Weekly Summary

This week went okay. I kept to my 3 drinks a week (for the third week- yay!), but I did manage to have dessert every day. Oops.

John's foot was bothering him some, so he took it easy mid-week and skipped his 4 miler. He went out for his first long run in 2 weeks on Sunday, and got through most of it before we had to walk. His foot was hurting him most of the way (he told me after the fact), and at Glen Hall on the way back he figured we should walk. My left knee started to twinge at around 9, so by the park I was ready to take it easier, too.

Hopefully John will be better by Sunday, when we do the Davis Stampede. I think I'll be fine- I just need to do my leg rolling.

Monday: off
Tuesday: 6 with Buffalo Chips (warm, strides, 4x1200 w/400 jogs, cool)
Wednesday: strength circuit
Thursday: off
Friday: 6 on H Street and at McKinley after work
Saturday: 4 on Stonegate
Sunday: 16 total miles with John and Chips at the Fleet Feet Group (14 at 8:45ish, 2 walking mostly)

Miles this week: 32
Miles in 2012: 122

No heels for moi!

Photo credit: Henrik Sorensen for New York Times

I have long been an avid opponent of wearing high heels. Why? Well, there are several reasons:

#1- I'm 5'2" and they really aren't going to make me look taller.
#2- I like being comfortable, and for some reason have never found heels comfortable.
#3- I walk a lot- around the office, to meetings close by- and that becomes difficult in heels.
#4- Most of my work clothes aren't flashy enough to look good with heels.
#5- Most importantly, my legs are tired from running!

I have given in occasionally, and worn heels to a work event. I always end up, a few hours later, mad at myself for some nagging pain that doesn't go away when the shoes come off. I once had a pain for several weeks after wearing heels to an event.

This morning, I checked my blogfeed, and saw that a study was done that vindicates my longtime anti-heel sentiment. Runner's World's Training Daily blog highlighted a study of high heel wearing women versus women who don't wear heels often. The study showed that women who wear heels often have shorter strides, shorter calf muscles. I knew it!

Read the Training Daily post here, and the more detailed New York Times article on the study here.

Hello, B Group!

I have, as one of my Chips friends put it last night, "graduated" to the B Group! When I first started running on Tuesdays with the Chips last year, the person in charge that night asked me for a recent race time, and said to run with the B Group. Groups are based on pace, with A as the fastest (there usually aren't any As at the workout).

Last January through March, I ran with the B Group. But I was always lagging behind. So when I came back in the fall after spending the previous six or so months not doing speedwork, I decided to go down to the C Group. I was challenged, so I stayed.

Recently, I've been towards the front of the group when I run with the Cs. Since John has joined the Chips, he has been running with the Bs and trying to get me to join them. He says I could keep up. So last night, I did.

For most workouts, Coach Jen gives us estimated paces we should be keeping for each group. For C, I was near the fast end of the range, and for B, I'm near the slow end. I was able to keep up (at the mid, then back of the group) for all four 1200s as 10K pace last night.  I was huffing and puffing, and may have actually been running closer to 5k pace, but I kept up.

I want to get faster and improve overall, and this is a great way to get there. Running with the B crowd on weekends, like I did at the Fleet Feet Sunday run a few days ago, will help too.

Weekly Summary

I had a rough time of it this past week, with my December cold coming back full force. I managed to make it to the Chips Speed Workout on Tuesday, but didn't do anything else until Saturday's Prediction Run.  I spent my time off wisely, sleeping in well past 8, and taking long naps, most days.

Hopefully I can get back to it next week.

Monday: strength circuit
Tuesday: 6 with Buffalo Chips (warm, 3x (400, 200 cool, 800, 400 cool), cool)
Wednesday: sick
Thursday: sick
Friday: sick
Saturday: Prediction run 5k, plus warm and cool (4 total)
Sunday: 14 at 8:45 average per mile with Chips at the Fleet Feet Group

Miles this week: 24
Miles in 2012: 90

Prediction Run

This morning, I had a great time at the Buffalo Chips Prediction Run. The concept is simple: predict your 5k time, run a 5k sans watch, and the person closest to their prediction wins.

It sounds simpler than it is. Having been sick for nearly a week, I knew I wouldn't be breaking any records. I figured 24:30 or 25:00 was a good estimate (no race day crowd to motivate me, either). Well, when it came time to write down my prediction, pride got the better of me and I wrote down 24:00. Why? It sounds a bit faster, and I really couldn't bear to write down such a slower time.

I came in, as predicted, at 24:44, good for about seventh in terms of prediction. One person was dead on. Oh well. They were nice enough to have Stampede race shirts for everyone who came out.

The Run was followed by a nice brunch gathering at Bella Bru, and I had a great time hearing about the Venice Marathon and many things Chips-related. I even picked up my very own Chips singlet! I'm glad to be getting more involved with the Chips!

Another cold

For the second time in two months, I'm sick. It feels like the same cold. I woke up Sunday, scratchy throat, generally tired feeling. Yesterday, it was worse, with congestion added.

I had yesterday off, and decided to keep my germs out of the office today, too. The question is, will I be rested enough to go to Chips tonight? I don't want to miss a workout!

Weekly Summary

I completed my second week of the year with my eating goals intact. I had 3 drinks this week (same as last), ate mostly from my new cookbook, and didn't have too many extras (though someone did bring us cookies on Saturday). Overall, a pretty clean eating week.

Example of my clean eating: my lunch on Saturday.

Here are  my workouts from this week:

Monday: stretch circuit
Tuesday: 6 with Buffalo Chips (warm, 14x200 at 5k pace w/200 jogs, cool)
Wednesday: strength circuit, abs
Thursday: 7 on Stonegate (evening)
Friday: 4 on Stonegate (evening)
Saturday: stretch circuit
Sunday: 10 at 9:15 average per mile with the Fleet Feet Group

Miles this week: 27
Miles in 2012: 66

Olympic Marathon Trials

I was a bit disappointed when I heard that the trials wouldn't be televised. I got up this morning- race day- and checked Facebook for updates from Runner's World and others. By about 9:15, I knew the results. Sad to not see the race, but happy to see some favorites make the team.

Lo and behold, I was corrected by a Facebook friend that network TV would in fact be televising the trials.

At noon.

Pacific time.

A full five hours after the actual race.

Well, I already knew the result, bug here I am watching anyway. Frank Shorter just started the men, and Joan Benoit Samuelson just started the women.

141 men and 191 women. Time for some exciting TV!

Weekly Summary

The first full week of 2012 went moderately well. I did a good job on mileage, a bad job on cross training, and I still had my weird lower calf pain. I had a great speed workout, and a good long run. Also, we ate really well (few sweets and drinks), which is a relief after the holidays.

Here are  my workouts from this week.

Monday: Off
Tuesday Morning: Cross train circuit, abs
Tuesday Evening: 6 with Buffalo Chips (warm, 4 strides, 10x400 at 5k pace w/200 jogs, cool)
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: 5 on Stonegate (evening)
Friday: 3 on Stonegate (evening)
Saturday: Off
Sunday: 13 at 9:15 average per mile with the Fleet Feet Group

Miles this week: 27
Miles in 2012: 39

Ouch! Now go away!

Towards the end of our Sunday long run, the lower part of my right calf started hurting. It feels tight, like a big knot. I rolled it with the Trigger Point roller and footballer, and it felt better.

Today during Chips, after about six 400s, it started again. I rolled it again, so fingers crossed that it loosens up soon.

A New Year is Here!

This morning, John and I started 2012 right with a 12 mile run. We showed up at Fleet Feet, unsure if the Sunday group would meet. It didn't, but that was okay. We went out from the store, stopping only at Glen Hall and the Guy West Bridge for water and Gu, respectively.

Now that John has a Garmin, he is much more on top of our pace. We stayed between 9:00 and 9:15 for most of the run, which is faster than most of our Sunday runs. That will be good for our marathon training.

We're going to step it up, train hard, and maybe go for 3:50 in Rome! Yikes!

We are now official members of the Buffalo Chips, and John is going to do his best to come every Tuesday. We should both get much faster if we stick to their workouts.

In 2012, I want to do a few things:

PR the 10k 
PR the half, even if by a few seconds
Run a 3:55 (or-gasp-a 3:50) marathon
Generally, be more dedicated and run faster

Here we come, 2012! Watch out!

CIM 2011

Weekly Summary

2012 started well. We did a nice, quick 12 on the Parkway.

Miles this week: 12
Miles in 2012: 12