Monday, February 29, 2016

lunch time workout - SU

I got a session of SU in during lunch break at work.
This is really a go-to DDPY for me at work because I don't sweat like crazy and can go back to my desk without a shower.
Plus, I love it. My balance is so much better.
I also weighed myself. Not happy. The weekend eating and three measly beers weren't good to me. Must get my shit together.

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Long run felt pretty good!

After last week's 17.5 miler and then being sick for three days, I didn't really run much at all. An 8 miler on Thursday, but nothing else.
This week was a cut-back week, so I was scheduled for just 10 miles.
I chose the Smelter Road out-and-back because it's the right length, and because I can always use the hills.
My watch died at 5.73 miles, so I just extrapolated the distance at the pace for the first 5.73 miles.
I felt good. If I can do 26 miles feeling like this, then it will be a good marathon in April.
Stats: 10 miles in 1:54:00 for an 11:24mpm pace

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Don't ease back in...

After being sick for most of the week, I knew that I needed to get some decent time in. Instead of easing into the workout, I chose Double Black Diamond.
But, there's actually more to it than that.

I was scheduled to run 10 miles. And, what a great day - it was TRC's monthly trail day. So, the plan was to run the two miles from the house up to the gate at Settlement to meet the group. Then, do six miles on trail, and come back home. Then, I would get my DDPY in, and all would be well in the world.

Imagine my surprise when I walked downstairs to get some socks and my fanny pack water bottle and I walked onto a soaking wet carpet. And, more soaking wet carpet. And MORE soaking wet carpet. Son of a bitch!
No trail run for me!

We spent a couple of hours trying to soak up the water, but there was too much.

Turns out, the problem was the pressure release valve. We don't know why it released. We don't know why the pressure was wonky. We do know that there was water all over from hell to breakfast.
After the water heater guy came over and diagnosed the problem, we got a call into the insurance company, and the restoration company.

We realized that we couldn't do anything more, so I changed my clothes and stuck in Double Black Diamond. I had to stop a couple of times to answer phone calls from the insurance and restoration folks, and this was probably good because I was wiped out. This was my first DDPY workout in about a week, and I chose DBD? Ack!

Afterwards, I felt awesome.

Sunday, February 21, 2016

tired, but got my hour in

After yesterday's run, I'm rather pooped!
But, I got up early to get my DDPYoga in before everyone got out of bed. Knowing that I had an hour ahead of me, I picked DC and RHC. 66 minutes of torture fun.
My left hamstring is TIGHT. It's been an on-going problem. I really need to foam roll it. (Hmmm.. I really need a foam roller.)
I'm still struggling to get my heart rate in the right zone. I've got to figure this out!

Saturday, February 20, 2016

The power of a group

16 miles on the schedule for today. I really didn't want to do it. Had I stayed in Tooele, I probably wouldn't have done the whole thing. I probably would have just run 13 instead.
So, when Bub suggested that we sleep over at granny's, I knew that it was the universe telling me that I needed to run with the Huntsman Hometown Heroes as a part of the team. (My fundraising is going well, by the way....)

So, we met at Sugarhouse Park, and we did one lap in the park before running up and around the zoo and back. That was about 8 miles. Then, there was a 5-ish mile loop south and east of the park. Then, a 3-ish mile loop in upper Sugarhouse.

Then, I got back to the park and was offered chocolate milk and cookies. I declined (for now) because I knew that I had more miles in me.
The entire second loop I just couldn't get out of my mind that I would be so close to 17 miles. I kept telling myself that if my legs could do it, I would NEED to run 17 or more.
I've been stuck at 17 miles for five years. My last marathon was awful - mostly because my longest training run was 17 miles. What a huge mistake that was. Yeah, I finished the 'thon, but it was miserable. Absolutely miserable. So, I've had this mental roadblock for all of this time.
Today was the day.
When I got done with the third loop, I told Coach Elfi that I needed to run a bit more because I needed to prove to myself that I could do it AND FEEL GOOD afterwards. So, off I went, and it was good.

BTW - my butt is huge...

Stats: 17.5 miles in 3:16:31 for an 11:14mpm pace

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

it may take all day...

I was up late last night working, so I didn't get up at a good time this morning. In fact, I barely made it to the bus on time...
So, during lunch, I did DDPY - SU. I tried like crazy to get my heart rate up. I still have work to do.
After I got home from work, it was dinner and helping the boys finish up some leftover scout projects. (They are all caught up now.) Then, getting them to brush their teeth without making a huge mess (oh, haha).
Finally, I had time to finish up my hour of yoga by doing DDPY - MIX.
Of course, now I'm all amped up and don't want to go to sleep... Whatever - no excuses!

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

so overdressed

Mid-February and I was baking?
I didn't run in the morning as was the original plan. Instead, I ran at 2:30 in the afternoon. The temps were in the mid-50s, and I had packed a long-sleeved technical and long tights. I totally regretted it.
I started at the Flying J in Lakepoint and ran along Lake Shore Drive (which sounds so much more beautiful and affluent than it really is) until I got to Shepherd. Then, down to Center, over to Saddleback, and back to the truck. I finished with just enough time to change my clothes and get to the boys' parent-teacher conferences. (They are brilliant and doing great in school, of course.)

My main focus of the run was to monitor my heart rate to see when I'm in the fat burning zone. Unlike DDPY, apparently I can get into my zone rather quickly when running. It turns out that if I'm going at a 10:30mpm pace, I'm at my fat burn zone.
DDPY? Man - I'm going to have to engage the living hell out of every damn muscle to get anywhere close to the heart rate I have at a 10:30 pace! But, I guess that's the point, right?

Oh, besides being SO hot, my run was great. I had to slow myself down, and I even - uncharacteristically - let out a whoop at about mid-run. I just wanted to spread my arms and fly.

Stats: 4.56 miles in 50:21 for an 11mpm pace

Monday, February 15, 2016

Mish mash of DDPY

This morning, I got up and started immediately with WU.
Then, I proceeded to SU. I love SU. Love it. Balance workouts seem to be my cup of tea. Because of that, I think, I don't seem to engage as much as I do when I'm doing stuff like push-ups or side planks. This was confirmed as my heart rate felt low as it always does in SU.
Therefore, I knew that I needed to work harder in the final minutes of my workout, so I chose the last half of DC - you know, the half I didn't do yesterday. I'm glad that I did. My heart rate was up and I was sweating.

I do have a HRM, but it doesn't want to pick up the reading between the chest strap and the watch, so I'm taking my reading with two fingers and 10-seconds on the screen. I then multiply that reading by 6 and move on. My 10-second readings (which may or may not have been accurate) were 17 and 16 which means that my 1-minute readings were 102 and 96.
The trouble here is that my max heart rate is supposed to be 175.
I'll be honest - I'm not sure if I ever reach that when I'm running. I'm going to have to start paying better attention during my short and long runs.
I know from blood draws and blood pressure checks and etc. that my heart rate is always pretty low (much like my mom's was, but for different reasons). But, I'm sure that I can still stand to figure out how to raise it during my workouts.

I think, however, that if I'm going to go ahead with this certification, I need to be able to
1) verify my own HR,
2) find good moments/positions with which to take my HR,
3) help others check their HR during a workout (because not everyone will own a HRM or will remember to bring a HRM to a class).

Anyway, after working out, I made everyone breakfast - yummy Belgian waffles (made with coconut and soy milks, rice and whole-wheat flour, and honey instead of sugar). I realize that they aren't perfect, but the family didn't even notice the substitutions. (It's all in the folding of the egg whites...)
Like a dope, I ate two of the waffles. One was plain, and the other had peanut butter and un-sweetened applesauce instead of syrup, jam, or anything else.
Also, an egg and a banana. Yum!

Now - after this movie is over (Truth with Robert Redford and Kate Blanchett), I'm going to do my taxes, get some dinner prepped, and then go for a snow shoe hike with the dogs. I love days off.

Sunday, February 14, 2016

DDPY - DC1/2, NRG, and RHC

Valentine's Day - what a wonderful morning!
I got breakfast in bed from the boys (truly made by the little Mrs. and delivered by the boys...).
I got some yummy chocolate covered caramels which I can't eat because I gave up sugar for Lent (and hopefully longer).
I got a heart-shaped pendant that makes me think of my little stinkers.
I asked what we were doing and what time we were leaving the house. I got "I don't know... I would like to drink my coffee." Then, halfway through DC, I got "You know you have about 15 minutes before we need to leave?" Sigh.

Besides the three dogs walking underneath me while I was in down dog and sticking their butts in my face, and the sound skipping out, the first 29 minutes of Diamond Cutter were very good.
I was focusing very much on keeping my lower half engaged. I typically do very well when DDPY tells me to engage, but then we move to the fire hydrant, and I focus on that and forget about the bottom half. After almost a year, it is still an effort to remember to keep both engaged as much as possible.
I got through Broken Table and Chicken Wing before I had to shower. There was sweat dripping during Broken Table. This is typically when the sweat starts "to drip off my nose."

We enjoyed lunch out where I chose something logical and pretty healthy: cilantro-lime rice, broccoli, and mango-chile chicken. It was good!
I was going to have a chicken burrito which would have been tasty and a decent choice, but it wouldn't have been quite as healthy.
Then, we went to the Ute basketball game (where the Utes kicked the crap out of Washington State), and I did eat a jumbo pretzel. However, I didn't have cotton candy. I didn't have gummy worms. I didn't have M&Ms.
After the game, we went to Baskin Robbins where I enjoyed not a single bite of ice cream. I'm staying strong at 4-days no sugar.

Now, the rest of the family is climbing into bed, and I'm going to mend a pillow and do NRG and RHC. This will get me to my 1-hour of DDPY for the day, and before you know it, I will be so freaking awesome.

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Ruby Mountain Relay - 2013 - race report

Yes - I realize that this post is 2.5 years in the making. I was sidetracked...

My friend, Carrie from Vernal, won a team entry to Ruby Mountain Relay. She filled one van, and I filled the other. The team name was Sister Wives, and each van had five "wives" and one husband. We didn't know our hubby, but he was a friend of a friend of someone in the first van. As is becoming a pattern, we met him the morning of the race. The rest of our van was made up of Tanner-ites, and we knew that we (me, Majlinda, Rose, Mindy, and Carolyn) were going to have fun. We did NOT know that we were going to be running through the armpit of hell.
Husband, Farmer's Wife, Lesbian Wife, White Man's Wife, Baklava Wife, and Fit Wife - in it for the long run...

So, the Ruby Mountains are the "gem" of north-central Nevada. Honestly, a stick in a mud puddle would be a gem in north-central Nevada. Holy barren!
Having not spent ANY time in Elko or Wells, none of us were prepared for what to expect. Thankfully, we didn't expect much. Seriously un-thrilling ride through a lot of desert and sagebrush.
We drove for about 1000 hours before getting the first exchange where we met van 1. Then, we started running. Mostly dirt/gravel roads, but some asphalt.
It was hot and miserable and, for the most part, boring.
Here's Carolyn coming up a nasty hill and Rose running with trees in view. There weren't a lot of trees, so this was noteworthy.

OK - it wasn't ENTIRELY void of beauty:

We got to run through some tribal land which was pretty interesting. I don't know why. The land itself was boring as hell, but I just found it interesting. We got our asses kicked by a team from the local reservation. They were FAST! Of course, they are probably used to the heat since they live there...

Here's our hubby, David. See? It was hot!

Here's a girl who works hard when she runs. She doesn't mess around. She doesn't seem to walk, ever...

Have I mentioned that it was dusty? Here's my bum print to prove it.

Some more scenery that didn't involve sagebrush. (I try to forget about the sagebrush...)

Here's a new ride that Rose and I found just in a random part of the road as we were driving over the south end of the Ruby Mountains:

After sleeping for a few hours at some kind of bird refuge, we ran our nighttime leg. As we were leaving the refuge, one of the volunteers said "watch out for rattlesnakes!" We all laughed, but he kept a straight face... He was totally serious. I was totally freaked out, and rightly so. In my super short run, I passed about 12 rattlesnakes that had been squished on the road. I was madly swinging my pinpoint headlamp back and forth trying to keep myself from getting killed by a venomous reptile, and I actually stepped on a dead one. So much for keeping myself safe. If it had been alive, I would have been dead.

We finally got to the second exchange point, and got some more sleep. I woke up in time for the sunrise and this random dog licking my face:

I loved this.

Hey, look! I'm done with my final (and HOTTEST) leg of the race!

Here's another determined runner:

Fit Wife heats it up, strips it off, and cools down:

I think she's happy that she's done running:

Hallelujah! We're done! Let's get the hell out of sagebrush, rattlesnakes, and dirt. (Then, we lost a sleeping bag from the roof of the SUV on the way home - in the dark, I might add - and had to turn around until we found it.)

(OK - it really was fun. We had a great time, and we've done several relays together since...)