacking and coughing. Luckily I had clear and pneumonia-free chest films. (Of course, my otherwise quite decent insurance has a high deductible for diagnostic scans, so said films will cost me a fortune, but that's another story.)

By Monday night, I felt well enough to visit the dojo for a little while. It was fight night, but I only stayed through the sparring drills in the beginning before I started to tire out. (Yes, just from sitting on the bench.) Dr. Z, sick himself, had to be practically dragged away.

I'll go and watch class again tonight if it's held, but there might be a snow day called due to a nasty storm that's supposed to come through.

Quick Update

Just a quick update to let you all know that yes, I am STILL sick. That's eight days for those who are counting. I don't think I've EVER been sick anywhere near this long before. Argh. I went to Urgent Care on Friday and was diagnosed with a particularly nasty version of this year's flu and told to come back if it didn't clear up in a a few days. It's been a few days and I still feel like death warmed over, so I'll probably go back this afternoon.

In the meantime, I've missed out on two big hikes with JewishMom and lots of gym time. The Karate school was closed all week, so at least I haven't missed any classes YET. Tonight's will be the first. I was considering going and watching but I don't want to infect anyone.

Anyway, get out there and play in the snow for me!

Still Sick!

I ended up with a fever yesterday afternoon - looks like going to the gym was NOT a great idea. Luckily it broke around four.

Needless to say, this will be one of my rare days off.

For those that are in town, go to LPSkater's New Year's Eve event at the speedskating oval tonight! You can read about it at her blog and the Lake Placid News website.

Have a safe and happy New Year everyone!

Vacation Good, Sick Bad

Hey All!

Once again, sorry for the long silence. I was running around like crazy (NOT literally, for once) getting ready for a holiday trip to Florida. It was wonderful, although I never did run as planned, just went for a couple long walks with my mother.

Anyway, it's been back to the gym this week. Yesterday I went 3.17 miles in half an hour (including warmup) on the treadmill, followed by leg curls (30 lbs), quad extensions (30 lbs) and calf raises (110 lbs), and 2 x 30 medicine ball rotations (or whatever you call that oblique exercise). There was no Karate class, so didn't get any martial arts training in, unfortunately.

Today I'm not feeling well (coming down with a nasty chest cold), so I kept it light at the gym. I tried out their upright bikes - I can actually reach the pedals on them! (I'm VERY short.) It has different trails with a screen that shows other bicylists and the scenery. It's like a video game that you have to exercise to play - VERY fun! I only did four miles - about twenty minutes. Like I said, keeping it light. In the weight room it was chest and tri day, so I did chest presses (25 lbs), military presses (12 lbs) and overhead tricep extensions (20 lbs) followed by 30 situps on the workout ball.

Well, I'm going to go crash and rest up. If I feel better tomorrow, it's treadmill and back and biceps. (Once again, no Karate because of the holiday.) If I can get on finding someone to sharpen my skates, I may speedskate as well.

Before I leave though - a shout out to http://www.adirondackalmanack.com for linking to me and sending a couple people my way. (To the new people: My blog tends to be FAR more interesting in the summer when I'm competing in running, martial arts and canoeing.)

Swimming and Skating

Helloooooooo people!

Yesterday I managed to run outside - it was wicked cold, but just barely warm enough. I had a time of 25:46, which was actually kinda fast for being in maintenance mode. It just had been so long since I pushed myself that I couldn't resist. I figure one semi-near tempo run a week or so won't kill me.

Today I got a free swim lesson at the gym. I worked on getting comfortable with keeping my face in the water while swimming, something I've always had trouble with. I'd love to take more lessons, but they're expensive - $95 an hour for private lessons.

In other exciting news, the Oval has been flooded and is looking ready to go. YAY! Now if only I can find someone to sharpen my skates. *LOL*

Tomorrow will be legwork and running at the gym. No karate tonight since Dr. Z is out of town.

Back to the Gym

After taking yesterday off to recover, it was time to get back to work.

Ran on the treadmill today. I was able to bump it up to 6.7 very comfortably, which is good. I'm obviously starting to get my cardio back. I'll probably stay around there until February or so when it's time to work on speed for Freihofer's Run for Women. (It's months away from February but I want the luxury of increasing speed very slowly so as to prevent my chronic shin splints from acting up.)

I did my entire upper body weight workout since I missed yesterday. It was tough, but I managed. I've changed to two sets of fifteen for everything in preparation for the "light weights but many reps" type of strength I'll need for the 90-Miler.

Tomorrow will be bike, legs, and Karate!

First High Peak Bagged!

Wow, it was one of those weekends where I needed to go back to work to get some rest! LOL.

Friday night was Karate. BruceLee was there for a little while, but mostly it was just Dr. Z and I. We worked on brown belt kata and once BruceLee arrived, KusankuDai.

Saturday we went crosscountry skiing. It was the first time there was actually enough snow on the ground to do it properly. Despite the frigid single-digit temperatures, we managed to keep warm enough for two laps around the golf course. I'm starting to get the hang of it, but uphill is still giving me a problem. It just feels extremely unnatural to go uphill on skiis.

Sunday was a long hike with Dr.Z, JewishMom and Megatron. And by "long" I mean all eight hours of daylight we have this time of year. We went up Phelps under snowy, windy and icy conditions, but we made it! Dr. Z and I officially bagged our first high peak and are on our way to becoming 46ers.

Needless to say, no gym today, only Karate. Even *I* can only do so much! LOL

Double the Workout, Double the Fun

Managed to sneak away to the gym today. I started off on the bike, with covering 6.7 miles in 25 minutes at level 5. I had to do both upper body workouts today after missing several days this week, which was quite the challenge, especially since all I had had a chance to eat was a tangerine and it was noon.

Looking forward to Karate tonight. Tomorrow is cross-country skiing now that we FINALLY have enough snow. Yay! (I'm also hoping to make it to the gym to run and do legs.)

Yay for Gyms! Boo for Work Meetings!

As feared, I didn't have a chance to go to the gym yesterday due to work. I did manage to drag myself away from the computer and go to Karate though. We actually sparred, which was a nice surprise. I had some tough competition after weeks of basically training lower ranks on how to spar - SoccerStar (brown belt), Sensei SixPack (4th degree), TattooedBruceLee (1st degree) and Dr. Z, who's a second degree. The only "easy" fight I had was with FakeDaughter's brother. We then did a lot of bunkai, of course, but at least I got to work with IronDaughter.

Finally got to the gym today. Ran 3 miles even in 30 minutes, so my cardio is coming back. (I'm not too worried about speed since I ran the first half mile of an "easy" run in 3:45 without trying last week.)

I was hoping to get to both legs AND chest/tris but only got to do legs before running out of time and having to get back for a meeting. Oh well - I'll just add 'em on to back and bis tomorrow.

Tomorrow will be all upper body and bike at the gym followed by Friday Night Karate with Dr. Z.

Am I Boring You Yet?

Heh. Sorry, once again not much for updates.

Saturday, Dr. Z bought me an early Christmas present - a three month membership to the gym to get me through winter. Yay! I was happy to go back.

Sunday I went hiking up Pitchoff with Dr. Z and JewishMom, but had to turn back early when my front foot slipped and my back foot caught in a root at the same time, tweaking my knee in a very bad way. Luckily, lots of ice and elevation the rest of the day healed things up nicely.

Monday I broke in my new gym membership. I jogged on the treadmill - knee felt fine - and then did chest and triceps for weightwork. Unfortunately by the time evening came around the lack of sleep the night before caught up with me and I didn't go to Karate.

Tuesday I went to the gym again and did the bike for 25 minutes on level two. I wanted to keep it light and had to keep it short because of meetings. I worked back and biceps downstairs.

Today probably won't see me at the gym since I need to use what little free time I have to go grocery shopping. However, I'm going to Karate if I have to drag myself kicking and screaming.

Between Seasons

Once again, I haven't updated in a while because nothing much is going on. I've been doing a three mile job either on Dr. Z's treadmill or outdoors (as the weather permits) about three times a week. Just enough to kind of keep my hand in it during the off-season.

Karate's been the usual. I've missed a few classes due to work being absolutely hectic.

In winter sports news, I just found out yesterday that the Speedskating Oval won't be opening until the 20th due to budget cuts by our esteemed governor. BOOOOOOOO!!! It should already be the season - it's cold enough, that's for sure. Between that and John Dimon closing up shop, it's just not a good year for speedskaters in Lake Placid.

Running Again! And X-C Fun!

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.

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.

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!)

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?

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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. :-(

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.

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.

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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!

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.

My Speed is Back!

Did eight miles on Saturday for my long run - Dr. Z definitely had the right idea with keeping it down from the usual ten - I was WIPED after! I didn't even go that fast - just an 8:40 pace.

Yesterday was my day off. In fact, it was cold and gray out so I alternated between watching television and cleaning my office. (Despite taking out two metric tons of crap, two hundred more metric tons of useless garbage remain. Damn clutter!) So, not very atheletic at all.

Today, however, rocked. I went for a tempo run and was feeling pretty good - no wind, dry air, and the temperature was in the high forties. I could feel I had gone out a little fast so I kept myself in check, but had enough for just a bit of a kick at the end. My time? A PR-busting, smashthrough 23:08. That's right - I finally broke 7:30, making a 7:27 pace. My previous best on that course was 23:28, so I was VERY happy. My one little thing I have to improve on is my pacing. It's come a long way, but I know I still ran positive splits. I could feel it.

Anyway, that made me decide to do the Stride for Pride on Sunday. It's a fast, flat course, it benefits disabled runners, and it's on my birthday. How can I NOT do it now that I know I'm recovered from the half-marathon? Of course, IronKid is going so my ass will be royally handed to me by a damn kid half my age. (Crazy kid is hoping to break 20:00. She needs help.)

Tonight, as always, is Karate.

Tomorrow will be six miles as a "long" run since I can't do my usual on Saturday, obviously. I'm also hoping to go for a paddle while I still can. Gotta keep those paddling muscles going as late into the season as I can for the 90-miler next year!

First Tempo Run in Forever

Karate on Wednesday night did end up being bunkai at first, but we did move on to kata. Not the best class, but not bad. Sensei had to leave early so that's why we moved on.

Yesterday I did my first tempo run in weeks and only the second one in a MONTH. (I stopped doing them in favor of longer, slower runs because of the half-marathon and the tendonitis in my hamstrings.) My time was 23:46, which would usually be a terrible time, but 5-10 seconds off my usual isn't too bad, especially with the sore legs. I'm pretty pleased with how little speed I've lost. A few more tempo runs and a little more healing and I should be back to a 7:30 pace. I'm still not sure if I'm doing the Stride for Pride though, especially with another 5K race the week after.

Just a two mile recovery run today. There's no Karate since Dr. Z is out of town, but I might do a review at home, especially with missing class on Monday and there being no extra Tuesday or Thursday class this week.

Tomorrow is an eight mile long slow run. (Shorter than the usual ten to allow my legs to heal.)

Recovery

I've taken the first half of the week very easy with trying to recover from the half-marathon. (Especially with the tendonitis in my hamstrings that just. won't. go. away.)

Monday I took off completely, not even going to Karate. I had had a second night of no sleep on Sunday and just was not up to it.

Yesterday I ran a very easy 5K in 25:47. Every time I felt myself speeding up I eased back down. My legs thanked me. I also went for a low-key lap around the lake with Dr. Z. We didn't even time ourselves - it was more about getting out there and stretching our arms. The season's over anyway.

Today I got a little more serious about getting my speed back. I ran 4 miles in 32:10. It's an 8:03 pace, but it's also the fastest I've run since the Olga 5K aside from one other tempo run.

I AM planning on going to Karate tonight. Hopefully we'll be doing kata. The legs are too sore for sparring and I'm getting tired of bunkai/self-defense.

Not sure about tomorrow - I'll probably run something (Have to ask Dr.Z) and I also have to go to Blue Line because my new shoes with only 200 miles on them already have outsoles that look like they have 600 miles on them. Between that and the blister they gave me in the beginning makes me most unimpressed with these shoes. Boo to you, Saucony!

Success at the Half-Marathon

So...the half-marathon. I was SO nervous beforehand, especially with the extremely humid weather, which I don't breathe well in regardless of temperature. Kudos to Dr. Z, who dealt with my pre-race snippishness and moodiness.

I saw several people I knew who were also running, including IronDad, TriBob, and BookstoreTri. (Okay people, I can only come up with so many nicknames in a town full of triathletes. So sue me.)

JewishMom showed up on her bike to wish me well and take pictures, which was awesome of her. I wasn't sure if she was going to show up or not.

We actually started on time. I lined myself up in the back, knowing I wouldn't be able to keep up with most of the crazy long-distance runners in L.P. I did start my stopwatch when I crossed the start line, which will become important later.

Right off the bat, we did a lap around the horse show parking lot. JewishMom snapped a picture and we were off. We crossed the street to head up John Brown's Farm - the nastiest hill on the course. Right at the bottom, the IronFamily was on the corner and they cheered when they saw me, which lifted my spirits.

I fell in with some guys for a while and we were doing a nice 8:40 pace. Dr. Z was on his bike and met me every mile telling me I was "on pace." (At this point I thought he meant under 9:00.) I used the downhill to River RD to gain some time and catch my breath, still feeling good.

I kept mile five at a good pace because it's a long, flat stretch of road that I tend to slow down on for some reason. Having a group to stay with definitely helped. I was happy to see that I wasn't getting passed because it meant I wasn't slowing down. Dr. Z showed up at every mile and finally told me that I was on an 8:40 pace but if I felt good stay with it.

I FINALLY got close to the turnaround and saw that IronDad was ahead of me. It surprised me because of his talk of how slow he is. It made me wonder what he must consider me then.

Around mile ten I really started flagging. It didn't surprise me - I knew the last 5K would be run on guts alone. I found out later that I lost a minute off my pace during miles eleven and twelve, most likely because not only was I tired but there was no one around to pull me along.

At the end of mile twelve, my stomach started seriously cramping. I ended up walking from the end of River Road to past the bridge. Dr. Z encouraged me to "make the hill your bitch," which I did. Unfortunately at the top I had to stop and dry-heave, getting passed by someone in my age group. I continued and made it back to the Horse Show Grounds. 100 freaking meters from the finish line I had to stop and retch again. I was SO annoyed. I ran through the finish with my arms up in victory, finishing in 1:55:59.

I was so, SO happy, especially since the IronFamily, JewishMom, Dr. Z, and BabySis were all there to greet me at the finish. It rocked, and the resulting endorphin crash later that evening was well worth the accomplishment. I could definitely see myself doing it again.

Final Results:

Time: 1:55:59. And this is where the stopwatch comes in. I foolishly did NOT stop it as I crossed, which sucks because for some reason the chip did NOT record the time I crossed the start, which took at LEAST 15 seconds. I know because the picture of me crossing the finish says 1:55:59. I thought the point of chips was to prevent mistakes like this? I'm assuming a true time of 1:55:44.

Place:

112 out of 249 total(Top 45%)
7 out of 21 in age group (Top 33.3%)
28 out of 106 women (Top 26.4%)

So not only did I beat my goal time by over four minutes, I placed VERY respectively in this town of hardcores for my first half ever.

Yay!

To see the photos, check out http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=246900066/a=40039603_40039603/t_=40039603

Keeping it Light...Still

Nothing but a light 4-mile run at an 8:41 pace today. My hamstrings are still giving me problems so I'm going to do lots of stretching today and tomorrow.

My nerves are really starting to get to me. I think that's the problem with tapering - it gives you too much time and energy to angst over the upcoming race.

Anyway, nothing but two miles easy tomorrow along with a short kata review with Dr. Z. Well, that and the infamous pre-race carb feast. Yay for spaghetti and meatballs!

Day Off

As usual, Wednesday is my day off so I'm taking it easy. I won't even be sparring tonight in Karate (if that's what we do) because of the upcoming race.

I did four miles at a very easy 8:45 pace yesterday, finishing in 34:58. On my way out, the IronFamily was getting out of their car. They waved to me and I doffed my cap (hee) at them.

I also went to the local sports shops looking for some red or blue running tights for the Halloween trail run I'm doing on 10/26. No luck yet, but I'm going to try again in Saranac Lake. (Their school teams wear red so they should at least have that color - they were out when I looked last weekend.)

Anyway, Karate tonight, keeping it low-key, and another four easy miles tomorrow. Hopefully my still-sore hamstrings will be better by Saturday!

Light Weekend

Didn't do much physically over the weekend, which was the plan. I'm watching the weather forecast for Saturday like a hawk. Not that I like to obsess over things I can't control or anything.

Yesterday Dr. Z and I watched the boats come in at the end of the 90-miler. I still can't believe we're going to be doing that next year. The couples in our future class (Stock Mixed) posted some sick times, so we probably won't place if the same caliber of people show up. They beat most of the mens' teams! It was a lot of fun though.

Afterwards I went for a six mile run, which I did at an easy 8:46 pace. It went much better than Thursday's run, which I'm happy about. Of course, that could be because I was going a lot slower. (I was doing an 8:15 pace on Thursday.) I was glad to get a second look at the section of the half-marathon course that I'm not familiar with. There's some nasty hills, but at least they're in the beginning.

I found out that BabySis is going to come to watch, which I'm psyched about. I didn't think any of the fam would be able to make it. She won't be there to see me off, but she should arrive in time to meet me at the finish line. I'm hoping JewishMom will make it to. God knows I'll need the cheerleader section.

Only doing two light miles today. Karate is iffy since I barely slept last night. (Hey, if I only have energy for one sport...well, the half-marathon is only five days away.)

Tough Run

Yesterday's run didn't go too well. I ended up only doing four miles instead of the planned six. My legs were just too damn sore and tired. On a positive note, I got to see part of the half-marathon course. It starts out with a hell of a climb, which sucks, but at least it's at the beginning when I'm still fresh. It should also help prevent me from going out too fast at first.

In light of how badly my legs hurt, Dr. Z decided to cancel Sunday's 8-mile run and just do a light four or so that day. Basically I'm going to spend the next week trying to get my legs to finally heal before the race.

Not much today - just a short 2 or 3 mile jog followed by some kata review in Karate tonight.

All Karate All the Time

Yesterday was my rest day, so it was pretty quiet. I did have Karate class, where we did lots of bunkai and a little bit of kata review. There was another class this morning, when we went over a black belt kata I don't even need to know yet. It was pretty interesting since I've never done it before.

Anyway, six miles of running later today with Dr. Z road-dogging. Hopefully it will cool off a bit (or at least get a little less hazy).

Tomorrow? Very light run and yet more Karate.

Weekend Workouts

Friday was a light run just to stretch out the legs and went pretty well. Boy were my legs sore though! Friday night was supposed to be Karate but Dr. Z, who runs the Friday night class, wasn't feeling well so there was no class.

Saturday was a rest day, and I mean TRUE rest day. I spent the day up in Plattsburgh shopping and the only exercise I got was the Mall Shuffle.

Sunday was my long run - the last peak run before tapering for the half-marathon. I did eleven miles (the furthest I've ever ran) in 1:35:36, which translates to a blazing 8:42 pace. I am PSYCHED. As long as I pace well, I am in very good shape for finishing in not only under 2 hours, but maybe even in 1:54 or so. Yay!

Yesterday was a light three mile recovery run. It hurt, but it forced my legs to loosen up, which is good. Last night Dr. Z and I went for a canoe lap around Mirror Lake and blasted our previous PR by almost a MINUTE, coming in at 25:17.

Today I shaved 2 seconds off my previous time on my hilly 5K course, coming in at 23:28 despite still-tired legs. The long-distance running has REALLY helped my endurance at the shorter distances.

All in all, a great week for athletics - 2 PRs in running, a PR in paddling, and two stripes in Karate.

2 More Stripes and Many Miles

The kata review in Karate last night went well, even though I was tired and nervous so didn't perform at my best. Anyway, Sensei said I've come a long way, thanked me for my patience, and gave me two more stripes. Yay! I'm only two stripes away from being a black belt in a second art, which is a scary thought.

Been putting in long runs this week in preparation for the half-marathon. I've been plagued by sore hamstrings for two weeks now, which is frustrating. As I told Dr. Z, running through sore muscles is tiring, painful, and just plain not fun. Anyway, I've been able to fight through it for the most part with some decent times. Monday I ran 6 miles at an 8:20 pace despite doing a spectacular faceplant (I am SO graceful) and today I ran 7 miles at an 8:17 pace. I was hoping more for an 8:10 pace with the cool, dry weather, but the sore muscles just weren't having it.

So onward with the Advil, lots of protein, and cold baths to help my hamstrings heel. Feel free to drop a line if you have any other tricks for quicker recovery.

Race Results

Hello!

Sorry for the delay with the lowdown on the Olga 5K. I've been waiting for the full results (which I haven't seen) to be posted in the paper. Also, since Dr. Z was roaddogging and forgot his camera, there's no pics either.

Anyway, what I CAN tell you is that I came in second in my age group. Good ol' P (from speedskating) showed up randomly, claimed she "hated running," and gave me an ass-whuppin' with a time in the 21's. What the hell is WRONG with her? I posted my first sub-23 minute time with a finish of 22:56. Since it's only 4.93 miles, that comes out to a 23:15 true 5K, still a PR.

I would have had a much better time except that my de facto pacer, GoldenBraid, went out waaaaaay too fast, something I rely on her NOT to do since I have the same issue myself. We hit the one-mile mark at an insane 6:22. I was NOT happy because I knew I would pay for it later, and I did. I had to take TWO walk breaks during the final half-mile and of COURSE Dr. Z saw me and wasn't pleased.

Anyway, it's a good, fast, flat course and I'm looking forward to doing it again next year, hopefully with better pacing and better results. (Especially since a 22:56 5K doesn't impress in the crazy running town that is Saranac Lake.)

Tonight is Karate. Sensei asked to see my kata, so we'll see how that goes. Hopefully I'll have the results of that and Olga for y'all tomorrow.

Stuff

...yeah, I'm REAL creative with the post titles today.

It's been a busy week with the summer activities all wrapping up. Tuesday was the last Sundowner of the year. Dr. Z and I hauled ass and came in at a time of 54:40, a new PR. It was a real nice way to retire the Cajun as we will most likely be purchasing a Jensen in the spring. (Yes, we've decided to move up to Stock class and yes, we've decided to purchase a year earlier than originally planned.)

Wednesday at Karate Sensei said that he wanted to "take another look at [my] katas." I know I'll have to remind him on Monday, but this might be that stripe I've been wanting.

Yesterday was the last Fun Run of the year. For some reason, Coach P. decided to just do the HillyMan route instead of the usual end-of-year 5 and 8K routes. I did the 2 mile modified as a tempo run since I have the Olga race tomorrow and came in at 17:50. (It was really 2.33 miles.) It was fun being the first runner in, although there was an eleven-or-so year-old kid who wasn't far behind me. He's already running sub-8 minute miles. Damn.

I did my usual pre-race 2-mile jog this morning in 17:10. My hamstrings are STILL a bit sore from Sunday (and yesterday) but hopefully with some rest and lots of Advil I'll be in top shape tomorrow.

Tonight is some kata review in Karate. I'm going to keep it light because of the race.

Race results (and perhaps pictures) to follow!

Running Some More

This marks the 50th post in my blog about running, at least if you go by the tags. I've been staying just over a 7:30 pace for my tempo runs - hit 7:36 on Monday for the 5K (23:36) and 7:34 today for the 4-miler. I would have done even better, but I went out too fast (Hit mile 1 at 7:15) and by the time I hit mile 3 at 22:20 I had nothing left. My last mile was done at about an 8-mile pace, with several walk breaks. I ended up at 30:15. Not bad though!

In canoeing news (believe it or not, Dr. Z and I *are* still canoeing occasionally), we did a Sundowner on Tuesday. Mac brought the Jensen for us to borrow again. I think he knows he's going to end up selling it to us. Damn can that thing fly! There was a NASTY crosswind on the way back - the war canoe Mac was leading actually turned over! It happened right in front of us, so we stopped to see if they needed help, but Mac said to keep going. We didn't have a great finishing time, between the stop and fighting the wind, but no one broke any records. We were still the third boat in though! (And one of those was the other war canoe, which DIDN'T tip over.)

Not much new happening in Karate. No promotions, nothing special happening in class. I have to admit I'm getting a little fed up with it. I'm sticking it out through the end of the year but after that it might be time to look for another school or just give it up altogether.