Week 12 Training Recap and London Bridge Half Marathon Report

April 14, 2013 · by Debbie · 10 Comments

If you caught my last post, you know I was off to Lake Havasu for the weekend to run the London Bridge Half Marathon. I decided to run the race as part of my La Jolla Half Marathon training because it coincided with a 13 mile long run on my schedule. The key to using a race as a training run is to run it properly, and I had a plan. As to whether I followed that plan or not…more on that later. Here is my weekly training recap.

Strength Training

Strength training has not been my focus in this training cycle. I’m getting it done, through the classes that I teach, but that has been it. I am already planning ahead for my next race (I’ll let you know soon!), and I will get back to the gym. But, for now, I managed two workouts this week, both classes that I taught.

I had planned to take Monday off. I was tired from the weekend and I thought that I’d just “teach” the class instead of participate. That was until I had four people in the class, two of them very fit teenagers. So, I played along and participated in a challenging Fast & Furious Class.

I also taught a Superball class during the week, which counts as my second strength workout. We did a superset style workout that was fun and challenging.

Running

I didn’t start the week strongly. On Tuesday, which is supposed to be my interval/speed work day, I instead decided to sleep in a little and take the day completely off. I know that is necessary sometimes (and I know my body appreciated the rest), but there is always a bit of a guilt factor when I skip a workout. That meant I needed to make up for it (again) on Wednesday. As I’ve done for a few weeks now, I warmed up with a four mile run with Penny, then, after taking her home, headed out for an interval workout on the road.

I felt much better than I had the previous week, so I decided to run half mile repeats. The only problem was that during my first interval I could feel a touch of my exercise induced asthma coming on. I didn’t have my inhaler with me, so I slowed down, let myself recover, then got back on it. I never got up to the paces from a few weeks ago, though. My slightly uphill intervals were around 4:07-4:10, the downhills were 3:52-3:55. Not bad, but slower than I hoped. Still, I did three miles worth, five half miles, plus two quarter miles (damn asthma!).

On Friday, I took the day off and Alan and I drove to Lake Havasu City, home of the London Bridge (and the London Bridge Half Marathon). It’s about a three hour drive from La Quinta, across a desolate area of Southern California that we forget exists anymore. Soon after we got into Arizona, we drove passed the Parker Dam. Neither of us had driven this way before, so it was pretty interesting. Especially this:

Sure enough, shortly after seeing the sign, Alan spotted a burro on the side of the road. We drove even more carefully after that.

After passing Parker Dam, it was about a half an hour before we arrived in Lake Havasu City. We checked into the hotel, then headed over to packet pick up (which was held at the hotel). Alan was announcing the race, so he checked in, I registered, then we stuck around and helped out for a little while until the rush was over.

After an early night (dinner at Chipotle’s), I slept badly. I’m not sure why. I felt like I’d had some caffeine too close to bedtime. Jumpy and definitely not sleepy. We were up early though, Alan had to be at the venue by 5:30 (the race started at 7:00). After we arrived, Alan went to work and I stayed in the car, nibbling on a bagel and a banana, passing time. This was planned to be a long run, after all, not a race, so I wasn’t feeling any pre-race nerves. Really.

The London Bridge Half Marathon

About 6:45 I wandered over to the start line, kissed my husband and borrowed his asthma inhaler. Then I went to the start line, which was interesting because no one seemed to want to move to the front. I knew that I didn’t belong there, and finally the runners started to move forward. Then, the National Anthem and we were off.

The Plan

As I mentioned, I did have a plan for this training run/race. I would run the first three miles at about my regular long run pace, which is between 10 and 10:30 minutes per mile. At mile three, I’d pick it up to about 9:30 for the next two miles. At mile five, I would pick it up to race pace, which is about 9:09 per mile, for the next six miles, then slow back down for the last two miles.

The Reality

After the gun went off, I did not lose sight of my plan. I held back. At least I though I was holding back. Several minutes into the race I looked at my Garmin and saw that I was running at an 8:30 pace. Oops. I slowed down. I had a hard time bringing all the way down to 10 minute pace though, so I settled for something between 9:30 and 9:45. I felt good though. The course was pretty flat, with just a few rolling hills to keep it interesting. It was also very beautiful, in a desert kind of way, but I did not stop to take any pictures. Training run or not, I still had 13 miles to run.

I hit the five mile marker just under 48 minutes. Right where I wanted to be. Time to pick up the pace. Except the best I could do was 9:19 for the next mile. And slower after that. The next mile was 9:33, then 9:55. Then, in mile nine I felt my asthma start up. It is a feeling of lightheadedness that seems to warn me that I am not getting enough oxygen. I slowed to a walk, took a couple puffs on the inhaler, and waited until the feeling passed. Then, I started running again. That mile was 10:45. Not too bad, really, considering.

For the next few miles the best I could do was around 10:15 miles. Then, less than a quarter mile from the finish, the asthma again and another 10:45 mile. But then, finally, the finish, and the words from my husband that I love to hear, “Here comes my favorite person in the world..!” I was done. Official time: 2:09:20. Maybe not according to plan, but I was happy with the result.

After grabbing a water, walking it off a little and stretching a bit, I wandered over to where the results were posted (yes, it was a training run, but I’m not that uncompetitive). There I was pleasantly surprised to see that I’d finished third in my age group!

#PROOF

Alan and I drove home Saturday afternoon. It’s fun to be away, but much better to come home. Sunday morning we went for a little slow three mile recovery run. I also got to sleep in a little, which I needed after all that running, driving, and a poor night’s sleep the night before. I did have to deal with this though:

This is an odd looking picture, but it is the chafing on my thighs. It hurt during the race, then it got numb or something, because it didn’t bother me until I stepped in the shower after the race. Then, yowza!

Here are a few random pictures from Lake Havasu, plus my complete running log for the week if you’re interested.

Being from California, Alan and I got a kick out of this, a sign on the entrance to the cocktail lounge at our hotel. We were so disappointed that we couldn’t bring our guns we decided to skip the trip to the bar.

Well, one more week of hard training, then a short taper, then finally, race day. I think I’m ready.

How did your training week go? Any races, events, or other competitions? I hope you’ll share!

Filed Under: La Jolla Half Marathon, La Quinta, running, training · Tagged: half marathon, La Jolla Half Marathon, Lake Havasu, London Bridge Half Marathon, running, strength training, training, training recap

Weekly Training Recap: La Jolla Half Marathon Week 6

March 3, 2013 · by Debbie · 31 Comments

As I sit here typing, I have ice on my knee and foot. Yet I feel that I had the most successful week of training so far. I felt stronger, faster (a little bit, anyway), and just, well, better. That being said, I have some aches and pains, nothing dramatic, hopefully just my 55 year old body adapting to training.

I did get all my workouts in, including one yoga class (90 minutes…does that count extra?). My goal is at least twice a week, so I really need to get in that Wednesday session, even if I just practice for a half hour. Anyway, here is my weekly training recap.

Strength Training

I started right in on Monday with my Fast & Furious Class. We did a 20 minute circuit, 45 seconds of each exercise, 15 seconds rest. Three sets with a minute rest between. I can’t remember exactly what exercises we did, but I’m pretty sure burpees were involved.

Tuesday and Thursday were my Superball Class. We did two excellent workouts (I shared them here). The first I called the Vanity workout, where we worked our smaller muscle groups with simple, yet challenging moves. Thursday’s class was the Compound workout, a much more functional, total body workout, using compound exercises to work several muscle groups and the core.

Finally, we did a Tabata workout during Friday’s Fast & Furious class. It was a butt kicker:

Yoga

As I mentioned, I made it to yoga one time this week. Of course, it was a 90 minute, challenging flow class, that started exactly one hour after I finished my long run. Yes, that’s right. I ran more than nine miles, changed my clothes, ate, then dashed off to yoga.

I felt amazingly good (though my toes kept cramping), and strong. I’m working on bakasana. my crow pose, a pose I love because it is challenging, but I can do it. Sometimes.

I have yoga on my schedule on Wednesday, but it seems that after my morning run I just want to rest then get ready for work. This coming week I’ll try to do a half hour YogaDownload.com workout. I can choose a shorter workout, pick the level at which I want to work out, perfect for a post-run practice.

Running

I am so pleased with my running. Not that I’m suddenly super fast, or that it isn’t still hard to run 10 miles. I’m just getting my workouts in and I’m starting to feel the results. I’m not sure whether I’m more motivated by the half marathon itself, or by the fact that I know that I have to write about it. Whatever the reason, I’m doing it and thank you for keeping my accountable.

I completed my second interval workout on Tuesday. We again did it on the street near home. This week I finished ten 1/4 mile intervals, just slightly faster than the week before, about 1:45 on the slightly downhill half, and 1:50 on the uphill. I think this week I’ll go for 12 intervals at the 1/4 mile distance, then after that up the distance to a 1/2 mile.

On Wednesday, Penny and I ran six miles at a nice, slow pace. I’m finding my so-called recovery days to be the hardest, because my body is tired and I feel sluggish, but I guess they’re working, because I feel better for the next run.

That next run was on Saturday. Alan was announcing the Desert Triathlon. It is a two day event, with a sprint triathlon and duathlon on Saturday, and an International distance triathlon on Sunday. On Saturday, I drove out with him, help him set up his stuff, then took off for my tempo run around the lake. First, though, I got to see this:

Beautiful, no? Of course, the whole setting is gorgeous, a small reservoir lake surrounded by hills.

After a one mile warm up, I ran three miles at tempo pace. I averaged about nine minute miles, and my heart rate was about 149-154. It was challenging, but I felt good. I finished with two miles back to the car.

After my run, I took a little nap in the car, then joined Alan at the finish line, wandered around the expo, and chatted with some triathlon friends. By the time we left, at about 11:30, it was getting close to 90 degrees!

The weather was on my mind as I got ready for my long run on Sunday. My original plan was to run from home to the race venue, which is almost exactly nine miles, join Alan there (who would have the bag of fresh clothes/recovery food, in his car). Then my wonderful husband came up with a much better idea. He suggested that I drive to the venue with him, then run home. Perfect! Once I got home I could have my food, clean clothes right at hand (of course, it also gave me the opportunity to go to yoga class-a win-win!).

It was warmer on Sunday, and cloudy. It made for an even more beautiful sunrise than the day before. It was the sunrise that kept on giving:

I didn’t want to wait too long before I started my run. In spite of the clouds, it was already warming up, and the forecast was 90 degrees. So after getting Alan set up, I went back to the car, put myself together, and got going.

As I ran out of the park, the weather was starting to feel really warm. I had a pleasant surprise when I got out on the road, though. It felt like the temperature dropped 10 degrees! It stayed cool and cloudy for the entire run. Without my dog, I was able to keep a steady pace with no stopping or walking for the entire run. I feel so bad that I left Penny behind so frequently this week. She loves to run so much, but at almost 12 she is slowing down a little (I get that!), and I’m worried about taking her too long. I will run with her on Wednesday, though, and possibly some of my weekend runs.

Although I ate between my long run and yoga, when I came home from class I was starving. I was also too tired to cook, so I grabbed some leftover quinoa plus some roasted butternut squash. I combined them, heated it up, then sprinkled on a little brown sugar and drizzled on some maple syrup (yes, I admit I have a sweet tooth). It was surprisingly tasty, and filled me up quite nicely.

I’m feeling good now, after a nap, some recovery time, and the aforementioned ice. Another training week in the books!

How did your training week go? Report or link it up in the comments!

Here’s one more shot of the awesome sunrise:

Filed Under: La Jolla Half Marathon, La Quinta, training, Yoga · Tagged: circuit workout, FitFluential, Fitness, half marathon, interval workout, La Jolla Half Marathon, running, strength training, tabata, tempo running, training, Vegan, Yoga

Weekly Training Recap: La Jolla Half Marathon Week 5

February 24, 2013 · by Debbie · 7 Comments

What Does Not Kill Me Makes Me Stronger

You know you’re in for a tough day when you find yourself quoting Nietzsche in mile one of your 10 mile long run. I’ve actually loved that quote for a long time, but to have it running through your head so early in a 10 mile run was, um, troubling. More on that below.

First the answer to the question I know you are asking: ~~After all your whining,~~ did you go to yoga class? The answer…yes! See below for details (see how I lure you into this post?).

I also added my first interval workout. Though the plan was to head to the track, Alan and I ended up staying close to home and doing the workout on the road. Whatever, it worked.

The weekend was much better than last week, when I had to work both days. I did help Alan out with his track team’s car wash, but still managed to get both a run and a yoga class. And still no decision on whether I’m switching races from La Jolla Half Marathon to the Run Through Redlands. They’re only a week apart, so I’ll be okay either way, but hopefully I’ll figure it out soon. My training recap:

Strength Training

Nothing exciting to report (meaning I still haven’t made to the gym). I taught my Superball class on Tuesday and Thursday, providing me with a decent core and lower body workout, and my Fast & Furious Class on Friday, which was great for the upper body. We did three sets, 45 seconds each of Pushups, one leg deadlifts with rows, one leg deadlifts (other leg) with triceps extension, plank to side plank, and squat press.

Yoga

Well, I made it to yoga class. Once. Does it count for more because it ~~kicked my ass~~ was tough? Saturday’s class, with my favorite teacher, my friend (and studio owner) April, was hard. My legs were quivering early on. One of my commenters last week suggested that I stop thinking that I have to do an hour or more of yoga to make it count. That was such an excellent suggestion. Did I follow it? No, but I plan to. That is what got me through my 30 day yoga challenge last year, realizing that even 10 minutes of yoga practice is wonderful. It counts.

Running

This was the first week that I added in interval training. It has been so long that I was really a little nervous. The plan was to go to the track, but instead Alan and I did 1/4 mile repeats on the road right around the corner from our home. I was running them a little fast, around 1:48 (for the slightly downhill direction) to 1:55 (for the uphill), but I felt good. We decided that we like doing it close to home, so we’ll do it again next week.. This week eight repeats, next week we’ll go for 12.

That was on Tuesday. Wednesday’s run was a slower paced moderate/recovery run. On Saturday, I needed to help out with Alan’s track team car wash. I was supposed to be there by 7:00, so I only had time for three miles or so. I did manage to run two miles at tempo pace, so I felt pretty good about it even if I had to cut the mileage down.

Finally the long run. As I alluded to above, it was really ~~fucking~~ hard. The combination of my first time running 10 miles in a long time, a 90 minute yoga class the day before, a tempo run the day before, a late start, all combined to have me quoting Nietzsche about a mile into the run. Fortunately, I felt better as I went on. The first six miles, Alan and I ran together with Penny and Buddy. Then I took Lily and Olivia out for the next three and a half. Finally, I finished up with about 1.3 all by myself, to finish up with about 10.6! So happy to have it done (and to know I have a little cut-back week next weekend).

Here is the complete log: