Tapering continued this week:
Monday: 4 Miles
Tuesday: 5 Miles (yeah, a little bit more than I should!!)
Wednesday: 3 miles + spin
Thursday: 4 miles
Friday 30 minutes Stairmaster
Saturday: 10.5 (race + warm-up)
Sunday: 2.5 (race warm up)
Total for week: 28
STILL a decent week, but not great….
After yesterday’s fiasco of cramps and getting sick during the 15K, I thought it was all over. I felt basically good this morning and awoke to pouring rain. I joked in the car that I would DNS because of it, and not wanting to get sick….. but I degress…
The race started a half hour late, mostly due to a traffic jam trying to get to the parking lot (or so I think!!). Got to the start pretty much when it was supposed to start (6:00) and heard that the race was delayed by 15 min, then 30 min. I stretched a bit, but couldn’t get the kinks out of my calves. They kept seizing on me, and even some water they had at the start and easy jogging did not help. I decided to make a quick break before race start (too much water last night!!) and lost my stomach again….. (sorry, TMI). I still had like 10 minutes to race start and was going to make a go of it despite it all, I usually can work my way through ANYTHING… the calves would NOT cooperate, so in the interest of not getting hurt or risking not being able to do CMM, I DNS’ed.(You guys have to understand that I have a HUGE pain threshhold. I need to be in virtual agony to acknowledge the pain and hurt!!) I’m very very very depressed over all this, but you know, its for the best. I still managed a fairly good first 5K time yesterday during the 15K, and despite everything, had a fairly decent end time being only a few minutes over my goal time. (This shows me that even my 5K PR is VERY soft (as its very close to my 5K PR of 25:39)—even though you guys have been telling me for a while—and a PR is mine at the next chance I get. ), and if the illness did not kick in today, I should have also had a decent time in the half. IT also proved that I can actually PR in the half, if it was the only race I had and did not get sick in it…...
My focus now turns to CMM full. A few easy days this week, followed by full force training now unitl 6 weeks before CMM. (Besides this week is a tough one at work with 2 3:00 am start time days this week!!).
Once CMM is over, a week’s vacation hiking and the focus goes towards Chicago…..
It was ugly. Very VERY h ot and humid. Sailed through the first few miles really well on the 15K (the first 3 miles in 26:07), but got sick around mile 5…. cramped all the way from there, too. Finish time 1:38:00…. bagged the 5K. Gotta get ready for the half tomorrow. Getting together with friends for dinner—that should be good. Haven’t been to Spaghetti Warehouse in ages since we went with Region 15 folks at a United Fan Con a few years ago…. Fell asleep a for about an hour, and feel much better right now; but I have a feeling that I will be asleep really fast when we get back from dinner…. especially with the week that is coming up at work.
What I’m looking forward to: The finish line at the half, the dinner tonight, and most importantly, my reward on Monday: the MASSAGE
ONly a couple more days to Gasparilla. To say I’m getting antsy is an understatement. But not killing Dave yet. Actually, he’s been really good through all this. VERY supportive. Folks at work are very supportive as well. I promised to bring in my medals on Monday.
A compliment in the biggest way happened this morning in the workout room—there was an extra person in the room and he complimented me on my running form, my running speed and look.. (yeah, right… I was running at a decent speed (7.0 mph), was a little off balence, and my hair was a mess and I was dripping with sweat. Not exactly a raving beauty to say the least…. but, hey, at 4:15 in the morning, the best I could do!! And yes, I only did 3.5 miles!!)
more later if i’m really going nutty.
until the start of the 15K on Saturday. The taper continues to be good….. i’m being really vigilant in cutting down the mileage. the week looked like this:
Monday: 4 miles
Tuesday: 3.5 miles
Wednesday: 4.5 miles (plus a 30 minute express spin class, very very easy, though)
Thursda: 3.5 miles
Friday: 5.0 miles
Saturday: 3.0 miles (plus a spin class… done at a fairly medium intenstity)
Sunday: 6.0 miles
Total for week: 29,5 (very low for me!!)
Dave and I went to the Florida State Fair last night as it was an incredible night for walking around—according to his pedometer, we walked slightly more than 4 miles around. I didn’t include this in my total as it was just really slow and leisurely…. ate some bad stuff, but it was SOOOOOOOO good.
I’m really aching for more mileage going crazy in the reduced miles; but it will be OK. I will more than make up for it next weekend!! Dave tells me that he’s NEVER seen me this focused for ANYTHING like this since the crazy madness days of our wedding over 15.5 years ago. (That is a good sign, right?? Especially since folks are STILL talking about the great/unique time they had there!). Don’t even want to know what this focus is going to mean at work this week …. i’m scared to find out, but curious to see how much i’m going to finish up!!
In yet other news, we are going to get some really nice bikes once gasparilla is over. WE went to the local TREK store and saw the perfect bikes. The one I want will be perfect for biathons Dave wants to go biking after the long run on Sundays. I’m thinking of doing the long run on Saturday, and then a short run on Sunday before riding…..
The taper isn’t going as bad as I thought it would be. I’m a real b*&%# right now, mostly due to the lower mileage, but I’m feeling pretty good. I figure hydration will start within the next few days, and i should be ready in that respect. Really looking forward to the races, with the hope that this gorgeous FL holds out. Can I make a reservation for this morning’s weather for next weekend? The 4.5 miler that I did felt so perfect and good…. albeit a little slower than usual. ALso looking forward to FINALLY meeting Kurt and Bill.
Dave surprised the pants off me on Valentine’s Day—got me a bear wtih a flower and a bunch of coolmax socks that I’ve been talking about getting for a while. The socks were a surprise. Being the bear collector that I am, the bear would have been enough—but the socks show that he listens. AND last blog I mentioned that I was going to make an appointment for a massage, but dave heard me mention it to someone and went ahead and scheduled it for me because he knows me well enough to know that i would forget to schedule it and high tail it to the gym instead….. He’s a keeper, you know.
work rocks
Today I was supposed to do “only” 8 miles…. but it turned into 11 too easily. Yeah, it was on a mill. I got up before dave with the hopes that I could do the miles and then wash up and be back before he got up… No such luck. He woke up as I was leaving for the gym (since it was a little cold to do it outside… and i can’t afford to get sick this close to the race).... and told him I’d be back in about 90 minutes….. (one mile to the gym, six on the mill, one back home).. accounting for any time that i’d be “caught” in traffic getting to and from there…. The six felt too easy and turned into 10 too fast. Dave got worried that I hadn’t gotten home when I said I would and met me outside the gym to make sure that I was OK…. He yelled a little, but chalked it up to a runner’s high and taper madness…. that, and PMS. (yeah, TMI, but what a guy!!)
This week will be easier running-wise. I won’t go crazy… or so I hope. Work is looking to be busy. It’ll keep me busy. Longest run will be around 7-8 miles. Tomorrow will be some cross training.
I do know that I’m treating myself to a massage on Monday after the races. There is a place that a colleague knows about that charges only $55 for a 1 hour massage. I don’t think that is too much… but will be worth every penny.
Gasparilla is two weeks away and the official taper has begun. Folks will be watching my mileage, as will I and be scolding me if i’m doing too much… I’m going crazy already; only did a spin class this morning and 10 minutes to warm up on the mill (did 1.2 miles instead of my usual 6-8 pre class miles. Quite honestly, we timed it that way so that the temptation wouldn’t be there. Tomorrow will be a cooler day with possible rain, so it will be on the mill for an easy 8… a far cry from my usual. Dave is being really good about making sure that the taper happens so that i’m not hurt, injured and all that good stuff on race day itself!! I’m psyched for this. Can’t believe its that close.
In other news, dave has been applying for various jobs in the area. Nothing too hard, but just something to get him out of the house where MAYBE he can use his degree and brains for like 30 hrs a week and not flipping burgers. While I don’t mind if he works 2nd during the week or even one day during the weekend,he doesn’t want that…wants to be with me when I’m off… (yeah, yeah, dave is a pure romantic.)
work is going well. Learning lots of stuff; and getting some really juicy projects that I’m learning about and can’t wait to really get into. the apartment still rocks…...
Things have been really busy. Lots of training going on, lots of hours at work… but all good stuff. I’m very happy where I am now. 21 days to Gasparilla with a new vengence. Training will up for the next two weeks with a slight taper the week of. Kurt (From the road scholars and we love to run list) is staying with us, and we are getting together with bill from the penguin list. Bill and I have been trying to meet up for ages. Can’t wait!! THEN its time to really ramp up the training for CMM in 11 weeks. (I’m so excited of that and the vacation!! AND also happy that i’m working the early AM of the friday before Gasparilla. It will calm me down to no avail…. better than trying to sleep through that rest day!!)
Dave is doing SO well. I’m so excited that he is psyched of the road trip to nashville. its amazing. OH YEAH a bunch of weeks to go to Chicago. Something else to be psyched for and perhaps an even better PR….
MacArthur stuff is good… can’t believe that we have one of the biggest chapters in the region… hehehehehe,.