Blog transfer!

I'm going to start blogging again. Check out my other blog: babyayala.blogspot.com

Cycle of Life

Here I am after not posting for a while again. I'm post marathon now and I'm really happy about that! Today I went swimming for the first time in a looong time and it was great. My breathing while swimming sucks, but I had a good workout alternating the kick board and the leg floaty thingy so I could work my arms and legs independently. I went and did the elliptical and bike last night and it is a nice change of pace. Ran on Tuesday and last Sunday, so I'm slowly getting into the crosstraining of winter. I need to get back to CrossFit as well, but its more difficult now that our school year start time has changed and I am so busy I don't have the time to do it in the morning. I want to incorporate CF when I go to the gym. This will be entertaining because I am going to the gym of UIC, which primarily is composed of people 10 years younger than me. I'm sure I'll get some weird looks, but mostly I'm in better shape than almost all of them, so I don't care. Who knows, maybe I'll spread my craft!

After 2 saline shots the foot is still sore. I've slacked on my PT, but I plan on getting back into that this week as well. Winter workouts are for rehab! And I've already signed up for a half marathon on May 2, so I have to make sure I stay true to rehabbing!

The wonders of saline

So in the past two weeks I've run 2 runs--3 miles each and my foot hurt. Today I got the saline shot in the heel/arch of my foot. I was told I should be able to run by Tuesday.

I hope hope hope so! Until then rest rest rest!

Crap ass foot

It was supposed to be 16 miles on Saturday.

I got in 14.5

Its now Tuesday and my foot still hurts. Glad its a fallback week.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

7 miles on the lakefront

a 9:24 pace average overall.

It was a beautiful, gorgeous, day and I could've run forever!

3.2 mi in the neighborhood

A nice 30 min evening jog with fantastic weather!

Row row row...

5K row
27:41

I started the day off with some PT and some massage of my IT and PF which killed, in a good way. Then I decided to row a bit for crosstraining. I haven't rowed for a while, and I think its kinda pathetic that I can run faster than I can row a 5K!

10 miler and lots o softball

Today was a great day. Last night I played 3 games of softball. Didn't fall asleep till about 2 am. No beers though.

Got up at 5 and went to run 10 miles. Exactly 1 hr 40 min for my pace group. Keepin' it real.

Then I played ANOTHER softball game on the UIC flames field, which was fun. Never played on astroturf before. We went out for some beers after and then randomly went to North Ave beach. It was PACKED!! But we found a place and plopped ourselves on the sand for a few hours. Aahhh I love summer!

Some pullups and dips:WOD

Warm up: PT exercises

Rx for puppies:
40 pullups
40 dips

I broke it down into 4 sets of 10 pullups/dips.

Time 6:31

I forgot to mention that yesterday's run was my first totally pain free run since before April 19th. I couldn't even feel my PF. Guess all this PT and exercises and excessive stretching is helping. I've always been a post run stretcher, but with the PT exercises, I take it to the max.

5 miles

I am now pacing for Nike on Thursdays as well at a 9:30 pace. This is great, except for tonight after copious amounts of wine yesterday. I was dehydrated. Oh well, it was still a good run!

Helen

Warm up:

PT exercises per side:
1) 3 sets of 15 reps hip abductions on edge of couch so upper leg can drop lower than the couch
2) 3 sets 10 reps of side pillar bridge
3) sets 30 seconds hip flexor stretch
4)3 sets 30 sec IT band stretch standing
5)30 reps of IT roll on foam roller
6)3 sets 30 seconds of stretching gastroc
7)3 sets of 30 seconds of stretching soleus
8)Rolling on TP roller, both calves

Followed by:
3 rounds of

400 m run
15 dumbbell swings (24 lbs)
9 pullups

15:30

Oh the way I can sweat doing crossfit doesn't compare to anything else I can do. The PT exercises can also be a bit sweat inducing, especially those pillar side bridges. Ouch!

Run run running

So I did my PT this morning, and that was good. I feel like I am making progress within the first week. I've been faithful and doing my exercises every day (sometimes twice if I feel really ambitious), and the 1.5 hrs this am felt good. Work those hips!

PM found me running with Amy. She wanted to run 4 miles. I ran the first mile with her at a fast pace for me right now--8:15-8:30ish pace. Then I let her do 2 laps around the track while I stretched my PF, seeing as it was bothering me somewhat after today's earlier exercises. I then did the rest of the run with her, although we dropped it to a 9-9:30 min/mile pace for me. It felt good!

3.6 miles in 31:51.

14 miler...kinda

It was a better morning this morning. I don't know how, but again, I was the first one to arrive out of the pacers. Guess I'm turning over a new leaf! My group was 18 strong to begin, swelled to 20 at Diversey when we picked up some half marathoners, and then shrunk dramatically as many people can't keep the 10 min pace. Lisa and I need to work on this somehow so we can keep all our people together.

Our distance was shorter than it should've been. We did do Cricket Hill (my group was all for it), but that shouldn't have cut off over half a mile. I think that the 7 mile marker is placed too closely to the 6 mile marker. I'll have to check next time we're down that way in two weeks. Either way, its the longest I've run since the marathon last October.

In good news, my foot made it to 11.63 miles before starting to get sore...maybe this week of PT exercises is helping already???? That's 2.5 more miles than last week before pain settled in.

I was happy with the doctor because when I asked about running, he said "Let pain be your guide!" Whohooo that's my philosophy as well!

Totaldistance: 13.4 mi
Time: 2:13:54
Pace: 10 min/mile

Bike and a run

Visiting the parents...
went on a 12 mile bike ride yesterday, and a five mile run today.

Also doing physical therapy for my foot, which is due to some gluteal problem (not gluteus maximus, but the side gluteal muscle, which is weak for some reason).

Steeplechase!

I awoke this morning in a befuddled state and saw a flash while heading towards the bathroom. I thought it was our Sonicare toothbrush (it flashes like that when charging, though probably not so intense, I suppose)--until I heard the BOOM.

Boo. Huge thunderstorm with sheets of rain. I texted Ken and he said that no, it wasn't cancelled, so off to my run I went, secretly hoping it would be canceled. I'm fine with running in a light rain (its actuallly one of my favorite running conditions), but I don't want to die by lightning strike.

When I arrived, people were walking up with umbrellas, postponing the inevitable. I thought it was funny. I had considered taking mine, but guess what folks, we're going to get wet! Got my new shoes, which was a good thing.

So my little group of 10 or so took off for our 12 mile jaunt. It really was a pleasant run, amongst the sudden downpours between steady rain for the whole run. We were leaping puddles (hence the steeplechase) even after our feet were soaked. I think its psychological. You don't want to step fully down into the puddle. After all, my feet were soaked but not SQUOOSHY...a new marketing term for Nike rain running...SQUOOSH! Jessica and I, in our white pace leader shirts, as well as a bunch of our fellow runner girls, also in white shirts (at least they had a choice, we didn't...) were all soaked to the bone in some perverse wet t-shirt contest. Jessica had said I should name this entry the titty titty run due to all the nippin out, but that may have brought some undesireables to read the blog. They might get off on thrusters as well...

My foot didn't hurt until after 9 miles, which is good, I guess. I just need PT hopefully.

Distance: 12 miles
Time: 1hr 59 min 19 sec

How's that for an almost dead on 10 minute pace?

I finally made the appt...

To see a Dr about my plantar fascitis. On Monday.

I am so stubborn, but I hate it when my foot hurts!! My biggest fear is being told not to run. Now I know all you naysayers are saying "Well if you don't go to the doctor, you could hurt yourself more permanently". DUH! I know this! I didn't say my stubborness is rational!

Now I sound like Katie, having a conversation with myself. :)

Holy Hell

I've been slacking in the Crossfit department. There is NO excuse. This seems to be a theme in my posting lately.

Back in town from my field geology trip (aka my 7 am till 10 pm job for the past 20 days). It was hard enough to fit in enough runs to ensure I'm training for a marathon, so CF got the boot. I was actually home on Monday, but spent the past 3 days doing JS.

I paid for it today.

AMRAP in 15 min
15 pushups
12 bench dips
9 push press 24lbs

I hit a "glorious" 5 rounds. And my arms feel like they're on fire. It is what I deserve, nothing less! Gotta get back someday. I was feeling the call of CF. It really likes to haunt you.

A training run tonight. It is a good thing the Yucatan was mid-90's with extreme humidity so I'm all ready for that.

On track with WOD

5 rounds timed:

12 shoulder press (round 1 35 lbs, round 2-4 24 lbs)
12 back extensions (on a stability ball)

Time: 9:41

XT: 30 min bike and softball tonight

My PF is aggrevated today. I am trying the trigger point foot baller: www.tptherapy.com

I have heard good things about it from fellow runners and one of the running store guys worked it for me last night and it hurt so good.

Yeah crossfit! and a 5 mile jog

So I ended up biking around yesterday and doing errands, followed by an emergency garage cleaning because a table broke and spilled stuff all over our cars, so I didn't get the WOD in yesterday nor my run. I figured that was ok since cleaning the garage involved doing cleans, ironically, as I lifted stuff up and over my head to put on shelves. I also gardened, pulled weeds, and planted, so it was an active day.

To make up for yesterdays slacking, I did the big dog version of Mondays workout. It went something like this:

50 sit ups
50 dbl unders (single for me since I am hopelessly uncoordinated)
50 sit ups
50 walking lunges
50 sit ups
50 burpees
50 sit ups

Time: 21:51 The burpees kill my time because I am bad at them and they make me dizzy if I do too many in a row fast.

This evening, I led a 5 mile training run for the 10 min pace group. I am a faster runner than this, so it was somewhat challenging to run slow and keep pace. We did 4 x 200m pickups at what was my normal pace, challenging for my group. It was a lot of fun! Its hard to judge if people are enjoying themselves, but apparently one girl in my group told Michelle (another pacer for 9 min) that she liked having me as a pace leader. Too bad I'm only subbing on Tuesdays! If she comes to Saturday morning runs she will have me then.

Catch up is the name of the game!

When it rains it pours...and I'm not referring to our weather!! I got caught up in the last few weeks of school and de-crossfitted if you will. Not on purpose, I just was up till midnight every night and couldn't get my buttsky out of bed. Like Katie sez, when you say 5 more minutes you've already lost...

That being said, I have been running more with less pain in the foot. Which is good because marathon training starts tomorrow!! I've decided that I am going to CF 3 days per week in the am with running in the pm or vice versa depending on temperature. I believe I will have access to the little gym at my school over the summer. Its somewhat removed from the main building and shouldn't be affected by the construction of the summer.

So to summarize, the summer program will be running on M, T, Th, F, Sat. Crossfit M, W, F. Maybe some swimming or biking on Wed as well. Sundays are fundays. I am also going to do this darn eating right for real because I will have time to cook and relax. Summer should be funnnn!!

Since the last post I have done few cf things (sorry, dedicated ones), but I have run another race: Walleye Weekend! I did 5 miles in 44:17. It was VERY hot and humid and I wanted to run sub 45, so I guess I met my goal. I could've done better without the injury as I was running closer to 42 this winter. The heat is good training for Mexico weather though. Going to do some serious training there!