Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Training Jiha
Jiha has already built up a good mileage base and she is pretty fast from the times she has provided me. I used the FIRST training principles to inspire me to build her program which focuses on increasing her speed and also giving her time for her family, job, and other activities.
Here it is below:
I also asked Jiha if she would be so kind as to report her progress as comments on this post. Let's see how her training develops, and good luck Jiha!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Ultimate cross-training workout
I followed the exercises on the pamphlet and quickly felt the burn in my arms, legs, and abs. This thing was really cool. And we easily folded it up to slide it under his bed afterward. During the 4 days we were there, I used it every day - it was just so simple to use and get a total body workout so quickly.
When we returned home, I thought about buying one, and have had it on my wish list ever since but we so don't have room in our house for a home gym - yet. I will be getting one as soon as we finish our renovations, however. So anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to cross paths with Total Gym recently and can't help but recommend this great product for the ultimate cross-training workout. Check out the video on the right sidebar and please let me know what your experience has been with Total Gym.
Keep on running ;-)
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Training recap weeks #41 thru #44
Anyway, the week starting 3 Oct, I ran 4 days in all (2 of which were 10km runs at race pace and I also did a Q2 training). The following week, I only did my 5 mile Q2 training. During week 43, I did my last long run of 14 miles and my 5 mile Q2 training and for the last days leading up to the marathon, I ran 5 miles at T-pace on the Wednesday and a 1.5 mile run at T-pace on Thursday.
My taper was complete and I was ready to drive down to New York. Next post will be a recap of my race experience in the Big Apple!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Learning to run
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Chi running
Keep on running ;-)
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Training recap week #40
The Harrier race was a success, the rain held off and the 40 or so participants seemed to enjoy exploring the trails. We had 8 participants for the 20km circuit, about a dozen for the 5 km and the bulk of the participants for the 10km. Most of the feedback was good, but the course marking had mixed reviews; some said it was well-marked while others didn't think so and some even lost their way. Seeing as we changed the formula this year compared to last - last year we didn't even mark the trail, but we had checkpoints to report to..we will have to see if there is a more efficient way that is also simpler for me - because I still have to put up and tear down all the course markers which is a long undertaking in and of itself.
I am disappointed with the t-shirts as well. We only sold one and I gave some away to the volunteers and to the last participants just to not be stuck with them. I don't think we'll do shirts again next year as it is that much less money for the charity if they don't sell. All told, we did raise about $1100 for the Montreal Children's hospital foundation and I want to thank NFOE architects for being a corporate sponsor, Physical Park gym for donating the shirts, the amazing Parks and Recreations staff for all their help and the Community Patrol and First Responders for making sure nobody got lost or hurt on the course. See you all next year!
Total weekly mileage : 51km
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Training recap week #39
Funny thing, after a 1-mile warm-up, I ran one mile at T-Pace and I felt tightness in my calves very quickly. It seems I hadn't fully recovered from the Army run on the weekend.
I didn't even run on the following weekend because it was my daughter's birthday party and we had a christening to attend on Sunday.
So all in all, the week was a wash :-(
As much as I was confident at the start of the week, my polar reminds me every day that the New York Marathon is just around the corner, and I am worried I will not PB it. I just need to get past the Hudson Harrier Race (for which I am the Race Director) on October 3rd, and then I can concentrate on prepping for NYC.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Training recap week #38 - and a few words about the Running Community
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Training recap week #37
On Tuesday, I rode the stationary cycle for 20 minutes, had a deep tissue massage to work out a knot in my left shoulder, and finished up with some upper body strength exercises. It felt good to be doing a variety of exercises...
Wednesday was my Q2 training. 10 minute warmup followed by 5-minute intervals with 30-second rests in between. I was supposed to do 8 intervals, but I opted take some time to stretch and also not overdo it before Sunday's marathon - that I am doing as a training run (see my wee #36 post).
I took the rest of the week easy in preparation for the Montreal marathon. On Sunday I ran the first 9 km at a leisurely pace with members of Team in Training. I then proceeded to accelerate to my target race pace and maintained it for about 24 kilometers. I felt good and strong for most of it. It was a real boost to my confidence that this training plan is paying off. For the rest of the marathon I linked up with a first time TNT participant and told her I would coach her in to the finish. She was already in the "bite me" zone at the 33 km marker, so alot of encouragement was required. I really enjoyed coaxing her along and sharing plenty of little motivational tricks along the way. We did slow down on the last stretch, but for those who know the Montreal marathon course, this is not uncommon with the long incline up Pie IX street. Nonetheless, we reeled in at least 30-40 runners in the last 9 km and that is always fun!
Total weekly mileage : 81 km
Training recap week #36
Friday, September 4, 2009
Back to School and Homeless
This week marked the first full week of back to school routine for us and our kids. All the supplies are bought and labeled, all the shoes and clothes are labeled, the morning and evening routine are coming together, and the fatigue of the return to the rat race routine is coming back....again. We made a resolution this week that we would try a few changes to make the race a little less exhausting. I'll keep you posted on how that turns out...Part of my routine is my two runs during the week lunch hour followed by my favourite smoothie afterward. Working downtown, I see a fair bit of homeless people, begging for money, or just hanging out and sleeping just about anywhere you can imagine. Some are more aggressive than others and some are creative in their methods; One fellow sells smiles for a penny....Pretty good marketing. I wonder if he makes more than others.
After a while you come to recognize the familiar faces and sort of expect to see them day after day. You even notice when they are not there...Out of principle, I refuse to give money to beggars. It's not that I am sans coeur but rather that I don't know what they are going to do with it. Are they going to blow it on video lottery, booze, cigarettes, drugs, whatever. I don't want to encourage these things. Also, I must admit there are a few that I suspect are not even homeless at all. They seem well-dressed and groomed (and not always dressed in the same clothes). They seem able-bodied and well adjusted, which makes me wonder why aren't they working to EARN their money like I am? Is this an easy way to get some extra spending money, etc? Anyway, so my method is to offer them something when I can. For example, I regularly offer one fellow a cup of coffee on my way in to work in the morning. He seems genuinely thankful for that small gesture. On other occasions, I'll offer a McDonalds cheeseburger on my way back from the gym - which brings me to today's incident. There is one fellow I have seen for about 2 years now who always displays the same sign on a cardboard box lid; "I'm hungry, please help". After picking up my smoothie, I decided I would drop by the McDonalds and buy him a cheeseburger. As I walked by and offered him the burger, he politely declined and said he was a vegetarian...I was at a loss for words, stuffed the burger back in the little brown bag and went to my office. I have nothing against vegetarians, really. But homeless vegetarians...If this guy refuses handouts, I guess that sort of explains his sign. I always was of the opinion that beggars can't be choosers, but I guess the times they are a changing. Then again, maybe he isn't homeless at all and is part of the second cohort I wrote of earlier. Either way, he didn't get a burger, and he didn't get my money. I, on the other hand, spent 2 bucks I didn't have to, ate a cheeseburger I shouldn't have, and yet again became more suspicious of the legitimacy of our ever-present homeless situation. I guess I'll just keep my burgers to myself...
Keep on running ;-)
Friday, August 28, 2009
Training recap week #35
I was ready to go for my long run Saturday morning but thought the better of it after seeing the torrential downpour outside. Instead I spent the better part of the morning fiddling around with a "new" VCR/DVD burner. I had bought it at a discount electronics liquidator on my way home from work the day before and it just wasn't working. The VHS worked fine but DVD part kept spitting the disc back out. After speaking to the manufacturer customer help line in India - without any success, I decided to pack it up and return it to the store. It is a 30-minute drive so I made sure to fit in a few other errands at the same time. At the store, I told them the problem and they promptly raplaced the unit with another one. A fellow behind me said he had the same problem as me. I know this wasn't a great product - or place to buy electronics - but the price was right. When I got home, I plugged it in (I was much faster at this the second time around) and tossed in a VHS tape. It swallowed it up and - nothing. The unit simply froze with a cryptic message "PLS WAIT" flashing on the little screen. I tried the reset procedure the help desk suggested the first time around and nothing happened. I called the India help line again and after they finally understood that the tape was stuck inside the machine, they said to bring it back to the store. Ugh! Another half-hour drive. At the store, I was told I was the only person ever to have problems with the machine - yeah right! I said I wanted my casstte back and of course the technician doesn't work on weekends...The owner tried taking it out, without any luck. I told him I was not coming back a third time and I wanted another (better) model. He let me take the upgraded model without a fuss and I tested it right there on the spot. He said he would send me my tape when they got it out. Off I went back home again, plugged it in and everything worked fine. It was still raining but I had lost over 2 hours of my precious weekend, nonetheless.
Sunday I did my long run ; 15 miles in 2.5 hours. It was a beautiful fall morning. I spent most of that time ruminating business ideas and the upcoming Hudson Harrier Race. There seemed to be more runners on the road than usual this particular morning.
Total Weekly mileage : 49 km
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Training recap week #34
Tuesday was my Q2 training. Yet again, the prescribed training was much longer than my available time so I had to split it. I haven't yet found the impact of this in Jack Daniel's book but I will get around to it. I started with a 2-mile warmup and then proceeded to do 1-mile repeats at T-pace with 1 minute breaks in between. I managed 2 at my prescibed T-pace and then did two half mile repeats at that pace. I then did a mile at race pace followed by a cool down for a total of 7 miles.
I skipped my cross-training again on Wednesday because I worked through lunch so I could get home early to tidy up the house - we had painters repaint our living room today and I think we finally have the right colour (but that is the subject of a completely other type of blog, I suppose). I intended to train with Maya tonight but just didn't get around to it.
Thursday was day two of my Q2 training. I did a 2-mile wamup and then 1 mile at T-pace (only I set it at 8.8 mph instead of 9). After a one-minutes break, I did 2 half-mile repeats at T-Pace and a third at race pace. I then did a cooldown for a total of 5 miles. I found the difference from 8.8 to 9 considerable but it might also be attributed to the fact that it was my second interval training so I was already running on tired legs.
Friday I did my cross-training and felt great. After a 2-mile easy warmup I did my exercise sets and finished off with 1 mile easy running. Boy wee my legs tired! but a good tired nonetheless.
Saturday morning was my Q1 training. 2 miles Easy followed by 10 miles at race pace. Then 2 miles easy. I could not reach or maintain my race pace. I must have averaged 8:30 per mile instead. During my run I was working hard (my hard rate was high) but I couldn't figure out why I wasn't going fast....then it dawned on me, most of the route I was running was up hill! Then, as I was hitting the downhills, I didn't find my pace that fast either. Later , I mapped my route and realized I covered 15 miles, not 14 as my Polar had indicated. This means my average pace was 8 min per mile, and if I did 4 of the 14 miles at an easy pace, then the 10 (or more) miles were actually faster than that - closer to my target 7:26 race pace. I will check if this miscalibration could be due to weak batteries or maybe the fact I changed my running form...Something else to check, but at least I am not as discouraged about my run today.
Even though I was concentrating on maintaining my pace, I did think about an article I read in the local paper on Friday. It seems we have been having problems in our little town with vandals as of late. Some vandals have been damaging properties and starting fires. On three separate occasions, they have trashed stuff at one of the local golf courses and have taken the golf carts for joy rides and playing smash up derby with them on the greens. They even made bonfires by burning everything they could find. Last week, the police announced they were onto who was behind this particular rash of destruction and a few days later we found out it was a bunch of minor aged kids - it seems one of them was so drunk, he couldn't even find his scooter, so he left it on the scene...It wasn't long before the teens confessed to what they had done. So now the question is what to do with these kids? What is the most appropriate punishment? Some say make them pay for the damages, others say make sure they have a record, others say there must be a way to help these kids mend their ways...From what I understand, their parents are trying to settle out of court with the golf club - is this in the best interests of these kids? What message are we sending them? That it's ok to trash other peoples' property, mom and dad will take care of it? No, I think they should be held accountable for what they have done. Make them fix the damages and work off their debt. Now since they are students, I am assuming they will be going back to school in a couple of weeks, and also the golf course only has a few months of golfing left so there is no way these kids have enough time to work off their debt before the winter. Looks to me like they just landed themselves a job for next summer...maybe seeing the hard work that is required to make the wages to pay for what they have done is just the medecine they need....I know I'm standing on a soapbox here, but what can I say, I had plenty of time to put my thoughts around this during my run, and speaking of running, last year I had a really hard time finding volunteers for the Hudson Harrier Race. There was this one kid who was voluntold he would help out. It seems he was required to repay through community service for some wrongdoing. I must say that this kid did not seem like a trouble maker at all and I think he enjoyed helping out on race day. I certainly hope he got something out of his penance - I know it certainly helped me out to have him there. So I guess my message here is let's not shelter and isolate our kids from the consequences of their actions but rather, let's teach them the values of community and the importance of respect by making sure the punishment fits the crime. Financial settlement, out of court, may be what the "victims" need to make things right but it is not doing any favors to the kids who are misguided...
Keep on running :0-)
Total weekly mileage : 48 km
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The road taken (or not)
Last evening I came home from work at 7 pm and was about to sit down for dinner but my parents had already left - they were watching the kids for us yesterday. I would have wanted to have dinner with them but it seems they wanted to get home before nightfall. Seeing as Chantal and the girls had already eaten, I told Chantal that CHOM was doing movies in the park and that our friend, Kim, would be there. They could have ice cream and I could get some free hotdogs, or we could just ask Kim to come to our house.
We called Kim to see if she would drop by our place before or after the flic...Kim said she would drop by on her way if she had time (she had to be at the opening at 8 pm), and asked me for directions to the park. I joked that it wasn't necessary if she was coming to our house first but then I gave her the directions to Thompson Park. We were not really inclined to go to the show which is why we wanted Kim to drop by. It was almost the girls' bedtime, they were already bathed and in their PJs, Chantal and the girls were planning to drive up north early the next morning, and she was tired too. As we waited for Kim to arrive, we got the girls dressed. Soon enough, it was ten to eight and Kim still hadn't shown up...I called her husband to see if he had her cell phone number so we could find out where she was and then we tried reaching her. No answer on her cell. We figured she was running late. A moments hesitation - should we go or not? Seeing as we wanted to see Kim and her beautiful daughter, we decided to head out to the park. A decision; a path taken.
We told our girls we were going for only a few minutes to say hi and maybe have an ice cream. As we were about to head out, Chantal tripped and banged her knee on the stairs - she saw stars. Another moment of hesitation, should we go or not. Forget icing the knee; let's go. Another decision (maybe a sign too), a path taken.
I had unlocked the front door with my keys in anticipation of Kim's arrival, and they were still in the deadbolt, so I grabbed Chantal's SUV keys and put the girls in their car seats. Normally we don't take the SUV for short jaunts because it is brand new and we don't want to use it if we don't have to. My car is older and we don't care about putting mileage on it. Once again, a small decision - a path taken.
We drove to Thompson park and found kids playing soccer games - no Movies in the Park. Must be at another park...While we were in the parking lot, we put CHOM 97.7 fm on the radio and caught the tail end of the spot publicising the event - I was sure I heard Thompson but it was impossible. Maybe it was at Benson Park..As we were driving back toward town, we saw a sign saying it was at St-Thomas Park. Thompson - St-Thomas ; they sound almost the same. Then it dawned on me that I had given directions to Kim on how to get to Thompson Park! I hope she saw the sign too...
We arrived at the (right) park, found a spot near the public pool, and walked directly over to Ted and Bad Pete to ask them if Kim had shown up...nope. They had tried reaching her on her cell too but there was no answer. I didn't have her cell number programmed on my phone so I called her husband at home to see if maybe she had called him...nope. I told him I would continue to look around for her. I left Chantal and the girls to get an ice cream while I headed back to the car to retrace our steps and maybe find Kim driving around Hudson. Decision. and path.
No luck. By the time I got back to St-Thomas park, it was dark and the movie had started. I couldn't find Chantal and the girls, nor Ted, and not even Bad Pete. As I was walking, I noticed another CHOM rep and asked she had heard from Kim yet. She confirmed that Kim had gotten lost and had gone back home. I asked if she had seen Chantal and the girls and she said she hadn't. While we were speaking my phone beeped - I had a message. It was Chantal saying she was at the corner store trying to find me...ugh! I headed back to the SUV to meet up with her. When I got to the car, I noticed a scratch and dent on the door...of our brand new SUV...that we are so careful to drive and protect...double ugh!
As I pulled out, I picked up Chantal and the girls and explained what had happened and that our new car was scratched. This is when we began our "what if we hadn't...." discussion. In the space of less than an hour, a series of small decisions, each led to a new path taken, and eventually to a total bust of an evening. Some may say that we should have heeded the "signs" (girls already in their PJs, falling in the stairs, keys in the door, wrong park) to have not gone or simply turned back. But I am saying first hand that you can only recognize these things as signs after the fact. In the moment, they are unrelated circumstances and outcomes. So the question then is why do we take these paths? We have to live with our decisions and not try to revisit them after the fact with "woulda, coulda, shoulda". What is done is done. There will be other paths to take, and other outcomes soon enough. Seize the moment, and sometimes the outcomes will be positive and sometimes the outcomes will not. That's all there is to it. No sense dwelling on the past, right?
Then again, had we not left - Kim did in fact drop by our house and we would have probably discovered that it was at St-Thomas Park. She would have made it to the park and maybe, just maybe, our new car wouldn't have gotten scratched....But then again, a whole new series of paths and decisions would have unfolded, so who really knows how things would have ended up.
Keep on running ;-)
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Training recap week #33
Wednesday was cross-training day. 2-mile warmup, embedded circuit training, 1-mile cool down. I did some additional exercises in the circuit as well; weighted lunges and squats. By the end I was tired. The cool down mile run was definitely on fatigued legs but I was invigorated and felt like I accomplished something.
Thursday I did the remaning portion of my Q2 training only this time I followed the prescribed 2-minutes rests in between intervals. After work I headed off to Mont Tremblant for an early weekend!
Saturday I did my Q1 training. It was a long run intermixed with threshold workbouts throughout. After a warmup of 2 miles, I did 4 intervals of 5 minutes at threshold pace with 1-minute rests in between. Then it was one hour easy and 20 minutes at T-pace. I finished off with about 2 miles Easy and a couple of hill sprints. During the easy portion of the run I met up with Connie (one of the moms from the daycare). She was running with one of her friends so I jogged with them for a while until my threshold workbout started again. It was a glorious morning for a run but we could feel that the heat was coming fast. I was glad I was on the back end of my out-and-back.
Total weekly mileage : 51 km
Training recap week #32
Wednesday morning I did my Q2 training on the hills but only for 30 minutes. I was sucking wind on those hills! This was followed by 30 minutes in the gym.
On Saturday morning I ran to the top of Smugglers' Notch to watch the sun rise! I was a difficult run and I had to take 60-second walk breaks every five minutes or so, but I made it to the summit in 18 minutes. There were some extremely steep pitches to negotiate so I timed my walks accordingly. I only saw 2 other people on the hill that morning and they were walking up. After taking in the view and the peacefulness of the morning, I ran back down. It was extremely technical and I had to be very careful to maintain control. I also concentrated on keeping the Pose as much as possible. It took only about 9 minutes to reach my initial starting point!
Total weekly mileage: 8 km! (running only)
Training recap week #31
On Tuesday, I did my Q2 training which was a 2-mile warm up followed by intervals of 5 minutes Hard with 3 minutes recoveries in between for a total of 10km. It was tough!
On Sunday morning, I was in Smugglers' Notch Vermont and enjoyed my run on the mountain. I ran for 45 minutes exploring the trails and basically did a recconaissance of the resort and surrounding trails. I was ascending one trail when I came across a sign warning of Black Bear presence and their habits. It said they liked to eat wild berries and stick to wooded areas. I looked around and saw plenty of berry bushes around me...that and the fact that it was sunrise and I was the only soul on the trail made me decide to turn around and head back toward civilization. I didn't see a bear, but I didn't want to either!
On the way back to our condo, I ducked into a more dense trail that skirted around the golf driving range. I saw plenty of stray balls and remnants of teen drinking parties in those woods. I plodded on but the forest got denser and denser and the trail eventually fizzled out to nothing. I had my bearings so I continued on cross-country through the brush (I was less than half a mile from the condo) and blazed my own way. It was a blast! Keep in mind that we were staying in a mountainside condo so there was a very steep slope on my left that I would eventually have to negotiate to get to it but the brush was so dense and full of thistles that I tried to put this off as long as I could as I ascended gradually through the dense trees. I crossed creeks and streams, heard the birds singing their morning songs, felt the sun on my face through clearings every now and then and smelled the dampness and freshness of the natural beauty of northeastern forests. Finally, I decided to bite the bullet and grabbed and climbed my way out not 30 feet from our unit - not bad. But boy was I dirty! I felt like a kid again. I was all giddy and in a great mood. What a way to start a vacation!
Total weekly mileage : 17 km (but they were really fun!)
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Training recap week #30
Tuesday - It's time I come clean. I have been secretly working out in my basement with Maya for the past 6 weeks. Who is Maya you ask? and what is she doing in my basement? Maya is the avatar personal trainer in Ubisoft's My Fitness Coach. She has been teaching me some aerobic and yoga moves. Can you believe it? Me....doing aerobics? Yes....not in public, though. Not now, and probably not ever, but I have been using this Wii game to complement my running and cross-training. Maya has analysed my fitness and determined I need to work on my upper body strength. She has custom designed workout routines for me that incorporate a warmup, targetted exercises, and a cool down in the duration and frequency of my choosing. Most of the time I choose among flexibility, core, yoga, or strength training as the focus of my workouts. I find it very cool to actually see her doing the moves, asking for my feedback, and also introducing complexity and diffuculty as I get better at it. Contrary to DVD workouts, this is fully customizable so there is a lot of variety and it stays interesting - I always wonder what is coming next...Anyway, I am getting better at the yoga and aerobic moves and I seem to be progressing according to Maya's fitness test results (not sure if it's attributed to this or the embedded circuit training) but it adds variety to my routine which is always a good thing!
Wednesday I did my Q2 training which was the same as the week before. Thursday I worked out with Maya and Friday I did my hill training on the mountain. It seems the weather has been very cooporative for Friday runs so I have greatly enjoyed them thus far.
Saturday morning I did my Q1 training. I was out the door at 6 am and ready for my hybrid hard/long run this week. I taped my knee felt well rested. After my 2 mile warmup, I noticed my tape job started to loosen. I had forgotten to apply the adhesive spray beforehand so my sweat was making the tape lose its adhesion. By the end of my first 10-minute interval at threshold pace, it was no longer sticking at all on the anterior part of my knee. The second interval came fast and then I had one hour of easy pace running left. My knee felt strange a few times and I had to do exagerated movements to get the kinks out on more than one occasion. I also took one-minute walk breaks a couple of times. That seemed to do the trick. For the last kilometer I did some strides on the uphills and then I did 10 x10-second hill sprints on the steep incline near my house. I finished off with some strides and stretched once I got home.
On Sunday, I took a 2-hour walk with my daughters in the double jogger in the trails of Hudson. The storms of the last couple of weeks really did a lot of damage to our network. The flash floods even washed out one of the bridges. I hope it gets repaired soon because that is one of the routes I planned for the Harrier race in the fall.
Total weekly mileage : 53 km
Monday, July 13, 2009
Training recap week #29
I also found some stretches for my calves using the PNF technique. Seeing as I am still sore 2 days after my Q1 training, I will try these as well.
On Wednesday, I tried the PNF stretches a few times throughout the day. It really seems to get a deep stetch so I will continue this for sure. I did my Q2 training today as well - without my orthotic. I started out with a simple progressive warmup and I felt great. After ten minutes I did my first of 4 intervals of .75 miles at Interval pace (I should be running at 6:12 but I was content with 6:19). I felt smooth and was able to maintain my Pose form. By the end of each interval, I was ready for my 4-minute recovery, though.
Thursday, I did some embedded circuit training and Pose drills and Friday I ran the mountain to get my hill training in for the week.
I didn't run on the weekend. I was ready to go on Saturday morning and realized I didn't have my knee support nor the tape. I figured it would not be a good idea to run without it just yet so I did a 45 minute cross-training session instead comprised of stretching and free weights. I took advantage of the extra time to complete chores around the house and play with my kids.
Total weekly mileage: 31 km
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Training recap week #28
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Training recap week #27
Tuesday was my Q2 training: Intervals on the mountain - 4 minutes hard followed by 3 minutes easy. I did this for the entire route of 10 km.
On Wednesday (Canada day) I stayed home and worked on the property - I moved rocks around for about 2 hours. This was very good weight training and I am so glad I finally got it done!
Thursday I ran the mountain and incorporated hill training. I did 6 repeats of a quarter-mile and brought my heart rate up past 100% on more than one occasion. I also concentrated on making sure I maintained the Pose technique during this run.
Friday, I did my second session of embedded circuit training. In between each exercise, I incorporated the Pose technique exercises. As a warm up I did 2 miles at an easy pace (8 min/mi) but it was not at all easy using the Pose technique - I am still not sufficiently accustomed to it yet. For a cool down I did 2 km on the concept2 rower. Here are my circuit training sets :
Bicep curl (35 lbs DB) x 12
Tricep Kickback (20 lb DB) x 12
Incline Press (55 lb DB) x 12
Dips x 12
Bench press (55 lb DB) x 12
Lat pull down (95 lb) x 12
Single leg press (4 plates) x 15
Leg curls (75 lb) x 15
I really didn't feel much like working out today but I felt like a million bucks afterward! The Pose exercises are really hard and I felt awkward doing them. I will have to do these much more often.
Saturday was a day off and Sunday I did my Q1 run which was 20 minutes Easy, followed by 20 minutes Hard, followed by another 20 minutes Easy. Afterward I stretched for 20 minutes.
Total weekly mileage : 33 km
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Training recap week #26
Total weekly mileage : 36 km
Monday, June 22, 2009
Training recap week #25
Total weekly mileage : 41.1 km
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Healthy living helps everyone
Sort of makes you want to reverse the trend, n'est-ce pas?
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Strike a POSE
Monday, June 15, 2009
Training recap week #24
Total weekly mileage : 28 km
Monday, June 8, 2009
Training recap week #23
Total weekly mileage : 37.5 km
Monday, May 25, 2009
Back in the saddle again...and some embedded circuit training
After 20 minutes of riding at high rpm (105-110), I was sufficiently warmed up to jump on the mill and give it a go. I started out at 5.5 mph and almost immediately felt a little discomfort on the exterior of my knee. It wasn't painful so I figured maybe it was just a kink that needed to work itself out. After 2 minutes, I increased the speed to 6.5 mph and maintained a 90 foot-strikes per minute cadence. The feeling was still there but it did not seem to impact my form in any way so I kept going. Another 2 minutes and I upped my speed to 7.5 mph (which is my Easy pace of 8 min/mile). I maintained this pace for about 2 more minutes and decided to stop because the discomfort didn't go away and I don't want to delay my recovery (which I am already finding long).
This week, I planned to start my training for the Montreal marathon which includes 2 Easy days. On these days, I will be doing embedded circuit training. This is basically completing a circuit training in between 2 short easy runs. The objective is to get the heart rate up and maintain it at a higher level while doing the total body circuit exercises (cross-training) and then finishing off with a short easy run. In between each exercise set, you maintain your HR up by doing some aerobic activity for 30 seconds - this is the recovery part!
So here is what I did today:
12 x dips (on parallel dipping bar)
30 seconds rowing
8 chinups
30 seconds jump rope
20 pushups
30 seconds rowing
12 x 30 lbs dumbbell curls
30 seconds jump rope (my shorts kept coming down so I stopped doing this)
12 x front arm raises (20 lb dumbbells)
30 seconds rowing
25 incline situps
After I was done, I jumped on the treadmill for another 5 minutes at Easy pace. I would have liked to do 2 miles, as planned but I felt the tinge again so I didn't push it. Funny thing is that the discomfort disappeared as soon as I stopped. I have a Chiro appointment and another Physio appointment next week so I'll explain my experiment to them...
As for the circuit training, I have to say I enjoyed the intensity and efficiency of it. No time wasted waiting for machines or standing around resting. This workout is all business - which is pretty well suited to a lunchtime session. I will definitely be adding some exercises and doing this again.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Stir crazy
My first physio treatment with a TENS machine and ultrasound went really well. We isolated the problem and it isn't anything too serious. Just an inflamed infrapatellar fat pad (whatever that is...). I should be good to go in a few weeks with continued treatment, icing and regular non-stressing exercise.
In the meantime, I am working on my plans for my future challenges. Montreal or Chicago in the fall? Will my ticket come up for the New York marathon lottery? What big project am I gearing up for in 2010? 2010 is a hallmark year; Olympics in Canada, 5 years since I started training for my first marathon, another chance to run in Boston, and the need to do something different. Besides, 2010 is made up of nice round numbers...So what to do? I am thinking about organizing a run around the island of Montreal - my first calculation tells me it is in the ballpark of 120km. That could be quite an undertaking...and something to work on over the next 12 months....Any takers?
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Training recap week #18
Monday, April 27, 2009
Training recap week #17
Mon 6 Apr - 10 minute warmup on bike and I ran 1 mile gradually building up to race pace. I felt a little bit of soreness around my knee but my IT band is pretty loosened up now so I think it's residual inflamation. The compression wrap didn't feel too awkward. I think I might have put it too high up above my knee because I am not sure I isolated the band, really. I had one last massage therapy session before Vancouver and she really worked my legs deep tissue. I will have to maintain the new loosenes but also work more on stretching my hip flexors which are now the tighter muscles on my legs...
Friday, April 24, 2009
2009 Boston Marathon
Here we are among the second wave starters
We had to put the brakes on a bit on some of these downhills. Even after 4 hours, the spectators were still out there. It was a real party with barbecues, beer, sandwiches, popsicles. I certainly felt like stopping to enjoy the hospitality on more than one occasion.
As we entered Brookline, it was PJ's turn to stop for a pee so Joel and I carried on. Joel had never run this far before but he was strong and confident. We kept a steady pace as we could feel the anticipation of the finish only a few miles away. I was concerned about PJ catching back up to us, though.
The final turn as I wave to my family with my new friend chugging along to finish in 5 hours.
The finish line!
At the finish, I turned around without crossing the line and headed back up Boylston to meet up with PJ. We then crossed the finish line together a few minutes later.
Woohoo!
Me and my biggest fans!
After the race, I realized how much of a toll running so slow, and for so long, this race has taken on my legs and especially my knee. My left knee felt as though it had no strength and I hobbled to the restaurant for a well deserved steak and beer.
Despite this setback, the entire Boston marathon experience has been, bar none, the best marathon I have ever experienced. The organization was spectacular, the sheer magnitude of the event is unimaginable, and the support of the local "fans" for all the runners, is such an inspiration. I can't wait to do it again. Now that I have experienced it as a "tourist", next time, I want to see how well I can do on this fabled course. So, until next time, keep on running! ;0)