Dear Blogger Friends,
Today is a day to give thanks, and I want to thank all of you. That may seem odd, since I haven't met many of you in real life, but I am thankful for you just the same.
Thank you for the support, motivation, and encouragement you offer me on my blog, and for the inspiration, wit, and humor you provide on your own blogs. I count all of you among my many blessings.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Love,
Theia
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Thursday, November 1, 2012
I got a fever! And the only prescription is...
... more races!
You knew this would happen, didn't you? I have race fever. All it took was being injured for four months. Clearly, reverse psychology works on me, so the next time I whine about how I've lost my mojo and hate running and hate training, wah wah wah, just tell me I'm FORBIDDEN from doing it. That will certainly cure me.
Assuming D doesn't mind since we're hosting the big dinner, I would like to do a 10K on Thanksgiving and then the same 10-miler I did last year on January 13. After that, who knows? I refuse to obsess about it untilI need to I get through these two goals.
Baby steps....
You knew this would happen, didn't you? I have race fever. All it took was being injured for four months. Clearly, reverse psychology works on me, so the next time I whine about how I've lost my mojo and hate running and hate training, wah wah wah, just tell me I'm FORBIDDEN from doing it. That will certainly cure me.
Assuming D doesn't mind since we're hosting the big dinner, I would like to do a 10K on Thanksgiving and then the same 10-miler I did last year on January 13. After that, who knows? I refuse to obsess about it until
Baby steps....
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Weekend update
THE RACE:
Way better than I could have dreamed. Originally, I was just hoping for sub-30 minutes. Then I was hoping for 27+. Then, after two good runs last week, I thought maybe MAYBE 26:xx.
Ready for this?
25:28! And first in my age group!!!! Unfortunately, we left immediately following the race because we were hosting a Halloween party the same night, so I think I missed out on a prize. Of all the races to leave early! A FLYERS prize, potentially!!! Aaaaaagggghhhhh!!!!! Still, 25:28 is faster than I could have imagined running. Woo hooo!
THE STORM:
Luckily, we appear to have been spared the worst of it. The rain started Sunday and still has not completely let up, but we still have power and have escaped major damage to our home and property. All we're dealing with is water in our basement (every storm, so that's not a surprise) and a leaking front door (that one is new). We are very lucky!!
Way better than I could have dreamed. Originally, I was just hoping for sub-30 minutes. Then I was hoping for 27+. Then, after two good runs last week, I thought maybe MAYBE 26:xx.
Ready for this?
25:28! And first in my age group!!!! Unfortunately, we left immediately following the race because we were hosting a Halloween party the same night, so I think I missed out on a prize. Of all the races to leave early! A FLYERS prize, potentially!!! Aaaaaagggghhhhh!!!!! Still, 25:28 is faster than I could have imagined running. Woo hooo!
THE STORM:
Luckily, we appear to have been spared the worst of it. The rain started Sunday and still has not completely let up, but we still have power and have escaped major damage to our home and property. All we're dealing with is water in our basement (every storm, so that's not a surprise) and a leaking front door (that one is new). We are very lucky!!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Feeling slightly better about this running thing
This morning I dragged my butt out of bed and ran to the track -- not for a speed workout, but for a tempo one. I figured the track was (a) easy to measure, and (b) softer than pavement. It was also (c) boring and (d) dark, but what the hell.
After a particularly painful and hellacious 4 mile run on Saturday (followed by a much more enjoyable and far less painful 7.4 miler on Sunday, wtf?), I figured I'd be lucky to do a sub-30 minute 5K this weekend. Secretly, I thought I might be able to do a sub-28 minute (right around 9 minute pace).
Well, this morning's run went way better than I expected. Easy jog to the track, two miles in 17:07, even easier jog home. As a result, I'm readjusting my goals and expectations for the race. I think I can do a 26:30 or a little better, unless there are monster hills in the course that I am not aware of. Certainly not my best time (not even close!), but not my worst either. What a relief!!
After a particularly painful and hellacious 4 mile run on Saturday (followed by a much more enjoyable and far less painful 7.4 miler on Sunday, wtf?), I figured I'd be lucky to do a sub-30 minute 5K this weekend. Secretly, I thought I might be able to do a sub-28 minute (right around 9 minute pace).
Well, this morning's run went way better than I expected. Easy jog to the track, two miles in 17:07, even easier jog home. As a result, I'm readjusting my goals and expectations for the race. I think I can do a 26:30 or a little better, unless there are monster hills in the course that I am not aware of. Certainly not my best time (not even close!), but not my worst either. What a relief!!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
How to cram for a race in 10 days (or, This race is going to be ugly!)
Well, I have my big comeback race in 9 days. And I can honestly say I am nowhere near ready for it.
Can I run the distance? Sure. I mean, I did 7.5 miles on Sunday. Slow miles, but 7.5 nonetheless. No, my concern isn't the distance. It's the tempo.
As soon as I registered for the race, I did a track workout. My intention was just to alternate faster laps with slower ones, but I felt so good that I ended up doing pseudo-400s instead. Faster than I intended or expected, which is always a great surprise!
The following week, I went back to the track for another workout -- the dreaded ladder. It's my least favorite track workout, but it's a critical one because it gives you an idea of where your paces are AND forces you to run faster when you're more tired. Due to time constraints, I cut one of the intervals out, the 1200 (which is by far my least favorite part of the least favorite workout, so you can see that I wasn't exactly crushed by the limited time, haha). The workout went like this:
.6ish mile warmup jog to the track (yes, I live just over half a mile from a track!)
1600 in 7:55 (ummm, 7:55 pace)
800 in 3:45 (7:30 pace)
400 in 1:48 (7:15 pace)
2 x 200 in :48 and :46 (6:27 and 6:11 pace)
2 x 100 in :22 and :22 (5:55 pace)
.6ish mile cooldown jog home
At first, judging only by my watch, I was disappointed. I used to do those 200s in 42 seconds! And 100s in like 16 seconds. And my fastest 400s (back in the day) were in the low 1:30 range. Gawd, I SUCK. And then I calculated the actual paces and realized that my times were pretty damn good for someone who is 1) coming back from a 4 month injury, and 2) older than dirt.
Unfortunately, those 100s and 200s did a number on my glute. It ached for the rest of the day and part of the next day, I'm sure due to the added force of landing hard and pushing off in addition to the longer stride I took during the sprints. I dragged myself to yoga that night and to the pool the next morning, and that definitely helped. I've been afraid to push the pace since then, however, and that's why I'm kind of dreading this race. It won't be a race as much as a really expensive 3.1 miles with a couple hundred of my closest friends. Ugh.
I'm forcing myself to look at the bright side, however. It's my first race in nearly 8 months and a great excuse to get decked out in Flyers gear for the first time all fall. Speaking of which, this lockout simply must come to an end. I am going through freaking withdrawal without hockey.
Can I run the distance? Sure. I mean, I did 7.5 miles on Sunday. Slow miles, but 7.5 nonetheless. No, my concern isn't the distance. It's the tempo.
As soon as I registered for the race, I did a track workout. My intention was just to alternate faster laps with slower ones, but I felt so good that I ended up doing pseudo-400s instead. Faster than I intended or expected, which is always a great surprise!
The following week, I went back to the track for another workout -- the dreaded ladder. It's my least favorite track workout, but it's a critical one because it gives you an idea of where your paces are AND forces you to run faster when you're more tired. Due to time constraints, I cut one of the intervals out, the 1200 (which is by far my least favorite part of the least favorite workout, so you can see that I wasn't exactly crushed by the limited time, haha). The workout went like this:
.6ish mile warmup jog to the track (yes, I live just over half a mile from a track!)
1600 in 7:55 (ummm, 7:55 pace)
800 in 3:45 (7:30 pace)
400 in 1:48 (7:15 pace)
2 x 200 in :48 and :46 (6:27 and 6:11 pace)
2 x 100 in :22 and :22 (5:55 pace)
.6ish mile cooldown jog home
At first, judging only by my watch, I was disappointed. I used to do those 200s in 42 seconds! And 100s in like 16 seconds. And my fastest 400s (back in the day) were in the low 1:30 range. Gawd, I SUCK. And then I calculated the actual paces and realized that my times were pretty damn good for someone who is 1) coming back from a 4 month injury, and 2) older than dirt.
Unfortunately, those 100s and 200s did a number on my glute. It ached for the rest of the day and part of the next day, I'm sure due to the added force of landing hard and pushing off in addition to the longer stride I took during the sprints. I dragged myself to yoga that night and to the pool the next morning, and that definitely helped. I've been afraid to push the pace since then, however, and that's why I'm kind of dreading this race. It won't be a race as much as a really expensive 3.1 miles with a couple hundred of my closest friends. Ugh.
I'm forcing myself to look at the bright side, however. It's my first race in nearly 8 months and a great excuse to get decked out in Flyers gear for the first time all fall. Speaking of which, this lockout simply must come to an end. I am going through freaking withdrawal without hockey.
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