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Chronicles of a fish: the days of surf and turf
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Friday, October 4th, 2013
Run plan: easy
Just a nice and easy lunchtime field run....and woooo-wieeee was it steamy hot for October. Lots of walnut hulls scattered in a few sections on my path, so I was very, very careful not to have one underfoot and slip and fall. Wouldn't that just be grand? Good grief....and all that work...gone, at the hand of a hull. :eek::(;):)
Actual: 4.2 lunchtime field miles
Swim
Ahhhh....the pool....my aquatic oasis.
A simple swim in my unseasonably warm pool with a friend. Yep, my frog was back, and he was not too thrilled when I booted him out after I was done with my swim. I don't think he appreciates the concept of "no lifeguard on duty". 
Actual: 2,000 yard swim with my frog0 -
Saturday, October 5th, 2013
Run plan: 15 miles @ MP
This was not my finest run. It was okay, but it was not my finest. I had promised myself I'd go at a very disciplined pace of 7:30ish min/mile, but for most of the miles I went too fast, and I knew I was going to pay dearly for this indiscretion with the sun out in full force and the temperature heading into the roasting-on-a-spit zone. Ugh. I pretty much was suffocating from the first mile, but I kept telling myself what a lovely breeze there was and how wonderful and cooling it felt on my skin.
I was able to keep things together until mile 10, and then things started to go south for me. I decided I'd have to give in to the heat and slow things down - to make this more about effort than pace. And then on mile 12 I made the decision that I was probably not doing my body any good to be out in this 84 degree heat on asphalt pushing as hard as I was pushing, so I made a deal with myself that if I could squeeze a total of 14 "good" miles out of my body that I'd use the 15th mile as my cool down. I know this run was intended to be 15 miles at MP, and not 14 miles at MP plus 1 mile cool down...but my body was overheating and mentally I was done. I also wonder if I had been more disciplined with my pace and stayed at 7:30 min/mile for the first 14 miles would I have been in better shape to do the 15th mile at 7:30?? I'm honestly not sure. It was god awful hot out there. So I'm really not sure.
7:20, 7:15, 7:16, 7:16, 7:19
7:23, 7:23, 7:26, 7:23, 7:30
7:31, 7:25, 7:20, 7:14
Cool down, 9:04
Actual: 15 miles in 1:52:14 for an average pace of 7:29 min/mile0 -
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Sunday, October 6th, 2013
Run plan: easy
Another unseasonably warm fall day - temps nearing 90 degrees for a second day in a row. :eek: At least the field offers a bit of shade in places and yields cooler temperatures than that hateful black asphalt I ran on yesterday. This was ten times shuffling around the field - I didn't fully appreciate how much yesterday's trot in hell wore on me until I started this run. Ooo-ieee....this was one of those runs that it was just easier to utilize momentum and keep moving forward than to stop and take a break. The legs, however, felt better by the end of it.
Actual: 7 slow field miles
Swim
A relaxing, easy swim in my 86 degree pool. This makes 3 days in a row swimming - I'm taking advantage of my good fortune while I can - just a matter of days before I have to say farewell until next spring to my Speedo, kickboard, pull buoy, time clock, and frog. 
Actual: 2,000 yard swim0 -
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Monday, October 7th, 2013
Run plan: easy
This was a lively little trot in the crisp evening air. The rain this morning ushered in a break in the heat - hallelujah!! What a nice, refreshing change with legs that felt good.
Bounced on in the house and down to the yoga mat for some stretching and core work. The body appreciated this sort of attention on this night.
Actual: 4.2 field miles, then stretching and core0 -
Tuesday, October 8th, 2013
Run plan: easy
It was a classic autumn evening out there tonight - glorious running weather - crisp and cool. A half dozen spins around the field, and then it was all about flexibility and core strength. I'm actually really enjoying my first two days of taper.
Actual: 4.2 autumn field miles, then flexibility and core work0 -
Wednesday, October 9th, 2013
Run plan: 2 mile warmup, 6 x (1 mile @ MP, 3 minute recovery), 2 mile cool down
Important data:
- Cold and rainy this evening, and I almost balked at doing this outdoors tonight for fear of catching a cold. Yes, taper hysteria has started.
- Body felt good from the beginning, but once the MP miles started I had absolutely no frickin' idea what mile pace I was averaging because my Garmin appears to only show my actual at-that-moment moving pace whenever I customize a workout. Therefore, I said to hell with the watch and only ran by perceived marathon pace. My desire was to average ~7:30 min/mile for the MP miles (7:37 adjusted down for Garmin inaccuracies ), but I was totally clueless what my actual pace was while running.
- Ended up giving four very rude street urchins (I believe you would call them knackers) who had nothing better to do than act like idiots and shout rude things at me each time I passed them the finger and told them to go f#ck themselves. Maybe not my brightest move at night when I'm all by myself running in the rain, but we all have our limits, and on this night they hit my limit. Yes, Dory can do profanity....especially when she's listening to Green Day feeling very empowered.
- Allowed myself to up the pace just a very comfortable notch for the final two miles. Felt good. The body likes it opened up.
And, here are my surprisingly decently disciplined MP miles. :eek::)
7:30, 7:28, 7:33, 7:27, 7:19, 7:22
Actual: 12.1 miles in 1:35:19 for an average pace of 7:53 min/mile0 -
Thursday, October 10th, 2013
Run plan: easy
It's been pouring down rain since last night, and per Mr. Weatherman, it's supposed to rain through Saturday. Boo hiss. Soooo....doing the only responsible thing this neurotic gal in taper who doesn't want to catch her death of cold could do with an easy session, I broke down and did it on the treadmill. :eek::eek: Yep, I do believe this is the first time my feet have hit the treadmill this entire training cycle. Wow.
And oh how I'd forgotten all the nuances of my revolving catwalk. And oh why does an easy trot on the treadie feel so much tougher than an easy trot in the field? Any way....hated this at first - for about the first 3.5 miles, then life got a little better for the last 1.5 miles, which just happened to coincide with the puck dropping and my boys on ice duking it out with the Carolina Hurricanes. Caps, Caps, Caps!!!!
Dabbled in a little stretching and core work post time on the treadie. Whoop whoop...and tick tock, tick tock.....time is a'drawing near. :eek:
Actual: 5 treadie-ready miles, followed by stretching and core work0 -
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Marthastew wrote: »This time 2 weeks DD will be on Irish soil:D:D
Oh. My. God. !!!! I am coming out of my skin with thoughts of this!!! I need to get my head together and start making multiple lists of things I need to bring and things I need to purchase and things I need to do before I leave for the airport in just a mere 13 days. (Leave Thursday, arrive Friday) Honestly, I've so much to do I could just throw up.
But, on another note....I just received an email from USA Triathlon. This is a riot - apparently I have qualified for the Olympic Distance Age Group National Championships in Milwaukee, Wis. I do one SPRINT triathlon last year and I qualify for a, um, National Championship event? Yeah, yeah, yeah...something about finishing in the top 10%...yada, yada. I'm thinking there should be a few more hoops to go through before an athlete qualifies for an event that "sounds" so prestigious. Milwaukee? Really??
Which brings me to this - anyone have any suggestions for training for a HIM?? Any plans or books to read? I've a few unconventional ideas floating about my head, but conventional ideas and guidance are always welcome. 0 -
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But, on another note....I just received an email from USA Triathlon. This is a riot - apparently I have qualified for the Olympic Distance Age Group National Championships in Milwaukee, Wis. I do one SPRINT triathlon last year and I qualify for a, um, National Championship event? Yeah, yeah, yeah...something about finishing in the top 10%...yada, yada. I'm thinking there should be a few more hoops to go through before an athlete qualifies for an event that "sounds" so prestigious. Milwaukee? Really??
Which brings me to this - anyone have any suggestions for training for a HIM?? Any plans or books to read? I've a few unconventional ideas floating about my head, but conventional ideas and guidance are always welcome.
Jesus don't mention the war - however it seems that you have at least one more hoop to pass through before you can represent your country in triathlon than over here!
One thing I would say about your HIM next year is focus on the bike, no point being close to a sub 1.30 half marathon runner if you can hardly move one foot in front of the other coming off the bike
And use your heart monitor - at least for the long bike sessions on the turbo over the winter, you will need to know HR rates that you can hold for approx 3 hours come race day.
Why don't you ask Tunney for a training plan his bark is worse than his bite (he secretly likes you too I reckon)
Don Fink is an easy read - far less technical than Friel for mid packers like myself.
The mods are trying to slow Gibbo down by putting the curse of the moderator on him - only mloc has escaped the injury curse so far0 -
Jesus don't mention the war - however it seems that you have at least one more hoop to pass through before you can represent your country in triathlon than over here!
One thing I would say about your HIM next year is focus on the bike, no point being close to a sub 1.30 half marathon runner if you can hardly move one foot in front of the other coming off the bike
And use your heart monitor - at least for the long bike sessions on the turbo over the winter, you will need to know HR rates that you can hold for approx 3 hours come race day.
Why don't you ask Tunney for a training plan his bark is worse than his bite (he secretly likes you too I reckon)
Don Fink is an easy read - far less technical than Friel for mid packers like myself.
The mods are trying to slow Gibbo down by putting the curse of the moderator on him - only mloc has escaped the injury curse so far
Don't go jinxing me!!!!
Given your swim and run are in super shape, it's a case of working on your bike to bring it to a similar level as them. Do the LTHR bike test to establish your HR zones and take it from there. Just target building that bike engine over the winter.0 -
^^^^ I definitely agree it is my time on the bike that will need the most attention and love, but I haven't a clue how to apportion my time with each discipline (maybe the apportionment is specific to each athlete based on their strengths and weaknesses?)...nor do I have any idea of how much training time/distance is required to be properly kick@ass prepared for the HIM. BUT, perhaps I'll pick up Don Fink, dust off my heart rate monitor, and then have my people call Tunney's people for a little meeting of great minds. Okay, maybe 2 out of 3 of those things. Thanks. 0
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Friday, October 11th, 2013
Plan: easy
Pouring down rain and cold, AH-gain! Paranoia prevailed, thus this was a sneaky treadie trot over lunch. That's two days in a row on the treadmill after probably 5 or 6 months of non-treadie use. Not digging the revolving landscape, but I suppose these two sessions won't mar my training prep, and I am bound and determined not to get sick at this stage. I'm drinking/eating plenty of juices/fruits, taking my vitamins, avoiding small snotty children as well as anyone who looks the least like they are thinking of coming down with anything....and I've put myself on a prophylactic dose of Emergen-C. Now, I just need to figure a way of keeping clear of all germs while I'm on the plane.
Actual: 4 miles on the treadmill0 -
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Sunday, October 13th, 2013
Plan: easy 2 hours easy
This was yesterday's session done today with the hope of sunny skies and mild temperatures. HA! No-can-do, baby. Nope. It was all cloudy, cold and rainy. Yuck. And to top it off, I'm convinced I'm trying to come down with a cold. It could all be in my head due to irrational taper madness paranoia, but none the less, with every cough, sneeze, chest rattle, ache or pain, I've thoughts of raiding the medicine cabinet and filling the body with assorted drugs to stave off anything possible in the western world that might compromise my immune system (and all my work!) and drag me down.
But back to the run....which was ok. 2 hours easy, and my goal was to keep things comfortable and hopefully around 8:30 min/mile. I decided to take extra precautions and bundle up a bit - I figured I could always shed layers along the way, but the last thing I wanted was to get wet and chilled. There really was nothing too remarkable about this run other than I know I worked miles 6, 7 and 12 harder than I should have. They were relatively tough uphills that I should have eased back on more than I did, but sometimes I'm like a dog with a bone and don't want to give up the pace. Mile 14 and partial mile 15 were my slowest - they were up a crazy short but steep hill into my field (I usually try and avoid this short but steep hill!), and then a trot around my wet, muddy field to finish the session off. Happy enough with this - it was fine - nothing awesome, but it was fine. If I'm totally honest, I was hoping I'd be flying on this with my reduced mileage, but I wasn't. But with 2 more weeks of taper, maybe the flying feeling will eventually come.
Paces (with commentary) as follows:
8:24, 8:20
7:51 (oops! nice downhill that got away from me)
8:12, 8:14, 8:18, 8:27 (increasing uphill - should've eased back more on the last two miles)
8:18, 8:16, 8:18, 8:11 (very lovely downhill)
8:22 (uphill that should've been slower than I allowed)
8:07 (super feeling downhill)
8:42, 3:52 (9:02) (nasty uphill and into my field)
Oh, and I took an Oryx gel on mile 7, and shot bloks on mile 10. Also carried water and Fierce Grape Gatorade with me.
Actual: 14.4 miles in 2:00:01 for an average pace of 8:20 min/mile
Fashion alert: I wore a pair of brilliant running pants today. What is so brilliant about these pants is that they have two side pockets on the thighs that fit 4 of Oryx's gels (2 in each pocket) perfectly, and have two deep pockets in the waist band that fit several sets of shot bloks perfectly too. I do not like to wear a belt - just hate something around my waist - so this setup is like manna from heaven for me. I've ordered a pair of cropped pants with a similar set up that I hope will arrive in a day or two and then I will practically live in them for the next week and may them wear at DCM. Here's the link for these two pants in case any of the ladies are interested (if they don't ship to Ireland, PM me and the goods can be delivered to me and I'll bring to Ireland). They're from Lululemon, my absolute fave place for running clothes.
http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/crops-run/Run-For-Fun-Crop?cc=11730&skuId=3509311&catId=crops-run
http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/pants-run/Speed-Tight-Cozy?cc=12213&skuId=3516751&catId=pants-run0 -
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Monday, October 14th, 2013
Run plan: easy
After nearly 5 days straight of gloomy, depressing, dark, dreary, cold, rainy, yucky-yucky days....FINALLY, that ball of fire in the sky made its much anticipated and longed-for appearance. <rubs eyes from the light> Thank god. I was seriously going mad with doom and gloominess.
So, tonight's trot was a soggy one, mucking about the very wet field (from all the rain we had) in the cool evening. But, there was a little pep in my step....and a bunny rabbit who kept thinking I was following him. Paranoid little b@stard. You'd think he was on taper or something.
Actual: 3.5 soggy field miles0 -
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Odin Drab Firefighter wrote: »Its ok i heard she has a sexy hobbit pacing her around Dublin.
<squeals with delight and claps hands like an idiot>Are there any sexy hobbits left over to pace me?
I thought Kurt was pacing you?shotgunmcos wrote: »Not quite a hobbit, but... *puts hand up anyway*...
Honorary hobbit then......or, "hobbit for a day"! 0 -
Tuesday, October 15th, 2013
Run plan: 2 mile warmup, 1600 @ HMP/1200 @ 10k pace/800 @ 5k pace/400 @ 1 mile pace - 2 minute recovery in between, 2 mile cool down
This run felt AMAZING! Oh my god....I was in hog heaven out there tonight. Okay, okay, okay...before I get all crazy on my high horse, it must be told that the conditions were perfectly choreographed for joy, love and happy feet. Think: pancake flat track, comfortable 60 degree temps, and absolutely no wind. Happy freakin' days!
Paces were determined as follows: my recent HMP is 7:15 min/mile, recent 10k is 7:00 min/mile, recent crappy 5k is 7:xx min/mile, and I have absolutely no idea what my mile pace would be and I didn't have time to consult Mr. McMillan so I decided I'd pick a random number of 6:30 min/mile. Actually, the 6:30 wasn't all that random - I employed a little mathematics and crazy Dory logic and decided since my HMP and 10k pace are 15 seconds apart, I'd make my 5k pace 6:45 min/mile and my mile pace 6:30 min/mile - utilizing a squeaky clean 15 second increment pattern. BUT, because I can never leave a good thing alone because I know there are serious Garmin inaccuracies on an oval track, I decided that the paces recorded on my Garmin would probably be ~15 seconds faster than reality :rolleyes:, so, I decided I'd actually target 7:00, 6:45, 6:30 and 6:15, respectively.
Long story short....from the first stride on the track I felt like a million bucks. I never felt pushed, kept the body relaxed and minded my form. I was a little faster than intended on the 800 and 400, but.....eh....it felt too good. The recovery intervals were nice, and the 2 mile cool down was shockingly easy and even more shockingly fast. :eek: I will not underestimate how the circumstances of this run helped facilitate how good this looks on paper, but I also know that I had an extra skip in my step as I left the track knowing that this was one of my best feeling sessions in a while. Whoop whoop!
2 mile warmup - 7:50 min/mile
1600 - 7:00 min/mile
1200 - 6:45 min/mile
800 - 6:22 min/mile
400 - 5:52 min/mile
2 mile cool down - 7:24 min/mile
For sh*ts and giggles, my 2 minute recovery interval min/mile paces were: 8:42, 8:20, 8:00. Interesting how they got quicker - I actually had no idea of this while I was running.
Actual: 7.23 miles in 53:10.83 for an average pace of 7:21 min/mile0 -
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