Monday Accountability

Last week:

Monday: New Year's Eve...read: rest
Tuesday: New Year's Day...read: rest
Wednesday: 9K with 5 hills
Thursday: rest
Friday: rest AGAIN! oy vey
Saturday: 5K + gym
Sunday: 14K LSD

Yesterday's LSD went really well. I was nervous because I missed last week and cut the previous week short (due to misderable rainy weather) so my last full LSD had been 11K three weeks ago. The route took us through some country roads with rolling hills. One hill was a >30 metre climb! Some of the hills were tough but what goes up must come down (usually) so I was able to recover on the declines. It was quiet and peaceful with almost no traffic and I completed the run in just under 90 minutes with a smile on my face.

So I only went out three times for th e week, but I had two quality runs and my tush is still hurtin' this morning, so I don't feel bad at all. Pretty good start to the new year.

I am looking forward to all the races lined up for 2008, starting with the Chilly Half in less than two months. I was warned by someone in my clinic not to count on a PB (personal best) at the Chilly but wouldn't say why, so I'm not exactly sure what to expect but we'll see how it goes.

Last week we registered for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon, our 'signature' race. It will always be near and dear to our hearts as our first. We also booked a hotel for the night before so we can have a relaxing evening the night before and won't have to drive in to the city at 5:00 AM.

On to accountability for this week. The plan is as follows:

Monday: rest
Tuesday: 5 or 6 KM with clinic
Wednesday: 9+KM with 6 hills
Thursday: gym
Friday: 5K and/or gym
Saturday: LSD 16K (we won't be in town Sunday morning so my instructor generously offered to meet me for the long run on Saturday)
Sunday: rest

New goodies!

I almost forgot, I have some new stuff.

For Christmas I got:

-Windpro jacket with deep zip
Love it because it is nice and warm and form-fitting, not bulky - also unzips if I get too hot



-Mizuno Blaze Warmer Top
Kept me perfectly warm last night (it was about -12C) wearing this and the jacket, without being too heavy.




-new winter pants. I can't find the exact ones online, but they are similar to these only not so tight at the bottom

Back with a vengeance

I know it's been a while since I've posted (tried not to spend too much time on the computer during my Christmas vacation) but I didn't stop running! I also missed my "Monday Accountability" for the last two Mondays, being Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, but I'll get back at it next week.

Over the break I ran Christmas Eve (about 6K), Boxing Day (about 5K), Friday the 28th (1K up and down our street, knee was acting up) and 5K on Sunday the 30th (was supposed to be LSD 12K with clinic but I apparently forgot how to set an alarm clock after a week off work and overslept). I also made it to the gym 4 or 5 times for strength training. Overall, a productive holiday. I even LOST weight over Christmas. There's a first time for everything!

So that brings me to last night - hill training. Our clinic started hills two weeks ago but I missed the first one due to my knee and missed the second one on Boxing Day due to a family dinner, so I didn't really know what I was in for. We ran about
2K to a quiet crescent street that forms a 1K loop, approximately 400 metres uphill, a plateau around the corner, 400 metres downhill and a plateau back to the base of the hill. We did this loop FIVE times then ran back to the Running Room for a total of nearly 9K. That is a loooong run for a Wednesday night and I was exhausted by the end, but enjoyed the run nonetheless. The hills were not quite as bad as I expected. Let me rephrase that: the UP hills were just as tough as I thought they would be, but the DOWN hills gave me a chance to recover and helped me keep my sanity/strength/drive through the whole process.

There was an ongoing conversation going on in my head. At the bottom of each hill, I'd look toward the top and think No sweat, I'll be there in no time. About half way up, I'd start thinking Is it ever going to end? And around the 3/4 mark, I would PROMISE myself Just get to the top, then you can take a walk. And then I would get to the top and re-negotiate. I would catch my breath on the plateau, coast down the hall and start the whole conversation again at the bottom of the hill. I did the five times and didn't end up taking a walk. Mind over matter...sometimes that's what it takes!

But dang, my legs and butt are sore this morning!

Change of heart

Did I say I was looking forward to that? Really?! I am water-logged and chilled to the bone, and starting to wonder if every Sunday is going to bring such awful weather! Last week was the snow storm and this week it was pouring rain. Apparently, cold December rain is much, much worse than snow. We were soaking wet, splashing through the puddles. It felt like I was carrying 10 extra pounds of rain water in my clothing - most of which was sloshing around between my toes. Not so pleasant. We were supposed to run 11K, but three of us decided to make a U-turn and head back early. Ended up finishing at around 6.6K. My crazy husband and Shannon (our instructor) went on to complete the 11 (maybe more?). I'm now showered and warmed up but hubby is still out there...and probably loving it. What a weirdo. ;)

The good news is, I had a little chat with Shannon and she gave me some exercises and tips to help with my ongoing knee issues. She seems to really know her stuff so I am going to take her advice and hopefully see some results.

But right now I need to get me some hot tea! Stay dry. :)

Good to go

Just like last time, it seems to have taken three days for my knee to be okay again. I took Wednesday (missed hill training - bummer), Thursday and Friday off. Went out for a 5K this morning and no problems! Looking forward to a mild (but possibly rainy) 11K with clinic tomorrow morning.

Isn't this just peachy

Yesterday was 6K with clinic and it was a tough 6K - tons of hills and snowy sidewalks. I managed to irritate my knee again running through piles of snow. It was really sore last night so I iced it for a while. Seems to be a little better this morning but I hay have to skip clinic tonight. :( REALLY sucks because we are starting hills! I'd hate to miss our first hill training session, especially since I have never done it, but running hills with an already aggravated injury is about the stupidest thing you can do, so... bummer. We'll see how it is later on.

Monday Accountability

I'm going to start a new accountability post every Monday and recap my runs for the previous week as well as a plan for the upcoming week since I don't always get around to posting every day.

So here's my accountability for this Monday, December 17th.

LAST WEEK:

Monday: rest
Tuesday: 5K
Wednesday: 7K+
Thursday: rest
Friday: 2.5K (that's all I could manage in the freeeezing cold!)
Saturday: rest
Sunday: 11K
total: 25.5K

THIS WEEK:

Tonight: rest
Tuesday: 5K
Wednesday: 7K
Thursday: 5K (gym)
Friday: rest
Saturday: min 5K
Sunday: 11K
total: 33K