supersylver's Xanga

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 13:59:12 GMT

Now that im back from China, I have launched myself (jet lag and all) right into marathon training. Im already 2 weeks behind, therefore jet lag wasnt an excuse to wait any longer My first marathon will be on May 4 over in Long Branch NJ. Im running it with Liz, who is also following a different training plan, so it should be fun and interesting Actually, I have no set training plan quite yet, but I have mapped out my long runs since those seem to be the most important.

So today is my first long run. After a couple of months of logging in 0 to 5 mile weeks, i decided to jump right into it. Today was OCA day from Tarrytown, about 8 miles in a time of 1.31. It was nice out, a bit cold, especially on the way back when i was running right into the wind. But a good welcome back!

This weeks total: 19 miles.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 15:53:26 GMT

Jet lag sucks....

Snow...pretty but heavy

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 21:10:37 GMT

I never learn. I tweaked my back shoveling snow last year, and what do i do this season? My back now hates me

Long time coming

Sat, 08 Dec 2007 15:36:18 GMT

It's been awhile since I've written here! Even though I dont think anyone really noticed, I am trying so hard to stall on this HW, so here I am.

It's been a little hectic, and only getting busier as we speak. Ive finally taken the plunge and am in the process of switching gyms. The price I was paying was ridiculous, and I am not made of money (yet ) so ive joined the Tarrytown Y, which has all the stuff that i was using at the NYSC, but with many sacrifices. I will def miss the two spin instructors that will be very hard to replace, and the always available treadmills. But to be saving over 300 dollars a month, it's something that has to be done Oh well....

I have to start marathon training soon. But I actually have to find a plan i like first. Ive been combing through many different ones trying to find one that will fit my goals and my schedule. But alas, I am still looking. My goals are to finish, and my running schedule varies according to conditions and how late i went to bed the night before. So, hopefully winter training wont be terrible. My ultimate goal next year is to complete a marathon in the beginning of May (Long Branch), and train for and cut off significant time off my time in the Olympic Distance Tri (Staten Island, I seek redemption!), and then run a marathon in November (Philly) with hopes to qualify for boston (high hopes). But that one will depend on how i feel after my first marathon in May Lofty goals for 2008? Maybe, but trying is half the fun!

When I said im taking the winter off, i wasnt lying. I have def been a little MIA from the gym or the local trails for a bit. Im lucky if i get two good workouts in a week! Makes me feel a little guilty and irritable on top of the tiredness and the feeling like im trying to fight a cold. But alas, as i keep telling myself, next week is it, its time to get back into it! Maybe my performance in the 5K tomorrow will be my wake up call. We shall see.

My stupid HW calls my name...school just gets in the way of fun

Tarrytown to Dobbs Ferry via OCA trail

Sun, 04 Nov 2007 14:12:07 GMT

The route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1431640

The time: 1h28min (more or less 10 min mi)

The distance: 8.5 miles

The splits: Tarrytown to trail head: 1.23 miles (12.12 min)
                Trail head to Dobbs Ferry: 3 miles (30.25min)
                Dobbs Ferry to Trail head: 3 miles (31.34 min)
                Trail head to Tarrytown: 1.23 miles (12.58 min)

The sneakers: Ball of left foot got numb again. But its feeling better.

Overdressed today, the T-shirt over the long sleeve shirt was not necessary. Nice run overall.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 22:00:56 GMT

Monday: Spin Day! Instructor was there, all was good. Took us up a grueling hill, and back down it. It was fun. I have my HR stats upstairs, and really dont feel like getting it (i can be lazy too), but i believe it was an average of about 146 and a high of 167(?) Not too high, it took me a bit to get warmed up, and i was a little conservative in my resistance...

Tuesday: First real test of the new sneakers on the treadmill. I took it for a quick 3 mile run (1%, 6.5 - 7.4, increased by .1 ever .25 mi) They felt great while i was running, and i was suprised by how well i was able to stay on pace as i kept increasing speed longer into the run (btw, somewhere between 8 and 8:30 min miles seems to be my tempo pace, which is a long way from 9:30min miles) I did my stretch thing and the plank again, but for some reason, my feet feel kind of weird. Not painful, but just not the way i would like my feet to feel after a run. Maybe i just need to get used to the different supports? Let's hope...

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 12:53:27 GMT

Thursday: Didnt feel like running, so I rowed 2000m in a little over 10 min (inclusive of break at the 1000m mark), then i did 3 sets of 8 leg lifts (?) on the captians chair thing. Then I did 2 sets of 8 of the assisted pull ups and dips (120lb setting), and 1 set of 8 of the same two but at 110lb. Then it was on the ellipical for exactly 7 min. Then it was off to the mat for the same routine of stretches, bicycle kicks and plank. Varied kind of workout, but it served it's purpose. I was quite tired out from it. By that night, I was exhausted.

Friday: My shoulder/chest muscles were sore. Probably from the dips and pull ups. Went running with the boys who decided on a different route. It was a nice route, a little less hilly at first, and I was able to push the pace to slightly faster than i would be comfortable running, but not so fast i couldnt hold a conversation. Sort of right on the cusp of being fully tempo if that makes any sense. When we did hit hills, they were steep, and the last major one was super steep. I already began falling off pace, but that hill just wiped me out completely. I finished the run in 1hr 10 min. How far? Not sure, but if i had to guess id say about 7 miles.

Saturday: Early wake up day after late night out. Spent the day with Liz (yea!!), and i got new sneakers! I seem to have a problems with the outer edge of my foot cramping up when i swam (never ever happned before when i was on swim team and did tough 2 hour workouts 5 days a week, but since i started running, it would occur after 40 min of not so tough swimming) and after the half (really painful and it made walking back to the car absolutly awful), so the woman who helped me said that it was probably due to the fact that land on the outer part of my foot more when i ran, which causes the tendons to tense up. Made sense, so she fitted me into a shoe that was lighter, and basically less shoe that what the brooks was. It also had more cushioning on the outer edge. They definately feel much lighter, and since my left foot is longer than my right foot, i got bumped up half a size. Anyway, we took my new sneaks (Mizuno's by the way) out for a nice 5 mile run, and they felt great. Noticeably lighter, but i think time will tell if it's going to help with the cramping issue. Also, along the path we ran, there were little fitness stations, and I can proudly say, with much surprise, I can do one chinup.

Sunday: Took Walee out for a quick romp around the neighborhood to further try out my new sneaks. He wasnt up to running so much, so it turned into a run for a mile then walk back. The last hill before we hit Payne again, I broke the 2 min mark! Today I did it in 1m57sec. Yea!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 21:47:49 GMT

Monday i dragged my tired butt out of bed and made it to spin class, wondering if there was going to be a sub or if it was going to be another self instructed session. To my suprise, the usual instructor was there! It was a good workout. It's been a long time since my last good spin class. It felt great!

Tuesday was an off day. Just couldnt make it out of bed in time. But instead i spent the entire day wandering around a basement following pipes. Woo hoo!

Wednesday, run day! 10 min warmup (5min walk, 5 min jog), 4-5min intervals (2min tempo (7, 7.3, 7, 7.3, 1%), 2 min hill climb 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, 3%, 6.6), 1 min recovery (1%, 6.6)) then my stretch session It felt really good. Great 30 min run (a little more than 3 miles).

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 21:38:57 GMT

First days back are tough...

Friday was my first day back out since the half marathon on Sunday. I was getting a bit frustrated over how long it was taking me to recover. First it was just soreness in my legs, which was to be expected, and soreness in my core muscles, which wasnt so expected. But then i was just tired all week, which didnt help get me through yet another busy busy week. But on Friday i figured i was ready, i was still tired, but at least i wasnt sore anymore.

Regular Friday route, but it was cold out after the storm that came through thursday night (so much rain!) but the biggest issue i was having was my breathing. It just wasnt feeling right, and i could just feel the start of a side stitch from the beginning. I kept it slow and in control up until the water break, where then it decided to become a full blown side stitch. I tried to run with it, and tried every trick i knew in the book and that have proven to worked in the past, but it just wouldnt subside. I actually had to walk....walking is not allowed...and it still wouldnt go away. Finally i just had to run with it, and i went slow. I felt so bad about it. Time: 1h16min (inclusive of short water break)

Saturday....lately my clothes havent been fitting very well, and my eating habits have been absolutly awful, while my physical activity levels are not where they used to be. So, today, i didnt want to run, so i took my bike out for a quick spin. The day started out cold, but once i got out (bike shorts and a long sleeve top) it all felt nice. I am still tired, but i got a nice stretch where i held it at about 20mph and it felt pretty good (besides the horrible bumps in the road). Just as I was getting more proficient at the biking thing, the season is over Next year ill totally rock

HR Monitor: Duration - 56.50, avg hr - 141, max hr - 166, calories - 429
Cyclocomputer: Time - 55.04, max - 22.3, avg 15.3, distance 14.05mi

Westchester Half Marathon...new PR!

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 12:31:54 GMT

Today was the last big race of the season for me. It was a tough one. I hadnt been training as much as I wanted to, and have been feeling kind of crappy, tired and stressed out from life in general. So I tried to not put so much into this race. I kept telling myself that just think of it as a fun run, just finish and enjoy yourself. I even wore the running skirt to remind myself to not kill myself over a goal that I havent trained to achieve. Yea...that didnt happen. It wasnt a good sign from the start. My stomach just didnt feel right that morning. I had my usual pre race breakfast of a peanut butter and banana and honey sammich washed down with gatorade. But my stomach just didnt feel right. Andrew said it was just nerves, and he was right.

As we lined up for the start, I saw a few people ive run with on Fridays, and my one time i ran with them on a sunday. Familiar faces always makes an event more fun. When the run started, i felt pretty good. A little tired as i warmed up, but after i saw my split for the first mile, i began to realize, that maybe my goal of 2 hours was actually possible. So, now the race has taken a different spin. I was going to try for that 2 hours.

I was pulling a good run during that first half. I kept focusing on a person in front of me and trying to either keep them in sight or pass them. Andrew was having a terrible run, seeing how he had been unable to train at all in the last few weeks (apparently life just got in the way ). I felt bad when i caught up to him, he looked like he was really struggling. Poor guy...but he finished...which is a real testament to how strong he really is...

After the turn around (about 6 miles) i finally caught up to this girl I once ran with on a Sunday run, and we ended up running the rest together. Thank goodness, cause I was starting to fade big time, and she needed the push, so we ended up pushing each other through the rest of it.

One thing i kept yelling at myself for (yes, i yell at myself) was the fact that ive never actually given it my all in any race. Ive made big efforts and pushed past my comfort level...but ive never actually given anything everything i had. So that last mile....i gave it everything I had, and if Erica hadnt been there to keep me going, i would have def slowed down. But I was in so much pain during that last mile, and we picked up the pace big time. When we approched the start, i was ready to give up, but after the hairpin turn, that last 100m, it was a sprint to the finish. I was numb all over, my feet were killing me, my legs were giving out on me...but I ran like i never ran before, and I finished in about 2.04 or 2.05...offiicial results arent up yet (2.05.27 offical net time), but i forgot to stop my watch till after i got my chip taken off and i got my water.

I felt so happy. My time last year was 2.14.45, so that means i cut off 9 min off my old time! During the run you tell yourself different things to keep you going. Mine this time around was the constant reminder of why I do this, why do i wake up at 5 in the morning to run, swim or bike...why do i drag myself out to run when i have so much homework to do after a long day of work? I do it for this...the feeling of accomplishment when you see all that hard work pay off.

Here are my splits (i missed some mile markers, so its not the best):

Lap 1: 9.05 (mile 1)
Lap 2: 18.16 (mile 2 and mile 3)
Lap 3: 8.54 (mile 4)
Lap 4: 8.33 (mile 5)
Lap 5: 18.52 (mile 6 and mile 7)
Lap 6: 9.32 (mile 8) This is where i start to fall apart...
Lap 7: 9.59 (mile 9)
Lap 8: 10.49 (mile 10)
Lap 9: 10:40 (mile 11)
Lap 10: 12.05 (mile 12) yea....it was a tough one
Lap 11: 9.17 (mile 13 and 0.1mi to finish and chip removal and water) im amazed...we were really bookin it there!

Watch total time: 2.06.07 (im guessing 2.04 or 2.05 for actual time...but im waiting for offical results) And now im done for the season....no mas! no mas!

Ice cream time (another reason why i do this )