Exhaustion Has Set In

By Wednesday afternoon of this week, the reality of working long hours, travelling across the country, running lots of miles with quality workouts and having a mild head cold set in. And it set in hard. By about 3:00 pm at work each day I was just spent. And last night, I couldn't keep my eyes open any later than 9:20 pm. I did not get out of bed this morning until 8:40 am and I still felt like I was dragging.

I hit the road to do my long run today fully knowing I may have to cut it to 6 and do my 20 miler tomorrow. Indeed, that is what ended up happening. I felt ok, but my HR was high and I was slow. I decided to get more rest/nutrition today and have a better chance for a good long run tomorrow.

It was funny though because as I was running, I was thinking about Fall 2007 when I did the Pfitz 18/70 program. At that time I was getting 8-9 hours of sleep a night and I was still so tired from training that I would frequently take a cat nap in the afternoon if I could sneak it in. Fast forward to now. I am running a modified 18/60ish, getting 6-6.5 hours of sleep a night with absolutely zero chance of getting in a cat nap. So, yes, I guess my recent fatigue makes perfect sense. So I need to try to make some adjustments so I can get some adequate rest. Not sure exactly how, but it is in the plan. :)

I am also at that middle point during my training where the blahs are starting to set in just a little bit. The good news is that even though I have only lost a couple of pounds, my clothes are starting to hang off me. That keeps me motivated! I am really looking forward to racing soon though. There aren't many in the early months of the year, but I really do look forward to getting back out there. I haven't run a race in MONTHS.

Oh yes, and as we close the books on January, I am pleased to see that I have logged just over 215 miles this month.

Okay, that seriously kicked my @ss

Yep. I got home from FL and had a much needed rest day on Monday. Tuesday I rocked out a 12 mile run on the treadmill at an average pace of 8:50. But I was more moderate with that run. My previous progression runs have been very slow up front for several miles followed by a steep increase in pace in the last couple of miles. On Tuesday, I bumped it up, but it was much more of a steady state run. Wednesday I rocked out a VERY slow recovery run of 6 miles at a 9:48 pace. This is big for me as the boredom factor just about kills me. This morning I got up for my tempo run. 11 miles with 6 @ 15 K pace. This is ALWAYS a hard workout. After a full week on the treadmill, yuck! I got up and my resting HR was crazy high (almost 70). But I got going and was ok. I ran 4.2 warmup then hit tempo. First mile at 7:35 and my HR was good, but my legs were heavy. So mile 2 slowed down to 7:41. Legs completely felt spent and I did not know if I could do this today. But by the start of mile 3 I hit back up to 7:35. Halfway through I bumped to 7:30, then 7:24, then 7:19 the last 1.2 or so. Nice run... HARD run.

And my L hip is yelling at me a little. Nothing huge, but a yell nonetheless and I am paying attention. This is one of 2 60 mile weeks this schedule. I really hope all goes well.

On a different note, I found out Monday night that an old friend's (i.e. high school) dad died over the weekend. I went to the wake last night. So sad. But nice to see old friends. Cherish your family and friends while you have them... Life is way too short.

Whew, what a crazy week!

But I am pleased to say I survived it. Here is the lowdown:

M: planned to run to pack the miles in M-F, but I was SORE after my 18 miles of slipping and sliding. Decided to use some discretion.

T: Got up early and ran 8 progressive on the treadmill (8:48 average pace). I was very tempted to cut it off at 4 or 5, but resisted the urge. My oldest son was sick by early Tuesday afternoon and we had to coordinate getting home early to pick him up. Fortunately my husband could do it.

W: Nada. We were up every 45 minutes Tuesday night with a distraught and vomitting child (the LITTLE one, not the sick one!). He had a fever and both my husband and I were SWAMPED Wednesday. So I got up early and went straight to work so I could get home by noon to relieve my husband. My little boy was very low key and let me get in a TON of work anyway.

R: Big hearing for me so I got up at 5 and started working - no time to run. My hearing was at 10:30 and I won! Yay! It was an "extraordinary remedy" that courts are "loathe" to award, but yep, I won it. Good stuff. I worked until 2, came home and logged 12.15 outside. Despite being EXHAUSTED, it was a decent run in decent weather. Average pace: 9:05.

F: I had a hearing an hour away starting at 8:00 am, so again I had to ditch the early morning running. I cranked the day out, left early to pick up the boys and ran 5 on the treadmill while they hung out and got ready to go to Grandma and Grandpa's for the weekend. Average pace: 8:39.

Sa. Woke up at 4:00 am to go to Florida. Got there just after noon. Had lunch at the restaurant we always went to when we were falling in love (aw, what a romantic he is), then met my new brother-in-law and his adorable son and caught up with my sister in law and niece. It was truly priceless. We then went to a dressage horse show that was a breast cancer benefit (this being the reason for our trip). My mother-in-law is a "horse person" but has been stricken by breast cancer, colon cancer and a number of other horrible things. It was fabulous to watch her perform and even more fun to catch up with her post performance. Late Saturday night we drove to a hotel near the airport and completely crashed. I WISH we could have made it to Tampa. Boy would I have LOVED a nice FL run!

Su. Up again at a ridiculous hour to hit the airport. Got home just before 1:00 pm and it was a balmy 10 degrees. I almost went outside, but figured I'd never nail my tempo run if I did thanks to the cold, snow and ice. I was scheduled to do 8 miles with 5 @15K pace. Ran a 2.5 mile warmup really easy (9:18ish pace), then ran 3 at 7:35, 1 at 7:30, .5 at 7:24 and .5 at 7:19. These runs are always hard for me, but today it felt like things were coming together a bit more easily. Maybe because it was such a light week? But given how dog tired I was, I'll gladly take it. Just as I finished up, the boys got home. How wonderful to see them. It is amazing how much I missed them after just 2 days!

Back to running: TOTAL: I was scheduled for 37, but dropped a 4 miler on W. ACTUAL Total: 33.15

Weight is holding still. I will take it given a 20 mile drop this week and too much crap food over the weekend. I will need to be very good this week do it doesn't catch up with me. This week I have 60 miles on tap. Longest I have run in probably 15 months. Maybe 16. Bring it on.

Off to find some warm sun

I am heading to Jacksonville in the morning. It is in the 60s-70s, but unfortunately no time for running - a whirlwind tour. We arrive at noon and leave by 8:00 am Sunday!! Booked solid.

Good week for me. First cut back week in training. Good timing for the cutback as we are leaving, kids have been sick and called out of school and I had a big hearing this week. Sheesh. But after my hearing yesterday I bugged out and got in my 12 miler outside. Yay.

Family issues are in shambles, but it should be a positive weekend. The kids are with grandma and grandpa but I already miss them.

I get to give big hugs this weekend that are much needed and I get to meet new family (that I have not yet met). All positive. Please cross fingers that no birds get stuck in the engines. Although I am not too worried about it here as it is far too cold for birds to dare enter. :)

Have a good weekend.

Basebuilding Phase is Now Complete

That is right. Over 260 miles are in the books. After 6 straight weeks of building my miles, I am getting geared up for my first cut-back week - woo hoo! For those who like numbers, the last 6 shook out as follows: 32, 37.3, 41.4, 45, 50, 55.

Today I had 18 scheduled and I went outside. The roads weren't great, but weren't too bad for the first 6. Then I hit some pretty treacherous roads and it started snowing. By mile 12 the roads were getting really sloppy and I was starting to slip all over the place. So I headed home and got to the front door at 16.4. I promptly dragged my happy @rse down to the treadmill for the last 1.6. Yeah, it was far from ideal, but better than the risk of getting hurt at this point. So the boys watched SpongeBob while I finished up my run. The good news is that I got outside and that I hit 55 miles/week for the first time in a long time. Here is how the week shook out:

M: rest/arms/core
T: 10 aerobic with 12 strides (8:53)
W: 4 recovery (9:42)
R: 5 easy (9:17)
F: 11 progressive (8:55)
Sa: 7 w/12 striders (9:02)
Su: 18 (9:10)

Total: 55

Every run was on the treadmill except today's 18 miler. That is just crazy. And it worries me because I don't think that is the most ideal way to train. But it will have to do for now. I know all of my miles will be on the treadmill next week too as I will be travelling (and not running) next weekend. I will tell you this in not nice as I will be in FLORIDA. But the weekend in JAM PACKED. No runs. So I am not even thinking about it. Okay, I am. but I am REALLY trying not to.

I also took everything a bit easier this week as I will be running 11 days straight to make my schedule work with my life. But I am happily watching my HR go down, I dropped another pound and I am starting to feel very solid. I will take it! I have been doing arm weights and core stuff regularly as well. I am starting to see those old abs again, they have been greatly missed.

The best news is that it seems my knee thing was definitely weather related. It feels 99% today and it didn't so much as make a whisper during my run or after.

I am now thawing out and enjoying some home made beef stew. Yum.

Toasty warm sun, reggae and boat drinks

Are what I am dreaming of. Nothing more. Nothing less.

The kids did not have school the last 2 days because it has been so ridiculously cold. This morning after my run I looked at the temp gauge in my kitchen and the real temp was -20. With wind chills it was supposedly around -35 to -45. That just isn't right no matter how you look at it. A bit surreal actually if you want to know the truth. Thank goodness I have the most amazing babysitter on the planet and she watched the boys full time both days! I really miss the ability to take snow days, or cold days, er whatever. The boys had fun and I really missed it.

My knee has been really hurting lately thanks to the big drop in pressure and the extreme cold. Tuesday was a killer. It didn't help that I decided to wear boots with 3.5 inch heels on the very day the temps dropped like mad. Every day since I have felt little pains here and there that are enough for me to take brief notice, but so far haven't culminated into anything more than a moment of worrry, if you will. So far (knock on wood) it has not come to being during my runs. Usually only going down the stairs or abrupt movements. Fingers are crossed that when the temps rise tomorrow, the knee thing will disappear too. I am paying attention though. And the boots are now banned unless it is at least 28 degrees.

This morning I was scheduled for 11 on the hampster wheel (as Kel would say) and 4:50 am came WAY too early. I am for the most part used to getting up that early by now, but by Friday, 5:00 am still just hurts. It didn't help that the school district called the last 2 mornings at 4:30 am to announce school was closed..... thank you very much....

But back to today's run. I logged the first 20 minutes at a 9:22 pace. My HR was between 138 and 144 the whole time. Not great, but an improvement. I then bumped it up to 9:13 for 20 minutes and it went 142 - 148. At the half way point I finally was at 8:57/150 and then I just gradually bumped up. Amazingly, as I went from 8:57 to 8:30ish, my HR hardly changed! It was staying surprising low (mostly 154ish, but fluxuating in 152-162), which was very welcome. Hey, maybe I am getting back into the groove after all! By mile 10, I was at an 8:20 pace (which as I looked at it was a big jump 168-170 HR) so I decided to bump it so I could have at least .3 at MP. Not a long way, but it felt great and I actually finished the run with a "runner's high" on the treadmill! CrAzY.

I am a bit apprehensive because the likelihood of me having to run 18 miles on the treadmill this weekend is very real. Yikes. I really hope those 20 degree temps and some sunshine will clear the roads just a wee little bit so I can get outside. For now, all is still a complete mess. I like my spikes, but I don't trust them over 8-10 miles to not wreak havoc on the joints.

Yesterday I was interviewed with a local magazine re how to balance working with marathoning. It was so much fun! I will keep you posted on how the article turns out. It will be published in April.

Life is also a bit rocky on the home front this week. I have an extended family member going through some excruciating times (this time a new person/new issue). Subsequently, many others are suffering. I am very very very worried and likewise feel very very very helpless. I am the lawyer in the family so please fix it. But that is not how it works in these circumstances. I care and I am trying the best I can. That is all I can continue to do. Give a crap and keep on keepin' on. Fingers. toes. all crossed. Prayers, wishes, everything.

On an "up" note, I just met my friend's 2 week old baby the other day. I got to hold her and snuggle her for 15 minutes at work. The baby warmth, gurgles and beaming looks of proud and doting parents were priceless. It was so wonderful to share.

I also finally turned in our "thank you" points that were about to expire and got a fancy new digital SLR camera. I am excited to get back to it as I used to be quite proficient in the photography area, but have slacked since getting a crap camera after my last one broke. Just what I need, another hobby! :) It is fun though. This pic is of the top of the WI state capitol - view from my office. Click on it for some cool detail.

Enough rambling from me. I am going to pour a glass of wine, put on an extra pair of slippers and pretend I am sipping a pina colada in, well, anywhere it is above 32 degrees.

Why did I leave Florida?

TODAY:
***WIND CHILL WARNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN WISCONSIN STARTING AT NOON*** Mostly cloudy with snow tapering to flurries this morning; then becoming windy and turning bitterly cold in the afternoon with some clearing possible. Minor additional snow accumulations possible. Blowing and drifting snow is likely in the afternoon.
High: 5; temperatures steady/slowly falling through the single digits in the afternoon
Wind: NNE 8-15 MPH to NW 12-22 MPH in the afternoon; Wind Chills: -10 to -20

TONIGHT:
***WIND CHILL WARNING FOR SOUTHERN WISCONSIN*** Becoming clear, breezy, and bitterly cold.
Low: -18
Wind: NW 10-20 MPH; Wind Chills: -25 to -45

THURSDAY:
***WIND CHILL WARNING FOR SOUTHERN WISCONSIN*** Mostly sunny, breezy, and continued bitterly cold.
High: -6
Wind: WNW 10-20 MPH; Wind Chills: -20 to -40

FRIDAY:
***WIND CHILL WARNING FOR SOUTHERN WISCONSIN UNTIL NOON*** Partly sunny, becoming breezy, and bitterly cold (becoming mostly cloudy with flurries developing at night).
Low: -19
High: 6; Wind Chills: -20 to -35 in the morning

SATURDAY:
Mostly cloudy but not quite as cold with light snow or flurries.
Low: 4
High: 19; Wind Chills: -5 to -15 in the morning

SUNDAY:
Mostly cloudy and not as cold with flurries or freezing drizzle (light snow developing at night).
Low: 8
High: 25

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Yep. Another treadmill week. : ( Speaking of which, time to get off the computer and get moving . . .

Week #5

Here we go, another week in the books. I am very pleased to state that I am finally back up to 50 mpw and have lost a couple pounds. Yay! I will be race ready before you know it. I need to get back into the core stuff, but for now I will take my victory with mileage.

M: rest

T: 9 miles with 4 mi at 15K pace (7:38ish)(8:28 average overall) on the treadmill. It wasn't easy or as fast as I'd like, but it was easier than my last tempo run.

W: 5 easy on the treadmill (9:14)

T: 10 progressive on the treadmill (8:52)

F: 30 minutes recovery on the treadmill (3.14 miles/9:34 pace). I just couldn't take any more of the mill

Sa: 5.5 - started outside but the roads were a mess and the wind was burning my face, so I came in and did the majority on the mill as a progressive run (8:49)

Su: 17.37 outside (8:53) and my friend Anne ran almost 11 with me.

Total: 50 miles! :)

I am very pleased to have my numbers trending upward and I am just ahead of the Pfitz schedule. Next week I am scheduled for a cut back week (my first), but it will have to wait until the following week as the weekend of the 24th I will be travelling and unable to run so I had to shift some things around a bit. Next week will be the final week of my base-building phase. Then I am on to lactate threshhold. Good times.

I am likely to have to log lots of miles on the mill next week too as it is supposed to be insanely cold and I am not going to run outside in the dark on icy roads. Oh well. I downloaded a bunch of new songs last night to keep me entertained.

I am really hoping to continue to drop a few pounds. I have 5 to go. It is hard because with upping my mileage I am starving! So I am making every attempt to avoid crappy food. We'll see how that goes!

My husband and boys got into a car accident on Friday night. It was very scary, but fortunately everyone is ok. John had shows both Friday and Saturday night and I couldn't go so I spent a lot of time on the computer. I was looking through old videos of the kids and was quite amused. But wow, where has the time gone? The video above was done at least 3 years ago. Heh. My little one sure is a live wire.

Tuesday Morning

I went to bed nice and early last night in hopes to get rested up for today's tempo run. Unfortunately I could not shut the old noggin off and "dreamt" all night about a ficticious legal issue I was researching, but just couldn't find the answer to. I am not sure I really slept at all - if I did, it was very light. I got up at 5:00 and hit the treadmill. Run du jour was 9 miles with 4 at 15K pace. I did the first mile at 9:22 pace, then the next 3 at 9:13. I discovered quickly that my treadmill HRM really stinks. My HR would go from 145 to 165 in a matter of seconds and bounce all over. So I ran upstairs and got the trusty garmin.

I started my tempo at a 7:35 pace and decided that was just too fast. My PR for the half is 7:29ish and I know I am currently no where near that fitness level. So I upped it to 7:41 until I hit mile 3.25 and then kept increasing incrementally so that I finished up at a 7:13 pace. HR varied from mid 170s to mid 180s. Not too bad, but I keep reading the treadmill is much easier than running outside and I should estimate adding on 15 secs per mile. Why the heck is it that the darn thing always feels harder to me?

Finished the last mile by starting at 9:05 pace and bumping it up gradually every .1. Ended at a 7:30 pace. In the end, I was really glad to have gotten in my workout despite a terrible night sleep.

I am adding an extra 5 mile easy run this week to bump me up to 50 mpw. I am really excited about that. I am a bit worried about my 18 miler this weekend. It is PURE ice outside and not supposed to warm up any time soon. I don't think I can run 18 with my microspikes on, but I am wholly doubtful I can (or want to) run 18 on the mill. We'll see.

I am also working on improving my nutrition/hydration. I have been skipping breakfast lately (last year) due to being in a rush and not being hungry. Not good. So far I have been good for about 2 weeks. I am also cutting out any alcoholic beverages and late night snacks during the week. Hopefully that will start bringing my numbers down all around.

Happy Tuesday.

Week #4 is in the books

M - rest
T - 8 w/ 11 striders (8:49) on the treadmill
W - rest
R - 11 progression (8:39) outside
F - 5 easy (9:35) on treadmill
Sa - 16 (8:46) outside - hills and wind
Su - 5 recovery (9:52) on treadmill

Total: 45

Shaking off the slow

HMMMM. I finally seem to be coming out of my running funk. I'm not sure why, but I will take it. Last year was just a slow year for me in general. Not because I didn't WANT to run faster, I just really couldn't for some reason. Almost all of my runs were very slow and my race times followed suit. However, I am about to finish my 4th week of training for the Illinois marathon and am very pleasantly surprised by my numbers. I am just plain faster this season and I like it. My HR is still higher than I would like, but my runs are feeling comfortable. My suspician is that if I continue training well, it will drop in 6-8 weeks.

I ran 16 outside today after a wonderful 10 hours of sleep. I cannot even remember the last time I slept nearly that long. It was 28 degrees, but VERY windy. I also hit the hills and hit them hard. It felt good to really crank it out. Finished up with the last mile the fastest despite it being mostly in the wind. I'll take it.

This morning I uploaded a bunch of race pictures to Facebook. It was very motivating. I also did my part to stimulate the economy and dropped a load of cash on some new running gear. It all got me fired up and caused me to rethink my goals. And even though crazy, I am going to say them outloud:

Marathon: 3:25
Mile: Sub 5:58

Both would be PRs. I am hungry for them and planning to nail them this year. I am following the Pfitz up to 55 mpw program, but so far I have successfully been adding miles every week. I hope to start running 6 days a week so I can get up to 60 at least once or twice and to stay more consistently in the 50+ range.

2008 Running Recap

I ripped this off from runnin-from-the-law as it is fun to look back at the numbers....

Total Miles Run: 1707.2 (almost 500 miles less than 2007!!)

Average Pace: 8:52

Number of Races: 13 (two marathons; two 20Ks; two 10Ks; one 5 miler; five 5Ks; one mile)

Highest Mileage Month: August - 234.7

Lowest Mileage Month: February - 86.5

PRs: none

2008 is in the books. Here is to 2009.

New Years Day Dashless

So I had planned to run the New Year's Day Dash this morning, but it just didn't happen. I saw the other side of 2:00 am and ended up sleeping until 9:30. I awoke with a nice headache and a belly full of beer, wine and champagne. To make it to the race on time, I would pretty much have to immediately dress and head out the door. Given that the weather was "feels like 5 degrees" with hefty winds, I decided to just visit with my family and drink coffee. My cousin, her husband and my sister and brother-in-law all hung out last night and crashed at our place. A good time was had by all.

While my husband went to pick up the boys, I talked myself into going out for a run. Running with a headache is never all too pleasant, but out I went. To my surprise, I felt pretty good. I was scheduled for 10, but ended up doing 11 progression. 8:55, 9:01, 8:53, 8:40, 8:38, 8:35, 8:35, 8:51 (entire mile headwind), 8:27, 8:18, 8:05 (also into a headwind). Not too shabby.

Happy New Year!