A Tempo Run Can Be Soooooo Mental

So after a very successful 10 miler yesterday I had planned a tempo run and some TRX and strengthening today. Well, with 3 sick kids all day home from school and a 4th home at noon working out wasn't going to happen until later in the evening. I don't know why its so hard to motivate later but man today was hard, I'll set the stage.

After feeding all 4 kids my mom in law was kind enough to come over at 5p to I could head to the gym do my run and then get to my first Aid class by 6:30p. I got on the treadmill and did my normal warm up starting at a 9minute pace working my way up to a 8 min pace by 12 minutes and holding that until I hit 2 miles. Then I did some strides at 80% of max with a little walking inbetween. Well, during my warm up I wasn't feeling too frisky, i kept on trying to tell myself, " I can do this", " my legs don't feel this bad", " maybe I'll just do it tomorrow and just stretch", " okay, I'll see how my legs feel after the strides and if there okay, I'll just try and if I have to stop I will and do it tomorrow".

What is this bullshit, I was pissed at myself that I was even questioning me doing this, I had to snap myself out of it. My tempo was simple, hold a 7:45 pace for 20 minutes with a 1/2 mile ( broken up anyway I wanted it to) at a 6:30-6:45 pace. Well after the strides I felt pretty good so I said, alright, what the hell. At 1% incline, 7.7-7.8 on the treadmill I ran, feeling pretty good, I did 1/4 mile repeats at the increased speed of 8.9 to get to the 1/2 mile, but I did have to go down to .5% on the treadmill at 18minutes but I finished then cooled down and completed 7 miles in just one hour.

I know I was tired from being with sick kids two days in a row and coming off of a very busy weekend and I do hate running hard at night, my GI tract doesnt like that, as evidenced by my post run blues in the bathroom, but I finished it successfully and its another good one in the bank. I didn't get to the strength portion but I'll fit it in two times this week when I can. Anyway, time for some tea and bed.

Who Am I?

So as I picked my daughter up from school today I was driving down the street and noticed the middle school kids getting out of school. What I observed was packs of girls walking together and then some individual girls walking alone with their heads down almost seeming like they didn't want to be noticed ( sorry, I tend to notice things like that). I instantly feel bad for these girls, wondering whether or not they have friends or why are they alone, why are they walking with their heads down like they are ashamed or something. I really don't know why they are walking alone these are just my thoughts....

This brings me back to my high school days when I was not the popular kid but also not the , " not so popular kid either", I kind of mixed in the middle with the jocks and the cheerleaders, the band and the hockey players, I never really found my niche. I can honestly say, that I felt alone a lot of the time, feeling like I was jumping from groups of different friends each year of high school, never knowing where I fit in. I don't know why I bring this up today but I guess seeing those girls alone today just made me reflect on who I was back then and who I am today.

Today, I am a wife of almost 12 years, a mom of 4 crazy but wonderful kids a good friend ( " I hope") and an athlete. I'm most proud of the first three I mentioned but with my blog I am going to discuss me finally turning into an athlete.

I feel I have finally found out who I am, I am an athlete, maybe not a genetically gifted one but an athlete who loves sport who works hard and who can't wait for the next challenge. I know I have mentioned this numerous times in the past, that if only I could of taken my drive now and put it towards sports when I was younger who knows, but you can't go back and maybe I wouldn't be who I am today if that were the case. Maybe my path was to become one later in life and to show people, especially women and children that you can get better with age, you can get faster, you can get fitter, you can be happier. I was never happy with myself, my body, my performances ever as a child, today I am, but I am most happy about my discipline and desire to be better, my work ethic and just me. I like being happy, is that corny? Maybe its the endorphins from my 10 mile run today, I don't know, but I felt good, I'm smiling.

I'm an Athlete, finally, maybe this year this athlete will do something special, maybe I can inspire a child or another friend to be better to feel better about themselves, maybe this is why it took me to be 41 to know who I am.

For the Athletes out there my 10 mile run splits today were: AVG pace 8:09 10miles, 1:21:29

My best 10 mile race 2 years ago was an 8:05 pace.

mile 1-8;39

mile 2-7:58-feeling frisky

mile 3 7:59-are you kidding this isnt a tempo run

mile 4 8:05

mile 5 8:17- did I say hills-oops

mile 6 8:10

mile 7 8:03- thank god for flats

mile 8-8:04

mile 9-8:10

mile 10-8:07

It Hurt So Good........

So, we had a breakthrough yesterday with my physical therapy, Sara Thatcher from Body Tuning, PT worked really hard on my periformis, left hip, hamstring and my adductors, I can honestly say it was pain that I enjoyed and needed her to do, everytime she dug deeper it felt like things were finally loosening up, well, last night was the first time in 2 years I was able to almost sleep through the night, with minimal tossing and turning and minimal positional changes. The hamstring pain I thought I was having is sciatic pain and it is getting better.

So on Sara's recommendation I went to go see, Darcy Gillbo, LCMT from the Integrative Muscular Therapy Center in Marblehead for some deep tissue massage and well it wasn't so bad. I think with the work Sara has been doing it wasn't too terrible for my 1st deep tissue massage. I feel so much better, my gait is better, I'm not having radiating pain down my middle thigh, its been two years since I've been able to ride in my car without having to lift my ass off the seat because its uncomfortable, chronic aches and pains suck and I'm finally getting to the root of it and its working.

I left a message for Sara today almost in tears because I was so happy that things are going in the right direction, its been so long since I've felt normal, I've just worked out and figured this is what I have to live with and I wasn't going to stop working out so thats what it was. WELL, NOT SO, my life will be different from now on and hopefully over the next few weeks with seeing Sara and Darcy and doing my strengthening exercises I will get stronger and have no pain. Their is a light at the end of the tunnel and its called, NO PAIN, and I'm looking forward to it.

What to do?

So, as I look to my up and coming 2010 season I am so confused about what to do as well as what my family/husband will allow me to do. I am still questioning ironman right now, trying to figure how I can still get into IMLP which will then alter my whole season, so its really hard. So many people have put out there what there goals are, there races and I am so envious. I certainly have some thoughts but everything is still up in the air. What really sucks is that with triathlon and some road races you have to sign up early to guarantee a spot and that is where the dilemma is. Anyway, some of my thoughts for this up and coming season are ( but could and probably will change since I haven't even discussed these with my hubby are:)

December- try to find a 5k or 10k to get some numbers for training

January 24th- Derry 16 miler

Feb 7th, 2010- Cape Elizabeth 10 miler or the Great Stew Chase 15k

March 7th, STu's 30K or:

March 21, New Bedford 1/2 marathon

April - wrentham Duathlon

May 3rd Sheriffs Duathlon

Mid May- Sudbury Sprint triathlon or the JCC sprint triathlon

June 6th Mooseman or IMLP training camp

June 19th B2B bike race or Patriot 1/2 ironman or Ashland Olympic triathlon

End of June or beginning of July- sprint tri

July 25th- IMLP?

August 8- Gloucester triathlon-depends on recovery from IM

Sept-Pumpkinman 1/2 ironman if recovered enough

Sept-Duxbury sprint triathlon

October-Duathlons if able

If IMLP doesn't happen I most likely will try to do 70.3 Providence again in July ( much to my shagrin about that damn run course) and keep everything else the same. No real desire to go to Clearwater in Florida if for some chance I were to qualify, only Kona.

So its out there, whether or not this will happen I don't know and certainly will need to discuss with hubby and family. Priorities will always be my family first but I do have to race to get better and so we will go through this list and hopefully most will get done or at least the most important ones will get done. I am not setting any goal times right now but will once I'm in the core of training in the winter, the key now is to have fun, get fitter and build a better base. Gotta love this time of year.

Excited for Friends.....

As I was running my 9 mile run today I was thinking of my friend Ali who was running the Larry Robinson 10 miler in Andover. I was supposed to run it this year but with two birthday parties and 4 hours of flag football fun today it just wasn't going to happen. Instead I enjoyed a really good run for me averaging an 8:12 pace for 9 miles and averaging in the 150's for a heart rate. Running is starting to come around for me but with my butt still getting a bit achey, I still need to stretch/roll and strengthen those hip/glutes and hamstrings./ I digress, back to my friend Ali:

Ali ran a 1:09 today in Andover which averages out to a 6:57 per mile pace. She has worked really hard and it showed today, thats just a sick time, a time I will probably never see in my life but I will continue to work to get close. She is in her twenties and she has such a bright future in sport that I envy her road ahead. I am also so psyched that she has taken up triathlons and I believe she is going to take the tri world by storm next season, so watch out. So glad she isn't in my age group, wheww........

I also know through friends of a young lady who just competed in Ironman Florida yesterday and did a 11hr 30 minute ironman, a PR of well over an hour. Her marathon was sick too, 4hr 5minutes I think, who does that. I know through friends she has worked really hard and this absolutely reflects her dedication and hard work, good for her.

So, back to me, my little run of 9 miles, averaging an 8:12 pace doesn't mean much to most but my long runs are getting a bit easier and a bit faster, so I hope that through a gradual increase over the next few months, continued physical therapy and strengthening and a positive outlook, I can really put it together next year. I want to have races where I don't bitch and complain and have no major issue that impacts my performance. If I suck, I suck and I will have plenty of those but what I'm hoping is that I can put together several good races with good times and that running will no longer be my arch enemy. All I can say is, " Bring it on", and thanks ladies for giving me hope that I can get better with more hard work and dedication. Thanks again.

A great week ahead of workouts so lets hope for no sick kids......

Back in the Pool......

So I took about 3 weeks off from the pool with basically no swimming and just trying to focus on other things and getting back my desire to swim again. AFter logging 10,000-12,000 yards a week for over 7 months in training for ironman I just needed a break. So today was an easy, get requainted with the pool and not push but get in a good workout day. so it started off like this:

I get to a lane and know right away I have to share a lane which is fine but the guy says to me, " just make sure you don't splash me, okay". I was like, are you serious,dude, your doing walking water aerobics, don't kill me while your at it. Well, after about 10 minutes of sharing a lane he gets out and sits on the bench and waits for another empty lane, he continues to do this in for 10 out for 10 minutes until he gets frustrated that he doesn't get a lane to himself and he decides to leave. Is he serious, these people just piss me off. Anyway, my workout consisted of:

400 warm up freestyle swim

100 yd kick- at an intensive pace, not too easy

12 x50 yard, drill up and stroke count with freestyle back with 15 sec recovery

5 x 100 with fins, drills, 12 kick on side with 3 strokes and switch

3 x 300, on 5 minutes, 100 tempo pace, 50 stroke count, all aerobic

200 cool down

Total 2700 yards, 45 minutes

This was a nice easy way to get me back in the pool without dreading significant speed work and focusing on technique

After my swim I did some resistance training using the new TRX bands and worked pretty hard and then stretched and rolled. I still want to get a little bike in today which I'll fit in while my daughter is doing gymnastics this afternoon.

Anyway, it was great to be back in the pool, ready to start working again, I missed it, so I guess the break was good.

My ass hurts........

So I had my second musculoskeletal physical therapy appointment to work out my out of wack pelvis and a very tight left hip and periformis today. I was never one for deep tissue massage and the digging in the area has left me really sore. I just took some Motrin to take the edge off and hopefully by morning I will be feeling better. I know this will be good for me in the end, the PT, the restrengthening with the right exercises, the deep tissue massage, but I felt like I workout so hard why does this need to be so hard too? I am trying to decide whether or not to do my speed work tomorrow or to wait till saturday, most likely I'll do my speed work on saturday and just go for an easy run tomorrow, we'll see how the butt feels.

I am also wondering about what to do regarding next season's race schedule? I just found out that IMLP has just sold out its last community fund slot but I can still get in by doing the multisport camp/race entry, which is really enticing. I was on the fence about doing IMCDA but the travel and the end of school thing might be too hard. IMWI was a really good thought but the idea of training all the way through the summer and it being within the first two weeks of school starting ( I have 4 kids) could be a logistical nightmare but something I need to think about. I have a lot of unresolved feelings on the course of IMLP and would love another crack at it. Plus, there is a lot of NorthShore, MA triathletes heading up there which could be really fun. Anyway, lots to think about, at least my husband is on board if I decide to do ironman again this year which is such a blessing, I don't know if he'll think that way come may/june but in the end whatever we decide will be great. Just being able to race is awesome.