Today was a Fartlek day. A Fartlek (I presume named after somebody Fartlek, which is a horrible last name to have) is a training strategy that aims to increase VO2max and anaerobic threshold. Basically, it is designed to help with oxygenation so you can run farther and farther without getting "winded." All in all it's a basic interval workout to which some guy attached his name. Anyways, I've been slacking on the Fartleks. I usually miss about 1 workout per week based on my schedule, our horrible eating habits, or plain laziness. It's usually the Fartlek session. Indeed I missed my Fartlek yesterday because I ate 4 tacos and 2 s'mores for dinner and didn't much feel like running after that. This month I only have class 2 days a week, so today I decided I would do the Fartlek in the morning at the gym and then my short run this evening with Hubert.
First mistake - I thought my headphones were in the car but they were not, so I had no jams to distract me from looking at the clock on the treadmill every 15 seconds. Second mistake - not warming up. Both Hubert and I have come to the conclusion that we feel like crap until about half way through our runs, and then the second half feels much better. I used to think those people who run a couple miles before a 5K race are crazy. Why would you run any farther than you have to? I'm starting to think maybe it just takes a little while to "get the bugs out." By "bugs" I mean shin pain and calf tightness. Third mistake - the treadmill. I hate the treadmill, but I know, with Fall upon us and Winter creeping up, that I will have to learn to love the stinkin' treadmill. The thing I do like about it, is I can't slow down or stop without risking major embarrassment or a broken bone or two, so I am able to push myself a little harder than usual.
However, the treadmill is not good for shin splints. I'm not saying I definitely have shin splints right now, but it's inevitable when doing this much running. It's just my right shin for now, and I can bear with it. It actually feels better if I run faster. Somehow the mechanics of my typical snail's pace seem to aggravate it. Taking walking breaks helps as well. Walk breaks provide a change in the muscle mechanics so different muscles are stressed and also take away the pounding. I should probably go look up some shin splint physical therapy exercises to try to ward this off before it gets worse. Losing a few pounds would help too, less weight = less pounding.
Aren't you glad your name is not Fartlek?
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Ups and Downs
So last week was a bust. I ran Monday, I think maybe 2 miles, but my ingrown toenail was bothering me much more than usual. On Tuesday it started to leak some puss. I probably could have kept running the rest of the week, but I didn't. I had already called the podiatrist and had an appointment scheduled for Friday. So, I just soaked it in Epsom salt twice a day and tried to clear the infection. From past experience I knew if it was infected that I wouldn't be able to have the surgery on Friday. So on Friday I was working in labor and delivery and was about 30 minutes from delivering a baby when I had to leave for the podiatrist appointment. Of course, the podiatrist was running 45 minutes behind schedule. I had to miss a delivery, but in the end she took out the ingrown nail and chemically cauterized the base so that portion of the nail won't grow back. She said there's only a 20% chance of recurrence, which is sweet. Now that I have some properly fitted shoes, hopefully I won't continue to injure the toe also.
So tonight I went back to running. I was supposed to be up to 4 miles last week, so that was my goal tonight. I went to a local high school track because they have lights on until 10PM. I did cycles of running for 5 minutes and walking for 2 minutes. I usually count my laps by changing lanes each lap, but the track was too busy for that. I tried to keep track in my head, but with calculating the run/walk cycles and the high school band practicing on the field I quickly gave up trying to count laps. I was running around a 10 minute pace or faster during my runs and covering about 200 meters on my walks, giving a conservative estimate of 1000 meters per 7 minute cycle. 7x8=56, so there's 8000 meters plus another 800 meters for the last 4 minutes. Grand total of 8800 meters, which (pause for calculator function) means I covered at least 5 and a half miles?!?! I'm sure my most devoted follower (My hubby, Hubey) will check my math on that for me. (BTW He also checks my grammar and spelling. Since it's 11pm maybe he'll cut me some slack on this one.) (I use lots of parentheses).
So, I feel great. I was even covering more distance with each 5 minute run. I am certain that tomorrow I will not feel as great as I do now. I took a Magnesium supplement (more on that in a future blog) and a regular vitamin to try to ward off cramps for tomorrow morning. I'll do a recovery day tomorrow, and then back on track with my schedule. My toe felt great, by the way, and no oozing when I got home!
So tonight I went back to running. I was supposed to be up to 4 miles last week, so that was my goal tonight. I went to a local high school track because they have lights on until 10PM. I did cycles of running for 5 minutes and walking for 2 minutes. I usually count my laps by changing lanes each lap, but the track was too busy for that. I tried to keep track in my head, but with calculating the run/walk cycles and the high school band practicing on the field I quickly gave up trying to count laps. I was running around a 10 minute pace or faster during my runs and covering about 200 meters on my walks, giving a conservative estimate of 1000 meters per 7 minute cycle. 7x8=56, so there's 8000 meters plus another 800 meters for the last 4 minutes. Grand total of 8800 meters, which (pause for calculator function) means I covered at least 5 and a half miles?!?! I'm sure my most devoted follower (My hubby, Hubey) will check my math on that for me. (BTW He also checks my grammar and spelling. Since it's 11pm maybe he'll cut me some slack on this one.) (I use lots of parentheses).
So, I feel great. I was even covering more distance with each 5 minute run. I am certain that tomorrow I will not feel as great as I do now. I took a Magnesium supplement (more on that in a future blog) and a regular vitamin to try to ward off cramps for tomorrow morning. I'll do a recovery day tomorrow, and then back on track with my schedule. My toe felt great, by the way, and no oozing when I got home!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Notes to Self:
I've just finished week 2 of my 26 week training plan. Fortunately, the plan starts out very gradually. I'm only up to 3 miles so far, which I had been running before I started. It's going pretty well, but I have already learned a few things not to do, which I have termed "Notes to Self."
1. Do not eat two high-fiber granola bars before a run. The other day I didn't have much time to eat before running so I didn't want to eat something heavy. I grabbed two Kellog's Fiber Plus granola bars. My husband and I both love these granola bars because they are the equivalent of only 2 Weight Watchers points each, and they taste awesome. In fact, I'd rather eat one of the chocolate peanutbutter bars than a candy bar. They are that good. However, they do have 9 grams of fiber each. (P.S. I just ran down stairs to get one! Yum!) Fiber is awesome because it makes you feel full. On the other hand, if you are not used to eating that much fiber, it gives you major flatulence, stomach cramps, and eventually... diarrhea. These side effects are never good, but when you are out running with no bath room in sight, they are really bad!
2. Do not eat approximately 7 scoops of ice cream within 48 hours of a run - or ever. I had yet another food-related incident. My husband and I went to Mack's ice cream in Dover last weekend for lunch. Ice cream happens to be an object of joy in my life. I come from a long line of dairy farmers, with a real appreciation for ice cream - at least that's what I choose to blame for this weakness. My "medium" cone was huge! I guestimate the ice cream was stacked a good 8 inches above the cone. Each dip was easily two normal-sized dips and then some. Again, it was delicious, but there was so much of it that I felt ill. The next morning, approximately 20 hours after the ice cream, we went for a run. I felt horrible. I was out of breath by the first half mile, which is unusual. My legs typically feel tired before I'm out of breath. I'm not sure there's a direct relationship between ice cream and respiratory compromise. I have heard that too much milk can thicken respiratory secretions. I'm not aware of any scientific research on the subject, but after this experience it wouldn't take much to convince me.
3. Do not go running alone at night. Of course, this is a more serious lesson. First of all, nothing bad happened. Whereas it used to get dark around 9 or 9:30, the seasons are changing, and it's dark by 8:15. Because it was in the 90s last week, I waited until later to go run. I went running on the Rail Trail the other night around 7:30. I thought I would have plenty of day light left, but it was getting dark half way through my run. By the last mile it was dark, and I was the only one on the trail. I realized how stupid it was to be out alone in the dark. I was smart enough to turn my headphones off so I could hear if some one was behind me, but I knew if some thing bad were to happen I had few defenses. There were no lights, very few houses, and woods or fields on either side of the trail. I was pretty scared. I can't tell you how many times I turned around to look behind me or jumped when I heard a rustling from the trees. I was fortunate, but lesson learned.
1. Do not eat two high-fiber granola bars before a run. The other day I didn't have much time to eat before running so I didn't want to eat something heavy. I grabbed two Kellog's Fiber Plus granola bars. My husband and I both love these granola bars because they are the equivalent of only 2 Weight Watchers points each, and they taste awesome. In fact, I'd rather eat one of the chocolate peanutbutter bars than a candy bar. They are that good. However, they do have 9 grams of fiber each. (P.S. I just ran down stairs to get one! Yum!) Fiber is awesome because it makes you feel full. On the other hand, if you are not used to eating that much fiber, it gives you major flatulence, stomach cramps, and eventually... diarrhea. These side effects are never good, but when you are out running with no bath room in sight, they are really bad!
2. Do not eat approximately 7 scoops of ice cream within 48 hours of a run - or ever. I had yet another food-related incident. My husband and I went to Mack's ice cream in Dover last weekend for lunch. Ice cream happens to be an object of joy in my life. I come from a long line of dairy farmers, with a real appreciation for ice cream - at least that's what I choose to blame for this weakness. My "medium" cone was huge! I guestimate the ice cream was stacked a good 8 inches above the cone. Each dip was easily two normal-sized dips and then some. Again, it was delicious, but there was so much of it that I felt ill. The next morning, approximately 20 hours after the ice cream, we went for a run. I felt horrible. I was out of breath by the first half mile, which is unusual. My legs typically feel tired before I'm out of breath. I'm not sure there's a direct relationship between ice cream and respiratory compromise. I have heard that too much milk can thicken respiratory secretions. I'm not aware of any scientific research on the subject, but after this experience it wouldn't take much to convince me.
3. Do not go running alone at night. Of course, this is a more serious lesson. First of all, nothing bad happened. Whereas it used to get dark around 9 or 9:30, the seasons are changing, and it's dark by 8:15. Because it was in the 90s last week, I waited until later to go run. I went running on the Rail Trail the other night around 7:30. I thought I would have plenty of day light left, but it was getting dark half way through my run. By the last mile it was dark, and I was the only one on the trail. I realized how stupid it was to be out alone in the dark. I was smart enough to turn my headphones off so I could hear if some one was behind me, but I knew if some thing bad were to happen I had few defenses. There were no lights, very few houses, and woods or fields on either side of the trail. I was pretty scared. I can't tell you how many times I turned around to look behind me or jumped when I heard a rustling from the trees. I was fortunate, but lesson learned.
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