dropping out?

I'm really considering not doing a half marathon this fall. I've done 2-3/yr since 2007 (sometimes better than others...). I am just not all that motivated right now. And I really want to finish my proposal and enjoy my last competitive season of rugby and have a good time coaching and not lose my mind. I just can't seem to wrap my head around committing to training.

This makes me feel like a failure. I haven't had a good half in two years, and I can't seem to get motivated to do so.Its just not fun right now.
Maybe I'll do a couple of 5ks instead. Much less time consuming training.

The Kids Are Alright

We splurged this weekend for a movie in the theater...who can resist an independent film (that is actually getting press) about a lesbian couple!

The movie was, almost surprisingly, really quite funny. While poor Annette was sometimes dressed in some unfortunate clothes (and I can't excuse even a hippie for naming their kid Laser), we really enjoyed the film. I've read a couple of review complaining about the sexual relationship with Mark Ruffalo's character, but I really didn't have an issue with the story line. Sexuality is fluid, and the center of the story was the difficulties of marriage and being together for years and year and enduring the stress and strains of everyday life.

I've already added it to our Netflix queue to see again (not to mention put out some extra support), and hope it goes into wide release soon.

I'll leave you with a favorite line:
Laser: I don't think you two should break up.
Momses: Why?
Laser: You're too old.

training, week 2

Plan: 5 easy, 2x1 mi, 4 easy, 8 long. And a week's worth of Insanity (which is 5 days this week) and two days of lifting.

Monday: 2x1 mile, sort of. I think my warm up was too fast, and perhaps I have mental issues on the treadmill? I did it inside due to the heat and humidity, but it turned out to be 3x800 + 2x400 with 30 second stops for the mid-mile points and a 4 min walk break between miles (roughly half the time I was running). Total, 3.31 miles in 31:56 without counting stoppage.

Tuesday:  25 min of lifting. snatches, single leg deadlift, bent over row, wide squats with dumbbells, incline bench. 3x6 of each. I was supersetting and probably going too fast, but I had to get back to work.

Wednesday: 4 miles easy. It was 92. "feels like 96". I wanted to puke after mile 2 and walk-runned the rest of it. I also stopped 5 or 6 times. My core temp must have been through the roof, plus I was wearing a black tee & didn't have a hat or sunglasses. When will I learn? 39:16 without stoppage. Thumbs down in general.

Thursday: 25 min of lifting. bent row with lift, wide grip lat pulldown, single leg squat (this is a joke for me given my flexibility), back extension, shoulder raises. 3x6.

Friday: nothing, except a mile walk home from the train. You'll note I haven't done Insanity all week. This is directly related to our lack of AC. The house hasn't been under 82 all week, even at the crack of dawn, and is hotter midday. Thanks insulation for working in the summer only. I only have the mental energy to convince myself to do one insane thing a week, and running outside when it is 90+ won.

Saturday: interval workout. Overall, 5.4 miles in 57 minutes.

Sunday: 8 mile long run. This basically sucked ass. I started out with the plan of doing 4/1 run walk intervals (it was 86 already, plus I haven't done much over 4-5 miles in a long time), with stops on the even miles. Lets just say a stopped more. I ran 82 minutes and was gone about an hour and 45. That's kind of embarrassing. But on the upside, I don't have heat stroke since the stops helped keep my core temp down :-) 

Total for the week: 20.8 miles, a few tenths short of the plan.

So here's a question for the week:
How the heck do my running shoes get so dirty?? I  don't take them anyplace, well, dirty until they're already old!

Left pair: owned 2 weeks, 15 miles. Right Pair, owned 4 months, 300ish miles.

holy moly it is hot

Today was supposed to be my long run (8 miles this week). I slept through my alarm, and didn't get up until 9. Whoops. It was already 86, so I decided to nix that and do my interval workout instead. Whether or not this is a logical swap, I am not sure, but the benefit of walk breaks built into the run makes sense to me!!

As of when I returned, per weather.com (and still rising, its only 11:15 right now and supposed to hit 96 with a heat index as high as 108. Have I mentioned this is Philadelphia (metro) not Houston!!?)

Partly Cloudy

Temperature:

91°F

Feels Like: 97°

It was actually a pretty good run though, and somewhat better than the same one last Thursday. This might be in part to the fact I aimed to run the intervals on the downhills (hey, I walked up them!!), in part to the fact I had the foresight to carry water (more on that later), and in part due to the fact I haven't done any plyos all week thanks to our AC issue (I'll explain that more another day when I feel like whining).

Per Mr. Garmin:

The workout was a warm up, 200/400/600 with 1/2/3 minute walks for rest between, and a cool down. I also stopped (and stopped my watch) to stretch and just cool off after the warm up and each 600. The last 600 left me a little nauseous, so it was more like 200/400/200/400 in that last interval (but recorded as 600 since I stopped my watch, cheaterhead I am).

Warmup: 1.55mi, 15:08 (9:46/mi)

Intervals: 0:53/2:01/3:03, 1:02/2:05/3:16, 0:59/2:00/3:10. Pretty consistently just around and a bit over the 8:00/mi pace, and since that's my dream 5k pace to my actual 5k pace, I think I did well (downhill balances out heat, right?). The first 200 was a 6:53 pace (!!) which is my best ever and I'm proud of. I might do more of those next week seeing as rugby is starting soon.

Cooldown: 0.57 mi, 5:38 (9.51/mi)

Overall, a 10:30 pace (counting walk breaks but not stoppages), exactly on target for the Easy run my program listed which I replaced. Score!

Now about the water...this is probably the best choice I've made this week, and its what saved this run from being totally shitty. I was able to drink during every walk break & stoppage, and finished the water literally a block from home.

Thanks Camelback!

my model has an external fill spout, which is great, but not an extra pocket (so I just stick my phone in with the bladder!)

The only downside is it requires being worn high on the waist (to prevent bounce) so its sort of channeling the 80's...but I'm not exactly looking amazing running anyway :)

ohhh AC

We returned from Ohio Sunday night to an 84 degree house.
OK.
Except it never cooled off.

After a somewhat sleepless night of stressing over the cost of a new unit, I met the lovely HVAC man around 9:30 am, he recharged the freon in my 25ish year old unit, and I went on my merry way to work with the compressor humming.

Then I got home to an 84 degree house (It was 81 in the morning, in case you're curious).

AH.

Today is Wednesday. Today I met another lovely HVAC gentleman. He thinks our unit may have been hit by lightening in the storms that came through Monday. Our compressor is blown and not repairable. I am sitting on our pull out sofa in the partially below grade den with a fan blowing on me right now. It is 92 out and 85 in. 

OF COURSE our unit can't make it through what is shaping up to be the hottest summer on record when we are (halfheartedly at this point) trying to sell the house.

Luckily, Princess Charming will be home tonight and is installing our window unit in a bedroom so I can sleep decently, and without sweat, again.

a week in training

Monday: planned rest from running. Did 4 miles & Insanity Cardio Power & Resistance

Tuesday: planned 4 miles with intervals, did 4 miles easy and Insanity Pure Cardio. I think I also lifted about 25 minutes this day, a quick full body routine.

Wednesday: planned 5 miles with 3 miles of tempo. Did Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit.

Thursday: planned 5 miles with 3 miles of tempo at 8:54 pace. Did 4.95 miles with a mile warm up and 3 rounds of 200/400/600 with 1/2/3 minutes of walking rest between (and a couple of complete stops. It was freaking hot. 4 pm, poor decision). The pace was around 8:00/mi for the intervals, floating up and down based on length and hill direction. Ok I guess. 51 minutes total (10:24 page).

Friday: planned day of rest from running. Did just that amid the long drive to Ohio.

Saturday: planned 8 mile long run. Did 3.59 outside with my sister in law's boyfriend, and 2.4 on the treadmill. 62 minutes total (10:24 overall pace, which depresses me but IS on track based on the 10:30 listed on my program), the 2 more a few hours later on the treadmill for a total of 8 (we had to meet family for lunch; I should have started earlier...though I admit I was miserable after the first 6). A lot of walking. Sore and tight (I guess from Thursday & the 11 hr car ride?). And hot. But finished my 21 miles for the week!!

Sunday, more rest and the return drive to PA.

A good week for running completion, if somewhat deviant from the plan. A half week for the Insanity program, making the first two weeks basically a 60% completion. Whoops. Better than nothing I guess.

Up next week:

5 easy, 2x1 mile at 8:25, 4 easy, 8 long.

repeat

Last night I went for another run.

It went a lot like Monday's (except it was sunny & dry when I got home, so it was preceded with a trip to the dog park).
The plan was to warm up with a jog to the post office to drop off the Netflix then swing into the flat neighborhood to do 3 rounds of 200/400/600, and then head home for a total of 4 miles.

Around the 1/2 mile mark, it started to rain. This is around where the post office is, so I decided to skip the speedwork and make it an easy run. This was a good decision, since it started pouring pretty much immediately. Completely soaked, I figured it would pass (no thunder, etc, so ok).  And it did. 20 minutes later or so.  In the interim, I had to duck under the canopies of two stores to get out of the driving rain, the kind you can't really keep your eyes open in. The last two miles was ok, just drizzly and with a heavy teeshirt and shorts that wouldn't stay put thanks to being completely plastered to by body.

Lessons learned this Tuesday night:
1) If it looks like it might rain, bring a damned hat.
2) And wear spandex. The one pair of shorts that fits well only fits well dry.