Another week goes by without any running. My back still hurts, and every time I run, I aggravate it for another couple of days. I've decided to lay off until it's really, thoroughly healed. If I'm okay by, say, the middle of May and still want to try to do Honolulu this year, I'll go for it. Otherwise... maybe I'll try for the Long Beach Half-marathon or something.
I still want to do another Honolulu, but I'm having a hard time getting my schedule together. The back problems are just making it harder. It would have been nice to get an early start on training, but it seems that it's not to be. I'll try to keep doing yoga two or three times a week, at least, and revisit the marathon in a couple of weeks.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Friday, April 20, 2007
Friday yoga
Yet another fly in the ointment this week: I couldn't run yesterday, because I had to get up at 0-dark-thirty to drive into Bakersfield for several lengthy meetings, so I had planned to run today instead. Then today, it's been snowing and raining off and on all day, not to mention I'm wrung out and tired from yesterday's meetings, so I skipped running.
Instead, I did a lovely 20 minutes or so of yoga, using a YOGAmazing video podcast I downloaded from iTunes. It was very nice, I love doing yoga. I am now downloading three more episodes for later. I subscribed to the podcast feed a week or so ago, but no new episodes have come out since then. There are quite a few episodes already up, though, and a number of other yoga podcasts available if this one runs out.
I found using the podcast to be the next best thing to going to an actual yoga class (and, in some ways, even better, since I don't have to leave the house to do it and can do it at my leisure). I can leave the iPod at my side or in front of me to conveniently grab whenever I want to watch the pose, or just listen through the earbuds if I'm familiar with the pose and don't need to look at it. Since I've taken yoga classes before and know the basics, it's easy enough to follow.
I've been thinking that I'd like to do some yoga as cross-training, and these video podcasts look like a very good way to do it. I will try to do one two or three times a week
Instead, I did a lovely 20 minutes or so of yoga, using a YOGAmazing video podcast I downloaded from iTunes. It was very nice, I love doing yoga. I am now downloading three more episodes for later. I subscribed to the podcast feed a week or so ago, but no new episodes have come out since then. There are quite a few episodes already up, though, and a number of other yoga podcasts available if this one runs out.
I found using the podcast to be the next best thing to going to an actual yoga class (and, in some ways, even better, since I don't have to leave the house to do it and can do it at my leisure). I can leave the iPod at my side or in front of me to conveniently grab whenever I want to watch the pose, or just listen through the earbuds if I'm familiar with the pose and don't need to look at it. Since I've taken yoga classes before and know the basics, it's easy enough to follow.
I've been thinking that I'd like to do some yoga as cross-training, and these video podcasts look like a very good way to do it. I will try to do one two or three times a week
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Tuesday 2 miles
19 laps, 1.5:2 run/walk ratio, 34:00 minutes
Just about exactly the same as my last run. The good thing was that I got up at 7:30 am, got out there and did my run, and got ready for work right on schedule. Looks like running on Tuesday mornings is going to work out fine.
Also, I finally found the paper on which I wrote the exact count of laps and steps to make a mile. That's going to come in handy.
Just about exactly the same as my last run. The good thing was that I got up at 7:30 am, got out there and did my run, and got ready for work right on schedule. Looks like running on Tuesday mornings is going to work out fine.
Also, I finally found the paper on which I wrote the exact count of laps and steps to make a mile. That's going to come in handy.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Saturday 2 miles
19 laps at 1 lap running/1 lap walking (appx 1.5:2 minute) run/walk ratio: 33:57 minutes.
Yay! Okay, now we're getting somewhere. I was beginning to think I'd never break the 18-minute mile barrier.
Obviously, 2:2 is too much for me right now. I was able to keep up a pretty good pace at 1.5:2, and would probably do even better at 1:2. My first mile was about 16:30, and the second slowed down a bit, so I averaged just under 17 minutes. And I cut about 3 minutes total off my last 19-lap run. I'm feeling very encouraged about this now. If I can just keep it up! I would really like to get down to at least 16-minute miles, but at least 17-minute miles would be no worse than my last marathon. April is fading fast, but I've still got some time to get into shape before starting serious training.
Next run is Tuesday. I'd forgotten that I decided to change my schedule to Tuesday - Thursday - Sunday, but I didn't run on Thursday anyway and I'm off work today, so I went ahead and did it. Next week, I'm in Bakersfield all day Thursday, so will have to run Tuesday - Friday - Sunday.
Have been thinking of adding some yoga or Tai Chi as cross-training, but my schedule is already pretty full. It would be quicker to do yoga in the mornings, though. Twenty minutes or so, and I wouldn't get all sweaty so I wouldn't have to shower. We'll see. I need to get my running schedule in place first.
Yay! Okay, now we're getting somewhere. I was beginning to think I'd never break the 18-minute mile barrier.
Obviously, 2:2 is too much for me right now. I was able to keep up a pretty good pace at 1.5:2, and would probably do even better at 1:2. My first mile was about 16:30, and the second slowed down a bit, so I averaged just under 17 minutes. And I cut about 3 minutes total off my last 19-lap run. I'm feeling very encouraged about this now. If I can just keep it up! I would really like to get down to at least 16-minute miles, but at least 17-minute miles would be no worse than my last marathon. April is fading fast, but I've still got some time to get into shape before starting serious training.
Next run is Tuesday. I'd forgotten that I decided to change my schedule to Tuesday - Thursday - Sunday, but I didn't run on Thursday anyway and I'm off work today, so I went ahead and did it. Next week, I'm in Bakersfield all day Thursday, so will have to run Tuesday - Friday - Sunday.
Have been thinking of adding some yoga or Tai Chi as cross-training, but my schedule is already pretty full. It would be quicker to do yoga in the mornings, though. Twenty minutes or so, and I wouldn't get all sweaty so I wouldn't have to shower. We'll see. I need to get my running schedule in place first.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
The best-laid plans...
Well. It's snowing outside, my back is sore again from running on Tuesday, I have a headache, and I'm not going out there!
Maybe I'll jump on my trampoline later. Or wait and see if the weather's better tomorrow. But there will be no laps today.
Maybe I'll jump on my trampoline later. Or wait and see if the weather's better tomorrow. But there will be no laps today.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Start again
Well. Barely got started, and missed a week of runs already! What happened was, after doing my last run on Saturday, I'd been planning to run on the following Monday. But I was so busy Monday, I decided to skip it and try to run on Tuesday morning instead. Ha! Slept in late on Tuesday, and barely had time to get to work, much less run, do stretches and ab work, drink a protein drink, and shower in addition to my ordinary morning chores.
And, besides that, I'd strained my back while helping Mom haul home cabinet from Kmart and put it together (part of what I was doing on Monday), and decided to take a week off to let it rest. Meanwhile, I rethought my schedule. Obviously, Thursday - Saturday - Monday wasn't going to work—I've got too much stuff to do on Mondays. The best schedule would be Tuesday - Thursday - Sunday, but that meant getting serious about getting up early enough on Tuesday to do the run and still get to work on time.
So, while I was resting my back, I decided to start setting the alarm for 8 am every morning and getting used to getting up at a reasonable hour every day. Which I've been doing, and bleah. It's okay, and I like having the extra hour or so in the mornings to do stuff (as opposed to getting up at 9:30 or 10:00 and having the morning gone before I've even finished morning chores and web surfing), but I'm still having the alarm wake me from a sound sleep and groaning myself out of bed half the time. I should have gotten used to it by now, especially since I haven't been staying up late and always have around 9 - 10 hours in bed. Oh well.
Yesterday was my first day back at running, and my first Tuesday run. I got up at 8 am, did morning chores, and was out running around in circles by 9 am. My back was pretty good, didn't hurt until around lap 14 when it started to get a bit sore, but wasn't a problem. I did the usually 19 laps at 2:2 run/walk ratio in 37:08 minutes. Bleah. I seem to be getting slower instead of faster! I think that's my worst 2-mile time yet. Meh. I guess I'm back to square one, I'd only run four times before taking a week off, so I probably lost any gains I'd made. Plus my back was still a sore, and it was earlier in the morning than I usually run. (I speed up as the day goes on, do my best running in the afternoon—but nobody starts marathons at 10 am! If I'm going to do Honolulu, I'm going to have to get used to morning running—it starts at 5 am!)
One thing that made me feel slightly better is that I remembered that it's not actually 9.5 laps per mile, it's more like 9.3 or 9.4. (I wish I could find the paper where I calculated the exact amount, but it's lost on my desk somewhere.) So 19 laps is a little more than two miles, maybe 2.2 or 2.3, so my speed is a bit better than I've been thinking. But not much, and I'm still seeing my 19-lap time increase from 35 minutes to 36 to 37....
I'm going to go back to the one-lap-running, one-lap-walking ratio for the next week or two. Or even back to 1:2, just to get myself used to running again. Maybe do some yoga on my off days to help strengthen and loosen up my muscles. May is quickly approaching, and training will have to begin in earnest if I'm going to do the marathon in December. I have some work to do to get ready!
And, besides that, I'd strained my back while helping Mom haul home cabinet from Kmart and put it together (part of what I was doing on Monday), and decided to take a week off to let it rest. Meanwhile, I rethought my schedule. Obviously, Thursday - Saturday - Monday wasn't going to work—I've got too much stuff to do on Mondays. The best schedule would be Tuesday - Thursday - Sunday, but that meant getting serious about getting up early enough on Tuesday to do the run and still get to work on time.
So, while I was resting my back, I decided to start setting the alarm for 8 am every morning and getting used to getting up at a reasonable hour every day. Which I've been doing, and bleah. It's okay, and I like having the extra hour or so in the mornings to do stuff (as opposed to getting up at 9:30 or 10:00 and having the morning gone before I've even finished morning chores and web surfing), but I'm still having the alarm wake me from a sound sleep and groaning myself out of bed half the time. I should have gotten used to it by now, especially since I haven't been staying up late and always have around 9 - 10 hours in bed. Oh well.
Yesterday was my first day back at running, and my first Tuesday run. I got up at 8 am, did morning chores, and was out running around in circles by 9 am. My back was pretty good, didn't hurt until around lap 14 when it started to get a bit sore, but wasn't a problem. I did the usually 19 laps at 2:2 run/walk ratio in 37:08 minutes. Bleah. I seem to be getting slower instead of faster! I think that's my worst 2-mile time yet. Meh. I guess I'm back to square one, I'd only run four times before taking a week off, so I probably lost any gains I'd made. Plus my back was still a sore, and it was earlier in the morning than I usually run. (I speed up as the day goes on, do my best running in the afternoon—but nobody starts marathons at 10 am! If I'm going to do Honolulu, I'm going to have to get used to morning running—it starts at 5 am!)
One thing that made me feel slightly better is that I remembered that it's not actually 9.5 laps per mile, it's more like 9.3 or 9.4. (I wish I could find the paper where I calculated the exact amount, but it's lost on my desk somewhere.) So 19 laps is a little more than two miles, maybe 2.2 or 2.3, so my speed is a bit better than I've been thinking. But not much, and I'm still seeing my 19-lap time increase from 35 minutes to 36 to 37....
I'm going to go back to the one-lap-running, one-lap-walking ratio for the next week or two. Or even back to 1:2, just to get myself used to running again. Maybe do some yoga on my off days to help strengthen and loosen up my muscles. May is quickly approaching, and training will have to begin in earnest if I'm going to do the marathon in December. I have some work to do to get ready!
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