Dear Hamstrings...

Dear Hamstrings,

Way to bring it today. You delivered my best ever set of deadlifts and followed it by a PR 3 mile run.  Then you followed that by a nearly 4 miles of interval work including Morley Field Hill and Upas Hill.

Your #1 fan,
Christine

Dear Upas and Morley Field Hills,  

You are now officially my Beeotch.  How do you like it?

Triumphantly, 

Christine

Dear Trigger Point foam roller,

Be gentle baby.  The IT band and leg muscles are tender.

Tentatively,
Christine

Dear Pancakes for Dinner,

I use Heart Healthy Bisquick, skim milk, egg beaters and protein powder...At some point you become a health food, right?

Optimistically,
Christine

The End of the Off-Season

It's been radio silence here for the last few weeks, largely because I indulged in a  true off-season.  The reason I've never taken a few weeks off is that I was  terrified I'd  never restart running.  I simply would lack the discipline to go through the aches and pains of developing my mileage.  This year was different. Once I took off my sneakers after the Las Vegas Half Marathon I did not run again for 10 solid weeks.

The off-season was partly due to the holidays, house guests, 2 bouts with upper respiratory infections, and wedding planning.  Whatever it was, I was did not workout much at all in December. In January, I hit the weight room with a vengeance, but still no running. I love to lift weights and for the last few years lifting has usually been pushed off my calendar by running or biking or something.

Here's the funny thing.  The first two or three weeks, I felt incredible guilt if I saw someone running.  I didn't want to run; I just felt profoundly guilty.  Then I had a few weeks of not noticing running at all.  It was as if running didn't exist.  Finally, last week I saw someone jogging along and I thought - I wanna run!  I'm ready!

And just in time.  I started my triathlon training on Saturday with a light 5 mile run.  It was mostly fun except for 1 nasty uphill.  I had lost a bit of my running speed and endurance, but I felt strong.

Cheers to the off-season and cheers for getting back into my sneakers.

Second Verse, Same as the First

Long time readers (both of you) may remember that my last tangle with cycling didn't end well. I decided to go back to marathons and I sold my beautiful bike to someone who loves it.

That left me without a bike which was kind of a bummer, because I missed the Team In Training spin classes. TNT spin class is different from spinning at the gym. Classes are held outside and you're on your own bike which is harnessed onto a spin training stand.

For the last few weeks, Steve has been searching Craigslist for a bike for me. Since I'm not doing endurance cycling I decided that I didn't need (or even want) a super-duper-all-carbon road bike. I wanted a solid bike with big fat tires - heavy and stable.

This weekend we found a nice hybrid bike and made an offer. The seller is training to be a professional cyclist which is perfect. Those types of riders take excellent care of their bikes. The bike he listed on Craigslist had been his commuter ride. (He also had a Trek Madone and a yummy Felt Triathon bike.) He was a total sweetheart and threw in spare tires, tubes, a rack and panniers. He also swapped out some pedals for me.

Last night Steve and I hit the TNT spin class. I was having a great time. To wrap up the class, we did some standing spinning. You won't believe this, but a pedal flew off the bike. If you're doing the physics, you can probably imagine how this went. I'm standing on the bike pedals. One bike pedal flies off. I slam down on the bike's top tube. Yep, right on the hoohaa. Ouch.

Sometimes, I think maybe I should stay off bikes entirely.

Updates

After a day of tests the pet emergency room vets were completely confounded by what was wrong with Toby. I took him home and he stumped us all by getting better on his own.

My bout with the croup is almost complete. Other than a lingering cough, I'm good. It's still a bummer since that cough/cold kept me pretty well out of cardio activities and I'm really worried about the half marathon this weekend. Ah, well. I guess I'll suffer on through it.

I did my first TNT Peak Performance Team workout last night. One hour - all core - all the time. That's a full hour of abdominals with only quick breaks for back. Yikes. My abadabas were screaming for mercy.

Man-Torture

Last night as I was at one of the TNT information sessions, I realized that the Peak Performance team starts with a fitness assessment. In less than 2 weeks, someone is going to assess my core strength, flexiblity, etc.

Noooooooooo!

Two years of marathon training has left me with little time to do other gym work, such as core work or weight training. (Excuses, excuses. I could have made time.) My pride decided that a few preparation workouts before my fitness assessment are essential. This morning I grabbed a Pilates DVD from my extensive collection and got down on the mat.

Pilates is tougher than you think. I used to share an office a former Army Ranger. He was a very fit guy and tough as leather. How tough? The man was in a grappling league. When I told him I did Pilates he said, "Pilates! I did that once. They should call that Man-Torture. That Pilates is how they get prisioners to talk."

I used to be good at Pilates - not great, but respectable. Today, I couldn't do one teaser and struggled with jackknifes. Not good news.

The Peak Performance team should be exactly what I need. Twelve weeks of focus on my overall fitness should make me a much stronger marathoner in the long run. (In the long run - I'm punny!)

Spun

Went to spin class. Then went and ate two enormous cookies from the catering tray in the break room.

Feldenkrais

For months, I've been working at home whenever I could because my office is a pain in neck. Literally, working at my office gives me pain and stiffness between my shoulders. If I work in the office for several consecutive days my neck will lock completely. It's very, very annoying. I've tried tons of different office configurations, but I've never gotten the correct ergonomics.

My gym offers weekly Feldenkrais classes which are supposed to do something to help you learn to move more efficiently. Every month I look at the Feldenkrais flyer and wonder about it. You have to sign up for the full month of classes and I just never got around to trying it. This month the classes focus on neck and jaw strain. That was incentive enough to get me in there.

Yesterday I went to the first class which was a lot of laying on a mat and sticking your tongue out on your lower lip. There was also some moving your hand in front of your face and following it with your eyes. If you've ever been to an acting class that covered body awareness, then you know what it was like. My neck did feel better leaving the class, but it didn't last long.

Today I was sitting in my office with my neck hurting and I had a flash of body awareness that my head was hanging forward stretching my neck. The computer monitor was too low. I'd been adjusting the angle of the flat screen, but I didn't know you could also make the whole screen go up on the support arm. After a quick adjustment, my head and neck are in the correct spot and the pain is eased.

Score one for the Feldenkrais method.

Chi Running - Results

More on Chi Running next time. For now, I went out today and ran a bit more than 2 miles. Two miles sounds paltry since I can easily walk about 15 miles. Normally, I'm a run-a-step, walk-2-steps girl. Today I ran solid with the exception of 1 short hill. My form wasn't great and I was slow, but it was still a good showing for a first time Chi Runner.

Can She Chi?

This morning I took my first ever Tai Chi class. I'm not sure what I thought of it. It was sort of like the first time I took yoga 20 years ago. (20 years!) The Tai Chi instructor used a lot of silly names for moves which I'm sure aren't silly if you know what it all means. To someone with no background the pose names seem arbitrary. She calls out the movement White Crane Spreads Its Wings. To me it may as well be Porcupine Eats An Onion Ring or Child Tames a Rutabaga.

What inspired this interest in Tai Chi? This weekend, I'm taking a class in Chi Running. Chi Running is a modified running form that uses the principles of Tai Chi to make running more effortless. Lately, I've really enjoyed running. It's a big change from a year ago, when I found running to be a chore. I thought maybe some formal instruction on running form might be in order.

I don't know how the Chi Running concept came into my world. Last week it was just suddenly there ready for me to explore. When the student is ready, the teacher appears.

Dear Steve Ross,

I had forgotten how much I loved Steve Ross and his yoga show Inhale. I practiced yoga on and off for more than 15 years. Lately, I've been skipping it, because I've been sort of lazy. Most days I'll do a quick pose or two, but quick isn't really the way that yoga works.

Last week Steve brought me a copy of Yoga Journal. That inspired me to add Inhale back on to my Tivo. Today at lunch I thought I'd do a few minutes. Instead, I hung with Steve for the full hour because it felt so incredibly good. My body feels more strong and flexible than it has in ages.

Steve Ross, I love you man!

I'll Take This Under Advisement

Steve has been advocating skipping the Spring Marathon season and training for a Century Ride instead.

A century ride is -
100 miles.
On a bike.
That I would need to pedal.

Actually, the pedaling is fine. I like pedaling the bike. On the other hand, I have a rather delicate tush. Steve and I rented bikes to explore the Aran Islands in Ireland. After about 90 minutes on the bike I had a tender bruise on my butt bone. Do you see how happy Steve looks in the photo? That's because he doesn't have a sore bottom. A day later we flew home to San Diego. The 12 hour flight was an adventure of fidgeting trying to find a sitting position that was both comfortable and not putting weight on my bruise.

Today was the Team In Training Alumni Celebration. It was great to see everyone again, especially since everyone did really great in their marathons. Over the course of the party several folks came over to tell me that me ride in the Aran Islands should not deter me from the Century ride. Amicus briefs were filed to point out that my problems in Ireland were the result of a poorly fitted bike, a saddle designed for men, and lack of appropriate cycling shorts, etc..

Personally, I think it's that I have a super sensitive "Princess and the Pea" tush. Unless I can find some sort of super soft, Lazy-Boy recliner bike saddle I'm not sure this Century ride idea is going to work.

However, I'm willing to listen to arguments to participate in the Century. Potentially, I will be riding in "America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride" in Lake Tahoe on June 1, 2008. Just be sure you understand that I have not committed to this.

Cross-Training Navel Gazing

Slowly returning to real life - post-vacation and post-marathon.

For the last few months, I've really focused my workouts on getting ready for the marathons. I've let other types of workouts slip - very little weight training, Pilates or yoga and zero cross-training cardio. In fact, I didn't even join a gym in San Diego; I just walked and walked to get ready for the marathons.

This week I finally joined a new gym. It's nice and it's huge. Yesterday I did some weight work and I was heartbroken by how much weaker I am. I couldn't even bench 70 pounds. Of course, logically I knew that would happen but I'm still bummed.

Now I'm studying the gym's class schedule to determine what I can work into my schedule. This gym has really varied offerings - a LeMond cycling studio, a Gravity Studio, Feldenkrais. I took a Gravity class today and it was a killer.

Here's what I'd like to squeeze in: 1 session traditional weights, 1 Gravity session, 1 advanced Pilates class, 1 pool workout, some other cardio (maybe Tae Kwon Do). I'm also going to take some Feldenkrais classes, but I can't count them toward my workout total. Plus, I'm going to keep up my long walks on Saturday or Sunday. I still need to be ready for the Carlsbad Half Marathon in Janaury.