lactating? lactose intolerant? acid trip?

Howdy, friends!

Matilda training update: She was the very best dog in class.  OF COURSE.  Doing my workout yesterday morning sure made the evening less frenetic - Wednesdays are Matilda's class day for the next 6 weeks!

I did not run this morning - I had to got to the Doctor, and I just couldn't bear to get up any earlier than 6am - I just don't have it in me.  Maybe I will one day, but not today.

So, I did my normal after work routine.  I think I can smell Fall in the air!  It's still hot, but there is the definite dying leaf smell - which is actually one of my favorite smells!  Fall is the absolute best time of year, in my opinion.  I know it won't OFFICIALLY be here for another 3 weeks or so...but I know it's on the way, and that's good enough for now.  

Today's workout was the Lactic Threshold Training that I didn't do yesterday.  So, the 45 minute run is split between recovery pace, and lactic threshold pace.  By way of explanation the Lactic Threshold check out this site: http://www.marathon-training-program.com/lactate-threshold.html.

Now, I haven't done the whole vo2 Max testing, mainly because it is expensive, and I am cheap.  Maybe one day...but, until them I'm using the formula of 75-80% of my heart rate reserve.  It seems to work, I can tell in the way my breathing feels, that something different is going on in terms of how my body is reacting - I don't know how to explain it, it just feels different.  Maybe I'll try to unpack that feeling next week.  

So, here are today's stats:

Temp: about 87-degrees
Conditions: partly cloudy, not too humid, pretty nice!

Details

Timing

Time:	45:00
Moving Time:	43:22
Elapsed Time:	45:00

Avg Pace:	11:50 min/mi
Avg Moving Pace:	11:24 min/mi
Best Pace:	4:14 min/mi

Speed

Pace

Elevation

Elevation Gain:	125 ft
Elevation Loss:	122 ft
Min Elevation:	195 ft
Max Elevation:	237 ft

Heart Rate

Avg HR:	160 bpm
Max HR:	173 bpm

Zones

% of Max

bpm

Laps4

View Splits

Split Time Distance Avg Pace Summary 45:00.0 3.80 11:50 1 18:00.0 1.42 12:42 2 11:15.0 1.05 10:45 3 4:30.0 0.33 13:46 4 11:15.0 1.01 11:08

Good Lord, that's early...

I know all 5 of you are so sad that I didn't get this published last night, but I appreciate your patience!  We had to celebrate the eventual departing of the pattern of our good friend Connie, who is on her way to Vancouver!  It was about her 30th going away party, so we just H-A-D to be there.  Plus, it was at a Pub - Hibernian - so we couldn't NOT go.

Last night was our last Core Class, and boy did he work us hard!  My least favorite exercise (i.e., the one that hurts the most, and thereby is needed the most) is the V-sit scissor kick.  Does that sound like a medieval torture device?  It should, because it is.  We had to do it for time - and i think the time was an hour.  (55 seconds...but what's the diff?).  I will miss going to the class, for sure - and am *hopeful* that Arjay and I can motivate each other to keep up with those god-awful exercises twice a week.

This morning I got up early!  I...GOT...UP...EARLY.   As many of you know, my greatest talent is sleeping.  So, choosing to get up early is kind of a big deal. But, we do what we gotta do, right?  And since much of my training will be through the winter, when it will be too dark to run in the evenings, I figured I better go ahead and bite the bullet and get used to this early morning shennannigans.  (spell check does not know how to spell that word, and i don't either.)

So, we set the alarm for 5:45, hit snooze twice, and were out of bed at 6:03.  Matilda and I made it out the door by 6:20.  She was a big lagger this morning, I think she wanted to sleep more too!  But, we did it.  

I was supposed to do 45 minutes today, but given the the schedule change up, I decided to go easy on myself, so only did 30 - I'll do the 45 minutes tomorrow.

Here's the deets:

Temp - hmmm...i don't know, forgot to check, but it seemed pretty warm - maybe 75?
Conditions: awful humid.

2.5 miles.

1st mile pace 11:45
2nd mile pace 11:45
last .5 mile pace 13:00 - Matilda was NOT feeling it by this point. ha!

So, tomorrow I'll do the lactic threshold run for 45 minutes.  

so, you thought i was a slow RUNNER, just check out this bike ride

Well, it was nice while it lasted.  The heat and humidity are back.  Luckily, we had one last nice day  yesterday.

Sundays are cross train days, so that means biking or swimming, and since I'd rather do anything but swim, I decided to go for a ride yesterday.  Arjay suffered through an agonizingly slow, laborious and altogether glorious sight-seeing ride with me.  We averaged approximately 8 mph, when you take into account the stopping to pee, stopping to look at unfinished bridges, me getting off to walk through the mud flats (since I didn't have my knobby tires on), and just general slowness on my part.  I loved it, though - and I think Arjay had a nice time too!  He'd had a hard training session on Saturday, so we both needed an easier day.  It's so great to get back on the bike.  Looking forward to getting more serious time in - and I'm so ready for those fall rides to Fearrington Village! 

Frankenbike - and lots of other bikes. 

Speaking of bikes, I love my Frankenstein's Monster bike - it's made up from lots of super nice cast-offs from Arjay.  In other news:  I went potty in the woods twice this weekend, and was neither camping, nor at a hippie rock festival.  

Today, I did my "easy" recovery run.  I'm wondering if I need to schedule that at a different time during the week, since it's currently sandwiched between a cross day and a core only day.  Any advice from my other runner friends is much appreciated!  

I'd hoped to run with Matilda today, but I think it was just too hot - 90 degrees, and all the humidity.   As "thanks," she met me after the run with 1/2 half of my favorite pair of lounge socks in her mouth. Did I mention it was hot?  

So, only 30 minutes today, at "easy" heart rate.

Here are the stats:

Temp: 90 degrees

Conditions - eww.

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	30:00.0	2.50	12:01
1	15:00.0	1.29	11:37
2	15:00.0	1.20	12:28

i love rest days!

Day Offf!

Friday was a rest day, so Arjay and I checked out a new-ish restaurant in Raleigh - in our old neighborhood, no less!  Taste - we had a nice time.  Good way to prepare for our Saturday workouts!  Arjay planned for cyclocross training with his buddy John, so was out the door by 7:30.  This gave me plenty of "quality" time with the dogs - a.k.a - snoozing, snoring, and general sleepy-time activities.

Matilda, Fill, and I wandered out of bed around 8:30 - we were PLANNING for the dogs to go get groomed, but we have to wait until tomorrow.  I'm sure they don't care, but those toe nails of theirs are really starting to hurt!

I made a pit-stop at Dick's Sporting Goods, to get a new fuel belt, SOMEBODY (Matilda) ate mine...I also picked up a fun new shirt, that perfectly matches my running skirt, and i have to look cute...so, there's that.

I finally got to Umstead around 10:30, ready to start my run!  I haven't been to Umstead since the spring, so it was really nice to get back there.  Although, i started my "LSD" run on a hill, so that kinda sucked - on the other hand, that means I ended on the downhill...so, that rocked.

I ran for an hour,  and wow-wee, was it nice!  It was only about 70 degrees, and overcast, and not too humid!  I finished the run, feeling really good about the whole thing.  So, I stopped to pick up lunch for my dearest and me - Burger King.  Probably not the best choice - but, it was fan-freaking-tastic.  Don't judge me.

So, here's yesterday's stats:

temp: about 68

dusky

• 1 strawberry/ basil infused martiini
• flatbread pizza
• shimp wonton
• lamb chop - med. rare - but, actually pretty well raw on one side...still good, though
• apple turnover
• pinot noir

Today's stats:

temp: about 71

conditions: overcast

check how good i held that pace.  ha!

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	1:00:00.0	4.91	12:13
1	30:00.0	2.46	12:13
2	30:00.0	2.46	12:13

I got yelled at on the phone today

Yesterday was a short day at work, made up for by today's uber-long day.  It wasn't awful, but it was 10 1/2 hours of work.  I enjoy my job, but 10.5 hours of anything can really wear on a body.  Add to it that my day started with a nasty phone call, where I got yelled at by somebody about how mean I am.  Now, I admit - I may not be the most cuddly doll in the hutch, but I don't think I'm MEAN.  And certainly not in that particular situation.  I just have the unlucky task as one of the main parts of my job, to be a rule enforcer - and as a general rule, people don't like to have rules enforced - including me. 

Suffice it to say, I was jazzed to get home to see my husband busily working on the most artful garbage can enclosure I've ever seen...AND to be greeted at the door by two adoring dogs.  

Matilda and I set out right away for our 30 minute run.  No special "work-out" just running at aerobic heart rate for 30 minutes.

My neighborhood has two big hills that you go up and down (and back) on every run - so it's not my favorite place to run...but there were a couple of other people out getting their fitness groove on, so it was kind of nice!

Matilda (or sausage on 4-legs as she will be until she quits kicking back the beers and slims down) lagged behind a little, but I think she will be fine once she gets her engine tuned up, just like mom.  

It was a nicer evening than yesterday, fo' sho'.

Here's the stats:

temp: around 80 degrees - that's in fahrenheit, for all you Netherlands readers out there...^.~ 

conditions: real nice, real, real nice

Laps2

Split Time Distance Avg Pace Summary 30:00.0 2.59 11:35 1 15:00.0 1.31 11:27 2 15:00.0 1.28 11:43

Tomorrow:  Day off!!  Yayyyyy!!!!