Healing knee

The knee is healing well, except that I tore the scab a bit trying to do a Turkish Get Up this morning.

This morning I did this:
2H swing - 10x20kg
jump-up chin-up + negative
10s RKC plank
chin-up (regular)
2H swing - 5x20x20kg
alternated with:
push-up - 2x10
goblet squat - 2x5x16kg
then:
1H swing - 20x20kg alternating, 6R6L4R4Lx20kg

Yesterday I ran 3.24 miles. This time I stayed upright. I used my Merrell Pace Gloves and managed to stay upright. I ran to a 170bpm Podrunner podcast. That seems to be a comfortable cadence in these shoes.

May 14, I did this:
Bench Press - 10x45#, 5x75#, 3x85#, 3x95#
Chin up - 1, 1, 1/2 + negative, negative
Goblet Squat - 4x3x16kg

Fine, sidewalk, you can have that skin, but leave me alone!

Yes, the sidewalk got some skin from me today. Ouch.

I had a positive this morning, though. I managed a second chin up. Not back to back with the first, but two in the same hour is good for me. Focussing on them sure helps.

During my run, at about 2 miles in, I tripped over a lip in the sidewalk. I caught myself pretty well (while making a very weird muffled grunt) but still managed to rough up the heels of my palms and skinned up my right knee decently. My right thumb is a tad sore, but I think that's the only internal issue I'll have to worry about.

The mud run is next weekend, so I need to get my knee as healed as possible before then.

Even with the spill, I did a 10:35 pace, so I'm happy with that. Overall, I didn't feel winded.

I did this today:
Foam rolling
TGU LR 12kg
Chin up
TGU LR 12kg
Chin up
Run 2 miles
Fall and make a weird noise
Run 2.41 miles
Walk 0.13 miles
Hold paper towel to stop blood

During the run, I wore my Merrell Pace Gloves with thin socks. I listened to a Podrunner 10:1 podcast, which had 10 minutes each of 165 and 170 bpm with 1 minute slower between. (There is also a 175bpm interval, but I stopped before that.)

5 miles!

It was a beautiful morning... just cold!  (32F) I got into my stride, slower than I would like, but I got there, nonetheless.  I listened to a 160bpm Podrunner podcast called Mass Transit.  It was a fun mix, except for the sounds that seemed to be dog tags jingling.  I kept having to look around to see if a dog was chasing me!

5 miles of running plus a bit of walking.

Interval Podrunner

Yes, I got out in 28F weather this morning to get my run in.  At least there wasn't much wind!  It was rather cold, but I warmed up with my interval podcast today called Driving Spikes.  I really liked this podcast.  I would have probably made the intervals shorter and more plentiful, but who am I to complain.

The podcast warms up at 150bpm, then does 160bpm with three faster periods of 180bpm at 1, 1.5, and 2 min.  The 180bpm seemed fast, but I adjusted.  I felt like I was soaring!

Only 2.7miles, but that's ok.

Final stretch before the 10k

I had planned 2.5 miles today and 3 on Thursday, but I was feeling so good today, I did the 3 miles today.  I think it might be better to ease up on Thursday, anyway, since my 10k is on Saturday.  Also, the 2.5 miles might be on a treadmill, so I'd rather not go far on that.

It was a beautiful day for a run.  Mid-fifties, medium wind.

I increased my cadence to the next notch and used a 163bpm Podrunner podcast called Tiger by the Tail.  I love when this happens.  As I was starting my last stretch up a long incline, the mood intensified.  It felt like it sped up, but it didn't.  I did, though!

1 bunny

Slight change of plans...

Today was a chilly but otherwise good day for a run.  It was 41F when I got outside, so I was dressed pretty warmly.  By the end of the run, it was still only 45F, but the sun was up, so I felt too warm.  I wore cold weather running pants and a long sleeved running shirt.  I also started with gloves, but those came off after a few miles.  I just stuffed them under my iFitness belt and all was well.

My original goal was 8 miles for today.  Mother nature delayed me a little more than I had wanted to, so I changed my goal to 1:30.  It turns out, if it not were for a special encounter, I would have finished 8 miles before the 1:30 mark.

I was running down an asphalt path that has a very steep hill.  It's not very long, but steep.  So, I was just concentrating on getting up the hill, not looking to the top.  At the top, there is a sharp curve that goes around some brush.  When I got around the curve, about 20 feet in front of me, frozen and staring at me, was a young-ish whitetail buck.  After a second or so, he turned down the path and started running away.  So, I started up running again behind him.  Then he veered to the right and over a wire fence.  I took a few more steps and turned around.  In the field where he probably came from was a doe, staring intently at me.  Then, I looked over to where the buck had gone and noticed he had two little ones with him.  I was far enough away, but the doe wasn't taking any chances.  She very cautiously moved bit by bit toward her family.  Eventually, she too jumped the fence and the family was reunited and they headed off across the field.  It was breathtaking.  There are often deer and deer tracks in this area, but I've never encountered them so closely!  It was amazing and invigorating!

That actually did pick me up some.  I was starting to drag and was wondering if I would make my goal.  But seeing those deer gave me a second wind.  On the street that the path leads to, I ran right by a dead racoon.  Not quite as exciting as the live deer! Ha!

It turns out that in those 1:30, I ran 7.73 miles.  Considering I stopped for about 4 minutes to watch the deer, I don't think that is that bad.  I used 160 and 159bpm podcasts today.

Tomorrow will definitely be a day to rest.  In addition to the run today, I spent around 7 hours at an amusement park with family and friends.  Of course that included a lot of walking and even some running after kids!

1 bunny
4 deer

Nice fast-ish run!

It wasn't raining today, yay!  Although, I did feel a few drops.  It was so humid and hazy, I think they kind of materialized out of the air not too far above me.

I felt like I was taking it pretty fast, but that felt good.  My average heart rate was 162 over 2.5 miles running section. Funny, I also ran to a 162bpm Podrunner podcast!

I averaged 10:21min/mile.  Not too shabby for me!

Time for a break?

It was a beautiful morning for a run.  I got out for my scheduled 6 miles and it felt great.  I did start with a Gu gel and had one with me, too.  I probably should have used it after 4 miles or so, but I didn't.  Afterward, I was rather tired and a bit achy.  I'm glad I didn't plan to do more than 6 miles.  Actually, I ran 6.2 miles.  I got almost exactly the same time as I did from the 10k run I participated in last fall.  That gives me hope that I will do well at my next 10k, since I expect that one to be rather flat.

Later in the day, I took a 1/2 hour nap, which seemed to help.  I might do yoga or something light tomorrow morning, rather than pushing again.

This morning, I used a 158bpm Podrunner podcast called Relayered and then some of the next podcast in my mp3 list, a 159bpm mix called Activator.  I averaged a 10:44 pace, which I'm pleased with!

At one point, I turned a corner to see 60-70 Canada geese in a nearby field.  That was quite a sight.

180bpm?

I was reading the latest issue of Runner's World magazine last night.  There was a blurb that mentioned the "ideal" foot turnover is 180 times per minute.  That translates to keeping time with a 180bpm Podrunner podcast.  Really?  I've been running to podcasts in the mid-150's.  I'm not so sure about that, but I decided to give it a try.  I used the next podcast I had up 1bpm from my last one. I figure it's not great to jump too far forward.  I ran to a 157bpm podcast called Native Suns.  I better download a few more faster ones if I'm going to try pushing it up a bit.

Since I was planning only a 2 mile run, I pushed myself a bit more than usual and ended up averaging 10:37 min/mile.  Not bad for me!  I also ran a course that had me reaching exactly 2 miles (plus a ~0.14 warm up walk) right in front of my house.  The engineer in me loves efficiency, so that was very satisfying. 

Only 1 bunny today!

Hilly loops

Today I decided to do hilly loops around my neighborhood. Normally, I just roam around, turning where I feel like at the moment. Often I choose the flattest route. But, today, I decided to do three loops near my house. My road is a gradual incline of about 1/4 mile. The next street over, however, is much steeper. The steeper part is shorter, of course, and then any incline is more gradual than my street. So, I ran downhill from my house and ran up the steeper hill on the next street. The whole loop was 0.95 miles, which is a pretty nice, even number! Who woulda known?!

From top to bottom, the elevation change is only 162ft (49.7 meters) so it's not that big of a deal. But it's enough of a challenge for 5am in 39degF weather with 5mph wind. Actually, the weather was perfect. The coldness was just right. I could feel my lungs wheezing a tiny bit, but nothing to worry about yet. I wore about the same gear as last time. It was a bit on the warm side, I think. Not too bad, though.

I listened to a 156bpm Podrunner podcast called Running to Elysium. There is a line somewhere around 20-25 minute in that repeats "You don't stop" over and over again. That always makes me pick up my pace!

Overall, I did 3.04 miles in 31:05 for a pace of 10:13min/mile. That's pretty good for me!

No bunnies, but I saw a stray cat! I forgot to mention I saw one bunny during my last run. I'm sure you were wondering...

Intervals!

I've been mulling over which run to participate in next. But, while I decide, I should actually be running. So, I got out this morning and did intervals. Rather than the 60sec high/120sec low intervals in NRoLfW, I did double the number of 30s/60s intervals. From what I've read, it seems like this is more of a true high intensity interval training (HIIT) workout. I think I agree. I can go all out for 30 seconds, but I can't hold that for a minute. So, when I do 60/120 intervals, I have to scale back my high intensity sections.

I ran 27:36 today for 2.42miles. That calculates out to an average pace of 11:24. I did get down to almost 7:30 for some of the intervals, though. It looks like one of the rest periods clocked out at over 17:00min/mile. Believe it or not, I was jogging during that time! Very slowly, but still...

My heart rate monitor must have lost contact during the fast periods, because the graph below shows my HR dropping precipitously as soon as those 30seconds start, then popping back up when I slow down. I think some of the intervals probably got up to about 185-190bpm, judging from the rate of decrease during the slow periods. That little dropoff with the blip at the bottom is typical of the HRM loosing contact. *sigh*


Today's choice of music was a 152 bpm Podrunner podcast called Power Trip. Nice.

4k on the Fourth

I just got back from my second 4k race. The first one was when I was about 4 weeks into the C25K program. This time I cut around 4.5 minutes off that first time. It was rainy and (of course) overcast. The rain was light, however, and it was rather cool for a July day. It was a cool 64F (18C) with about a 10mph (16kph) breeze.

This year, the course was an out and back. During the first mile, we spread out and I was again pretty much running by myself. Although, there were people within a few yards ahead of me to keep me going. Afterward, I'm always thinking I could have run faster, but looking back at my heart rate record, it's rather clear that I couldn't have pushed it much harder without burning out. After the first mile, my heart rate got above 180 and stayed there for the rest of the race. During my final 0.1 mile when I kicked it up a notch to almost a 7min/mile pace, my heart rate got up to 193. My overall average pace was 10min/mile.

It took me 10-15 seconds to cross the starting line (it's a medium sized race with a wide starting line, so I was relatively close to the start), so my official time will be a bit slower. My Garmin shows 24:32 and 2.45 miles. That's pretty accurate, since 4k is 2.49 miles. I'd say 0.04miles is within the margin of error, considering it depends on which side of the path you run on! I set my Virtual Partner to my last 4k time. That didn't help, since I was so much faster this time. At about 0.5 miles, I checked and was 345ft ahead of my VP. So, I forgot about VP and switched to a different screen, one with time, speed, and distance.

I ran with an old favorite Podrunner podcast, Definitive at 154bpm.

Overall, I'm glad I got up and out of the door today, despite the rain. Now, on to the July 4th festivities!

The Envi-run 5k!

This morning was a dreary morning. It was lightly raining with some distant thunder. About 44degF (7Cdeg). Not a beautiful day. However, it turned out to be wonderful weather to run a 5k in! They had a short little run for the kids, but my husband and kids decided not to go to that. So, I went alone. I was running late and my husband had thrown away the entry form I had filled out and had not made it to sending it. I was just going to hand it to them. Not a big deal, but it seemed so at the time, since I was running late anyway. As it turns out, I made it there with enough time, filled out a registration, and got my number, number 42. (Isn't that the meaning of life?) I jumped and jogged in place a lot to keep warm. It was a pretty informal race with around 50 participants. Unfortunately, a lot of them were young, fit grad students at the local university. That's ok. I enter for me, not to win!

At the start there were a few sprinkles, but they stopped and it was dry the rest of the run. The first km was a bit faster than normal for me. But, I evened out and settled into a comfortable pace. I picked it up a bit in the last km, but mostly towards the last half km, since the first half was into the wind. I kicked it towards the end and finished with something around 32:40. I don't know the official time yet. It took me a few seconds to cross the start line, so the official time wouldn't be that accurate, either. I did forget to look at my watch right as I crossed, though. I looked at it a bit later and it said 32:53.

All in all, it was a good race. Afterward, as usual, I felt like I could have tried harder, but the truth is I was over 180bpm for a decent portion of the run. I tried to keep the flats under 180bpm.

I'm ok with the time. I haven't been able to run longish distances in the past several months due to my knee. I think those two 3 mile runs in the past week or two were the only runs over 1 mile, but I'll have to go back and check.

I brought my music equipment with me, not knowing whether I would actually use it. After seeing the small size of the run and the althetic appearance of most of them, I decided the tunes would be fine. After the first 1km or so, I was mostly on my own, so it was good that I had my beats. I used a 157bpm Podrunner podcast called Native Suns.

The Bunny Count is Back!!

I'm sure the whole world was missing my bunny count. Well, folks, it's back. And with full force!
Bunnies: 9 (all alive)
Dead squirrels: 1

I had a relatively easy run this morning. It was nice. Windy, but not crazy windy. It was 42F when I left, so not bad. I had on a long-sleeved running shirt, a water-proof windbreaker, and a (drum roll please) new reflective vest! At 5am in the dark, I'm always worried that cars won't see me. Also, I wear headphones. Although, I don't have the music up loud, sometimes it's hard to tell if the noises are coming from the music or not.

The running portion of my outing was right at 3 miles, which took me 33 minutes and 40 seconds. Not bad for a somewhat hilly, easy run. I'm going to only do shorter runs before the 5k this weekend. I used a 152bpm Podrunner podcast called Power Trip. The combo of running outside and listing to the electronic beats of Podrunner is so relaxing. It's almost meditative. Ohmmmm....

It was, of course, dark when I set out this morning, but by the time I got to a path that is nice to run on, it was getting a little light. I don't run on the path in the dark, because it is completely unlit. Not only is it a bit scary, because of the trees, it gets so dark, it's hard to tell what's on the path and the condition of the asphalt. As I was crossing the street to where I would need to decide to go down the path or not, there was a dead squirrel in the street. It probably sounds completely crazy, but I took that as a hint not to go down the path!

During the run, I could feel an odd stiffness in my knee toward the back of it. Toward the end of the run, I started cramping a bit in the foot on that side. Probably due to worrying about my knee. Anyway, I think it will be ok. I might wear my brace today to help with it. I didn't run with the brace. I'm not sure the (second) one I got would be good for the repetitive motion of a long-ish run.

I so missed running outside. I sure hope this knee thing rectifies itself, so that I can continue running.

In for some more soreness, I assume

Today I ran 1.5 miles before completing Stage 1 Workout B3 of the New Rules of Lifting for Women. The run went fine. I was starting to feel something in my bad knee, so I stopped at 1.5 miles. I didn't have time to run farther, anyway.

The lifting went fine. Lifting the bar for the deadlifts is giving me sore spots on my hands. I really need to get some lifting gloves. I don't care to get rough callouses on my hands from weight lifting!

I definitely maxed out my weight in the overhead presses. Those last couple reps were marginal and at my physical limit.

Today, I tried out my new cell phone as an mp3 player. It's an LG Rhythm. It worked very nicely. I used an arm band to hold it. The ear phone cord was slightly annoying while running, though. This phone has a microSD slot. I bought an 8GB card for it. Last night, I loaded about 900MB of Podrunner podcasts on it... a drop in the bucket! Nice. Although my other mp3 player is nice and small, the thing I like about using my cell phone is that it has a larger display. It's easier to select the podcast I want.

After my workout, I tried (for the second time) a scoop of protein powder in some Fage fat-free plain yogurt. Not bad at all! I have Optimum Nutrition vanilla ice cream whey powder. I saw some powders at the store that don't have artificial sweeteners. I think I'll try one of those when I finish off this tub. I just don't care as much for the taste of artificial sweeteners. So far, the yogurt is my favorite way of eating this stuff. I tried it in oatmeal and it curdled! Yuck! It makes milk taste funny and smoothies are ok, but take time. Then I have to wash the blender, which is a bit of a pain.

Need a step

I did the second round of Stage 1 workout A today. The squats went better. I think I need to angle my feet out a bit, though. I couldn't squat down so that my thighs are horizontal or lower, but afterward I was talking with hubby and he showed me how he does them. His feet angle out slightly and can squat down all the way. When I tried it, I could go a lot lower, too, so I'll have to try that out next time.

The step-ups are still giving me grief, since I don't have a high enough step. I tried to start down lower with a bent non-working leg and not let it push me off. That worked to some degree, but I think I would have a better result if the step was actually higher.

I struggled some with the pikes today. I think I was doing them better, though, and that is the reason they were harder.

I found a better bar to use for the seated row. That was nice.

I warmed up with speed intervals today. I did 0.2 miles at 5.5mph then 0.1 miles at 6.5mph, repeat until one mile is reached. That was harder this morning. My heart rate got up to 186bpm briefly. I used a faster bpm Podrunner podcast, a 157bpm (I think) called The Road of Excess (I think). I kept listening to it while lifting.

Bad running day, but still a running day

If there was ever a day when I could have used a Podrunner, it was today. Unfortunately, I hadn't recharged my mp3 player yet. So, I watched something on HDTV. Not very good running TV. I managed to reach my goal of 3 miles, though. I did 1.5 miles running, 0.15miles walking, 1.5 miles running. I also had to reduce the speed to about 5mph After that, I went home without lifting.

When I got home, I figured I was already in my snow stuff, so I shoveled the driveway for about 45 minutes to an hour. I couldn't go very fast, since I was already winded. However, the biggest problem I had was the ice that was under some of the snow. Since my leg muscles were fatigued, it was sometimes hard to control my legs when I stepped on ice. I was afraid I would pull a muscle like I did on the sailboat after my 4k race on the 4th of July. (I pulled a quad catching myself from slipping overboard during a very windy day. That really hurt!) That would not have been fun. And it would have sidelined me for a few days.

I've committed to 3 more miles before Christmas, so I have to find time for them. I joined a challenge on one of the Weight Watchers boards where our teams are trying to run 125 miles by Christmas. I'm on the Elves team! :)

Another good run after a break for sledding

I wanted to run on Thursday, but we went sledding instead. More fun, but not as good of a workout!

Today I managed 4 miles. I ran the first 3miles at 5.5 mph (with the exception of the first couple minutes at 5.2-5.3mph) then I ran another mile mostly at 5.0, but I kicked it up for the last little bit. I couldn't find anything particularly interesting on the TV, so I put in a 157bpm Podrunner called Native Son. The first minute or so it was hard to find the beat, but then it got better. A nice set of tribal beats. I "read" CNN on closed captioning while listening to the music. That was a nice combination. Unfortunately, around a half of a mile from my finish, my mp3 player ran out of juice. So, I plugged my phones into the treadmill. Not near as nice listening to people in suits yap. The reading of the captions takes more of my attention, which was nice.

Afterward, I did a full round of weights. I realized I was not doing much targeting for my shoulders, so next time I'm going to add a set or two. It already takes a decent amount of time to get through my standard set of lifts, so I don't want to add any more than is necessary. I am seeing some results from the lifting. I don't want to be a body builder, but strength training is so good for you, especially for women to protect from osteoporosis. I make sure I focus some on my back, too. I see too many people with back problems. NOT FUN. Also, I'm afraid I'm more likely to develop back problems due to my scoliosis.

It was/is -3F (-19.4C) with stong winds making the windchill around -25F (-31.7C). Brr! There is absolutely no way I'd be running outside in this. I may sound like a broken record, but I am so glad I joined a gym and gave in to the treadmill for the winter. It'll be nice to run outside again, though.

Fast and short

Today I decided to change things up and run faster, but shorter. So, I dialed in 5.5mph and 1% incline and ran for 2 miles. Towards the end my heart rate was getting up around 185+, so I knocked down the incline and reduced the speed to 5.3mph. Falling off the treadmill wouldn't have been a good idea. Afterward, I stretched and lifted weights.

I almost talked myself out of getting up early today. However, since I made hubby get up in the middle of the night to take care of our daughter, who was having problems sleeping, I figured I had to hold up my end of the deal and go work out. I'm glad because I feel great now!

During my run today, I listened to more of the 154bpm Podrunner podcast while I watched the local news. The music definitely carried me through this tough run! There was one song in there that had some words in it. I don't remember what was being said, but it motivated me to continue at a difficult spot!

Great workout today

I managed to get up early, run 3 miles on the treadmill and complete a nice circuit of free weights.

My pecs were still sore yesterday from Tuesday's workout. Today they were better, so I hit them again! We'll see if they act up tomorrow. I have a book from Shape that details a lot of different ways to lift for muscle toning. It's pretty good. I've done a decent amount of weights in the past, but it's nice to have ideas for different ways of targeting certain muscles. Of course, it has instructions as well as tips on good form and what not to do.

For my run, I decided to listen to a 154bpm Podrunner podcast and watch the news with closed captioning. It worked well. The speed of the podcast was right and it kept me moving at a constant stride.

It's funny how when there are other people on the treadmills next to me we seem to synch up with our pace. When nobody else is there running, I think it's nice to have the music to synch up to!