Untitled by anjil1206 at Garmin Connect - Details
Ran my four from the bank and back today. Felt hard but my time was good.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Fear of an Eight Mile Run
Do you ever worry about something only for it to turn out no big deal? Do you do it over and over? Me too. Here’s another example.
Last week on my four mile run I was feeling so tired and slow and heavy. I was so worried about having to run twice that distance with the team on Saturday. Also, I knew our weekend runs are always more hilly than my neighborhood runs. So I really wondered how I was going to run 8 hilly miles when 4 flat miles just kicked my butt.
But I remembered last season and how the Saturday runs were always challenging and always doable. I never cut a Saturday run short; even the hills. Also, I reminded myself that I have completed several endurance events. It’s not like I don’t know what to do. So I told myself to calm the hell down and went to sleep Friday night.
Saturday morning I was up and running. :) The route was hilly but they were the fun rollers that I like. “Fun” not because they were easy, but because they were challenging yet gave you a treat of a downhill piece after you worked your way up to the top.
On the scariest hill, I was really psyching myself up. “You can do this! You’re not going to stop. You can pass out at the top. But your going to run the whole thing.”
Just as I stepped foot on the bottom of the hill, I heard “Go Jill! Go! Jack and Jill went up the hill!”
It was our campaign manager Barb. She had snuck up on me and was several yards behind.
I yelled back at her, “Where the hell is Jack now????”
“He’s on the couch!” she yelled back.
“Lazy bastard.” I thought.
But knowing Barb was behind me, I definitely wasn’t going to stop and let her see me wimp on a hill!
I made it to the top by the skin of my teeth! I was really sucking air! I wasn’t feeling dizzy . But I had to stop at the top to catch my breath. I looked at my Garmin to see what my heart rate was. It had to be way up there!!! But all I saw in the heart rate field was a big X.
“OMG!” I thought, “Does that mean I’m dead?!” I checked. All observations indicated I still existed on the physical plane.
I made sure my HR strap was still in place. It was. I checked my Garmin to verify all other functions were working properly. They were. So I concluded the HR monitor function went out. Well, I’ve had my Garmin for several years. I wasn’t too disappointed in the prospect of buying the latest model. So I shrugged it off and kept running.
I had been tired the whole run! But you don’t get ready to run a marathon by taking naps! :) So I worked my way through the course run/walking my 9:1 ratio. When I was about half a mile out, I checked my Garmin to see if I was going to make my goal time.
Lo and behold I noticed my HR was displaying 171. Huh. The HR monitor was working after all. This made me think I had maxed out the HR on the Garmin! Holy cow!
My heart rate has been naturally high for as long as I’ve been tracking it. I even went to my doctor a few months ago and showed him my stats from the last few years. He saw how I often when over 200 on my HR. He didn’t freak out or anything. He said, “What matters is how fast you are recovering. Do you notice how fast your HR recovers?”
“Um I guess.” I never really thought about it. Which, to me, means it must be recovering quickly. If it wasn’t I would know! I usually don’t need to walk too far or even stop after a big exertion like that to get my breath back. So, that means my recovery time is good.
My doctor ended the conversation with, “It’s just fine. In fact, I wish I could do what you do!”
So, I couldn’t wait to get home to see what the graphs on the Garmin site would tell me about my heart rate from that hill climb. The Garmin chart only went up to 248. And as expected, when I compared the HR graph to the hill profile you can clearly see my HR go off the chart at the top of that hill!! I maxed out my Garmin!!
Wow! I am amazed at how much my body can do. My heart can pump that fast for an extended period of time and not give out. I don’t even get dizzy. Imagine the amount of oxygen my body must be moving in those hard efforts!
It’s not that it feels easy. But the fact that my heart can beat fast enough and long enough to get me up those hard hills and across the long courses amazes me. I keep telling my husband, “If you hear me say anything negative about my body, tell me to shut up!”
I mean really! I may not be tall and skinny but dang I am a healthy chick! I’m sure I could out run all those model with the low BMIs that are half my age. I would rather be a short, thick marathon runner than a tall, skinny person who gets out of breath walking up a flight of stairs.
Am I alone in this opinion? I’m curious. What would you choose if you could either be a tall, skinny model-type (while still eating anything you wanted) but have no strength or cardio fitness or be five foot-nothing and let’s say 150 pounds but had enough strength and cardio fitness for any activity, sport or hobby you pursued. What would you choose?
Last week on my four mile run I was feeling so tired and slow and heavy. I was so worried about having to run twice that distance with the team on Saturday. Also, I knew our weekend runs are always more hilly than my neighborhood runs. So I really wondered how I was going to run 8 hilly miles when 4 flat miles just kicked my butt.
But I remembered last season and how the Saturday runs were always challenging and always doable. I never cut a Saturday run short; even the hills. Also, I reminded myself that I have completed several endurance events. It’s not like I don’t know what to do. So I told myself to calm the hell down and went to sleep Friday night.
Saturday morning I was up and running. :) The route was hilly but they were the fun rollers that I like. “Fun” not because they were easy, but because they were challenging yet gave you a treat of a downhill piece after you worked your way up to the top.
On the scariest hill, I was really psyching myself up. “You can do this! You’re not going to stop. You can pass out at the top. But your going to run the whole thing.”
Just as I stepped foot on the bottom of the hill, I heard “Go Jill! Go! Jack and Jill went up the hill!”
It was our campaign manager Barb. She had snuck up on me and was several yards behind.
I yelled back at her, “Where the hell is Jack now????”
“He’s on the couch!” she yelled back.
“Lazy bastard.” I thought.
But knowing Barb was behind me, I definitely wasn’t going to stop and let her see me wimp on a hill!
I made it to the top by the skin of my teeth! I was really sucking air! I wasn’t feeling dizzy . But I had to stop at the top to catch my breath. I looked at my Garmin to see what my heart rate was. It had to be way up there!!! But all I saw in the heart rate field was a big X.
“OMG!” I thought, “Does that mean I’m dead?!” I checked. All observations indicated I still existed on the physical plane.
I made sure my HR strap was still in place. It was. I checked my Garmin to verify all other functions were working properly. They were. So I concluded the HR monitor function went out. Well, I’ve had my Garmin for several years. I wasn’t too disappointed in the prospect of buying the latest model. So I shrugged it off and kept running.
I had been tired the whole run! But you don’t get ready to run a marathon by taking naps! :) So I worked my way through the course run/walking my 9:1 ratio. When I was about half a mile out, I checked my Garmin to see if I was going to make my goal time.
Lo and behold I noticed my HR was displaying 171. Huh. The HR monitor was working after all. This made me think I had maxed out the HR on the Garmin! Holy cow!
My heart rate has been naturally high for as long as I’ve been tracking it. I even went to my doctor a few months ago and showed him my stats from the last few years. He saw how I often when over 200 on my HR. He didn’t freak out or anything. He said, “What matters is how fast you are recovering. Do you notice how fast your HR recovers?”
“Um I guess.” I never really thought about it. Which, to me, means it must be recovering quickly. If it wasn’t I would know! I usually don’t need to walk too far or even stop after a big exertion like that to get my breath back. So, that means my recovery time is good.
My doctor ended the conversation with, “It’s just fine. In fact, I wish I could do what you do!”
So, I couldn’t wait to get home to see what the graphs on the Garmin site would tell me about my heart rate from that hill climb. The Garmin chart only went up to 248. And as expected, when I compared the HR graph to the hill profile you can clearly see my HR go off the chart at the top of that hill!! I maxed out my Garmin!!
Wow! I am amazed at how much my body can do. My heart can pump that fast for an extended period of time and not give out. I don’t even get dizzy. Imagine the amount of oxygen my body must be moving in those hard efforts!
It’s not that it feels easy. But the fact that my heart can beat fast enough and long enough to get me up those hard hills and across the long courses amazes me. I keep telling my husband, “If you hear me say anything negative about my body, tell me to shut up!”
I mean really! I may not be tall and skinny but dang I am a healthy chick! I’m sure I could out run all those model with the low BMIs that are half my age. I would rather be a short, thick marathon runner than a tall, skinny person who gets out of breath walking up a flight of stairs.
Am I alone in this opinion? I’m curious. What would you choose if you could either be a tall, skinny model-type (while still eating anything you wanted) but have no strength or cardio fitness or be five foot-nothing and let’s say 150 pounds but had enough strength and cardio fitness for any activity, sport or hobby you pursued. What would you choose?
Monday, June 27, 2011
June Book Review
I wasn’t sure about this book when I started it. But I quickly gained interest. The characters are interesting and the plot lines move at a nice pace. I liked how it ended though I wouldn’t have minded if the sadistic professor got a little more of what he had coming to him!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Eight With The Team by anjil1206 at Garmin Connect - Details
Eight With The Team by anjil1206 at Garmin Connect - Details
Hilly route! Wanted to finish it in under 2 hours and I did! :) I maxed out the HR on the Garmin on the biggest hill! Holy Cow!
I think my previous hill training sessions are paying off! :)
Hilly route! Wanted to finish it in under 2 hours and I did! :) I maxed out the HR on the Garmin on the biggest hill! Holy Cow!
I think my previous hill training sessions are paying off! :)
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Hill Training #2 by anjil1206 at Garmin Connect - Details
Hill Training #2 by anjil1206 at Garmin Connect - Details
Back to hill training at Pt. Sal. It was hard! I felt a lot slower this time around. Turned out I was. I checked the stats from my last time at Pt. Sal and I was a full minute slower tonight. Oh well. I still did it. And I went farther this time than I did last. Yeah!
Back to hill training at Pt. Sal. It was hard! I felt a lot slower this time around. Turned out I was. I checked the stats from my last time at Pt. Sal and I was a full minute slower tonight. Oh well. I still did it. And I went farther this time than I did last. Yeah!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Fast Four!
Untitled by anjil1206 at Garmin Connect - Details
I ran four miles with Team In Training. I was tired but ended up with a fast pace (for me). :) (Click the link above to see the stats).
I ran four miles with Team In Training. I was tired but ended up with a fast pace (for me). :) (Click the link above to see the stats).
Sunday, June 12, 2011
7 Miles With the Team
Untitled by anjil1206 at Garmin Connect - Details
Ran seven miles with Team In Training in Atascadero yesterday. The course had nice rollers that challenged me. But I handled pretty well. My pace was good. I ended up with a sub 14:00 average moving pace even with the hills. That is good for me. Especially this early in the season! :) (Click the link above to see the route and stats).
I love rollers because when you go up a hill you get to recover on a downhill piece. I knew the course was an out and back so every downhill piece would be an uphill piece on the way back. On the way down a long piece, I realized it was going to be a bear of an uphill on the way back. So I looked across the road at the side that I would be running back up and said out loud, "I'll be back for you! You wait here I'll be back to do you soon!"
This is why I don't mind running solo. I imagine people would think me odd to see me talking to the road. But that's what I do. I will talk to myself, the cancer patients I run for, the road, a tree along the route. Whatever. Speaking out loud is motivating for me. Don't worry, I do understand these are inanimate objects and they never talk back. Well, usually. If they ever do talk back, I know I am working too hard and I slow down. :)
So on the way back, I saw that bear of a piece looming in front of me. "I'm baaaaaack!"I said as I stepped onto the base of the hill and began pounding my way up. I did my best with my posture, pumping my arms, and breathing right. I did pretty well, but half way up I felt the hill winning. I did my best but I had to stop and walk a few steps. As soon as I could, I started running again to the top. In my book, if I can't get up a hill without walking then the hill wins. So that hill got me. But I only walked a few steps and kept going. So it's not like it won 50 - 2. It only won 50 - 49. Not bad. Besides, we'll be back another day and I'm confident that hill is going down next time! :)
I'm working hard to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. These funds are used for research into better treatments for cancer as well as important patient support programs. I sure hope you can make a donation! It keeps me motivated to know I am helping an important cause. You can help by donating.
I run; you donate. Deal?
Please click the "Donate Here" link in the top right corner of my blog. Thank you so much!
Ran seven miles with Team In Training in Atascadero yesterday. The course had nice rollers that challenged me. But I handled pretty well. My pace was good. I ended up with a sub 14:00 average moving pace even with the hills. That is good for me. Especially this early in the season! :) (Click the link above to see the route and stats).
I love rollers because when you go up a hill you get to recover on a downhill piece. I knew the course was an out and back so every downhill piece would be an uphill piece on the way back. On the way down a long piece, I realized it was going to be a bear of an uphill on the way back. So I looked across the road at the side that I would be running back up and said out loud, "I'll be back for you! You wait here I'll be back to do you soon!"
This is why I don't mind running solo. I imagine people would think me odd to see me talking to the road. But that's what I do. I will talk to myself, the cancer patients I run for, the road, a tree along the route. Whatever. Speaking out loud is motivating for me. Don't worry, I do understand these are inanimate objects and they never talk back. Well, usually. If they ever do talk back, I know I am working too hard and I slow down. :)
So on the way back, I saw that bear of a piece looming in front of me. "I'm baaaaaack!"I said as I stepped onto the base of the hill and began pounding my way up. I did my best with my posture, pumping my arms, and breathing right. I did pretty well, but half way up I felt the hill winning. I did my best but I had to stop and walk a few steps. As soon as I could, I started running again to the top. In my book, if I can't get up a hill without walking then the hill wins. So that hill got me. But I only walked a few steps and kept going. So it's not like it won 50 - 2. It only won 50 - 49. Not bad. Besides, we'll be back another day and I'm confident that hill is going down next time! :)
I'm working hard to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. These funds are used for research into better treatments for cancer as well as important patient support programs. I sure hope you can make a donation! It keeps me motivated to know I am helping an important cause. You can help by donating.
I run; you donate. Deal?
Please click the "Donate Here" link in the top right corner of my blog. Thank you so much!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
First Run After Breaking My Thumb
Untitled by anjil1206 at Garmin Connect - Details
Kris ran with Heather today. So I was free to run on my own. I ran in the park near work. It was my first run in a week.
My bronchitis was still lingering and I wondered if I should take a break from running and see if that helped. But wasn't sure I should in case it didn't help. But then I broke my thumb. So that sealed the deal. Running makes your blood pump hard which hurts where your injury is. So I knew I was taking some time off. It came at a good time because we're going through a conversion at work which means you work 12 - 14 hr days for days on end. Which wreaks havoc with my training schedule anyway. Plus, we didn't have team training this Saturday. So I wouldn't even miss a team run if I took the time.
So all the powers of the universe was aligned to have me take a week off running. So I did. And today I felt great!! My bronchitis is much better and I felt strong on the run tonight. Yeah! Rest is good!
Kris ran with Heather today. So I was free to run on my own. I ran in the park near work. It was my first run in a week.
My bronchitis was still lingering and I wondered if I should take a break from running and see if that helped. But wasn't sure I should in case it didn't help. But then I broke my thumb. So that sealed the deal. Running makes your blood pump hard which hurts where your injury is. So I knew I was taking some time off. It came at a good time because we're going through a conversion at work which means you work 12 - 14 hr days for days on end. Which wreaks havoc with my training schedule anyway. Plus, we didn't have team training this Saturday. So I wouldn't even miss a team run if I took the time.
So all the powers of the universe was aligned to have me take a week off running. So I did. And today I felt great!! My bronchitis is much better and I felt strong on the run tonight. Yeah! Rest is good!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
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