Running in the Wind

Today I did my run in the afternoon-early evening. First of all, I was supposed to do the run this morning: I had my stuff ready and all, but changed my mind and did the video workout instead.

So, due to the “long” run (couldn’t do it in the gym), I chose to go for a run at 5 pm after work-before dinner. Not a problem since we are having some record spring weather in Albuquerque – hit 71-73 degrees today.

Unfortunately, I feel like crap a lot in the afternoon-evening runs. No matter what I eat, how well I eat, or what time I eat, I have a side cramp, and just don’t feel well.

Also, anyone who has been in Albuquerque for any amount of time knows that the wind is as much as Albuquerque in the late winter-early spring as sunshine. You can’t avoid it.

Today wasn’t pleasant. I had a headwind for more than half my run, and to make matters worse, it was the uphill half. I’m not talking a trade wind that you want in Hawaii. These are awful winds and they were here today. There were wind gusts up to 31 mph today, and that isn’t bad.

AS a result I realize I need to start getting up to do my runs in the morning, before the afternoon winds come.

Today’s accomplishments: Firm Upper Body Sculpt – 8 lbs. and 5 lbs. – am I ready to increase the weights for March… Outdoor PM Run (wind) Run: 5.43 miles; 50:05 minutes; 9:14 min/mi (Garmin).

When Things Get Off Track BIG TIME

While I have not blogged about my exercise in over 10 days, this does not mean I have not exercised in 10 days. I have gone off track a bit, and this is due to having to balance biking and running together, along with the strength training videos, sometimes all in the same day.

This past week I have discovered some serious obstacles, as follows:

1. There are days where I do am scheduled strength train, run and bike in the same day.
   
2. The bikes at work (Johnson Gym) are limited to 30 minutes and I have yet to get more than 6 miles in that 30 minutes.
   
3. As my running times increase (now 50 minutes during the week), I can’t do that at work/lunch breaks due to time limits, I do that in the mornings, therefore needing to find alternate times to do my strength videos.
   
4. I worry that as I’m still trying to adjust to these schedules I could suffer from over training as I struggle to find rest days.
   
   This past week – I had no days to do the strength videos (that I recall) and did do three runs and two gym time bike rides – still five cardio workouts. I was seriously off track last week.
   
   I continue to work on a reasonable schedule and not let this get to me.
   
   Today is a new day – today I did a 21 mile easy bike ride. And will continue to strive to my goals of the half marathon April 18th (eight-weeks away) and the Santa Fe Century May 17th (12-weeks away).

Today’s accomplishments: Bike easy: 21.15 miles, 1 hour, 33:28 minutes, 4.25min/mile.

Long Runs and Treadmills

Today was to be a 50-minute tempo run. Today I ran on my lunch break in the gym that has a 30-minute limit on the cardio machines – which I push on a regular basis to 40-45 minutes (40-minute run and up to 5-minute cool down).

I think that is really the most I can push it. Now it is coming to the time in my training where my runs are coming up to the 40-50 minute mark and the shorter runs are becoming a thing of the distance past (until taper weeks).

Today rather than the 50-minute tempo, I pushed a 45-minute tempo. I felt good doing 6.5 mph for four minutes and 7.5 mph for six minutes and rotating to the end. I need to step it up to seven minutes at 7.5 mph for the next tempo run.

Today’s Accomplishments: Treadmill tempo run: 5.04 miles, 45 minutes, 8.55min/mile, Crunch Ab Attack

• 4.2 mph warm-up walk for .25 mile
• 6.5 mph run to 10 minute point
• 7.5 mph run to 16 minute point (6 minutes)
• 6.5 mph run to 20 minute point (4 minutes)
• 7.5 mph run to 26 minute point (6 minutes)
• 6.5 mph run to 30 minute point (4 minutes)
• 7.5 mph run to 36 minute point (6 minutes)
• 6.5 mph run to 40 minute point (4 minutes)
• 6.0–6.5 mph run to 45 minute point (5 minutes)

Yesterday’s Accomplishment (Feb 10th): Cardio Sculpt using 5-8 lb. weights; cardio rest day

First Morning Outdoor Run

As a health professional, I often hear people and their excuses for not working out: no time is the biggest one by far. AS a society we are indeed busy, but exercise is one thing that can help us manage the stress that goes with the hectic schedules. And I say when American Idol and Dancing With the Stars are the top shows on television we can’t be that busy a society…

I am no exception in that I am busy but I have chosen to make exercise one of my top priorities and rarely will allow it to be pushed out of my schedule. I do watch television – but no more than one show a night, and never American Idol or DWTS.

Today I had such a busy day that there was going to be no way to get my 50 minute run in during the day like usual. I had a full day of back-to-back webinars from 10 am – 5:30 pm with some 30-minute breaks here, but nowhere near the 60-75 minutes I would need for my run.

I generally reserve my mornings for my strength video workouts, but today I needed to sacrifice: I needed to brave the elements outside at 5:45 am to do my 50 minute run first thing today or it wasn’t going to happen.

Got the running pants, base layer, wind jacket, wool cap, gloves, and at the last minute, one more top layer between the base and wind jacket. No sunglasses needed since it is still dark when I go.

It was about 30 degrees when I went and I bit windy, so with the wind chill, who knows. I stuck it out, since once you are dressed and out there, why not go all the way? It is strange to sweat and still be chilly at the same time, which tends to happen after about 30-40 minutes.

It was done – and it was fine. Sorta. But I’m not ready to do it regularly just yet.

Today’s Accomplishments: Outdoor morning (32 degrees and wind) Run: 5.42 miles; 50:03 minutes; 9:14 min/mi (Garmin); Firm Upper Body Sculpt where heavy/medium weights = 8 pounds, light weights = 5 pounds, 12 pound body bar.

Exercise Can't Wait for Someone Else

Hurdles abound as they do with bike riding, but I still did my 1-hour bike ride this morning at around 8 am, which turned out to be the warmest part of the day. It was rather windy though. But it was a good thing I didn’t put it off. As the day wore on it got colder and windier. But that wasn’t the biggest hurdle to biking today.

I had to deal with the fact that my flat tire had not been repaired…I could have and would have done it myself yesterday, however…

On Tuesday during a ride I got a puncture of some kind, only knowing this because I heard it and got green slime on my bike. Because I have a slime tube in my tires, I was able to make it home still without a flat. I bought a new tube that day with the intention of repairing it later in the week.

My husband said he would do it for me. So I wholeheartedly left him at his word. I reminded him Friday that I was going to ride Sunday. He said he would fix it. I reminded him Saturday. He said he would fix it. I reminded him Saturday evening. He said he would fix it… That is why when I went into the garage this morning and my husband had already left on his ride, I had assumed it had been repaired.

There I was on a schedule, as I had a conference call and a conference I was in charge of that started at 11 am today and went through to 5 pm, I had to get the biking in this morning or it wasn’t going to happen at all today.

I quickly pumped up the tire – it was full and no audible sounds of air leaking. I had a spare air cartridge and phone and a sleeping teenager upstairs with a valid drivers license if I needed a ride. I just needed 60 minutes of airtime. Off I went in the cold.

I made it all the way, right up until the very end when the tire just ran out of air on the final leg around the corner from the house. No problem.

Except, when I finished my shower and I was dressing in the closet and my husband came in. I told him thanks! He said he would fix it now, so I could do my ride. It was 10 am and I was leaving the house in thirty minutes for my conference.

I KNOW how to change the tire – but when some one else offers and promises to do it for you (several times) who will turn that down? I know how to change a car tire too, but I don't tell people who pull over to help to go away! If you make promises, keep them.

Today’s Accomplishments: Ride: 13.05 miles, 1 hour 1:33 minutes, 4.43 min/mile (Garmin – shut down twice) and tire flat at end…

Body Composition Check for February

My goal this year hasn’t specifically included weight or body composition/body fat percentage changes. This is primarily because I have been pretty happy with my weight and body fat percentage and have been able to keep it pretty steady for the last couple of years. My weight has remained between 115-120 – so I tend to say it is 118 lbs. (This is rounding up from the average of 117.5 lbs, since most of the time I’m not going to state that I’m 117 “and a half” I mean I’m not seven years old. Also my body composition has pretty much stayed the same as well. If I gain weight, my hope is that it will be muscle and not fat.

Most mornings I get up right away and exercise, eat and have coffee, then check my weight and shower. In this order I generally can’t check my body fat percentage accurately, since I need to do it prior to exercise, eating, and especially caffeine!

Finally this morning, I got up weighed in and decided to check the body composition before I ate or exercised. So here are the stats for Saturday, February 07, 2009 using my Omron Body Logic:

Time: 8:55 am
Weight: 118 lbs.
Height: 5 ft. 5.75 in.
BMI: 19.2
Body Fat: 17.4%
Calculates to: 20.5 lbs fat + 97.5 lbs fat free mass

Today’s accomplishments: Tight Buns & Killer Legs (8 lbs “heavy” weights and 5 lbs. “medium” weights); outdoor run: 6.00 miles, 57:12 minutes, 9:31 min/miles (Garmin).

Yesterday’s Accomplishments (Feb 6): Crunch Boot Camp Training – weights 5 lbs., Video Crunch Pick Your Spot Pilates.

Thursday’s Accomplishments (Feb5): Treadmill run: 4.26 miles easy pace for 40 minute; 9:22 min/miles (Nike +).

Rest Days – few and far between can lead to over training…

I know rest days are important to help me recover from my exercise.

For now, I have one day of rest from cardio activity – Friday, but that will soon disappear, and even increase to a two-a-day cardio soon when I bike and run in the same day. I had been counting on the fact that biking and running use different muscle groups, but I shouldn’t do that. They are still legs.

My strength training is five days a week, but it is varied so I am not doing the same muscle group in a row (varies between lower, total, abs, and upper body).

I have to be aware that my training (biking and running together) doesn’t become “over training” and somehow find a day where I can fit rest in…

I also need to make sure that I start specifying that my Thursday runs are “active recovery” days from my Wednesday tempo run. No more speedwork or trying to increase my speed on these Thursday runs if I want to keep up this training regimen of running and biking.

I wonder how those who are training for triathlons do it?

Today’s Accomplishments: Treadmill Tempo run: 4.51 miles, 41 minutes, 9.05 min/mile, Crunch Ab Attack

• 4.2 mph warm-up walk for .25 mile
• 6.5 mph run to 10 minute point
• 7.5 mph run to 16 minute point (6 minutes)
• 6.5 mph run to 20 minute point (4 minutes)
• 7.5 mph run to 26 minute point (6 minutes)
• 6.5 mph run to 30 minute point (4 minutes)
• 7.5 mph run to 36 minute point (6 minutes)
• 6.5 mph run to 40 minute point (4 minutes)
• 4.2 –3.5 mph cool down walk additional 3 minutes

Yesterday’s Accomplishments (Feb 3): Bike Ride 22.87 miles, 1 hour 46 minutes; 4:37 min/mile, 12.94 mph; Crunch Cardio Sculpt using 5-8 pound weights.

Started Biking Again

February began and so did the biking. Yesterday began my first day of getting back on the bike for 2009. I remembered too why I like running so much more.

It was chilly yesterday and I’ve come to learn how to dress for running in the cold: I’ll be chilly or cold at first, but will eventually warm up to be comfortable or sometimes too warm. And I have several different types of running clothes.

Not so with biking. Looking at the weather channel it was going to be about 40-42 degrees while I was out, and with biking there is an added wind-chill you just can’t really account for.

Here is what I had to deal with: sock liners, thick running socks (no thermal socks since I still had to fit on my biking shoes), running pants, biking shorts, base layer running shirt, thermal shirt, and my heaviest biking shirt (which I also use for running). Luckily my pants and shirt were both black and that helps capture the warmth of the sun. I also got my fleece gloves.

Then dealing with my bike that hadn’t been ridded since October or November I had to make sure the tires were full. They needed to be pumped up all the way. Add the pack to the back of the seat with the CO2 cartridge, tube, and tools. Add Garmin GPS to my wrist, phone and iPod to my back pockets, my shoes and my helmet. I was sweating and I was still in my driveway!

I debated removing the thermal shirt, but decided against it, though I did opt for the regular biking gloves (no fingers) instead of my fleece Thinsulate gloves…

Finally, at 11:10 am I was ready to clip in and off I went on my first bike ride of the year. I was only going for an hour, and I wasn’t going to go into the valley or the Bosque, which meant no hills to get back home. I was going to stay up on the mesa and ride around on a route my husband told me about that took about an hour. I needed to find my biking legs.

My legs. They weren’t used to this kind of movement. Running and biking are completely different movements, so the legs were a little wary at first. Also, the helmet is vented, so the head was very cold. Noted for next time.

But once I got going, it wasn’t so bad. The leg part that is. I never got too warm – but I was warm enough. The wind picked up and it did get a bit tough at times, but it was just fine and it was a good thing I didn’t remove the thermal.

Biking is good, but you just don’t work up the same sweat as you do running. Must continue to dress warmer. I’m back on the bike.

Today’s Accomplishments: Outdoor Run: 5.40 miles 50:05 minutes; 9:17 min/mi (Garmin); Firm Upper Body Sculpt where heavy/medium weights = 8 pounds, light weights = 5 pounds, 12 pound body bar.

Yesterday’s Accomplishments (Feb 1st): Bike: 14.74 miles 1 hour 2:42 minutes; 4:15 min/mi.