Sunday, January 30, 2011

Running in Snow and Back in the Pool

Sat - Run, 7 miles on indoor track, 69:43

Yes, I ran 56 LAPS on the track at my gym. This is because the temperature was between 0 and -4 here that day! At least I was able to change directions after the first two and half miles.

Sun - Lift - Chest, Bi, Tri, Shoulders, and Hip exercises
Mon - Bike, 21.1 miles on trainer, 1 hr 15 min
Tue - Run, 4.5 miles on local streets, 47:30
Wed - Bike, 17 miles on trainer, 60 min
Thur - Run, 3.2 miles on treadmill, 32:30

Fri - Bike, 12.5 miles on trainer, 45 min AND - Swim, 1000 yds, 23 min

For the first time since Nov 8 I went swimming!!! That was two days ago and I'm still sore in my arms. HA!!!! Also, I didn't realize how much the ab muscles are used in swimming. :-)

Sat - Run, 7 miles in SNOW on trails in the woods, 1 hr 49 min

In some places the snow was at least 8 inches deep!!!! Almost everyone else we saw on the trails in the park were either wearing snowshoes or cross country skiis. We were in our trail running shoes! Oh - and that time is correct - our average pace was 15:38 per mile! Ha! Thank goodness for my Grunt Girls friends who got me through this.
Oh, I am also okay with counting this "7 Miler" as my scheduled 8 mile run for the week!

Sun - Off, much needed rest

Friday, January 21, 2011

Cuts, workouts and weight

Finally made it to my family doc on Tuesday. Thankfully, he said the spot/cut on my leg that the dermatologist made a mess out of - isn't too bad. Or well, at least it's not infected and will eventually heal. He recommended I wait a few more days before swimming though. So, maybe next week I will try out the pool and see how many laps I can swim.
If you want a laugh, I'll let you know when this funny show will occurr.

As for the spot on my back that needs done again to get the rest of bad skin, well, I called a doctor (plastic surgeon) that I know and trust - and he's going to check it out and probably do the removal for me. (instead of my dermatologist - who I never want to let cut into me again.) He's going to look at it in two weeks and then the plan is to have it done in May - just AFTER the Cleveland Marathon.
I figured if I have to take 2 weeks off from swimming, biking and running, that was the time to do it. Then, I just have to get back to a schedule quickly before the Deer Creek Oly tri in early June. Ugh.

Training hasn't been too bad this week...
Mon - Bike on trainer, 60 min, 14.6 mi
Tue - Run on treadmill, 3.5 miles, 38 min
Wed - Bike on trainer, 65 min, 17.1 mi and Lifting Bi, Tri, Chest & Shoulders
Thur - Run OUTSIDE in the snow, 3.1 miles, 35:30
Fri - Bike on trainer, 60 min, 14.7 mi

New cycyling shoes have helping my motivation. Plus they fit so much better than my old ones. Same brand and style, but a size bigger. (and cuter)
For my first outside run since early December, some new running mittens really helped! These are neat; there's two 'pockets' inside. The back is fleece, the front is mesh - which is cooler after you warm up! They are Asics Ecoline.
Hopefully tomorrow I will run between 6 and 7 miles. The forecast shows it will be about EIGHT degrees. So, it's either the treadmill or track at the Nat. Yuck. I will try to make the best of it!

OH - I figured out my cramping problem! See, I've been cramping up while running and not knowing why. ?? WELL, while making lunch for my 5 yr old it occurred to me that the low sodium diet I've been on (while supporting my husband) is tooooooo low for me! I was making VERY high sodium and Ramen Noodles and realized I needed a bit! Sure enough - there was NO cramping during my afternoon run that day.

As for my weight...
Overall, I'm pretty pleased. This is January, and I'm at the LOW end of my typical SUMMER weight. :-) Just about 7 lbs to go and I'll be at my ultimate goal. It would be so neat to race at 110! I think it'd be so much better for my joints!
Plus, it'd be nice to look good in the little bathing suit I bought myself. :-)

Sunday, January 16, 2011

More set-backs

Sun - Bike on Trainer, 1 hour, 13.3 miles
Mon - Lift: Chest, Bicep, Tricep, & Shoulders and Hip exercises
*Since the return to running, my knees have been hurting, that's why I put the hip exercises back in there. I think my form isn't so great from sitting around for too long.*
Tue - Run on Treadmill, 3.5 miles, 37:12
Wed - Bike on Trainer, 1 hour, 14.1 miles
Thur - Run on indoor track at Nat, 3 miles, 29:54
Fri - Bike on Trainer, 50 min, 10.5 miles
Sat - Run on Treadmill, 5 miles, 57:20

My return to running and cycling is slow. I tire easily, and I seem to get cramps easily.

I want to get back in the pool, but I'm worried about a cut on my leg.

See, part of time off from working out was due to moles being removed by the dermatologist. I had stitches in my right thigh and lower back for 2 weeks. My thigh spot has not healed correctly. Stitches have been out for a week and it still bleeds and hurts a little. I tried to get to a doc yesterday, but of course everyone was closed for the weekend - and probably tomorrow, too, for the holiday.

When I signed up for the full Cleve Mary, I thought all was fine. Turns out the mole on my back isn't good and needs worked on again. Two more weeks of stitches and no working out. Plus, who knows about my leg, until I see a doctor on Tues at least.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

My return to work-out land

First of all, I'm now officially registered to run my VERY FIRST MARATHON! Yes - 26.2 miles of running! On May 15 I'll be running the Cleveland Marathon. :-)

Now, the training needs to begin - from the very beginning. See, I took off from working out for a few weeks. Four to be exact. On December 5th I ran my furthest ever, 15.5 miles, and then I took some time off. Some by choice / some because I had to, but I'm okay.

Fast-forward to Jan 3. I began with some walking. At first it was slow, but then I got it up to 3.6 mph on the treadmill.
Mon - 1.6 miles
Tue - 2 miles
Wed - 3.4 miles
Thur - 3.56 miles

Then on Friday I was set free.
Run 1 mile (12 min.) and Bike 6 miles (30 min.)
No record times here, but it sure felt good to sweat again.

Today: 3 miles of running on the treadmill. Before getting off, I got the speed up to 6 mph. So, for at least one minute I was going at a 10 min per mile pace. :-)

Here is what I'm now working towards:



AND One of these: