The New Treadmill Arrives!

I guess I'm not surprised, but I'm disappointed that John Edwards is no longer running for president. I really liked him and was looking forward to the opportunity to vote for him. Nevertheless, I like both both Clinton and Obama. But it's Clinton I'm backing now. Between the three, Edwards, Clinton, an Obama, I don't think the Democrats can go wrong. What a rare treat!

Yesterday I ended up running twice. The first time, it started to pour down rain when I was only a half a mile into my 8 mile run. I bagged it at 1.5 miles and went home. Later, I managed to squeeze in a fast five miles at the treadmill at the gym while Sarah was at ballet.

5 miles recovery today. Same route as yesterday -- that is, the treadmill at the gym, LOL. Then the workout:
Front and Rear lunges (8 lb dbs), 15 each leg x 3
Bosu squats 20 x 3
Plyo stepups, 30 alt. legs SS pushups (15) X 3
Ball pikes (10) SS Ball side obliques (10, 10) SS Ball crunches (15) x 3
Deadlifts (12 lb dbs) x 15 SS Curls (12 lb dbs) x 20 X 3

The new treadmill was delivered today. I'm going to break it in tomorrow for an 8 mile general aerobic run. I already went to Blockbuster and rented three DVDs because we're supposed to have a few days of cold weather. I'm prepared!

Confessions of a Couch Potato

My trainer told one of my sons this morning that I was getting "lazy" with my workouts. Lazy! I'm not a professional runner so, like everyone else, I do what I can to get it in. Lazy is saying "I don't feel like running 5 miles today; it's only recovery anyway," and then sitting on the couch and watching "A Prairie Home Companion" instead. That's not what I did.

What I did was get up at 7:00 to give my kid breakfast and drive him to his high school for the SAT. Then I came home and woke up another kid so he wouldn't be late for his own workout. Then I got to eat breakfast myself. After that, I cleaned the floors and two bathrooms. Then I picked up number 2 son at the gym, drove home, fed, made lunch for, fixed hair in a bun for, and drove my daughter to ballet rehearsal. By this time, it was 11:30 and I was hungry. I ate a piece of toast and got my own lazy ass out the door for that 5 mile recovery run. We all know how much I love recovery runs, right? I ran slow, slow, and slower, keeping my heartrate below 160. Does that sound lazy? And the day is only half over...

I ran today's run the exact same route as yesterday's. Remember yesterday's splits? (They're down there in yesterday's post). Well, here are today's, with HR splits too:

Mile Pace HR
1 10:53 139
2 10:48 142
3 11:40 144
4 11:05 146
5 11:21 142

Tomorrow is 17 miles. I'm hoping for a little bit of a warmup in the temperature. I must have misunderstood the weather for today. I thought it was supposed to be in the 30s, but it hasn't quite made it yet. And the wind is positively arctic!

Run through the Pain

Lots of running stuff today, but my house is still a mess.

I finally went to the podiatrist to see about this toe issue I'm having. Nothing specific, it just hurts sometimes when I'm running. I didn't think it was a stress fracture because I can bend it without pain at all the joints. The pain is fairly localized to one small area. After a couple of x-rays, we determined that, thankfully, it doesn't appear to be a stress fracture. But what is it? We discussed running and that it could be a tiny stress fracture that might only show up on MRI. Or, it could be a bone bruise. Or one more thing, but at that point I was only half listening. The thing is, it's nothing to prevent me from running. He gave me a prescription and some samples of Celebrex. Also, he suggested that since it's localized that a cortizone shot might be helpful. So, I may go for the injection before I run the marathon.

Speaking of marathons, I went ahead and registered for the Kentucky Derby Marathon in Louisville, Kentucky today. Now it's official. I'm training for something.

Today's run was great! 5 miles recovery was on the schedule and I decided that I needed a change of scenery. I have a love/hate relationship with the route I took. See if you can guess which is the love and which is the hate?

The sun was shining and it wasn't too cold. I don't know -- low 20s? -- but no wind. I had to stop a couple times in the first mile to adjust my HR monitor which made it's way down to my waist somehow. I got some strange looks when I went into a bar to rearrange my running self. I assure you that I was the only runner in the bar!

I stopped the Garmin at 5 miles and added another 2 miles at LT pace. I was feeling guilty about cutting yesterday's run short.

Chug, chug...

I ran 4 miles recovery on the treadmill today. When I went to log it, I saw that I was supposed to run 5. Oh, well. I can't seem to win. I also looked at the weather for the rest of the week, and I think I'm in trouble. It's just going to keep on getting colder beginning with Friday. Saturday's temps should be high of 21 and Sunday is predicted a high of 14 for my long run. Yikes! I don't think I can stay out in that kind of cold for three hours. I also don't think I can commandeer a treadmill at the gym for that long either. What to do...? What to do...?

After the recovery run/warmup, I had a hammergel and got ready for lifting. I was feeling sluggish and I was thrilled when I was finally done.

*Step-ups on box (bodyweight) x 20 SS pushups x 10
Step-ups on box w/ 10# dbs x 20 SS pushups x 10
Step-ups on box 2/ 5 # dbs x 20 SS pushups x 10 X 2

*OK, so I told RJ that I never used weights when I do the stepups, but it turns out that I lied. I used dumbells that I held down at my side. 10s were a little much, so I dropped it down to 5s.

Squats into military press w/ 5 lb dbs (20x4)
Single-leg burpees 8 each leg x 4Single-leg
hamstring curls 5 lb 20 each leg x 3

It doesn't look like I did that much, but I was pretty wiped after yesterday's run and then today's 4 miles. My hip is a little sore as well.

Holding Up Well

I've switched around my lifting schedule in order to accomodate my new running schedule. So, for the time being I'm doing my strength workout on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Today also corresponded with my favorite (not) kind of run -- the recovery run. In order to save some time, I elected to do the 4 miles on the treadmill before my workout. I'll just say that it wasn't horrible. I kept about an 11:00 pace and threw in some strides the last mile, just to get it over with a little quicker.

I get no sympathy from my trainer for either having a tougher running schedule or for running immediately prior to my workout so I took a Hammer Gel in between. It was delicious. I love the raspberry flavor!

Jump Squats on the riser (20) SS pushups on bosu (10) x 3
"Fast feet" on the riser (90 seconds) SS Standing DB rows (15 lb dbs) x 3
Frog jumps (or knee jumps)(5) on bosu SS Rebounder (7# ball) x 5
Seated Row (40 x 15) SS Run down then jump up the stairs X 4
Front & Side shoulder press (5# dbs) 20 x 3

I'm on my way to 40 miles this week.

RECOVERY: Another Name for Hell

Recovery must be another name for Hell.

5 miles. Avg. HR: 142 bpm. 11:xx avg. pace. With each step I felt like I was going nowhere. No spring. No pep. No forward momentum. Can someone please explain to me how a recovery run of 5 miles is more beneficial than simply taking another rest day? Or a spinning class?

I just kept plodding along as I checked my heart rate monitor about every minute, keeping my HR low. Drag, drag, drag.... Plod, plod, plod... Perhaps the idea is that I hate the recovery runs so much that the long runs are almost joyous! Now I know... there is something even more dreadful than running long. It's running short and sloooowwww..... And, slow is relative, I know. Some people's slow is my fast and my slow is some people's fast. But the feeling must be the same.

What kept me going was thinking of all the people on the Hal Higdon Boards ... Jess, Vivian, Dave, Scott... who have had success with the Pfitzinger program.

So, I kept it slow. And I finished.

Easy

Easy 2 mile warmup on the treadmill to prep for my strength session. Nothing after but stretching. I just wasn't feeling it today. I'm tired and I'm ready for Sarah to be done with school already. Also, I'm staying up too late watching "Clash of the Choirs." Go Team Lachey/Cincinnati! Did anyone see the first episode? The exterior of my kids high school was shown during the audition phase.

Single leg "hops" on the sled x 3
Pull downs SS Split squats
Stepups on box SS Pushups on bosu
Single leg hamstring curls SS Half-squat military presses X 4
Ball pikes
Stretches

Blah, blah, blah

I did a kind of lame (for me) but tough strength session this morning. Mostly upper body. I'll workout next Tuesday, but that's it. Mostly stretching, no weights.

After I attempted a four mile recovery (avg. pace 10:46) but my right achilles told me it was in no mood to finish so I bagged it at 3.70 and walked the rest of the way back to the gym. I'll rest it tomorrow and skip Saturday's 4 mile run. This close to the marathon I don't want to take any chances. If need be, I'll rest it on Sunday as well and do the 8 miles on Monday.

I ordered a pair of tights from http://www.runningfunky.com/. I'd post a picture (I'm actually wearing them at this moment) if I had one. The fabric sample isn't pictured on the website anymore, but it's petal pink background with hot pink hearts. They are VERY LOUD. I'll wear them in NY if it's too cold for a skirt. I'll probably order some other things now that I've seen the actual product. They run very true to size. They are custom made to order. DO measure yourself before selecting a size. They are also very soft and comfortable. The only thing I would improve would be to add a breathable patch of fabric in the crotch. For $40 you would think they'd have that but they are unisex. I also got a bike seat cover.

Ok, then. That's today's report.

20 Down

Push-up rows (10 lb db) 3x15, 15 SS Single leg on air pad db curl (5) 3x10, 10
Single leg extension (10) 3x20, 20
Jumping jacks on bosu w/ rev. pike 3x10
Explosive single leg lunges 3x20
Single leg band lunges 1x10, 2x15

5 mile recovery run. 10:22 avg. pace. Probably a little fast, but I was running late for an appointment.

Bootsylicious

I'm in heaven

With the maven of funk mutation

Clinton's musicians such as Bootsy Collins

Raise expectations to a new intention

Those are actually the lyrics in the song "Genius of Love" which I've chosen as my blog title iver at Hal Higdon's web site. How ironic that 1) I had my photograph taken with Bootsy on Saturday night 2) the song was in the queue when I did my six mile run today, and 3) Flashlight (Parliament Funkadelic) also queued up! Mind you, I was on "shuffle" so I could have had Cecilia Bartolli or John Denver. I guess it's just a funky day!

Speaking of which: 6.2 miles recovery including six 100 meter strides the last mile. Last week's high mileage has taken a heavy toll and I'm feeling very tired this week. I may skip tomorrow's run after my strength workout. My achilles is starting to make it's presence known again. Two days off should take care of it.

Let's end with the rap:

Stepping in a rhythm to a Kurtis Blow

Who needs to think when your feet just go

With a hiditihi and a hipitiho

Who needs to think when your feet just go ...Bohannon Bohannon Bohannon Bohannon

Who needs to think when your feet just go ...Bohannon Bohannon Bohannon Bohannon

James Brown, James Brown

James Brown, James Brown

I'm laughing at clouds...

Rain, rain, rain... Thank God!

I waited it out all morning and went out for a 5 mile recovery run. I tried to keep it slow. Well, it felt slow anyway. I averaged 10:22. My last lap was the fastest at 9:57 because the rain came back with a vengence. The last .5 was more of a sprint to the end as I was really thinking more along the lines of "Gimme Shelter" than of Gene Kelly!

Hopefully it will stop for real before this evening because we are supposed to have dinner in my brother's sukkah.

Get'cha Head in the Game

I know I'm not supposed to focus too much on the number on the scale, but I was happy to wake up this morning to see 123 on the bathroom scale. The additional mileage is finally catching up to my calorie intake which means I must be in the middle of the training program. Cool! It works! I'd like to be at 120 for NYCM, but if I'm not, then I'm not. I've made so many monumental gains this year that I can't expect to keep improving at the same rate. Now I really have to fight for the extra seconds.


Today was 4 miles recovery -- my least favorite run of the week. 45:25 nice and slow. One whole episode of Fresh Air. I was looking forward to the Judas Priest and Metallica interviews and they did not disappoint. Well, Rob Halford was a little boring, but James Hetfield was fascinating as always. I highly recommend the movie Some Kind of Monster. Even if your not a Metallica fan, it's a totally cool inside look into the band's creative process with the additional fun of a therapist hanging around the scene.


Yes, I went to the gym too. Nothing easy there. I warmed up on the bike and did some stretches for my hips and glutes to start.


Reverse lunge on bosu 4x30 SS Military press on bosu (10lb db) 4x20

Pikes (on ball) 3x10 SS Push up row (10lb db) 3x10, 10

Military pull-up 4x10 SS Push ups on inverted bosu 4x15

Stretch

This is entirely random, but hey, my blog. So, now that Zac Efron is on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, I had to (finally) sit down and watch High School Musical. I've tried before, just like Harry Potter, without success. It's weird, because I have always liked musicals. But High School Musical, I don't know how else to put it, seems so much more contrived than other musicals. And it's so chaste! Even Oklahoma! has a dark side. I do confess that I've become quite fond of Ashley Tisdale. She's actually funny. She's on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and I also confess to a sick fascination with that show too. It's completely inappropriate for the Disney Channel. Zack and Cody are complete horndogs. Hey! Maybe High School Musical should take a few lessons because I think what's missing from East High is HORMONES. Harry Potter had now become an obsession with me and I'm plowing through the series. I'm sorry to say that I'm not so anxious to catch up with High School Musical 2.

MTD: 142:88 (second highest month of 2007)

Steam Heat

I got a hankering to listen to Jimmy Cliff's The Harder They Come album today after reading another blog titled "Limbo Time." I scoured the house for the CD. I know it's here somewhere, but I can't find it. I love that album. It's one of my "had it as an album and now own it as a CD too" CDs. Nice peppy reggae with sing along lyrics. It'll turn up somewhere.

In the meantime, I found The Pajama Game. I bought this broadway soundtrack last year after seeing Harry Connick, Jr. star in The Pajama Game on Broadway. I was in NYC at the time for the More Marathon. I haven't listened to it in a long time and I wasn't looking forward to today's run -- a recovery run -- so I thought, what the hell? It could spice up my run!

And spice it up it did. After two days of intense running workouts, a tempo and hill repeats, I was due for a recovery run. Recovery runs are meant to be sloooww in order to let the muscles recover. One thing you are not doing is Racing With the Clock! In fact, I would have left the clock (Garmin) at home but for the fact that I want to log the exact mileage on logmyrun.

Hey There, we've been having some Steam Heat in this part of the country all week. I wasn't able to get out early this morning, so I've been waiting all day for the sun to go down and the temperature to drop. So, this was my Once a Year Day to run at night. I still haven't truly done a nighttime run though, as it was actually dusk when I went out. There Once Was A Man who went running when it was entirely dark outside, but since I don't have any reflective running gear I wanted to play it safe and be home before it was completely dark outside.

My laps were nice and easy: 10:33, 10:11, 10:33, 10:15 for a total of 3.36 miles/ 34:59 minutes. It would have been a good run for Small Talk if I ran with a partner. I don't, but Think of the Time I Save by doing most of my runs right out the front door!

Thanks for reading my Seven-And-A-Half Cents, even if it is dorky today.

Recovery

Last year I entered the New York City Marathon. The race started and immediately I was the last of the runners. It was embarrassing. The guy who was in front of me, second to last, was making fun of me. He said, "Hey babe, how does it feel to be last?" I replied: "Do you want to know?" and I dropped out.



Well, I don't plan on dropping out. Nor do I plan on being last. I'm not missing any runs; even the dreaded "recovery runs."

Tonight I ran 3 miles. Because I ran a tempo on Tuesday and did a double workout on Wednesday, I thought my legs needed a "recovery" run today. Normally I hate forcing myself to run slow. When I looked at the McMillan calculator, the pace based on my goal marathon time (4:20) for a recovery jog is something like 11:30 m/miles. Wow! Slow! I ended up not wearing a watch and guessed at a 3 mile route. I took it easy and it actually felt good. Relaxing, even. At 25 minutes I was stopped by a neighbor who wanted to talk about Freddie, so I even had a little 4 minute break. Afterwards, I felt refreshed enough to jog all the way home. It's been storming off and on all day and the heat and humidity hasn't broken yet but it didn't bother me. Yes, I was drenched and salty, but I don't know... maybe something about running in the early evening... things look alittle different... I took a little different route. But it was nice. Enjoyable.

Tomorrow's a scheduled rest day. Wouldn't you know, it's supposed to be gorgeous?

5.25 miles today. With the Garmin. Darn! I really should have left it at home. I wanted to do a recovery run but that damn device pushes me to go faster. I finished in 52:35 -- about a 10:00 pace. Not terrible, but I would have liked to go slower without thinking about it. It was hot and sticky already at 9:15. I forgot both my hat and sunscreen, so I thought to myself, "I'll just finish this up quickly before the sun can get me." The things we tell ourselves!

Routine

I ran 3+ miles this morning. No watch, no clock. I started out fast but ran into a young neighbor girl running. She's 16 and runs the same 30 minute route every day. I dragged her along with me so that she ended up running an extra mile. Every time I see her I tell her to add another 1/2 mile or sign up for a 5k and she never does. I hope she was happy with her 4 miles today!
I also signed myself and Freddie & Adam up for the Redlegs Run For Home 5k next Sunday. It's Adam's first 5k and he's sorta trained for it. Well, he can run 2 miles. Freddie said to sign him up and no he's not going to train and yes he's going to blow us all away. He played baseball for his school team, but I don't think he did too much running. We'll see who blows who away.

Another bar mitzvah party tonight. None of our kids are even going. When will it ever end?