Numbers then deets…

Last Week:

Monday: 30 mins bike hills + crunchtime
Tuesday: 6×800s @ 8:30 min/mile with 90 seconds rest interval (12 min/mi)
Wednesday: 25 min swim, yoga
Thursday: hills (6×400 with 400m flat intervals)
Friday: off (yoga/stretching)
Saturday: 15 mile long run
Sunday: off

This Week:

Monday: Reverse Ladders (1200m, 1000m, 800m, 600m, 400m, 200m (@ 8-8:30) with 200m recovery in between @ 12) + crunchtime
Tuesday: 30 mins bike hills, yoga
Wednesday: 7 mile L tempo (9:45 min/mi)
Thursday: off (yoga/stretching)
Friday: off (yoga/stretching)
Saturday: Azle Half Marathon!!!
Sunday: off

Weight: still 175.  No budgey.  My nutritionist lady person is starting to get frustrated.  I am too.

Things of interest this/last week:

15 miles is the longest I’ve ever ran.  EVAR.  I could pretty much divide it up into 3 sections: mile 1-5, warmup, getting into it, etc.  Mile 6-11, I took a caffeinated honey stinger gel and it was dance party USA!  I was making great time (better uphills than I had previously down it) and I was singing and dancing to the music while I was running – seriously, I’m sorry people of Austin who might think they just spotted a crazy person, but I was having a good time. Mile 12-15 were not as happy, my legs were dying and I took copious walk breaks.  Overall, I held a better pace than my 14 miler (11:35 vs 11:47) and felt better.  My legs were just as wrecked though (read: took my shower sitting down in the tub, limping around until the biofreeze actually kicked in, etc), but until I really got a good double digit base over the summer, I’m pretty sure I felt this way after my long runs before.

Gel preference so far: Any Honeystinger>Hammer Green Apple>GU pineapple>GU chocolate mint>Hammer vanilla.  I think the key is either honey or fruit, and although I really, really liked the GU chocolate mint, it turned my stomach a little since it was super thick.  The hammer vanilla didn’t kick in fast enough and tasted kinda like stale frosting (so, since I love frosting, not all that bad, but still…).

Damage after the run: IMMEDIATE: tight and tense to the point of fairly decent pain – calf, hamstring, and glute muscles.  Gone within a few hours.  NEXT DAY: quads (?) a little sore as well, right ball of foot almost feels bruised.  MONDAY: general soreness but no big D.  Runners – how do I lessen/avoid the massive back of the body pain that immediately goes away after I stop and decompress a bit?  I had lungs for many more miles and probably a faster pace but my legs were going to die if I didn’t stop just then…

The animals around our house are acting BIZARRE… a bird smacked into our sliding glass window.  I figured it HAD to be dead with the sound it made, but it was just standing there, staring at the glass, looking a little dazed but definitely ok.  Then, yesterday, we found the ballsiest squirrel!  He followed us, protecting his 2 little patches of landscape, and stood between us and whatever he was protecting, waggling his little tail at us.  We were amazed, so we kinda messed with him, going back and forth to see if he’d give up.  He held firm.  Pretty crazy.  So, if the animals all rise up and take over here soon, you heard it here first.

This week, my eating goal is to make sure I a) write down everything I eat, even if it’s just two bites and b) make sure I’m estimating portions better.  When I was doing some spot checks last week, I got about 50% right – my half cup pasta and my fage breakfasts were right on, but my 1 tbsp pb was more like 1.75 (and though I haven’t checked, I’m pretty sure my salad dressing is underestimated too.  I was hoping to really have made more progress by now, and as my mom said this weekend, “with all your training, I’m surprised you haven’t gotten smaller”.  I’m really surprised by the way I eat that I have made so little progress lately.

I had jury duty and actually got selected for the jury.  At first I was BUMMED because it was a crazy bad time to be out of work, but it was actually fascinating to see the process.  They actually all do say “objection” and “overruled” and stand to address the judge and it’s this crazy dance and they send the jury to deliberate and it’s all very different than how things happen anywhere else.  Seriously, if you can get on a short trial like I did, I highly recommend the experience!

This weekend’s race is up in Azle, TX.  Which is just outside Fort Worth.  Fort Worth has In N Out.  I think I may be more excited for the post race lunch than the race itself.  I’m still debating strategy.  I’m not tapering for this one at all but I kinda want to race it.  I don’t know if I have it in me NOT to try for a PR, but I haven’t been such a speedypants lately.  We’ll see.  It will also be Zliten’s first 10k, which will be exciting!  He did 6 miles this weekend and thinks he can add the .2 at the end.  He just needs to think about the double double and keep his eyes on the prize.

So yes, my questions for the audience:

1.  Any tips for my back of the body soreness?

2. What’s your favorite gel/in race nutrition?

3.  Any signs of an animal uprising around your parts?

Hope your week is awesome-tastic!  Think fast thoughts for me!