June 2010
8 posts
the foam roller: the best and the worst thing that...
today i literally sweat Jameson during spin class. i sweat SO much per the usual, but could NOT take enough water in. two days in a row of evening cocktails does not a good morning workout make.
supposed to spin, run and do a little strength. reality was that if i jumped on the treadmill the likelihood of falling on my face was higher than most mornings. instead, i opted to go home and make out...
strong half/weak half
my schedule has two workouts on wednesdays. these can be handled either back to back or one in the morning and one in the evening. neither are long typically, so if i have something going on in the evening, i just get them both over with in the morning.
i feel great afterwards, without a doubt. after all, i can still say that i have never regretted a workout. but i’m still pretty new to...
wo&d
look, the wo&d is not the prettiest trail out there, i know that. but its wide, smooth and relatively uncrowded. and it’s LONG. because its so wide, even the people that ARE on i are no be thang. its a fun way to train for the philly century because i can keep adding and seeing new towns at my turn around point. not new towns really, but new to me while on my two-wheeler. i can’t...
power pull
today we did speed work in spin class.
and i was BEAT.
i can always seem to dig deep for hills, but speed work KILLS me. and today, perhaps for the first time, i REALLY understood the shoes. especially while standing, i was taking turns pulling and pushing the pedals and it made all the difference in the world.
oh, and by the end, i’m 100% sure that the ONLY reason i didn’t fall...
swimming in my undies
ever had that dream where you leave the house with no pants on? i can’t say that i have either. BUT, i do have a weird sensation every time i get in the pool that i somehow didn’t take my panties (hahahaha, that WORD) or bra or one or the other off before suiting up. and i get so EMBARRASED! i come to this realization as i’m already swimming usually. so, i try to just pretend...
a spring in my step
i hate waking up, but i love being up. my mood is so deliciously great today! i had a fucking fantastic workout, the hawks won (and what a GAME!), the world cup is HERE (almost), we won our first bocce playoff game, max is coming….
this morning the sun was shining so it wasn’t so bad getting up after a late night of stanley cup winning. i love tuesday and thursday spin, bc they are...
today's revelation
this morning, i realized something i realize every time i train for something: i have to stop drinking, even the one glass. well, i have to stop drinking or i have to be asleep by 9pm. i enjoy my friends and quality time post work too much to hit the sack by 9 so, the wine has to go. and the beer. and the jame-o. at least on the weekdays. and honestly, as the weeks march on, the weekends are...
chugging along
i have been frustrated by small, annoying sickness and injury. nothing that TOTALLY sidelined me, but a lot of small set backs. but, i am feeling better now. my last (dumb) injury is FINALLY on the mend and i have been successfully knocking out workouts.
last week i also officially started training for my next to events so i have my training calendar back. its so much easier for me to get what i...
May 2010
6 posts
sick!
i never get sick.
i should have known when i went all braggy braggy about being back on track that a gorilla was going to take up residence on my chest. i should have knocked on wood. now i know.
my energy is totally zapped.
booooooo face.
i have a long ride saturday so i’m in total rest and hydration mode effective….now.
well, except for trotting around in my vibrams. i’m...
my hands are numb. still.
i’m not sure if i fully recorded this last week or not, but after riding 100 miles of nowhere, i noticed that my hands were not as they used to be. certain pressure points caused tingling and for a few solid days, my pinkies and ring fingers were partially numb. this has happened to me before. except last time it went away after a few days. here i am, 10 days later, and still experiencing...
gardening is HARD work. also, i'm back on track!
last week i took it pretty easy. the knee needed rest and i have too much i want to accomplish this summer to mess with injury so i figure heal it up and move on. then saturday we spent the day in the garden and wow i’m sore. it’s amazing what kinds of things can wipe you out. i’m tired of being sore! i can’t wait to get back into a routine.
yesterday i ran the capitol...
its always something
a few weeks ago it was my back and now its my knee.
saturday i rode 100 miles of nowhere. recap here.
it was great. really great.
but some of my laziness (misaligned left cleat and seat not raised enough with new shoes) led to a knee injury that’s left me sidelined this week. i have been doing weights for my upper body and abs, but leaving my legs be. after 100 miles on the bike i...
pug sitting makes me lazy
pugs are lazy.
there i said it.
they are ridiculous to look at (in the best way possible). but they are lazy.
pearl is the cute black pug i was hanging out with for the first three days of this week. mostly i was afraid spot, twice her size, would win the epic battle of territory while i was at work. and because i was at work all day, i couldn’t bare to leave pearl alone in the...
pukey mcbarfyson
oh man, this heat, this humidity…is KILLING me. welcome to dc. i know. i KNOW. but i still hate it. its muggy and hot and gross everywhere, even inside.
this morning i hit up a spin class i don’t normally go to bc it was pouring out. and hot and damp and gross. so gym was the only option. and i just was NOT feeling running in this thick air. god, i’m such a BABY!!! i am, i...
April 2010
5 posts
this girl just bought vibram five fingers
took 5 stores, but i finally found them in my size.
and yes, i wore them to the grocery store today.
spin, run, eat, repeat
i’m like a robot these days. out of bed at 5:45 (thank goodness for dvr!). on my bike by 6:00. on the treadmill by 6:15 for a sloooooow 1 mile warm-up. start class at 6:30. by then i’m usually awake and saying to myself, ‘this is totally worth it.’ i have be robotic about it though or i will absolutely take the extra zzzzz’s. when the cool-down starts, i hop off, wipe...
i need a job that's on a bike path, about 15-20...
i like to spin, i do. but i’d SO MUCH RATHER BE OUTSIDE. at the moment i really only get this fix on the weekends. when i’m in town. i want it all week too!
seriously...
more muscles hurt than don’t.
i actually am having trouble identifying those that don’t. okay, my finger and face don’t, but that’s it.
can't move my arms
lovely ass whoopin’ by trainer ben last night. one of the best, in fact. my arms, back, abs and legs feel like they were all tortured by egg beaters. it was exactly the kick in the pants i needed to restart my routing after a few weeks of total and complete randomness.
i spend 5 days in chicago a few weekends ago and squeezed in a few runs (6.8 miles and 3.9 miles) as well as some...
March 2010
17 posts
off ...and then back on
~annejuliet
last night was just off. i packed up for the gym, post shower and dinner at the squeezes house and the spin clothes for the AM and hopped on my bike.
i realized when i got there that i forgot my ipod.
bummer.
i knew i wouldn’t last on the ET for an hour without it so i went for 30 min. i probably could have gone an hour, but i convinced myself 30 min was fine if i really...
sunday 20
~annejuliet
i managed to get a 20 mile ride in before the sky peed on me. well, that was the plan. the sky never opened up and honestly, i had more gas in me so i’m disappointed i didn’t put another ten down. the idea was to get out there. stretch out my legs and start mentally ramping up for long rides.
the other part of this is testing out my gear and fueling.
the first 3...
lovely day
~annejuliet
technically, according to the trusty training plan, i was to run 6 miles this morning. but, i just wanted a few extra minutes sleep. plus i think i deserved a mellow run before i dive back into following some sort of plan. i don’t want it to every become UNfun. so, i slept a few extra minutes, and decided to run to one of two point, depending on what pace i settled in at.
side...
“tears streamed down my face as i crossed the finish line. i was a new person, a...”
– thomas king
cool down
~annejuliet
i’m not sure if its just passing a major goal or if its my swamped schedule, but i have not made working out a priority this week. i’m a little disappointed by this, but i’m trying to look at it from a macro level - what’s one week?
i actually did get a pretty decent workout in on tuesday, but have slacked hard core every other day this week, and its looking...
2010 national half and next steps
~annejuliet
what a day! the weather was amazing. a bit warm, but after the winter we had, i was pleased as punch to soak up a little vitamin d.
long story short, i reached my goals for the day. i think the only thing i wish was different would have been to achieve negative splits instead of slowing down. this comes from training and experience. i understand this and i can promise i’m not...
last chance workout
~annejuliet
not much running this week. ET for a little over 6 ET miles or 60 minutes. i really wish i knew if there really was an equivalent to ET miles. anyway, a good hour of cardio followed by a 30 min weights and abs session. nothing too intense bc i didn’t want to be sore after, but i sure was pooped by the end. felt good.
today i came home and did a little under 3.5 miles to...
st. patrick's day 8k
~annejuliet
first race of the season. super fun. i perhaps celebrated too much this weekend so i didn’t get the miles in this week that i was hoping too. i am slightly disappointed, but i had such a great time, i’m not wasting too much energy of being paranoid about it. the half is less than a week away. i have worked hard and i’m going to perform however i’m going to...
Born to Run
Even though I haven’t been posting, I have been running. And reading. And feeling pretty good mentally about the whole running thing.
After I made the decision not to run next week, it made it much easier to keep up the training. I’ve run or worked out every day with gradually longer runs. This weekend we are planning on a solid 10-miler. If that goes as planned and I am feeling up to...
don't worry, be happy →
This weekend’s long run is going to be so long. And hilly. And hurt-y. I’m already feeling it in my quads. Don’t Worry: Relax. It’s nothing you haven’t done before. And that hurt means you’re making progress and getting stronger. It’s called training, champ. Be Happy: Won’t it be nice after the run to take a shower, make some pancakes, and plop down with the Sunday paper? Ahhh.
I’ve been training...
home stretch
~annejuliet
today was one of those days where i just needed to get out there and run. its not that i didn’t want to so much, but i just wasn’t SUPER motivated to get out there. i had a conference call at 6:30, which meant i couldn’t start til about 7:30. just a cramped long night. but tomorrow is birthday dinner night. thursday is trainer ben ass whoooooopin time. friday is a...
12. nuff said.
~annejuliet
on saturday, BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL saturday, trish and i ran 12 miles. we set out for about 11, but ran 12 and walked home the rest of the way. we wanted to make it to the top of a hill in rock creek before turning around. it was also the team in training training run turn around. just felt right. but it did add about a mile to our route. at that point though, what’s another...
legs of lead
~annejuliet
yesterday i was halfway sore from trainer ben and my tuesday night run. and i wanted to rest, but stretch out the doggies a bit so i ran home from work. i figured i could run a 5 mile loop if i felt good or 2 miles or anywhere in between. it was an uphill course the whole way no matter what, which normally doesn’t bother me too much. sure it’s a pain in the ass while...
did i say spaghetti seven? i mean spaghetti...
~annejuliet
yesterday i thought my run turned my legs to jell-o or spaghetti or whatever, but i was wrong. they were just tired. TODAY, trainer ben turned ALL my appendages to worthless wet noodles. i’m actually not typing. at the moment, i’m dictating into a special post spaghetti arm workout microphone attached to my computer. i went to write my workout out when we were done and i...
Restart
Excellent advice Anne.
Javier and I have restarted our training in the hopes of doing a half a little bit later down the road (thinking May/June). I think I misjudged how much stress the job search would entail in addition to having a myriad of house guests for most of February in addition to the snow making it challenging to run outside.
We’re starting up the training again with a push to...
spaghetti seven
~annejuliet
today i set out to run without an agenda. i just wanted to run to a certain point, turn around and run back and enjoy being back out there. it was drizzly out and not too too cold. i even (gasp!) put my headphones on (they were REALLY low!) despite the darkness. it felt good!
it was a new(ish) route too, which honestly, is 100% refreshing. harmony, in light of one of your recent...
“The distance race is a struggle that results in self-discovery. It is an...”
– Paul Weiss
~annejuliet
i get nerdy running quotes daily in my inbox. i know, i know, nerdy. i already said that. but this one really sums up my last few weeks (and i imagine the next few weeks as well) so i thought i’d share.
February 2010
18 posts
VA niner
~annejuliet
i had three great gym workouts this week, including a 5k on the dreadmill that wasn’t so dreadful after all! in fact, it was awesome.
i was unexpectedly in town, meaning i had no plans friday night, or saturday morning for that matter. so i ended up at the gym for a long workout, without crowds!! it was glorious. i decided to see how i felt for a mile on the treadmill and if...
2 runs: same distance, so different
-Roosk
Tuesday night, set out for a 5 mile run with Kado. (Supposed to happen on Monday, but the rain kept me indoors). The run was awesome. I pushed myself the whole time, felt pretty good for most of it, and in the first time in weeks, finally had a pace on an outdoors run that i was proud of (under 10 min miles). God bless the rain that melted the ice and snow. I have a serious appreciation...
mental over physical
~annejuliet
if you’re anywhere near my life these days, you hear me be sad and frustrated about the whole ankle thing (and probably want to punch me in the face). i think the fact that its a big fat giant mystery is what kills me. but the other night, about 3 seconds before i was walking out the door to get 6 miles in, roosk’s husband, our local fitness junkie, called. after about 20...
Off the Wagon
While I did make it outside for four runs last week, they were all short (3-5 milers). Javier’s parents left Saturday. Javier was in Seattle and Portland Monday through Wednesday. My sister has been in town since Thursday though she left this afternoon. And until today, I was hugely stressed about finding a new job. My motivation has been totally drained out of me with visitors in town and...
on the mend
~annejuliet
UPDATE: the swelling is back. clearly i’m discouraged.
i took (am taking) almost a week off. at first i was still doing strength training and jillian, but with the exception of abs, i really have found that keeping completely off my foot has been the right thing to do. i did take a quick break with roosk for a 6 miler turned 4 miler on thursday night. while i had a terrific...
ouch!
~annejuliet
well, it happened. a huge fear of mine.
injury.
no idea how either. i don’t think it’s over use, but it could be. my ankle is swollen, tender to the touch and i can’t go on my tip toes. dr. google says its either tendinitis or a stress fracture (ugh, that’s about the most annoying injury ever. EVER). tendinitis is likely the case. i’m prone to it. both...
feels good to be back. for ten.
~annejuliet
what a frustrating 1.5 weeks with all that snow! don’t get me wrong, i LOVE the snow. i mean i REALLY love it. and the cold air is definitely my cup of tea. but about 5 days after my cable and internet went out, i got some serious cabin fever. i managed a 6 miler on tuesday, which felt awesome, but all the great clear sidewalks were un-awesomed by the second blizzard that...
This Week Has Been a Wash
Javier’s parents arrived last Saturday and the last day I ran was Sunday. Coincidence? I think not. They were supposed to leave on Wednesday but of course that was the day of the big snow storm so their flight was canceled. They can’t get a flight out of the city until Saturday now. Between the Superbowl parties, Broadway shows, drinking, and general spend time with the future in-laws,...
snowOVERit! snOWVERkill!
~annejuliet
yup, i’m over it.i’m over snow days. i WANT TO GO BACK TO WORK. actually, i want my dvr back fully loaded with my sunday, monday and tuesday night tv, please.
i don’t even know if this will post. i’m managing a tiny window of a single bar of internet service stolen borrowed from an unsuspecting neighbor.
had i not gotten out yesterday for a run, i KNOW...
6 in Snow
- Roosk
Holy Snowmageddon. Or snOMG or whatever catchy phrase you want to describe this massive storm. Since it was actually sunny out yesterday when I got home from work (I’ll resist the urge to rant about the fact that I had to work yesterday), I decided to do my 6 mile run outside figuring: a) I need a break from the dreadmill, b) this could be my only time running outside this week...
Hard Eight, Easy Three or is it the other way...
Javier’s parents arrived for a five day visit on Saturday morning so Javier and I got our long 8 mile run in on Friday. Since it is almost certainly the longest I have ever run, I felt very accomplished at the end of it. That being said, there was none of the standard euphoric high I usually get after a run. I think it is because I’m still fighting off this cold and my body is...
Nine Times
Ed Rooney: So far this semester he has been absent nine times.
Katie Bueller: Nine times?
Ed Rooney: Nine times.
(Anne- I fully appreciate the title of your 9 miler and had I run it with you, we would have quoted the whole movie during the run and watched it after while drinking bloody marys. However, since I was on the dreadmill, I felt I should fill in my ownmovie quote. So, there you have...
did i catch a niner in there...?
~annejuliet
Tommy: Richard Hayden!Richard: Tommy.Tommy: Where’s my Dad? I thought he was supposed to pick me up at the airport?Richard: He was at the airport this morning, but you weren’t on the plane.Tommy: He said he had a surprise for me.Richard: Maybe. I guess that’s why you should’ve called.Tommy: I did call…earlier…or, later.Richard: Really? What number...
Fighting off the flu
So I’ve been fighting off a nasty sore throat for the past few days and as a result have not got my run/aerobics in. Thankfully, I’m only one 3-mile run down which hopefully we can make up this weekend. Javier and I are running 8 tomorrow no matter how I feel. I am certain that we won’t be able to make up an 8-mile run next week. His parents are in town Saturday through...