Getting there

R/W with GB in the AM, 4.72miles in 70 min, so avg speed 14.8min/mile, if I am calculating correctly. Which included a hill. And we were not exactly on cruise control while doing the session- I mean We were huffing and puffing quite a bit.But it is getting better, I hope.

And I do hope that by the marathon day we can do the distance at 14.5min per mile -because that is the recommendation on the official Nike Womens Marathon site.I was reading some reviews of the marathon on www.marathonguide.com and the majority said its a good first marathon to do but some had not been able to complete because the cut-off is to cover 18.5miles in 5 hours and these people were late by 10-15 min because they were in the 12-15min pace group which started the marathon about 20 min later.
And there are hills- I looked at the tinny course map available on the site and could barely make out the words but there are hills 1-2 miles long and atleast 3-4 of those.

So GB is all activated to cover those hills in a respectable manner and so all of our workouts now will include a hill. Which is actually unavoidable living in this area.

Rest day tomorrow, 18 miles on saturday- I hope we are able to do the 18 miles and not stop at 14 or 16 or miscalculate the distance. We'll see.

Half way there!

12 weeks of training done, 12 weeks left!
Am I feeling stressed? not much, only when I see my handwritten program and realise that I am done with one side of the sheet and now can see the goal of 'MARATHON DAY' written in big green letters with a smiley face!

Took a day off yesterday, today am off from work and DH (who has the whole week off- some people r lucky)wanted to run with me. So did the 3.63m loop next to our house, it includes a big, bad, long hill. Would love to say that I ran up the hill like a gazelle, but no, I crawled up with spurts of what I call running and he calls running in place. But, but I did do the loop in 53 min, which is a whole 2 min better than what Iwas doing in March/ April. Tho it could be the beautiful cool breezy day also.

GB was in San-francisco yesterday and says it was really cool there. Which is good. But I hope its not cold in October. See, the temp has to be just right- not too warrm, not too cold, breeze just adequate- not too windy, not too still, not against me at any point . I can do hills too, as long as they are not too long, not too steep,a slight down grade is preferred, so I can let gravity take over and roll down on cruise control. Then I can run.I am sure some day in the near future they will have a course like that! Till then, its mother nature and me and I hope she is kind to me on the day.

Have to fit in 2 more sessions before the months end to get 20/30 workouts for the month. Havent done any weights, only some yoga, get back into the routine, and dont remind me-18 miles this weekend. 18!!!

Slacking off

R/W with GB twice this week.

She wanted to R/W on tues, wed and thurs. Tues I did go and we completed 3.35 miles in 55min, wwhich included a nice hill.
Wed, I got too lazy or u can say I just jammed. I was awake from 4.30 Am onwards and did not get up till 6.30 AM. Even tho my upper back hurt, the way it hurts when I have had an uncomfortable night and getting up helps. GB called a couple of times and then went on her own.
Today/thurs , I realized my folly and went at 5.15 Am sharp for the r/w. I did 4.67mi in 67 min. Relatively flat course. But GB now with foot pain so am planning to do the LSD on sunday instead of Saturday to give her some time to heal. Also 13yo has soccer tournament so Sat. will be rushed. Its only 8 miles this weekend maybe GB will do less and be ready for the 18 miles next weekend!

Recovery day, post 14 miler

Yesterday was good, felt generalised soreness after the 14 miles but no specific pains any where. Took 2 short naps and woke up this morning with some tightness bt no pain. Got on the yoga mat and did 30 min slow yoga session.I think I tweaked something in the left knee then because after that it started feeling sore and heavy. No sharp pain, no pain on climbing stairs, just this nagging ache. Have been icing it since then with little relief. No pain in the left foot so far.

Had wanted to take the day off and rest but GB called in the PM saying she was sore but still wanted to do a short walking session. That motivated me and ended up walking 2 miles in... 60 min!!! Two overweight women. me limping on the left and she on the right because her right shin was hurting along with other aches and pains. We walked slowly and talked fast and I felt good that I had done something in the end. The knee is stll the same. I just hope it will get better in a day or two.

LSD 14 miles, almost!

Ok, so not the scheduled 16 miles, did 14 miles.

GB joined me today, which was great. She had been walking atleast 2-3 times in the last few weeks and last nite she decided to join me for 5 miles of my 16 mile session. So I mapped out a 8mile circle and planned to do it twice.

Got up at 4AM, called GB, had my PBJ, packed a banana, started form home at 5AM. Walked the first 2 miles. GB kept saying to run, but I didnt want to make the effort yet. After the 2 miles started R/W, worked up from 60 steps r/60 steps walk to 300 R/100W. GB liked the idea too and she completed the first 8 miles session with me.
This session was really good:
-company makes a lot of difference
-it was pleasantly cool
-the initial warmup of almost 2 miles helped. We had no pain, did not feel heavy or tired, it was really nice.

Took a break at GB's appartment, where drank 4 oz water and finished my banana.
GB agreed to do part of the next 8 miles with me. So we did another shorter circle of 3.5 miles. At about halfway, GB started feeling tired. I was feeling only a twinge in my left foot, but still not too tired. We reached her apartment again, she went in and I decided to complete the session.

Two things happened here to make me miscalculate my distance- one that the first circle was acually 7.5 miles and I had thought it was 8.32. Also I did not complete the .5m distance to GB's apt from the turn. The 2nd was that the rest of the path I took was much shorter than my calculations.I had previously done this route and calculated it as approx 5 miles, not realising today I was doing only one-way. Put it down to LSD hypoglycemia- the brain not working because of lack of its primary food- glucose.

Anyways finished the distance till my house in 4 hours. GB in the meantime had reached home and called me with the distance but I just was not willing to do another 2 miles at this point. I walked the last 3 miles real slow, my left foot was hurting bad, esp at the bottom, I was tired , thirsty and just wanted to be home. I was really disappointed at first because I so wanted to do 16 miles today- I am always 2 miles behind my LSD, but it was not meant to be. 14 miles in 4 hours is pretty slow, slower than walking , but I think I got slow in the last 3 miles . Maybe its good because now I have to get my left foot Xrayed- the pain is too much- even tho only after 12 miles and it got better as soon as I put the feet in cold water.

That was heaven- feet in cold water, knees in ice packs, drinking ice cold water- heavenly.

Am having some heavines in the legs and soreness in the knees but its to be expected.
LSD 8-10 miles next week, hopefully Gb will join me again.

AM sessions

Woke up at 5.30 AM, one part of me wanted to go back to sleep, the other part wanted to finish off todays session because am busy in the evening.

Sat on the couch for 15 min staring into space, spent another 15 min browsing thru the 'NOn-runners guide to a marathon'. Realised that during the week her program involves running 3 times and distances upto 6 miles. The LSD is on the weekend.
I , OTOH, have been following J. Galloways beginner program to a marathon which involves running only 2x in the weekdays and LSD on the weekend, so one less day of running.And that too a maximum of 45-50 min per session.

That spurred me to get myself off the couch , so I was on the tmill at 5.58AM. Had to finish the session by 6.30 , so did my speed session. 6mphx30sec/3mphx90sec. 2minwarmup, 20 min r/w, 9mincooldown. Could have run some more during the cooldown, but got lazy.

Anyway, I am done for today.Will try to get in another run tommorow and then the 16 miles on the weekend- I am having nightmares about that now!

LSD 5.53m(7m)

Had to push myself to do this session. Woke up at 4 AM, got dressed, did approx 0.5m on the tmill in 10 min, found it too boring. So went outside. Pushed myself to run/walk for 3 miles and then gave up, walked the rest.

Realised that whatever my pace- r/w, walk, power-walk, walk like a 13yo whos been asked to get a cup of water, walk relaxed with a smile or walk as if i have missed an appointment, howsoever I walk , I end up with a time of average 15-16 min/mile. And being somewhat consistent all these weeks has made no difference- I think I am just not pushing myself enuf. Or I am a walker and not a runner. Whatevr, I just want to cover 26.2 miles in 6.5 hours.

And the distance does not matter, I was as tired after this 5.53m session as I was last week after 12 miles. So what happened to the conditioning?

Anyway, this week LSD is done, next week is 16 miles. I will be on the road for practically 4 hours or more. They are soon going to ask me to pay pedestrian taxes!

Rethinking the marathon

Knew wouldnt be able to run the LSD yesterday, so did some elliptical on Friday.Was very busy yesterday with the preparation for a friends party, which is today. Did go to sleep at a decent hour of 10.30 , alarm for 4 AM, so could get out of the house by 5AM, finish the 7 miles in 2 hours, back by 7AM, send the DH off to work by 7.15.

Did that happen?

You guessed it right, NO, nope.

Woke up at 4AM, and the mind took over. Thoughts of why am I doing this? , will I be able to complete this marathon? , who am I kidding, look at my weight ( got 3 comments of increased weight from 3 different well-meaning, well-wishers), if I do finish-so what?, how will I run on those long roads when I have to do 23 miles or 26 miles LSD?, how long will GB take to get better from her low back pain which has prevented her from running all these days, how did those people in the August2008 runnersworld actually do it? should we have joined a running team/group?, was it a wrong decision to go it alone? How will I feel if I dont take part or dont finish the marathon? esp since my dear dear husband has informed all his family and friends about the marathon and in my mind they are waiting on the sidelines to see me run, or not. Amazing how my performance in life is so important to people- again this is my mind speaking, not me, who is observing the thoughts moving around.
All this while I am laying in bed. Then thought , OK lets not go out today, lets just run on the tmill- I have done it before, so it shouldnt be difficult. But last time I had a movie to watch, not today. Looked at the clock, it was already 5.45 AM, so rolled over and went off to sleep till 6.30 AM.

Woke up and could have kicked myself right, left and center. It was a beautiful day, the cool breeze coming in thru the windows, clear with a few white clouds,the sun very mild yet. I should have gone.

But the mood is definately better, maybe things are clearer in the day. I am doing this for myself, slowly and steadily I will do it, no-one said it would be easy, no-one is forcing me to do it. As for worrying about other people, left that behind in the 20s. Now at 40, I live my life my way.(brave words-GB would laugh at this)

Will try the LSD tomorrow AM, even if I do it on the tmill.

Wasted workout

Tried very hard to complete a good running workout at a decent level, but no!
It was so hot, got onto the tmill, thanked the heavens that I didnt have to slog outside , the whole area is covered with smog, and after 20 min of trying my level best to run atleast 2 min at 4.6mph, gave up. Then remembered J. Galloways advice- if its hot your speed should be 2min/mile slower than usual, so stopped feeling guilty and walked at 2.8mph. Did finish 2.5miles atleast.

Made a decision, if ever train for another race, it will have to be a spring race, dont want to spend the summer training in this heat for a fall race.

Very stiff in the mornings nowadays, so for the past week routine is to crawl out of bed onto the yoga mat, do the asnas laying down first and then the sitting ones and then the sun-salutations in the end. By the last sun salutation, start feeling human enough to start the day. Just a few years ago, when I was younger and this body was flexibler?, I would spring out of bed and start my yoga practice with the sun salutations. Life!!

And I have gained weight, can u believe that! No , I am definately not on a hogging spree, but I have gained 4 pounds in the last week, suddenly, just like that! So much for my goal of losing 5 pds this month. I am never going to say that I will try and lose weight again, those words make me gain weight.

Whatever!! So long for now.

XT-elliptical

Have worked upto 55 min on the elliptical, do it slowly and at level 1, so managed only 2.4 miles in 55 min.The calorie count is around 500, which is great, but I am sure not accurate.

Am having a pain in my 2nd/3rd toe of left foot for some days now. Cant make out which toe it is because it is not painful to touch. And it doesnt hurt when I run, only after the elliptical. Will try to get an XRay in the next week or so, hope its not a stress fracture, not now!!:(!

Just 3 months left for the Big Day. only 3 months! My weekends are very busy in these 3 months, 13yo is on the soccer team so every weekend is a tournament, which will interfere with the LSDs. The main problem will be when DH is on call, other times he can take her, if I be extra nice to him, I guess.

7-8 miles this weekend, that too might be difficult what with the bad air quality in North California, its as if someone is covering your nose and mouth with their hand.Suffocating. Dont think can run outside in these conditions, and do not want to on the tmill. Lets see.

LSD 12 miles

12 miles!! Its a long distance , believe me.

Called GB at 4.45 AM, no answer.

Started at 5.20 AM, cool 63 degrees, no sun yet, walked the first mile, then spurts of running for a min at a time, increased to 2 min. No music, only my thoughts, so started counting my steps to pass the time. Run 150, walk 60, run 200, walk 60, till reached run 500, walk 60. It is boring, but I noticed it helped me cover the hills running, I did not have to take a walking break . Went down a hill and ran most of it, maybe half a mile- going down is difficult because gravity takes over the weight and I have to take care not to roll down the hill!

The sun came up at 5.50 AM, red ball of fire. Luckily at this time it was still cool so kept up with my R/W system. The most boring part was a stretch of road in b/w two sub-divisions of houses, it had no tree coverage, no nice houses to look at, just golden dry grass.

At 2 miles from GBs apartment , at 7 AM, called her again, hoping she would join me, if not, atleast get some water/food for me, again no answer. Soldiered on, startd feeling hungry, was not carrying any food or water, had hoped the half PBJ would be sufficient for this session. Took a small stop at a 7-11 to get in some water.

By the 8 mile mark I was really tired. Now was running 100 and walking 100 steps. Finished the last 4 miles walking more than running. The saving grace was that the streets were shaded. The pain in the top of my leftfoot and 2 middle toes was more insistent now. Reached home at 8 40 AM. First thing I did was to put my feet in a bucket of water and wrap the ice ack around a knee- Heaven!!And the bagel and egg sandwich with OJ -best meal I had in a long time!

The whole day kept hobbling around. Took a 30 min nap before church, came back and took another 30 min nap before going to a friend's house for dinner- the 2nd one rejuvenated me.

Today woke up with generalised aches and pains in the whole body and the left foot pain, but no knee pain for now. Today is recovery day and had planned on going for a walk in the evening, but its going to be 107 degrees today, so might have to miss that,dont feel like using the tmill for a recovery walk, so might again hop on the elliptical.

7-8 miles next weekend- short session!!

XT elliptical

Was actually a LSD day, but slept at 2 AM last night... or this morning, and woke at 7 Am. Felt groggy thru out the day till noon, when my 6yo insisted that I do the laundry because her favorite shorts were in it. Really, if i had no kids , I would spend my days in food and laziness induced stupor.
So got up to do the laundry and then woke up enough to get on the elliptical. Did it slow and steady, even tho Random program , still did not huff or puff today. One of those days when I just enjoyed the program on the t.v. and did not look at the numbers till the end of the session.
Will try to do the LSD tomorrow, surely!!12 miles...really!

Happy 4th of july!

Going for a barbecue in the evening, so knew HAD to do some workout today.
DH wanted to go for a walk in the AM but couldnt because had a very late night last night. Woke at 9 AM which for me is like the afternoon. Lounged in the house for sometime , then gave myself a pep talk, went over past logs and journal entries, and finally got on the tmill. Today is acually rest day according to the plan but I dont know if the LSD will happen tomorrow.

Ran 4.4mphx90 sec/W3mphx90 sec. Am going to try and follow the C25k program and build myself upto 30 min continuous running again. Had stopped because wanted to do the R/W program, not realising that continuous running also helps build endurance.So back to the basics.

Will be keeping the food diary too, not over here tho', its too boring and also that has to be in the kitchen where most of the food related crimes are committed.

Goals for July 2008

July already here. Half of 2008 gone, didnt even come to know how!!And less than 4 months of the marathon!

Almost was going to miss the session today. Got a call this morning about cousins visiting tomorrow. Thankfully mom and sis will prepare the dinner, and they will spend the night at my place. So spent the morning cleaning the house, actually just changed the linens, some dusting, picked up the clothes the 2 girls had spread on the floor and will do the bathrooms tomorrow. Good thing was off today from work, and husband too , took the girls out for lunch to Panera Bread-yummy! and signed up the 6yo for Karate-her newest passion.In all this movement covered about 9000 steps so was going to take a break , but better sense prevailed and did my speed session.

Was thinking, what good is this doing for me??I barely complete 2 miles in 32 min, after huffing and puffing at 5.5mph. And am unable to run at even 4.2mph for more than 2 min. Am planning to go back on the C25K plan. Completed it earlier in the year and then started doing the r/w method to cover more distance, but now my stamina to run for even 2-3 min at a time is gone. Have to go back to the kindergarten of running!

Goals for July:
1. Be verrry regular with all the workouts as per Galloways plan.
2. Be very regular with the LSD- just Have to do those.
3. Be consistent with stretching and icing after the runs- having a twinge in the middle toe of left foot- hope its not anything serious.
4. Try, Try, and Try again to lose just 5 pounds, only 5. How will I do it,? Go back to the basics- keep a food journal, and 3 meals with 2 snacks a day, no 2nd helpings.

Life is good.