A little tired this week

With all the fun of the past two weeks, I woke up on Monday feeling tired. Two races in two weeks, plus the training runs and the strength training is wearing on me I suppose. So I decided not to do strength training this week and just get some extra sleep those two mornings (instead of waking up at 5am, I could wake up at 7am). I decided I would listen to my body and just take it easy. Especially since October means time to add striders to my training runs each week.

I have been pleased so far this week with my recovery from the 10K race. My last 10K in August left my legs pretty sore (of course, it was a trail race and those work your legs and ankles a lot more) and it was a good 8 days and two massages before I felt like running again. But this time, my legs felt pretty good post-race. And while they were a little sore on Sunday, they didn't "hurt" and I was walking normally. I take that to indicate my training is working, my body is getting used to the distances, and the extra stretching and foam rolling are making a difference. Yay!

So Tuesday, I had to do my easy run in the club because it basically rained all day on Tuesday. No point in running in the rain if you don't have to (like I had to do last Saturday). My thighs were still a little sore so I just took it real easy on the treadmill -- 30 minute run at 12:00 pace for the most part. The last three minutes I increased my speed at each minute (5.5 mph, then 6 mph, then 6.5 mph) just to close out the session before my cooldown. It felt good and the legs were working fine.

Then I saw my trainer, Meghan, and we talked about the recent 10K race and what she wanted me to do for the 5K race this Saturday. I think she would rather me treat it as a 'fun run' and not shoot for a new PR. She cautioned me not to overdo things and risk injury. Good advice for sure. I told her I would play it by ear on Saturday, see how the body feels and do what it tells me.

I have been doing a lot of stretching and foam rolling since Saturday and it is working pretty well. I foam rolled the quads at Meghan's urging -- I hadn't bothered since they felt just fine -- but boy did they need the rolling! Ouch! I need to remember to roll them out as much as I do the hamstrings, IT band, and calf muscles!

October only has two races for me (both 5Ks that fit into my training plan's cutback runs) so it is really going to focus on training for the half and get me up to the 8-9 mile distance. This will prepare me for my November Hot Chocolate 15K race, which I am going to use to assess my 'race pacing and fueling plan' for the half marathon in January. Oh, and did I mention that my 1:06:38 time in the recent race qualifies me for Corral D in the Hot Chocolate race? I won't have to race with the "Open" group! Another first for me. :)

Tomorrow is an easy run day, only 30 minutes. Hopefully, I can run it outside, take a route through the neighborhood to Woods Creek Elementary school and around for a nice 5K loop. I am looking forward to it!

Still Running....and loving it!

September has surely been a busy month so far! Which is mostly why this blog has been silent since the end of August. I went on a family vacation over the Labor Day weekend, and since returning, it seems like all aspects of my life kicked back into high gear. Everything, that is, except for my blogging. Unfortunately, that has received the least of my attention. So, it is time to get back into 'gear', as it were.

Still Running!

Even though the blog has been silent, I have been diligently following the training plan that I mentioned in my last post. I do an easy run every Tuesday and Thursday morning around 5:45am (in the dark) for 30-40 minutes. So basically, I run a 5K each of those days plus 3/4 mile of warm-up/cooldown. So it is almost 4 miles total. I foam roll before and after the runs, plus stretching after the runs.

I am using a modified Galloway training plan from the RunDisney web site. I took what he had and then worked with my trainer to augment it according to my needs and my race schedule so that everything would dovetail well together. Plus, she added Interval Runs into the plan (usually on the Tuesday run) and a couple of Hill Runs (not looking forward to those). It feels like a good plan, and I am excited about my fitness level (and speed) by the time the WDW Half comes around in January. I am not going to break any speed records, but I should run well.

My Saturdays are for my Long Runs. I am up to 6 Miles now and feeling pretty good about my runs. Tomorrow I am running a 10K "Race for the Cure" to support breast cancer research. I am hoping to pull off a PR in the race as long as it doesn't rain, making me slow down to avoid slipping and falling. We will see. Very excited about this race! My Long Run weeks alternate between a longer distance one week and a shorter 5K distance the next. This should give my body plenty of time to recover from each longer distance. (At age 51, I am being very careful about avoiding injury and not overtraining).

Cross Training moving to the next Level

I decided to switch from the TEAM Weight Loss cardio program that I had been doing three days/week since April to a different exercise program called TEAM Fitness. TEAM Fitness is a strength training program that utilizes both core strengthening exercises in concert with circuit machines that focus on both upper body and leg workouts. I do this twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays (since I run on Tuesdays and Thursdays) and boy, is it kicking my butt! In a good way though! There are six circuit stations and at each station, you do three 'reps' with each rep consisting of both a machine exercise and a core/calistentic exercise. And there isn't much wasted time between reps or between stations so you really work hard! The class lasts an hour. After three weeks, I am beginning to get the hang of it. The types of exercises change each time so it is never boring or repetitious, which is a definite good thing. This is going to be a great Cross Training activity for me to help balance the running.

Fridays are for swimming laps and/or resting in the Jacuzzi. I kinda like the plan of swimming 10 lengths, then getting in the Jacuzzi for 10 minutes, then repeating. That gives me a total of 30 swim lengths (either freestyle or breaststroke) and some time relaxing. It might be unorthodox but I love my Jacuzzi time, and the swimming might prepare me for a Tri some time in my future.

New gear!

Now that it is getting darker much earlier (and a lot cooler recently), I have had to dip into the budget to pick up some more stuff (I love gadgets) to help me. I picked up a nice Petzl headlamp so I can see where I am going during my early morning runs. I also picked up three long-sleeved tech shirts at the Chicago Half Marathon Expo for $35 (awesome deal!).

Last week, I picked up a green running half zip jacket which will keep me warm and dry, as well as a pair of Zoot Compression Knickers (my first piece of compression clothing). I got the knickers for two reasons: 1) They will help support my hamstrings and increase blood circulation in my legs, and 2) They will help keep my legs warm! I wore them for the first time at the Navy Pier "Run the Pier" 1-mile sprint race. They felt good, and I ran my fastest mile this year in them (8:58). They are my new best friend!

What's next

You might not have noticed some changes to the site, but I have made a few. I added more sections to the top Navigation Bar for my Race Schedule, a Blog Archive, and my Links page. I figured it would be easier to just modify the schedule page than keep having to list my upcoming races within the postings. And the Blog Archive will make it easier to find previous postings in case there is a topic or category you wish to review.

As I mentioned earlier, tomorrow I am running in the "Race for the Cure" -- a 10K race supporting breast cancer research. My Mother-in-Law died from that disease, and I have lots of friends who are either fighting it or have survived it. I am proud to run in support of finding a cure. Next June, I will be walking the Avon Walk -- a 39 mile walk over two days -- to raise more funds towards research. I hope I can count on your support.

Next Saturday, I run a 5K race in support of AIDS Research here in the Chicagoland area. Another cause that I fully support. Why not run for something that's important to you, right? This will mark the third race in three consecutive weekends. I hadn't originally planned it that way, but it happened. But it's all good, right?