Monday; March 7: Yep, back on the road again. A really long day of commuting and flying produces the weekly day off.....at least we end up in Madison, WI tonight....!!!! Hopefully, the riots/protesting will have simmered down by midnight and not start too early on Tuesday.
Tuesday; March 8: A quiet morning here in Madison. No loud protesting at the capital building! Anyhow, with icy roads/trails, it was a treadmill/gym day. (There is a great trail near Lake Monona, not too far from the hotel; below is a pic of what the trail/lake looks like in the summer...that would not be today! You can see the capital in the left of the pic.)
After a weight lifting session on the hodge podge of equipment (an upper body thing with abs), it was to the elliptical for a 5 miler; then a switch to the treadmill, where the fun really began...A mile warm up led to 5 intervals: all between .25 and .30 mile in length with a .20 mile recovery between each repeat; speed was 7.5 mph for each interval and the recovery trot was at 6.0 mph...a nice effort to stay the least. A two mile cool down yielded a total of 10 miles today. These days can be tough to stay motivated, but as I always say, "it is the overall consistency that keeps me going and knowing the results will pay off over time."
Wednesday; March 9: A non descript 9 miler on the treadmill. Just "gittin 'er done." The pace was steady with a few good pick ups...not a bad outing in limited time...
Thursday; March 10: A 12 hour overnight with two hours of it traveling to/from airports! Flew into Wash. DC and flew out of Dulles......With a quick nap...oppps, I mean night of sleep....it was to the elliptical for 7.5 miles of bliss while it poured down rain. It would have been great to go slopping through the puddles, but being dark, not much time, and not sure where to go, I needed to get the job done in the gym. So, the ole blackberry music files kept the bones going and then it was a 5 hour haul back to Salt Lake. Better to get some form of exercise/running done than nothing at all.
Dulles on the morning we left. Honestly, I left my hotel room with a fresh shower, ironed shirt, makeup, and a nice hairdo.....by the time I had done the exterior preflight I looked like a drowned rat!
Dulles not on the morning we left....actually quite beautiful in this area....many good running trails....
Friday; March 11: Out the door with Traysen by 7am and actually a fairly nice trot of 8 miles. Not the usual ugly slog fest that happens the first day home after a trip. Being quite warm this morning, I left several pieces of the wardrobe along the road and finished in shorts and a t shirt! Wooo Hoooo....warmer temps renew the spirit to get out for more miles!
So, I was asked what type of music is on the blackberry/mp3 player...well, quite a mix....some Keith Urban, Trace Adkins, Miranda Lambert, Brooks N Dun, AC/DC, Led Zep., etc and some George Winston (although George is only allowed to play when I need to relax, not when trying to stay "pumped up" for a fast run.) Here are some odd additions that are not the usual ear phone fare:
*Cyndi Lauper ...She Bop
*Cherry Pie.....Bust a Move
*Guns N Roses....Hair of the Dog
*Kid Rock....All Summer Long
*The Hit Crew....You Dropped a Bomb on Me
*The Time.....Jungle Love
*The Hit Co......Tootsie Roll..
(Where do they get these names? ...Nevertheless, these are not the "elevator music" listings and some of the lyrics are actually more comical than musical!) It has never occurred to me to run with music while outside; only when confined to a gym.....some folks like the music in the ears while outside and that is ok as long as they can still hear what is going on around them.....
Saturday; March 12: An early departure from the house with two dogs, dog food, dog training stuff, a long list of errands....and some running gear.....Met up with Dee for a nice outing in Garden of the Gods. Ended up with just over 11 miles for the day. A slog fest of sorts...just not feeling the "love" today. The good news is that Traysen ran great the whole time. Dee brought her Aussie, Dallas, and they ran great together...we will have to get the boys out together again!
Sunday; March 13: This time change thing (the ole Spring forward) had me in a tizzy this morning. Up at 4am as usual, but not a speck of daylight til about 615am! Now, normally I might have forced my behind down to the basement for some weight lifting but today was a LONGGGGG run day and I try not to lift weights and run long in the same day. (An ounce of common sense here!) So, after puttering on the computer and waking the whole house up, Traysen and I were out the door with first light....he did a nice 8 miles with me and then was done, ready for his breakfast and chasing wiener dogs. Little Psycho here was back down the driveway for another 17 miles. A cool morning start warmed up quickly and I had clothes scattered all over the place but enjoyed the shorts n long sleeve t shirt day...no gloves, no hat.....The run went very well, feeling strong the whole way with the last 30 minutes being a slog fest. I consider this normal since I have not done a 5 hour run in many months and always know that last 30 minutes or so is "once again new territory." That's the key to increasing the mileage/workout time....a little at a time and know it is more than likely going to be a bit difficult at first...and the next outing of the same time or distance will most likely be a bit easier. Where I am in terms of fitness, adding 30 minutes or even adding 3 more intervals/hill repeats is not going to send my body into injured sore mess. For those just getting into exercise/running or just getting back into exercise/running, add 10 minutes at a time......Total of 25 miles today in about 5 hours. This was a good confidence building run...with 12 yesterday and the 25 today, the 50K race in April is now finishable....
Summary: A great week of running. Total miles was 70 for yearly total of 581, which is about 110 miles ahead of this time last year....Feeling good all over...no aches/pains and not too tired. I sent an email out earlier this week to some running/non running friends. It went something like this: FOUND IT!!!! Found what? Well, I have been looking for a 100K (62 miles) race that would fit my family, training, work, dog showing, dog training, house project, etc schedule and a race that hopefully will not kill me! I found one that at least somewhat fits the schedule...with 10,000 feet of vertical (up and down to total 20,000 feet of vertical), it MAY kill me! But it's a challenge I have wanted to conquer for the last few years and feel the head and the body are ready...(that's half the battle of conquering a challenge...realizing your head and body are ready!) The race is the Black Hills 100 on June 25th....offering a 50 mile, 100K, and 100 mile....let's not even talk about the 100 mile..yet! Not a full commitment yet, but it is on the table for serious consideration. Here is the link......anyone else want to go?
http://www.blackhills100.com/course_info/
this looks easy enough , right?
Now, is the trail up here or down there? Or both?
No comments:
Post a Comment