Training Week 75
My next race is the Fools 5K on April 2nd.
Day 519 | March 21, 2011: 7 m run (1 mile, 2 mile, 2×800) + cross
This session of speedwork seemed particularly daunting – 1 mile with 400m recovery, 2 miles with 800m recovery, then 2×800 with 400m recovery in between – but it went well! I ran loops on the roughly 800m path in the neighborhood park, and the workout flew by. My legs felt most taxed at the end of the two-mile portion.
| 1st Mile @ 7:43 | 1st 800 in 3:42 (7:25mm) |
| 2nd Mile @ 8:01 | 2nd 800 in 3:36 (7:15mm) |
| 3rd Mile @ 8:06 |
While I was running my first 800, another runner ran on the outside of the path, so I stopped to chat with her during one of the recovery intervals. Turns out she is training for the Madison Marathon. She lives really close so maybe we’ll run together sometime!
Distance: 7.0 | Start Temp: 48° | End Temp: 49° | Time: 59:38 | Avg Pace: 8:31
In the evening, Steven and I went on a walk on the new trail by our house. The bridge is getting close to being completed!
Distance: 3.85 | Time: 1:10:32
Day 520 | March 22, 2011: strength class
We did another kettlebell workout. This workout had less of a focus on cardio and more on strength (so less kettlebell swings, yay!). I felt spent when I was done, but not as wobbly as the week before! I didn’t have much energy during class, so I think I may have been half-assing it a bit.
Day 521 | March 23, 2011: 4.5 m run
Lunch time run in the gym. Confession – I am a little bit treamilled-out. I am sick of running on that thing. But I run during lunch so I don’t have to get up early, and so that I can spend my evenings with Steven. I wish I could run outside during lunch, but yeah… I wouldn’t get very far with my measly one-hour lunch break!
Anyway, this was a simple and easy run at 6.4 mph. I just wanted to get my legs moving after the previous night’s strength class.
Distance: 4.5 | Time: 42:15 | Avg Pace: 9:21 | Incline: 1.0
Day 522 | March 24, 2011: cross
Recumbent Bike Time: 45:00 | Distance: 7.62 | Set on “Manual,” Resistance Level 5.0
Day 523 | March 25, 2011: 7 m run (tempo)
I ran early in the morning with my pacer friend from the Grayslake Running Club (GRC), Terry. The plan was a 2-mile warm-up, with 3 miles at tempo, and a 2-mile cool-down. I knew if I ran with Terry though, that we would be speedy – so I did 5 miles at tempo with a 2-mile cool-down. And boy, did that cool-down feel good.
I was out there wearing tights. Tights! In the end of March. Will spring ever come, for real?
Distance: 7.0 | Start Temp: 22° | End Temp: 23° | Time: 1:00:29 | Avg Pace: 8:38 | 1: 8:32 | 2: 8:20 | 3: 8:16 | 4: 8:20 | 5: 8:33 | 6: 9:21 | 7: 9:01
Day 524 | March 26, 2011: 16.85 m run
I met some fellow GRC friends in Grayslake for this long run. It was a good run to do with friends – I needed distractions from the awful wind!
I started off pretty fast with two of the men in the club, then left them to run slower with some other women for the remainder of the run. I didn’t want to get too burned out. And it’s hard to tell if I was or not. My body felt fine, but the wind pushing on me from all directions was making me feel exhausted. And I had to stop and get water in the last few miles. I think I didn’t properly fuel the day before the run (I had a bad headache and took a long nap then didn’t have any appetite).
After the run we ate at Something’s Brewing – the coffee shop where we met in the morning. I usually don’t feel hungry right after a long run (takes a few hours or a day) but I still got a bagel and apple! I know that ideally, I am supposed to eat within 30 minutes after a long run. Do you feel like eating immediately after a long run?
Run stats: I wore my orchid Asics Cumulus 12s. I wore tights with shorts over them, Under Armour Cold Gear, a windbreaker, gloves and a headband. I took GUs at 4 miles, 8 miles and 12 miles. I drank 32 ounces of water. We stopped quite a bit – to get directions from the run leader, go to the bathroom, get water, wait for people, and at mile 7, to walk across a railing to get over a flooded part of a trail!
Distance: 16.85 | Start Temp: 24° | End Temp: 29° | Time: 2:32:11 | Avg Pace: 9:11 | 1: 8:49 | 2: 8:47 | 3: 8:52 | 4: 9:08 | 5: 8:55 | 6: 8:59 | 7: 9:49 | 8: 9:02 | 9: 9:09 | 10: 9:05 | 11: 9:32 | 12: 9:28 | 13: 9:14 | 14: 9:08 | 15: 9:29 | 16: 9:25 | 17: 8:00
Day 525 | March 27, 2011: yoga
When I woke up, all I could think was YOGA. My left calf felt so tight! I did the Yoga Works Beginners DVD to stretch out.
Week Summary: 35.35 miles
Well, I am getting the miles in, but I feel like a slacker when it comes to cross training, strength training, and yoga! Even though the year has been going well, and I feel like I am ramping up my mileage smartly, and haven’t had any serious pain, I still worry about injury. When will I ever get over that fear?!
Life is Hard, Food is Easy GIVEAWAY
Back to rockin’ the tea. At least I have this awesome tea cup from my sister. Too cute! I think I laugh every time I use it.
I may or may have not picked up this box of tea (below) because it had a lion drinking tea on the box… adorable!
And yummy!
Anyway, talking about my emotional eating issues is getting a bit old. I don’t want someone to take a glimpse at my blog and think that is all I talk about, because really, I tend to be a pretty happy person (at least I think?) no matter my size. I just want to be healthy and feel good. I don’t when I eat a sh*t ton of sugary crap!
I recently bought a copy of my favorite emotional eating book, Life is Hard, Food is Easy, by Linda Spangle, to reread. I first read this book in the summer of 2004, and it really resonated with me. Spangle talks about why we overeat (stress, boredom, sadness, you know, all that) and suggests real ways to deal with our emotions instead of eating. Something about this book just really makes sense to me. I think I need to reread it once or twice a year. I wish I could describe it better.
I bought an extra copy of the book to give away. I figured someone out there may benefit from reading it as well.
And with that, I will try not to talk about this so much…
Life is Hard, Food is Easy Giveaway Rules
- To enter the giveaway, leave a comment saying you would like to be entered in the giveaway.
- This giveaway is open until 5:00 PM CST on Tuesday March 29. I will use random.org to select the winner. I will announce the winner on Wednesday March 30.
- This giveaway is open to all readers.
Friday Question #154
What kind of computer do you use? How long have you been using it? Do you like it?
I have a Dell Latitude D800 (on the left above) that I have been using since September of 2004. And I have an HP Mini (on the right above) that I have been using since April of 2009. My Dell has been reformatted numerous times, as well as had the motherboard and other various things replaced. I really like it… when it works. It’s been acting funny lately, and Steven’s going to look in to it. The HP Mini is awesome for traveling because it is so lightweight! I take it downtown with me every day!
I’m curious to hear what other people are using!
Side Note – I had my sister order me new running shoes with her Amazon Prime account yesterday and they came today! Holy crap that is fast! Thanks, snister!*
I love new running shoes! How often do you get new running shoes? I have been rotating between two pairs at a time. This is my third pair of Asics Gel Cumulus 12s. I got the lavender ones this time.
Ooo, and know what else I love? Working from home and dressing like a bum! Oh yeah… sweatpants all day long, baby!
*No Dad, I did not misspell “sister” – that is a word that Christina and I call each other.
Pants – that fit! / Sony W-Series Walkman MP3 Player Giveaway WINNERS
Erin took me shopping at The Limited on Tuesday and I now have pants that fit! No belt required!
I actually got a few other things too, like this sweater:
I actually bought it to match this cute top,
but I felt bloated today so I wore the white top instead. Erin actually suggested the whole ensemble! Well, minus the lack of shoes and messy hair. There is still work to do here. No one can fix that.
I have to thank Erin for waiting while I tried on approximately one zillion pairs of pants and two zillion dresses. And a few tops. I did come home with two dresses! My younger brother is getting married on April 2nd and I thought it would be fun to buy something new for the wedding!
So far, everyone thinks I should go with the purple dress. What do you think?
I am happy I have some pants that fit now. I felt so sloppy before. I was hesitant to spend the money on pants, because I hope to be needing new ones again in a few months, but it’s worth the money to feel comfortable in the meantime.
I also think I was a little scared to shop at The Limited. I had never been in there before and was worried they wouldn’t have clothes to fit a bigger girl like me. But they did! And the salespeople were really nice!
Have you ever felt too intimidated to shop in a certain store? For what reason?
I remember one time Steven and I were on Michigan Avenue and decided to stop in the Armani Exchange (was that the store, Steven?) or something similar and we basically walked in… and walked out! We didn’t belong in there!
Time to announce the two winners of the Sony W-Series Walkman MP3 players!
Number 29 and 52! That would be Chad and Kristi! Congrats! Please email me (kimilax@yahoo.com) your mailing addresses and I will send the MP3 player your way.
As a reminder, you can buy the Sony W-Series Walkman MP3 player here for only $48.99! That is a special discount for ilaxSTUDIO readers!
I have really been loving mine. It’s so nice not to have cords in the way of my run, or have to worry about carrying an MP3 player on my arm or in my pocket. And the sound quality is AWESOME.
Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway!
Losing motivation – help!!!
Guess I didn’t get very far after this post.
Help me! I seem to have fallen off of the healthy eating train. I had been doing so well since the beginning of the year, but since last Friday, I have been struggling with emotional eating big time. I’ve been eating lots of junky foods and feeling junky.
When all you want to do is stuff your face with junky food, what do you do to combat that urge?
Things that don’t work for me:
- Self-talk – telling myself I have to make a certain weight goal by a certain date makes it worse, and so does telling myself I need to eat healthier so I feel good when I exercise. I know I can still run even if I am following a crappy diet, so that doesn’t do the trick.
- Looking at “Skinny” photos – having “inspiring” photos around doesn’t help. Even though they are of me when I was feeling my best, health-wise.
- Keeping a food journal – makes me even more neurotic.
Things that do work for me:
- Being busy
- Distractions – emails, reading blogs, magazines… exercise…
- Working out in the am – it makes me want to eat healthier during the day
- Not eating out (at restaurants that give you huge portions) – I don’t know when to stop eating/how to “say no” to the bread basket!
- Making sure not to bring too many snacks to work
- Drinking lots of water
- Drinking tea – I can drink the tea Amy sent me from Belgium in the tumbler that Kayla bought for me at Disney World!
My new tumbler – I am looking down because Data was trying to escape out the front door while Steven took this picture!
So, seriously, any advice? Usually I get to a certain point with eating healthy (and subsequently losing weight) and it all comes crashing down. I start the binge cycle and gain all the weight back and feel like crap. I really want to avoid that. I want to be normal about food. N-O-R-M-A-L!!!
Sigh.
Okay, if normal is not possible, I want to be semi-normal. Or at least sane.
Selfless
As a continuation of my similarities/differences to parents post – another difference? My mom is completely selfless and I am completely selfish.
Example? Awhile ago Erin mentioned that Charlotte from The Great Fitness Experiment was going to Cedar Falls, IA to do a book signing. My parents live very close to Cedar Falls, so I immediately thought “Ooo, I can ask my mom to go to the book signing and get a signed copy of the book for Erin as a surprise!”
So I sent my mom an email casually mentioning the book signing and she immediately called me to ask if I wanted her to go. No hesitation. You ask her for a favor and she is ready and willing to help.
Me, not so much. I say no. My mom called me last two Sundays ago to ask if I could make cookies for a bridal shower the following Saturday and I told her no – that I didn’t have time. And I felt like a total bitch. She does so much for me. Why can’t I make the time?
Anyway, she went to the book signing. And I gave her bad instructions – you had to pre-register to participate in some cooking thing that I didn’t know about. She got there too late to participate but too early for the reading so she just sat there and waited. By herself, until Charlotte spoke.
She absolutely loved Charlotte and called me to rave about her after the reading/signing.
Charlotte and my mom
She kept saying how nice and upbeat and fun Charlotte is. She sure does sound that way. I wish I could have been there! Instead, I sent my mom on her own. What a sweetie! My mom gets major props for always being supportive and giving… and selfless.
Who is the most selfless person you know?
My mom also does sweet things like send me packages at work. She sent this bear for St. Patrick’s Day!
Training Week 74
My next race is the Fools 5K on April 2nd.
Day 512 | March 14, 2011: yoga
Yay! I started my week off with yoga. I did the Yoga Works Beginners DVD and really pushed myself – my muscles felt sore (Or maybe they were just sore from Sunday’s race? Ha ha.)!
Day 513 | March 15, 2011: 5.25 m run (2x(4×400)) + strength class
400s sounded easy after running a 5K two days earlier. Ha. They started out easy. I was working hard and covered and sweat at the end!
I did a 1 mile warm-up (@6.5mph/9:14mm), the first 4×400 @7.8mph (7:42mm) with 1:30 recoveries (@6.5mph/9:14 mph), and a 2:30 recovery (@6.5mph/9:14 mph) between sets, the second 4×400 @8.0mph (7:30mm) with 1:30 recoveries (@6.5mph/9:14 mph), followed by a 1 mile cool-down (@6.5mph/9:14 mph).
Ugh. I think I have a callus forming on the left side of my left foot, where I land on it. And I don’t know what to do about it. It hurts sometimes. I am trying to land more in the middle of my foot and not so much on the outside, but it’s hard!
Distance: 5.25 | Time: 45:15 | Incline: 1.0
In the evening, I went to the Grayslake Running Club (GRC) strength class and played worked out with kettlebells for 45 minutes! It was fun! And intense. I was definitely walking funny the next day! And the next day… and the next day…
Day 514 | March 16, 2011: rest
Day 515 | March 17, 2011: 12.7 m run (4 + 8.7) + 2 m run
So. My sore legs – that damn kettlebell workout really got to me. In a “holy crap, have I really not been using those muscles?!” sort of way. I started off this long run with four slow miles in my neighborhood. I finally felt warmed up around mile 3.5.
Then I went to Grayslake to meet 3 people (at 5:15 am!) from the running club. We ran 4.5 miles, then about 7 more people showed up (at 6:00 am), and we ran another 4.2 miles (the bonus .7 miles was a cool-down). My legs felt really great when I was runinng with the club, and despite the wind, we were pretty speedy!
This was another long run where I felt like I could just keep going. I wanted to, but had to go back home and work. Oh well. Maybe next time I can keep going!
Run stats: I wore my orchid Asics Cumulus 12s. I wore bermudas and a long-sleeved wicking shirt (and gloves for the middle 4.5 miles). I stopped and took vanilla bean GUs at 4 and 8.5 miles and drank about 12 ounces of water.
Distance: 4.0 | Temp: 50° | Time: 39:10 | Avg Pace: 9:47 | 1: 9:50 | 2: 9:44 | 3: 9:47 | 4: 9:45
Distance: 8.7 | Temp: 49° | Time: 1:19:04 | Avg Pace: 9:05 | 1: 10:18 | 2: 8:57 | 3: 8:54 | 4: 9:12 | 5: 9:17 | 6: 8:56 | 7: 8:49 | 8: 8:26 | 9: 6:11
In the evening, I ran two miles with Steven! I miss running with him. We are running a race in Kansas City in April with his dad and brother, so maybe we will run together a bit more now.
Distance: 2.0 | Start Temp: 66° | End Temp: 66° | Time: 23:34| Avg Pace: 11:45 | 1: 11:11 | 2: 12:18
Day 516 | March 18, 2011: yoga
My legs were still killing me on Friday (from Tuesday’s kettlebell workout), so I did some yoga. It helped a little bit.
Day 517 | March 19, 2011: 8 m run
On Saturday’s run, I finally felt like the muscle soreness in my quads was going away. FINALLY!
The 8-miler was supposed to be a sort of tempo run (all 8 miles at 9:10 pace), but ended up being a slow mile, 6 miles near tempo, then a fast mile – for an average of 9:10. Ha ha. Oops. At least the pace felt nice and easy (which was a shock, considering I ate out the night before, and was very full when I woke up).
The funny thing about this run is that it was in the 20s, but I was in Iowa, and all I brought was capris. The capris worked fine, but at the beginning of winter, I would have been wearing tights if it was in the 20s! Ha. I will have to remember this when it starts getting cold again next fall.
Distance: 8.0 | Start Temp: 25° | End Temp: 27° | Time: 1:13:02 | Avg Pace: 9:07 | 1: 9:34 | 2: 9:16 | 3: 9:14 | 4: 9:07 | 5: 9:15 | 6: 9:10 | 7: 9:10 | 8: 8:10
Day 518 | March 20, 2011: rest
Week Summary: 27.95 miles
Well, I got my rest week! I feel laaazy! Oh well.
Late night confession
I sometimes still sleep with stuffed animals.
Well, actually, I use a little throw pillow at home, but my sister just gave me this Yoda, who is pretty sweet. So I may regress back in to that habit…
Or maybe not. I woke up with Yoda’s gray hairs all over my pajamas this morning and that was kind of weird.
When I was a freshmen and sophomore in college, I slept with Stitch (from Lilo & Stitch). Then I made Minou (the cat) my junior year, and slept with her until I moved to Illinois in May of 2007… and Data promptly destroyed her. Then I started using a small pillow.
When did you stop sleeping with stuffed animals (if ever)?
I don’t know why I like having something in my arms when I sleep. Is that weird?!
Friday Question #153
Have you ever had a professional massage before? Did you like it?
From here
Guess who is getting their first ever professional massage today? This girl, right here:
Maybe they can help with some of my shoulder tightness:
Okay, that last picture may have been a bit of a dramatization.
But I have seriously never had a professional massage before! I have heard some people love them, some people hate them, some say you have to find the right person… I am just going to go for it and see what happens.*
*I am going with my sister and future sister-in-law as sort of a bachelorette party sort of thing. I did not set the massage up and have no idea what it is – I do doubt it is a sports massage (which is probably what I really need) though!
Warmth, how I've missed thee!
Oh my gosh it is WARM outside. Is anyone else rockin’ the flip flops?!
I’m so happy it’s getting warm. That is all.
Hi! I’m Kim, a 40-something-year-old living in northeastern Illinois with my husband Steven, and our cats, Khaleesi, Apollo, Starbuck, and Eddard aka Ned. My current main hobbies are running, painting rocks, flying, reading, and eating. I follow a vegan lifestyle and work in an account management role. I write about a variety of topics and consider this a “life” blog – a place I can share anything that’s on my mind. Please visit the “About” page to get a better idea of who I am! 🙂
