Call me crazy, but I really think the hellmouth really has opened up. Sinkhole in the 110, big ass earthquake, plague of boils (... er, hives)... I'd like to say I'm not superstitious... but none of this really bodes well.
I think as cross season approaches, I'm feeling more and more out of sorts. I'm really starting to hate this feeling that I have so often these days of thinking back on things I used to be able to do with amazement, like that it seems close to impossible I could ever do those things again. Like 90 mile bike rides in the mountains. The run/bike doubles this weekend were really tough. I felt tired and sore all of Monday. I'm starting to feel a little bit stronger on my runs, but realize that I still have a really tough time sustaining any sort of intensity. Then I get slammed by the realization that races are actually coming up real soon and that everyone around me is doing 2 x or 3 x the mileage that I'm doing.
It just feels like such a letdown. I feel like I've spent this whole year trying to prepare for the fall, and now fall is almost here and on a relative scale, I'm doing a lot lot better.... but on an absolute scale, my foot is still fucked and my immune system is still fucked and I'm still chronically fatigued. It sucks. I wish it weren't like this. Or, I wish I could know that it will go back to the way it was before ... some day.
Sunday 07/27: 1:05:20, Monterrey to RB and back in the PM, after Chantry in the AM with Peter, KB and Ian. Bike ride was really fun, but I felt moderately crappy about being the one person in the group who was clearly much, much worse than the rest. Thankfully KB kept me company while I crawled up the hill feeling like my legs would imminently implode. Sadly the breakfast place was closed on our way home, Peter was disgruntled.
Felt tired and achey by evening, so cut back my long run. The first 15 minutes or so felt like death... my stride felt stilted and gastrointestinal system was complaining loudly, but somehow it worked itself out and the rest of the run was fine. I was happy that it really didn't seem to have been affected that much by the morning bike ride. It was actually breezy and cool as well which helped a lot.
Monday 07/28: Off, shots. Still felt strangely dehydrated and headachey from the weekend but it got better. Had delicious delicious cornbread at dinner with Julie and Vikas.
Tuesday 07/29: 47:45, Monterrey to third bridge loop. I've permanently expanded this route to go to the end of the Arroyo Tempo Loop and feel like it's a good distance. Woke up late, but actually felt good this morning, it was nice and cool and I met Jolly Walks Lots of Dogs Man again. You see a lot of the same characters in the Arroyo in the morning. In hindsight I should have gotten up earlier and done my tempo today while it was cloudy and cool, but I guess I was trying to be conservative by allowing an extra easy day given that my legs felt pretty beat all of yesterday from the weekend. In other news.... EARTHQUAAAAAAKE!!!! aaaaahhhh!
Wednesday 07/30: 1:10:03, warm up, 3 mile track tempo, cool down plus an extra lap or two with KB, Ian, Kangway at the end. Really glad that the North Fields were open again, and was nice and cool and remained overcast for the duration of my running time. Tempo was interesting in 20:54 (6:51, 6:52, 7:11), definitely some improvement, but I'm kind of baffled and concerned that it's been a lot of weeks now and it just isn't getting any easier to get through that last mile... In order to combat this phenomenon, I ran the first 6 laps breathing only out of my nose and kept the exertion level down, so I feel like I can't REALLY be accused of going out too hard.... It feels more like something just turns off after 2 miles.
Thursday 07/31: 50:37, California to Salvia Canyon and back. Nice and cloudy and cool, got a little bit earlier start... but felt a little off today. It wasn't painful, just slow, and my L foot is feeling a bit tweaked out. Some idiots were screaming and yelling and screeching their cars outside my window at 3 am, so I felt really awful when the alarm went off in the morning. I guess my legs are also kinda tired. Couldn't shake this feeling of dissatisfaction--I just feel like I should have more to show for 6 months of training... I wish someone would just figure out how to fix my body already.
Friday 08/01: Off, shots. So far so good. Ate an entire delicious CPK pizza for lunch... and plotted with co-workers about how to quasi-legally supplement our meager non profit salaries.
Saturday 08/02: 1:22 - 1:25 ish, Bailey Canyon to the connector for the first time in over a year. Convinced KB, Stephanie, Heather and Sedona to come, was excited! KB totally rocked this run. Ate breakfast at Lucky's afterwards. Fun! We made pretty good time up (48:15-ish) but it was really painful, like a lot more painful than I had remembered. It felt good to be up there again, but I also felt kind of troubled because I saw the same pattern with this that happens with the tempo runs... I feel good, good, good, and then suddenly it goes from fine to horrible, awful dying within the span of like a minute. There's no gradual tiring process, its just like a sudden "game over". It feels weird and unnatural. It really bugs me...
Training this week: Let's just say 5 hours 15 minutes running and 2:36 biking--didn't really do a good job keeping time on Saturday's run
Goals: Figure out what I'm doing
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Week of 07/20/2008 - 07/26/2008 (Base Week 19)
Back to the Drawing Board
So now it's almost August. After a few sub-optimal health weeks... so far so good on becoming something closer to a person and farther from a medical freakshow. But you know, fingers crossed, cuz you never know.
As I face my first tempo run in 2-3 weeks now, with some trepidation, I'm feeling a little bit bummed that all this time I thought I had is slowly becoming... not as much time. The meets of interest are: Alumni meet (9/6), Westmont (9/13) and Riverside (9/27) ... which basically means I've got about 2 months. Sounds like enough time...? Well, unfortunately, when you can only run 5 days a week and 20-30 miles, its almost ridiculously scary how little progress you make in 2 months. RIDICULOUSLY scary.
So, its back to the drawing board... what can I accomplish in 2 months OR, do I sit out cross and run some thanksgivings/winter road races and try for track in the spring?
Sunday 07/20: 1:40:55, Dried-up Creek Trail from County Line to a big tree past some farms and a pipe factory. About 100 degrees out, it took me all 100 minutes to run probably 10.x miles according to the mile markers... felt like I was going slowly enough to not die until about the last 15-20 minutes until there was just no speed that didn't feel like ass. Peter rode by during this time period, I thought I was going to die of shame. Based on the last 2 long runs I've done out here... I think about 80 minutes is my absolute max in the heat and altitude.
Monday 07/21: Off, shots. I think the hell mouth has opened up somewhere near here, maybe as a result of the huge sinkhole that appeared on the 110 freeway right next to my house. Blood just gushed out everywhere when I got the shots today.
Tuesday 07/22: 49:28, Monterrey to end of Arroyo Tempo Loop and back on the other side. This run wasn't the greatest, there were construction trucks parked in my favorite spot, and having to park far away didn't really account for enough of the slowness... but it felt like the best run ever simply bc it was NOT 90-100 degrees out!
Wednesday 07/23: 1:03:53, 3 mile track tempo in 21:09 (6:54, 7:00, 7:15). Clearly not a well executed workout... but it was almost all worth it just to get that one sub-7 minute mile. I think it's literally been about 1.5 years since I last ran anything that fast... over 2 years since my last sub-6 minute mile... oh, how the mighty have fallen. Nevertheless, it was a nice session, the North Fields were mysteriously left open this morning, so I warmed up and cooled down there. Really liked the format of warming up for 21 minutes, tempo for 21 minutes, cool down for 21 minutes (plus some random seconds). It has a nice symmetry.
Also the first 5 or 6 laps on the track felt really really good, for the first time I found a steady rhythm and consistent pacing... my breathing started to catch around the end of the second mile, and I guess I'd crossed that line already by that point because the last mile was just slogging... but then I realized that my legs weren't really tired so its really still just a cardio issue, which is where the whole training volume thing starts to bite me in the ass.
Thursday 07/24: 48:57, California to Salvia Canyon. Surprisingly good (AND not snail paced) run... it's been really nice that the temperatures have been cool lately. Felt a little bit tired in the beginning, but felt good by the end. Really starting to feel stircrazy about wanting to pick up the pace a little bit.
Friday 07/25: Off, shots. First time in a while that nothing distressing happened as a result of the shots. I guess it's because my dosage was scaled back rather drastically. I guess it's going to be a while longer before I can go only once a week...
Saturday 07/26: 35:25, One RB trail perimeter loop starting medium and ending tempo. Somehow misread the e-mail and missed the group meeting in the Arroyo, so sadly drove to RB by myself at which point it was way later and drastically warmer than I'd have preferred. I really, really, did not feel like running at this point, but rather than face the shame of coming home without having accomplished anything, I promised myself I'd at least make one round of the trail perimeter... the faster I run, the faster I could go home, and so I gradually accelerated to a pretty good clip by the end.
Accompanied Peter on his Bike/Fix Flat/Eat 2 Bagels/Bike Triathlon afterwards. Verdugo to Chevy Chase to Linda Vista. I don't think Peter thought I would make it all the way on Chevy Chase so we cut back early on Linda Vista... about 2 hours. Climbing is SO hard... I can't believe how weak I've become on the bike.
Training this week: 4:58:38 and 2 hours of cycling
Goals: To not get sick, argh, everyone is sick....
So now it's almost August. After a few sub-optimal health weeks... so far so good on becoming something closer to a person and farther from a medical freakshow. But you know, fingers crossed, cuz you never know.
As I face my first tempo run in 2-3 weeks now, with some trepidation, I'm feeling a little bit bummed that all this time I thought I had is slowly becoming... not as much time. The meets of interest are: Alumni meet (9/6), Westmont (9/13) and Riverside (9/27) ... which basically means I've got about 2 months. Sounds like enough time...? Well, unfortunately, when you can only run 5 days a week and 20-30 miles, its almost ridiculously scary how little progress you make in 2 months. RIDICULOUSLY scary.
So, its back to the drawing board... what can I accomplish in 2 months OR, do I sit out cross and run some thanksgivings/winter road races and try for track in the spring?
Sunday 07/20: 1:40:55, Dried-up Creek Trail from County Line to a big tree past some farms and a pipe factory. About 100 degrees out, it took me all 100 minutes to run probably 10.x miles according to the mile markers... felt like I was going slowly enough to not die until about the last 15-20 minutes until there was just no speed that didn't feel like ass. Peter rode by during this time period, I thought I was going to die of shame. Based on the last 2 long runs I've done out here... I think about 80 minutes is my absolute max in the heat and altitude.
Monday 07/21: Off, shots. I think the hell mouth has opened up somewhere near here, maybe as a result of the huge sinkhole that appeared on the 110 freeway right next to my house. Blood just gushed out everywhere when I got the shots today.
Tuesday 07/22: 49:28, Monterrey to end of Arroyo Tempo Loop and back on the other side. This run wasn't the greatest, there were construction trucks parked in my favorite spot, and having to park far away didn't really account for enough of the slowness... but it felt like the best run ever simply bc it was NOT 90-100 degrees out!
Wednesday 07/23: 1:03:53, 3 mile track tempo in 21:09 (6:54, 7:00, 7:15). Clearly not a well executed workout... but it was almost all worth it just to get that one sub-7 minute mile. I think it's literally been about 1.5 years since I last ran anything that fast... over 2 years since my last sub-6 minute mile... oh, how the mighty have fallen. Nevertheless, it was a nice session, the North Fields were mysteriously left open this morning, so I warmed up and cooled down there. Really liked the format of warming up for 21 minutes, tempo for 21 minutes, cool down for 21 minutes (plus some random seconds). It has a nice symmetry.
Also the first 5 or 6 laps on the track felt really really good, for the first time I found a steady rhythm and consistent pacing... my breathing started to catch around the end of the second mile, and I guess I'd crossed that line already by that point because the last mile was just slogging... but then I realized that my legs weren't really tired so its really still just a cardio issue, which is where the whole training volume thing starts to bite me in the ass.
Thursday 07/24: 48:57, California to Salvia Canyon. Surprisingly good (AND not snail paced) run... it's been really nice that the temperatures have been cool lately. Felt a little bit tired in the beginning, but felt good by the end. Really starting to feel stircrazy about wanting to pick up the pace a little bit.
Friday 07/25: Off, shots. First time in a while that nothing distressing happened as a result of the shots. I guess it's because my dosage was scaled back rather drastically. I guess it's going to be a while longer before I can go only once a week...
Saturday 07/26: 35:25, One RB trail perimeter loop starting medium and ending tempo. Somehow misread the e-mail and missed the group meeting in the Arroyo, so sadly drove to RB by myself at which point it was way later and drastically warmer than I'd have preferred. I really, really, did not feel like running at this point, but rather than face the shame of coming home without having accomplished anything, I promised myself I'd at least make one round of the trail perimeter... the faster I run, the faster I could go home, and so I gradually accelerated to a pretty good clip by the end.
Accompanied Peter on his Bike/Fix Flat/Eat 2 Bagels/Bike Triathlon afterwards. Verdugo to Chevy Chase to Linda Vista. I don't think Peter thought I would make it all the way on Chevy Chase so we cut back early on Linda Vista... about 2 hours. Climbing is SO hard... I can't believe how weak I've become on the bike.
Training this week: 4:58:38 and 2 hours of cycling
Goals: To not get sick, argh, everyone is sick....
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Week of 07/13/2008 - 07/19/2008 (Base Week 18)
So tired....
So starts or ends one of the most physically painful weeks I can remember. Right now, its day 4 and I can't foresee how I'm going to survive my last day on medication, but... I'm not sure what's worse, this, or potentially more hives. I'm just so freaking scared... both states are completely debilitating, you're either flat on your back with ice packs all over your body unable to leave your room lest you will scare the living daylights out of someone--or you are what I am now, a completely useless and zombified, medicated blob, stuck between a hellish limbo world of eternal drowsiness and artificial wakefulness. There's got to be some mythical level of hell where the torture is to be mortally exhausted without ever being able to sleep again.
Sunday 07/13: 1:14:15, California to RB perimeter and back. Woke up at 5 am like usual, but by now I feel worse than I've ever felt. Thought I was going to throw up, so I laid in bed half awake until about 8 am... when I realized that if I didn't get my shit together and run now, I may never leave this bed. Run was okay until the last 1.5 miles or so when I developed severe abdominal cramping. Given that, ~ 9 minute miles isn't horrible, I was expecting much worse. Since I have had so little to eat these days, I'm going to assume its just the medicine tearing up my stomach. When I got back I felt light headed and nauseous too... barely choked down the third to last dose of Prednisone and then had to lay down for a few hours.
Monday 07/14: Off, shots. While it may not always seem so, I TRY not to be catastrophically negative in my blog... but, sigh, some days, life suck-eth. While the nausea from the drugs is gradually wearing off after my last dose this morning, it's steadily being replaced by a sick dread that I'll see more hives tomorrow morning... the fact that old room mate hasn't decided yet whether he's moving out in September, subletter guy just scraped up our hardwood floors, and boy its so great when everyone in the office has the plague, and you're taking immunosuppressant drugs! Well, whoopie doo.
Tuesday 07/15: 42:01, Monterrey to bridge. 24 hours after my last dose, thankfully the mental haze is starting to lift... basically still felt like my body has been beaten into the ground, but the run wasn't as slow as it could have been. Felt alright, mostly like my legs were going on autopilot and the rest of my weary self was being dragged along. I'll take it though... any state that doesn't have the awful medication or hives, that's all I want.
Wednesday 07/16: 1:07:17, Arroyo running with KB and Justine! Really fun, its so different to run with folks. I was feeling depressed this morning bc there were a small cluster of hives at midnight and then at 6 am this morning... but I decided they were small enough to hide with some baggy clothing so I decided to take an Allegra and meet the group anyways. Felt pretty good, longer than usual but didn't seem hard. An added plus, running seems to make the hives disappear. I'm trying to take the small outbreak in stride, because basically I just want to never, ever have to take Prednisone ever again at all costs. Those 5 days were like the most awful, nauseous and tired I've felt in years.
Thursday 07/17: 46:55, Monterrey to the end of the Arroyo Tempo Loop and back on the other side. Auspiciously ran into both Scott and Mandy. Hamstrings a little bit tight but felt good. I think not having done a tempo run in 2 weeks, I'm starting to feel kind of stir-crazy. Yesterday a bit longer than I'm used to though, so kept it short today.
FYI, something strange is up in the neighborhood today, as there was a helicopter hovering directly above my house between the hours of 3 am and 5 am today. Really didn't appreciate that actually... esp given that I really haven't gotten a lot of sleep in the past 2 weeks as it is...
Friday 07/18: Off, shots. Normalcy returns (?) fingers crossed. Slept for more than 3 consecutive hours for the first time in weeks... They cut back my shot dosage in case the serum was causing the hives, which is sucky bc it prolongs the time between now and when I can only get shots ONCE a week, but that aside, this was like the most normal day in a while.
Saturday 07/19: 55:02, Wildcat Trail in CO with short detour. This was the day of the Mt. Evans Hill Climb, and Peter's performance is definitely more noteworthy than my run. He did really well despite sub-optimal training + sub-optimal breakfast (cream cheese, wtf?) + sub-optimal support from girlfriend (we parked far away from the start, so I ate some cereal and then fell asleep in the car due to 2 hours of sleep from flight delay yesterday). The winning time for the pro-1-2's seems manageable maybe next year--provided you don't get an appearance from someone like Tom Danielson.
Run was non-enjoyable in kind of a nondescript sort of way. It was like 90 degrees and extremely windy. But not windy in the "not as hot" sort of way, windy in the "encounter resistance towards moving forwards" sort of way. Oh, well.
Training this week: 4:45:30, back on the ball. Sort of.
G0als: I just want to stop feeling like I want to die. In one's normal state, a person may wish for or strive for a large number of things, but all I can say is that the only thing I want in this world right now is to be able to live a normal life. (ie, preferably one that is not permanently medicated or physically disfigured).
So starts or ends one of the most physically painful weeks I can remember. Right now, its day 4 and I can't foresee how I'm going to survive my last day on medication, but... I'm not sure what's worse, this, or potentially more hives. I'm just so freaking scared... both states are completely debilitating, you're either flat on your back with ice packs all over your body unable to leave your room lest you will scare the living daylights out of someone--or you are what I am now, a completely useless and zombified, medicated blob, stuck between a hellish limbo world of eternal drowsiness and artificial wakefulness. There's got to be some mythical level of hell where the torture is to be mortally exhausted without ever being able to sleep again.
Sunday 07/13: 1:14:15, California to RB perimeter and back. Woke up at 5 am like usual, but by now I feel worse than I've ever felt. Thought I was going to throw up, so I laid in bed half awake until about 8 am... when I realized that if I didn't get my shit together and run now, I may never leave this bed. Run was okay until the last 1.5 miles or so when I developed severe abdominal cramping. Given that, ~ 9 minute miles isn't horrible, I was expecting much worse. Since I have had so little to eat these days, I'm going to assume its just the medicine tearing up my stomach. When I got back I felt light headed and nauseous too... barely choked down the third to last dose of Prednisone and then had to lay down for a few hours.
Monday 07/14: Off, shots. While it may not always seem so, I TRY not to be catastrophically negative in my blog... but, sigh, some days, life suck-eth. While the nausea from the drugs is gradually wearing off after my last dose this morning, it's steadily being replaced by a sick dread that I'll see more hives tomorrow morning... the fact that old room mate hasn't decided yet whether he's moving out in September, subletter guy just scraped up our hardwood floors, and boy its so great when everyone in the office has the plague, and you're taking immunosuppressant drugs! Well, whoopie doo.
Tuesday 07/15: 42:01, Monterrey to bridge. 24 hours after my last dose, thankfully the mental haze is starting to lift... basically still felt like my body has been beaten into the ground, but the run wasn't as slow as it could have been. Felt alright, mostly like my legs were going on autopilot and the rest of my weary self was being dragged along. I'll take it though... any state that doesn't have the awful medication or hives, that's all I want.
Wednesday 07/16: 1:07:17, Arroyo running with KB and Justine! Really fun, its so different to run with folks. I was feeling depressed this morning bc there were a small cluster of hives at midnight and then at 6 am this morning... but I decided they were small enough to hide with some baggy clothing so I decided to take an Allegra and meet the group anyways. Felt pretty good, longer than usual but didn't seem hard. An added plus, running seems to make the hives disappear. I'm trying to take the small outbreak in stride, because basically I just want to never, ever have to take Prednisone ever again at all costs. Those 5 days were like the most awful, nauseous and tired I've felt in years.
Thursday 07/17: 46:55, Monterrey to the end of the Arroyo Tempo Loop and back on the other side. Auspiciously ran into both Scott and Mandy. Hamstrings a little bit tight but felt good. I think not having done a tempo run in 2 weeks, I'm starting to feel kind of stir-crazy. Yesterday a bit longer than I'm used to though, so kept it short today.
FYI, something strange is up in the neighborhood today, as there was a helicopter hovering directly above my house between the hours of 3 am and 5 am today. Really didn't appreciate that actually... esp given that I really haven't gotten a lot of sleep in the past 2 weeks as it is...
Friday 07/18: Off, shots. Normalcy returns (?) fingers crossed. Slept for more than 3 consecutive hours for the first time in weeks... They cut back my shot dosage in case the serum was causing the hives, which is sucky bc it prolongs the time between now and when I can only get shots ONCE a week, but that aside, this was like the most normal day in a while.
Saturday 07/19: 55:02, Wildcat Trail in CO with short detour. This was the day of the Mt. Evans Hill Climb, and Peter's performance is definitely more noteworthy than my run. He did really well despite sub-optimal training + sub-optimal breakfast (cream cheese, wtf?) + sub-optimal support from girlfriend (we parked far away from the start, so I ate some cereal and then fell asleep in the car due to 2 hours of sleep from flight delay yesterday). The winning time for the pro-1-2's seems manageable maybe next year--provided you don't get an appearance from someone like Tom Danielson.
Run was non-enjoyable in kind of a nondescript sort of way. It was like 90 degrees and extremely windy. But not windy in the "not as hot" sort of way, windy in the "encounter resistance towards moving forwards" sort of way. Oh, well.
Training this week: 4:45:30, back on the ball. Sort of.
G0als: I just want to stop feeling like I want to die. In one's normal state, a person may wish for or strive for a large number of things, but all I can say is that the only thing I want in this world right now is to be able to live a normal life. (ie, preferably one that is not permanently medicated or physically disfigured).
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Week of 07/06/2008 - 07/12/2008 (Base Week 17)
Once a Runner... again
Sunday's run basically reminded me of a lot of runs I did back in Boston in the summer of '04, my first real summer as a distance runner. Hot, tired and dehydrated, plodding along at 10 minute miles thinking that at least 45 minutes MUST have elapsed but then looking at your watch and it saying "18 minutes". I had assumed that those were growing pains and I had essentially moved out of that phase, but I've had this funny feeling for a while now that maybe the effect of almost 2 years being on and off and injured and fat basically just reset my "long term endurance" bank account to zero, and that's why I'm feeling like I just started running for the first time. 7 minute miles is really really fast, 90 minutes is really really long, and everything's just really really hard. Yep, been there, done that.
I guess this could be really really depressing, but somehow I oddly find it comforting. I'd bungled and blundered my way through about 2 years of training before I semi-permanently injured myself, so it's not like that many years have been lost. On the contrary, it kind of feels like getting a second chance to "do it over". I think I am a little bit ahead of where I was in my first year, and its not spectacular, but I think its because I've been smarter about my training. The idea is that the right foundation I painfully build now will mean that my second "second" year will be better than my '05-06 season. Never really was one to appreciate delayed gratification... but I think I'll manage. It's really a brighter perspective than "I am permanently damaged due to my various medical conditions that I have developed and it will never, ever get better".
Sunday 07/06: 1:38:14, trail along Dried Up Creek... and back. Still everything feeling mostly dead and tired from the hike, and woke up with a dehydration headache in addition... but I desperately needed a slow, flat, long run which I've neglected to do for a while now, so there was no backing out of this one. Thankfully it was slightly less hot than yesterday, but when we got to the starting point, I quickly determined that there was just NO SHADE. Felt really awful just jogging to the porta potty, but I figured if I just went slow enough, I could just log my time and go home without too many disasters. It was a hard, hard run. I just felt really tired in a nonspecific but comprehensive way, and it just seemed like time went by... so slowly. Tried not to check my watch for as long as I could, but when I did it said 19 minutes. Felt a little bit better towards the middle of the run, mostly due to curiosity about getting to the end of the trail, then distracted by seeing some cute deer on the trail. Unfortunately, I gave up on getting to the end of the trail after ~ 50 minutes, but turns out later looking at the map I was actually within a few hundred meters of the end, if I had only known. Bah. The last 30 minutes was really a death march. I felt extremely dehydrated and it was a headwind the entire return journey. Given that though, I pulled through, even had enough left at the end to run strong for the last stretch. I think it would have been fine if I wasn't pre-exhausted and had a little bit of water along the way.
Monday 07/07: Off, shots, traveling. So exhausted, but somehow still having trouble going to bed early. Also, shouldn't have eaten that whole pizza.... Stupid!
Tuesday 07/08: 44:11, Monterrey to bridge. A very blah and unsatisfying run. Body still feels not quite right, also, bad foot complaining louder than usual. Argh. I thought I was going a presentable speed for at least half of this run, but turns out not. Oh, well.
Wednesday 07/09: Unplanned off day--calamity of the world. Literally. Could not run today due to outbreak of hives... which is the grossest thing, ever. Went to the doctor and got started on (another) 5 day course of Prednisone... which contrary to what one may think, does NOT make you faster. But it does make you strung out and unable to sleep but then inordinately tired. Yay. I almost didn't want to take it, but then when I saw new hives forming at the end of the day, I gobbled down the first tablet. Gah. Considered running in the dark where no one would be able to see me... but in the end I felt too tired and defeated. It feels really sad to look so nasty that you can't leave your room.
Thursday 07/10: 50:47, Hungtington/Oak Knoll. The almost 8 minute miles! Went to bed at 10 pm yesterday and, as expected was wide awake at 3 am. Tried to sleep until it got lighter, but realized that I should make the most of being able to wake up early (Dr. Rossi says being on Prednisone is like being on 8 shots of espresso). Saw that there were fewer hives so I decided to venture out into the world for my run. Strangely, after my run, all of the hives were gone!
Not sure if it's the extra day off, the drugs or left over red blood cells from being in Colorado, but I'm getting closer to presentable (er, physically and athletically...). Actually, I probably shouldn't put much stock in what I run in the next 5 days as its likely to be artificially fast or slow depending on where I am in my Prednisone cycle. Did some drills and 3 striders at the track afterwards.
Friday 07/11: Off. Despite all of the meds, the hives came back with a vengeance... were so awful they wouldn't risk giving me my shots today. *sigh*... Felt sick and depressed. No run.
Saturday 07/12: 53:15, Arroyo Recovery Loop (6.5 mile route starting from my house that used to be my day after mountain or track work run). All told, not horrible. I'm starting to get really tired though, per lack of ability to sleep for more than 4 continuous hours. Went to bed at 11 pm, was wide awake by 3 am... but was so exhausted, I tossed and turned and couldn't get out of bed until 7 am. I would say that I want the course of medication to end... but then I would have nothing holding the hives back from eating me alive... so, not sure what's worse.
Goals: uh, to not have hives for the rest of my life.
Training this week: 4:06:27, again on 4 days.... mehhhh
Sunday's run basically reminded me of a lot of runs I did back in Boston in the summer of '04, my first real summer as a distance runner. Hot, tired and dehydrated, plodding along at 10 minute miles thinking that at least 45 minutes MUST have elapsed but then looking at your watch and it saying "18 minutes". I had assumed that those were growing pains and I had essentially moved out of that phase, but I've had this funny feeling for a while now that maybe the effect of almost 2 years being on and off and injured and fat basically just reset my "long term endurance" bank account to zero, and that's why I'm feeling like I just started running for the first time. 7 minute miles is really really fast, 90 minutes is really really long, and everything's just really really hard. Yep, been there, done that.
I guess this could be really really depressing, but somehow I oddly find it comforting. I'd bungled and blundered my way through about 2 years of training before I semi-permanently injured myself, so it's not like that many years have been lost. On the contrary, it kind of feels like getting a second chance to "do it over". I think I am a little bit ahead of where I was in my first year, and its not spectacular, but I think its because I've been smarter about my training. The idea is that the right foundation I painfully build now will mean that my second "second" year will be better than my '05-06 season. Never really was one to appreciate delayed gratification... but I think I'll manage. It's really a brighter perspective than "I am permanently damaged due to my various medical conditions that I have developed and it will never, ever get better".
Sunday 07/06: 1:38:14, trail along Dried Up Creek... and back. Still everything feeling mostly dead and tired from the hike, and woke up with a dehydration headache in addition... but I desperately needed a slow, flat, long run which I've neglected to do for a while now, so there was no backing out of this one. Thankfully it was slightly less hot than yesterday, but when we got to the starting point, I quickly determined that there was just NO SHADE. Felt really awful just jogging to the porta potty, but I figured if I just went slow enough, I could just log my time and go home without too many disasters. It was a hard, hard run. I just felt really tired in a nonspecific but comprehensive way, and it just seemed like time went by... so slowly. Tried not to check my watch for as long as I could, but when I did it said 19 minutes. Felt a little bit better towards the middle of the run, mostly due to curiosity about getting to the end of the trail, then distracted by seeing some cute deer on the trail. Unfortunately, I gave up on getting to the end of the trail after ~ 50 minutes, but turns out later looking at the map I was actually within a few hundred meters of the end, if I had only known. Bah. The last 30 minutes was really a death march. I felt extremely dehydrated and it was a headwind the entire return journey. Given that though, I pulled through, even had enough left at the end to run strong for the last stretch. I think it would have been fine if I wasn't pre-exhausted and had a little bit of water along the way.
Monday 07/07: Off, shots, traveling. So exhausted, but somehow still having trouble going to bed early. Also, shouldn't have eaten that whole pizza.... Stupid!
Tuesday 07/08: 44:11, Monterrey to bridge. A very blah and unsatisfying run. Body still feels not quite right, also, bad foot complaining louder than usual. Argh. I thought I was going a presentable speed for at least half of this run, but turns out not. Oh, well.
Wednesday 07/09: Unplanned off day--calamity of the world. Literally. Could not run today due to outbreak of hives... which is the grossest thing, ever. Went to the doctor and got started on (another) 5 day course of Prednisone... which contrary to what one may think, does NOT make you faster. But it does make you strung out and unable to sleep but then inordinately tired. Yay. I almost didn't want to take it, but then when I saw new hives forming at the end of the day, I gobbled down the first tablet. Gah. Considered running in the dark where no one would be able to see me... but in the end I felt too tired and defeated. It feels really sad to look so nasty that you can't leave your room.
Thursday 07/10: 50:47, Hungtington/Oak Knoll. The almost 8 minute miles! Went to bed at 10 pm yesterday and, as expected was wide awake at 3 am. Tried to sleep until it got lighter, but realized that I should make the most of being able to wake up early (Dr. Rossi says being on Prednisone is like being on 8 shots of espresso). Saw that there were fewer hives so I decided to venture out into the world for my run. Strangely, after my run, all of the hives were gone!
Not sure if it's the extra day off, the drugs or left over red blood cells from being in Colorado, but I'm getting closer to presentable (er, physically and athletically...). Actually, I probably shouldn't put much stock in what I run in the next 5 days as its likely to be artificially fast or slow depending on where I am in my Prednisone cycle. Did some drills and 3 striders at the track afterwards.
Friday 07/11: Off. Despite all of the meds, the hives came back with a vengeance... were so awful they wouldn't risk giving me my shots today. *sigh*... Felt sick and depressed. No run.
Saturday 07/12: 53:15, Arroyo Recovery Loop (6.5 mile route starting from my house that used to be my day after mountain or track work run). All told, not horrible. I'm starting to get really tired though, per lack of ability to sleep for more than 4 continuous hours. Went to bed at 11 pm, was wide awake by 3 am... but was so exhausted, I tossed and turned and couldn't get out of bed until 7 am. I would say that I want the course of medication to end... but then I would have nothing holding the hives back from eating me alive... so, not sure what's worse.
Goals: uh, to not have hives for the rest of my life.
Training this week: 4:06:27, again on 4 days.... mehhhh
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Week of 06/29/2008 - 07/05/2008 (Base Week 16)
Summer Training
I suppose I should put some concrete structure around what I'm hoping to work towards during the summer... but I haven't felt super inspired, to be completely honest. The thematic goal is that I'd like to run XC this fall, and I'd like to be in a position to improve from where I left off 2 years ago. I'm reluctant to set this as the ONLY goal, however, simply in so much as that I need to avoid incurring permanent psychiatric damage (which almost undoubtedly will happen given the pressure to get from here to there in two short months).
That said, I think I will focus on two general ideas for the summer training block:
1. Doing more of the things that I most enjoy about running: Mountain runs, long adventure runs and if fitness at all permits, long threshold tempo runs. I'd like to begin working some of these things that I like to do into the monotony of injury prevention focused training. I think I'm at a point now where I can, if I remember to be smart about it.
2. Doing more of the things that I don't naturally tend to want to do: Making a commitment to striders and technical work, core strengthening, etc. Also, eating less candy, going to bed earlier, and taking down weeks and rest days BEFORE the fatigue accumulates to a point where things start deteriorating.
Sunday 06/29: 1:06:40, Monterrey to RB and back. The scaled back long run after yesterday's adventures. I was expecting my entire system to be thrashed from the mountain run, but I felt pretty good. Legs felt a little bit tired, but I've had worse showings on this route and those were not after a 2 hour uphill the day before... was pleased. Drove down to SD to help Craig pick out a shiny new road bike, and celebrate a calorically dense belated birthday.
Monday 06/30: Off. Shots. Good grief, still feel full from yesterday.
Tuesday 07/01: 43:45, Monterrey to bridge loop. Honestly... still felt a little bit barfy from over-eating on Sunday. I have a notoriously weak digestive system and this was some big time overload. Felt okay other than that. At least the runtimes on this route are working their way back DOWN instead of UP. I'm also really glad that the mountain run hasn't seemed to cripple my foot. *knock on wood*.
Wednesday 07/02: 1:00:33, warm up, 5 x 800m (with 400 jog rest), cool down. Despite the fact that I was supposed to do 6 x 800m, and the South Fields are now technically closed for maintenance, this wasn't a terrible workout... I think I've got to take improvement where I can get it, even if it's not spectacular.
3:15 (97, 98), 3:15 (97, 98), 3:16 (98, 98), 3:15 (98, 97), 3:19 (101, 98) for a modest improvement over the last set of 800's. I think these were calmer and stronger though, like a good pacing workout, I felt like the effort across the laps was distributed a lot more evenly this time. I guess my main challenge is still the endurance, the fifth one was of drastically worse quality than the others, so I decided to skip the sixth one... as I still want these to be "practice running uptempo" intervals, rather than anaerobically stressful intervals. Hopefully the endurance will come with increased training volume (?).
Thursday 07/03: Off, shots. Traveling. A baby was shrieking like a banshee the entire plane ride... felt irate. I don't know how I'm ever going to be able to cope with one of my own. Love (bigger) kids... really do not love babies... not sure what to do about that.
Friday 07/04: Hiking. Happy 4th of July!!! Peter and I embarked on my first 14-er. Due to lack of time and preparation, we chose an easy one, Mt. Bierstadt, where you can just drive up most of the way. It was slated for 7 miles, 4.5 hours with 3,000 ft elevation gain (11,000 to 14,000). Piece of cake? That's what I thought... little did I know....
First of all, let me just say that I did NOT feel fantastic coming out of the parking lot at 11,000 ft. Then you kind of get used to that feeling... but the next thing that I realized was that its kinda okay if you're just putzing around, but it takes roughly a 1% grade of climbing before you start feeling like you're past the anaerobic threshold. This hike totally blew me away. I felt pretty much dizzy and delirious less than halfway up. It was really the strangest feeling, halfway between being exhausted and being drunk, I had to continually fight back the irrational desire to say "WHEEEEEEE!!!!", even though I was clearly not at the top yet.
I really did not think I was going to make it, and there was some scary rock scrambling at the top, but all in all it was pretty cool. We saw some awesome little marmots chasing eachother at the summit. The view was interesting because on one side, there were rolling green mountains mottled with clouds and idyllic little lakes and willow bogs, but on the other side, it was all jagged and steep and gray with a deathly looking lake at the bottom that very clearly was filled with cold, cold meltwater. Long way down. Everything felt pretty beat by the end.
Saturday 07/05: 58:51, Wildcat trail to Grand View trail entrance. A quiet recovery jog (well, to be fair, almost all of my Colorado runs are basically recovery jogs due to altitude), which was made a little bit less pleasant by sleeping in and it somehow having gotten to be 90 degrees. Waited until the afternoon clouds rolled in so it was basically windy and hot but at least the sun wasn't beating down on you. Legs not sore but just very very tired. Went slow and was basically pleasant.
Goals: This is kind of a down week, I just want to enjoy the 4th and some hiking with Peter, and to be well rested and recovered to start again next week.
Training this week: 3:49:49, not bad for 4 days. The hike was the X-factor though... did not anticipate that it would be so strenuous... hence, not so rested feeling.
I suppose I should put some concrete structure around what I'm hoping to work towards during the summer... but I haven't felt super inspired, to be completely honest. The thematic goal is that I'd like to run XC this fall, and I'd like to be in a position to improve from where I left off 2 years ago. I'm reluctant to set this as the ONLY goal, however, simply in so much as that I need to avoid incurring permanent psychiatric damage (which almost undoubtedly will happen given the pressure to get from here to there in two short months).
That said, I think I will focus on two general ideas for the summer training block:
1. Doing more of the things that I most enjoy about running: Mountain runs, long adventure runs and if fitness at all permits, long threshold tempo runs. I'd like to begin working some of these things that I like to do into the monotony of injury prevention focused training. I think I'm at a point now where I can, if I remember to be smart about it.
2. Doing more of the things that I don't naturally tend to want to do: Making a commitment to striders and technical work, core strengthening, etc. Also, eating less candy, going to bed earlier, and taking down weeks and rest days BEFORE the fatigue accumulates to a point where things start deteriorating.
Sunday 06/29: 1:06:40, Monterrey to RB and back. The scaled back long run after yesterday's adventures. I was expecting my entire system to be thrashed from the mountain run, but I felt pretty good. Legs felt a little bit tired, but I've had worse showings on this route and those were not after a 2 hour uphill the day before... was pleased. Drove down to SD to help Craig pick out a shiny new road bike, and celebrate a calorically dense belated birthday.
Monday 06/30: Off. Shots. Good grief, still feel full from yesterday.
Tuesday 07/01: 43:45, Monterrey to bridge loop. Honestly... still felt a little bit barfy from over-eating on Sunday. I have a notoriously weak digestive system and this was some big time overload. Felt okay other than that. At least the runtimes on this route are working their way back DOWN instead of UP. I'm also really glad that the mountain run hasn't seemed to cripple my foot. *knock on wood*.
Wednesday 07/02: 1:00:33, warm up, 5 x 800m (with 400 jog rest), cool down. Despite the fact that I was supposed to do 6 x 800m, and the South Fields are now technically closed for maintenance, this wasn't a terrible workout... I think I've got to take improvement where I can get it, even if it's not spectacular.
3:15 (97, 98), 3:15 (97, 98), 3:16 (98, 98), 3:15 (98, 97), 3:19 (101, 98) for a modest improvement over the last set of 800's. I think these were calmer and stronger though, like a good pacing workout, I felt like the effort across the laps was distributed a lot more evenly this time. I guess my main challenge is still the endurance, the fifth one was of drastically worse quality than the others, so I decided to skip the sixth one... as I still want these to be "practice running uptempo" intervals, rather than anaerobically stressful intervals. Hopefully the endurance will come with increased training volume (?).
Thursday 07/03: Off, shots. Traveling. A baby was shrieking like a banshee the entire plane ride... felt irate. I don't know how I'm ever going to be able to cope with one of my own. Love (bigger) kids... really do not love babies... not sure what to do about that.
Friday 07/04: Hiking. Happy 4th of July!!! Peter and I embarked on my first 14-er. Due to lack of time and preparation, we chose an easy one, Mt. Bierstadt, where you can just drive up most of the way. It was slated for 7 miles, 4.5 hours with 3,000 ft elevation gain (11,000 to 14,000). Piece of cake? That's what I thought... little did I know....
First of all, let me just say that I did NOT feel fantastic coming out of the parking lot at 11,000 ft. Then you kind of get used to that feeling... but the next thing that I realized was that its kinda okay if you're just putzing around, but it takes roughly a 1% grade of climbing before you start feeling like you're past the anaerobic threshold. This hike totally blew me away. I felt pretty much dizzy and delirious less than halfway up. It was really the strangest feeling, halfway between being exhausted and being drunk, I had to continually fight back the irrational desire to say "WHEEEEEEE!!!!", even though I was clearly not at the top yet.
I really did not think I was going to make it, and there was some scary rock scrambling at the top, but all in all it was pretty cool. We saw some awesome little marmots chasing eachother at the summit. The view was interesting because on one side, there were rolling green mountains mottled with clouds and idyllic little lakes and willow bogs, but on the other side, it was all jagged and steep and gray with a deathly looking lake at the bottom that very clearly was filled with cold, cold meltwater. Long way down. Everything felt pretty beat by the end.
Saturday 07/05: 58:51, Wildcat trail to Grand View trail entrance. A quiet recovery jog (well, to be fair, almost all of my Colorado runs are basically recovery jogs due to altitude), which was made a little bit less pleasant by sleeping in and it somehow having gotten to be 90 degrees. Waited until the afternoon clouds rolled in so it was basically windy and hot but at least the sun wasn't beating down on you. Legs not sore but just very very tired. Went slow and was basically pleasant.
Goals: This is kind of a down week, I just want to enjoy the 4th and some hiking with Peter, and to be well rested and recovered to start again next week.
Training this week: 3:49:49, not bad for 4 days. The hike was the X-factor though... did not anticipate that it would be so strenuous... hence, not so rested feeling.
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