Comments (8)

By kilax, March 8, 2018 6:27 am

• I finished Into the Wild, then rewatched the movie version of it this week (I wrote about the movie when I first watched it – my thoughts in that post are still true!). I enjoyed the book, and took a quick break after reading it to read the fiction book Friendship, then started The Wild Truth last night. I can already tell The Wild Truth is going to give a lot more insight in to the McCandless childrens’ actual relationship with their parents.
• I did a quick day trip to Cincinnati yesterday, for work. I was with coworkers I like, but man, being around the same people all day and not getting any time to myself is VERY challenging for me. Situations like that don’t help this feeling! I found myself cherishing alone time in the bathroom, and being excited when they all went to the Pre✓ line in the airport and I stood in regular security “by myself.” I’ll be traveling more for work (my team now inspects some of the new furniture installations in our six state region, although, yesterday’s meeting was for a construction project) so I’ll likely get Pre✓ soon.
• I got myself a treat at the airport (and used a Starbucks giftcard from my snis)! I typically only get Starbucks mugs for places I’ve been to, and I’ve been to Kentucky so many times for work. It’s not a state in my region, but I’ve flown there to get to Indiana and Ohio, and spent time there.

• Ha. Xaarlin specifically wrote a comment on my Sunday training post to be careful NOT to give myself frostbite while icing my leg, and what did I do that exact night?! Doh.

• DST starts this Sunday! I wish we’d just stay on it the whole year. Losing that hour of sleep messes me up for more than a week to come! Prepare for more withdrawn, quiet Kim!

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 170

Comments (4)

By kilax, March 4, 2018 5:14 pm

Highlight of the Week: Running all the miles! / actually doing a tempo!

Monday | February 26, 2018: 7 m run + teaching strength class
Loc: VP Woods Loop, Temp: 48°/50°, Time: 1:08:52, Pace: 9:50 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, annoyed with the wind
Strength: plate circuit + oversized medicine balls, Difficulty: easy, Felt: annoyed
Tuesday | February 27, 2018: 10 m run
Loc: DPRT/Kilbourne Loop, Temp: 61°/59°, Time: 1:38:07, Pace: 9:48 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great
Wednesday | February 28, 2018: rest
Thursday | March 1, 2018: 4 m run
Loc: hood, Temp: 43°/43°, Time: 37:36, Pace: 9:23 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great
Friday | March 2, 2018: teaching strength class + 1,134 swim + 6.5 m run (incl. 10×400) + 15 m ride
Strength: plates and oversized medicine balls, Difficulty: easy/medium (sore leg), Felt: good
Loc: FitNation, Time: 25:18, Pace: 2:14 min/100 yd, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: hood, Temp: 43°/42°, Time: 59:11, Pace: 9:06 avg, Difficulty: easy/medium, Felt: great, like the wind was hitting me from all directions
Indoor Ride Time: 56:04, Pace: 16.1 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: bored
Saturday | March 3, 2018: 10 m run + teaching fitness boxing
Loc: DPRT/Kilbourne Loop, Temp: 33°/35°, Time: 1:42:27, Pace: 10:14 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: a bit tired!
Strength: Core/Cardio & Boxing, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great
Sunday | March 4, 2018: 13 m run (incl. tempo 2×1.5) + 12 m ride + 20 min walk (w/Steven)
Loc: Lake Andrea/Outlet Mall Loop, Temp: 35°/37°, Time: 2:02:19, Pace: 9:24 avg, Difficulty: mostly easy, Felt: great (even with the wind!)
Indoor Ride Time: 45:58, Pace: 15.7 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: SO HUNGRY OMFG

Notes:

• Some soreness developed in the area between my left knee and shin on Friday last week. I think it was caused by running on worn down shoes. I’m running on newer shoes only and monitoring it! (I’m also icing it, doing some heat treatment, and wearing a sleeve, at times.)
• On Monday I normally run hills, but I skipped them this week due to running a hilly race the day before. I still run routes with hills Monday, Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday though!
• During speedwork on Friday, a guy drove by in his truck with the window down, cheering me on. I later came across him again, and he cheered me on, then stopped so I chatted with him for a bit. He was super nice, and his encouragement helped me finish out my speedwork (I had been planning to stop at eight repeats but went to ten).
• I actually did a tempo run this week, woo hoo – two sets of 1.5 mile intervals right at 7:40 pace. I had been planning on doing them at 8:00 pace, but 7:40 felt great – probably because of wind assistance!
• This week was my highest weekly mileage of the year so far! I feel really good running this amount. Happy and healthy.
• Monthly recap time! In February I ran 166.9 miles (26 runs), cycled 99 miles (7 indoor rides) and swam 3,826 yards (4 swims). My coldest run was 12°F and my warmest was 61°F. I did 3 hill sessions and 4 speed sessions. I ran one race – the Frosty Footrace 5K. I taught 6 strength classes, 3 fitness boxing classes, and 1 indoor cycling class. I did 2 strength workouts at home. I’m planning to run more miles this month, as I get ready for my April 7th 5K.

Link to Training Week 436

Comments (21)

By kilax, February 27, 2018 6:33 am

After all my consternation about the Frosty Footrace, I was back this year. Having it on my calendar in previous years gave me a focus for winter training, and running in the colder temps (30s) is when I excel! I missed training for this 5K last year when it was changed to a “2 mile” untimed “fun” run. I was glad it was changed back to its original 5K course this year.

There definitely were not as many people there as years past though. Seventy-nine people did the 5K, compared to one hundred and sixty-eight in 2016. It felt sparse on the course. I was behind two people for the first two miles, but after I passed them, I spent the last mile with no one in my sights. And I am not that speedy! Usually there’d be more people in front of me. I wonder how next year will go.

We got to the race around 10:15 and easily did race day registration. One of the race organizers came up to me and asked if I was Kim, and thanked me for coming back. I thought that was nice! And I hope I didn’t come off as über b*tchy last year when I expressed my disappointment in the “two” mile race format.

I like the bag they handed out this year, and appreciate that they don’t do a shirt every year (in the past they’ve done buffs and hats).

Anne and I did a one mile warm up with a few strides. We also assessed the wind conditions to strategize for the race. We had constant 17mph winds from the WSW with 31 mph gusts (it was 37° when we started and 39° when we finished). Wheeeeeeeeeee! Ha. The race is somewhat of a loop, so we’d have the winds in our face to start, and in parts of the second and third mile, but at our back coming in for the last .4 miles, which was encouraging!

We timed our warmup well to finish it, go to the bathroom one more time, and head to the start!

Me, Ricky, and Anne, all representing Efit (where I teach strength classes)

I felt great at the start and my pace felt manageable and easy. I was actually somewhat glad that the wind and hills in the start kept me from going out too fast. My first mile was 7:15 (I was predicting my average pace would be between 7:20-7:30).

snapshot from two years ago, but same elevation

I passed one male in the beginning of the second mile (the first place female was way ahead of me – she comes every year and wins overall) and enjoyed the downhill portion of the race. I was shocked my second mile was not slower – it was 7:14!

And then the pain starts. Ha. Right after mile two (after I passed one more guy), there’s a gradual incline that just burns (see elevation chart above). Steven is always at the start of this incline and I try to look smiley and happy, but the pain starts to show!

My pace dropped as I ran up that hill, which is typical, but annoying. I didn’t want to have wildly positive splits! So I rallied back after I got up the hill, and picked it back up, especially since part of the finish was a downhill with the wind at my back. My third mile was 7:36, and I finished the last .16 (oops) at a 6:43 pace.

My overall time was 23:08, with an average pace of 7:28 <— right where I thought I’d be!

This year is my third fastest time on the course

Even though that is quite off of my PR (from this course) of 21:45, I feel confident about how 5K training is going. This is a tough course, with the inclines (and always with the wind) and I know I could have run faster on a flatter course. We shall see what the next six weeks of training brings!

After the race, I did a 1.5 mile cool down. I ran part of it out on the course with Ricky, to run Anne in and cheer her on. She wanted to get a course PR, but ended up with an overall PR since she started running again a few years ago! Amazing! I am proud of her! (I’ve been coaching her.)

Anne joined me for the rest of my cool down when she finished, then we hung out for awards. Because the race was so sparsely attended, I was 1st in my age group, 2nd woman, and 4th overall.

I’m glad I did the race! It was a confidence boost for my 5K training and left me pumped for my next 5K!

Comments (14)

By kilax, February 26, 2018 6:14 am

What a fun weekend we had!

Although, it didn’t quite start out that way for me. I was out of sorts Saturday morning since I wasn’t running long or teaching class (lack of endorphins!). I ran a few errands, and came back feeling dead tired (waking up for an hour in the middle of the night before probably didn’t help). I felt better after I took my planned nap but was still on edge, probably from 5K race nerves. I wasn’t very fun to be around most of Saturday. It was a funky day.

But Anne and Terry arrived early Saturday evening and the fun began! We hung out, then went out for dinner at TJI Fridays (FU Red Robin), where I got an adult beverage (a mojito with cotton candy in it!) that helped my funk. Then we came back and had s’mores and watched the bad movie I rented for us (The Snowman). Watching bad movies together was our thing when we all lived in Lake County (as was brainstorming plot lines for Kevin James movies). We’d get together once a month to do it (sometimes we’d watch a decent movie, ha).

Data and his new bestie

I woke up with a slight headache (oops) but we had plenty of time to sit around until it was time to leave for our 11:00 am 5K. Enough time to get rid of the headache, and have those 5K nerves come back in full force. Gah. Annoying.

But my nerves immediately went away when I started running. I felt in control and at ease, and enjoyed the race. Anne and I both had great races and appreciated the boys spectating,

and we ALL appreciated El Famous after. (Although I already had “post fast run upset stomach” and couldn’t eat much, wah.)

During lunch we decided to see if we could go to an escape room that night. All of us had heard of them, and were curious, but none of us had been. Terry found one in Zion (Edge of Escape), and we made a reservation to go in the early evening (after we finished The Snowman <— priorities).

The only thing I knew about escape rooms it that you have an hour to solve the clues and get out. I didn’t know that most have a maximum amount of people to go in the room, and that you might be “escaping” with people you don’t know (our room had a max of eight, but it was just the four of us). I didn’t know there were so many places, and plots (at some places) to choose from. I didn’t know it was kind of costly ($30 a person, we didn’t see any Groupons), but after going, I understand why. And I had heard how fun they were, but of course, didn’t get it until I did it!

Will we make it out?!

Edge of Escape was created by the same person who’s been running The Dungeon of Doom (an elaborate haunted house in Zion) for thirty-one years. I’ve never been to the haunted house, but now that I’ve seen how meticulously detailed and neat the escape room is, I want to go to the haunted house. I could not get over how cool everything was from the entrance,

to the waiting area, to, of course, the escape room itself.

Our “escape” was actually helping rescue someone who was stuck in time travel. His friend turned foe trapped him in the 1400s and we had to use clues to get a piece of equipment back to him to get home (and stop the foe from changing history as we know it!!!). When I imagined an escape room in my mind, I thought it would all be logic puzzle solving for some reason, but there was only a little of that. This room was set up so that there were a ton of real effects and different things you had to do and find. Lots of searching for stuff! (And we later found out there were a lot more “puzzles” in there that they do when they have more people in the room.)

We never would have gotten out in time without LOTS of clues from the owner over the microphone, ha! I thought it was challenging, but we enjoyed it, and the owner did an awesome job of maximizing our time in there, but also letting us “solve” it.

And I really thought it was cool that we got to go in the time machine and “travel” back in time and solve clues in another time period, too. It really felt like the time machine was moving, when we were in it (it was between the two rooms).

After we were done the owner showed us all around. We got to see the control room, the new escape rooms he’s building, and even behind the scenes stuff for the haunted house. You could tell he LOVED his job and is passionate about it, which I love seeing. And I was happy we could support a local business. I will definitely be back to try the new rooms when they open!

We had a healthy dinner planned after eating out for dinner and lunch – salads and this:

Ha. Steven’s been wanting to make this vegan pigs in a blanket with chili since he saw it in a Facebook video months ago and we finally did. And it was delicious.

After dinner we only had time to plan out three new Kevin James movie plot lines before calling it a night so Anne and Terry could get up early today to drive back to Cleveland. What a fun day and a half together though! I feel like we totally maximized it! And like we’ll all be tired this week, but what’s new there?

Comments (1)

By kilax, February 25, 2018 10:25 pm

Highlight of the Week: Feeling so great on my runs/having my 5K go as planned!

Monday | February 19, 2018: 15 m run (incl. 5 hill repeats) + teaching strength class
Loc: Lake Andrea/Outlet Mall loop, Temp: 40°/40°, Time: 2:29:37, Pace: 9:58 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great!
Strength: Leberts and dumbbells, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Tuesday | February 20, 2018: 7 m run + 12 m bike
Loc: VP Woods loop, Temp: 53°/51°, Time: 1:06:51, Pace: 9:33 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: awesome!
Indoor Bike Time: 47:02, Pace: 15.3 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Wednesday | February 21, 2018: rest
Thursday | February 22, 2018: 10 m run (incl 6×1:00)
Loc: Dropping off a Redbox at Walmart Loop, Temp: 35°/36°, Time: 1:34:36, Pace: 9:27 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: fantastic
Friday | February 23, 2018: teaching strength class + 1,008 yd swim + 8 m run + massage
Strength: Leberts and dumbbells, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good to stretch out the legs
Loc: FitNation, Time: 22:04, Pace: 2:11 min/100 yd, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, relaxed
Loc: VP Woods Loop, Temp: 41°/42°, Time: 1:19:43, Pace: 9:58 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Saturday | February 24, 2018: 10 m ride + walk (w/Steven)
Indoor Bike Time: 44:48, Pace: 13.4 mph avg, Difficulty: taking it easy, Felt: fine
Sunday | February 25, 2018: 1 m WU (w/Anne) + Frosty Footrace 5K + 1.5 m CD (last .5 w/Anne)
Loc: Round Lake, Temp: 37°/39°, Time: 23:08, Pace: 7:28 avg, Difficulty: medium, Felt: strong!

Notes:

• There’s not much to say about this week – I felt great on all of my runs, and wanted to run more, but needed to rest for my Sunday race. So I did as much running as I could in the beginning of the week!
• Friday was the first time I was brave enough to use my swimming headphones since one got stuck so far in my ear. I was really careful when I took them out, and one wanted to stay in, but I had my fingernail on it, so it came out. Phew!
• My 5K went exactly how I thought it would Sunday (except I thought my final split would be a lot more positive than it was, so it’s good I was wrong there!). I feel like 5K training is on track! I will post more about the race this week!

Link to Training Week 435

Comments (21)

By kilax, February 23, 2018 8:37 am

I’m running a 5K on Sunday to gauge my fitness level, not to set a personal record, but I’m still going to do my 5K Prep List:

1. Get a massage (this afternoon!)

2. Make a race playlist (will do that tomorrow; it will definitely feature “Get It”)

3. Take a nap the day before the race (tomorrow)

4. Don’t run the day before the race (err… this one may be hard… no promises…)

5. Paint my nails (already done last week!)

That’s it! Nice simple list! I’ll check the weather the morning of the race, and pick out my outfit then. It doesn’t start until 11:00 am, so I’ll have time.

Not on the list, because it’s impossible: quell 5K racing nerves. I feel like 5Ks are the hardest distance to race, and it’s the ONLY distance I get nervous energy about!!! AHH!!!!!

Comments (4)

By kilax, February 18, 2018 6:05 pm

Highlight of the Week: All the workouts with Mom and Dad!

Monday | February 12, 2018: 6 m run (incl. 8 hill repeats) + teaching strength class
Loc: hood, Temp: 16°/21°, Time: 58:25, Pace: 9:44 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, glad it was sunny
Strength: Leberts and dumbbells, Difficulty: mostly easy, Felt: good!
Tuesday | February 13, 2018: 20 m ride + 10 m run
Indoor Ride Time: 1:17:08, Pace: 15.6 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, sore butt at the end!
Loc: hood, Temp: 30°/30°, Time: 1:36:44, Pace: 9:40 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great
Wednesday | February 14, 2018: rest
Thursday | February 15, 2018: 10 m run (incl. 12×400) + 1,008 yd swim
Loc: Lake Andrea, Temp: 39°/38°, Time: 1:38:38, Pace: 9:52 avg, Difficulty: medium, Felt: okay! held back by wind and legs (ha)
Loc: FitNation, Time: 19:51, Pace: 1:58 min/100 yd, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, rushed for time
Friday | February 16, 2018: teaching strength class + 5 m run (w/Dad on bike)
Strength: Leberts and dumbbells, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: Lake Andrea, Temp: 31°/31°, Time: 49:45, Pace: 9:56, Difficulty: easy, Felt: decent
Saturday | February 17, 2018: teaching indoor cycling + teaching fitness boxing + 508 yd swim
Loc: Efit, Time: 54:42, Pace: 17.6 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good! surprised I wasn’t sweaty!
Strength: core, cardio, and boxing, Difficulty: easy (mostly observing), Felt: good!
Loc: FitNation, Time: 10:01, Pace: 1:59 min/100 yd avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Sunday | February 18, 2018: 5 m run (w/Dad on bike)
Loc: hood, Temp: 22°/27°, Time: 49:34, Pace: 9:54 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great, warm

Notes:

• Thursday was my last major speed workout before the Frosty Footrace on February 25th. Based on how it went, I’m guessing I’ll average between 7:20-7:30 minute miles for Frosty. And will definitely positive split the course (it’s got some inclines).
• My parents were here Thursday night through Sunday morning and we did all the workouts together! Dad and I had an icy and windy run Friday morning. On Saturday, Dad came to Indoor Cyling, and Mom came to Fitness Boxing. Mom and I swam Saturday afternoon (mostly so we could use the hot tub), and Dad and I had one final run Sunday. I loved working out with them!!!
• I was thinking about doing a double on Sunday because the weather got in to the 40s (!!!) but I was so exhausted from the weekend festivities, I took a nap instead. Ahh.

Link to Training Week 434

Comments (4)

By kilax, February 11, 2018 2:12 pm

Highlight of the Week: Being able to work out at home inside when we got so much snow / feeling great on a lot of runs and not wanting to stop!

Monday | February 5, 2018: 5 m run (incl. 10 hill repeats)
Treadmill Time: 51:52, Pace: 10:22 avg, Difficulty: easy/medium, Felt: fine! anxious to run outside again
Tuesday | February 6, 2018: rest
Wednesday | February 7, 2018: 15 mins strength + 5 m run + 4 m run
Treadmill Time: 49:45, Pace: 9:57 avg, Difficulty: mostly easy, Felt: good
Loc: Chicago Lakefront Trail, Temp: 19°/19°, Time: 38:03, Pace: 9:30 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great! So happy to run outside!
Thursday | February 8, 2018: 10 m run (incl. 6×800, 8×1:00)
Loc: Lake Andrea, Temp: 18°/18°, Time: 1:33:59, Pace: 9:24 avg, Difficulty: easy then medium then easy, Felt: really great
Friday | February 9, 2018: 30 mins strength + 16 m ride + 1.5 m walk + 3 m run
Indoor Ride Time: 57:02, Pace: 16.8 mph avg, Difficulty: mostly easy, Felt: good
Treadmill Time: 30:23, Pace: 10:07, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Saturday | February 10, 2018: 10 m ride + 14 m run
Indoor Ride Time: 41:16, Pace: 14.5 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: Waukegan Field House, Time: 2:25:40, Pace: 10:24 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great
Sunday | February 11, 2018: 1.3 m run + teaching fitness boxing + 3 m run
Loc: hood, Temp: 16°, Time: 13:33, Pace: 10:25  avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, but like I should be snow blowing
Strength: dumbbells (core & cardio), and boxing, Difficulty: easy (mostly observing), Felt: good
Loc: hood, Temp: 19°/20°, Time: 31:32, Pace: 10:30 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good to stretch out my legs
Notes:

• We got snow most days this week! Which altered my workouts, but made me so grateful for our indoor basement gym. I sure am sick of these indoor photos in my weekly training collage though. Ha!
• I did Monday’s hill repeats inside since it was slippery out. I’ve realized easy runs on the treadmill are easy (duh) but speed and hills feel kind of impossible and dangerous (like I will fall off). Eh.
• Class was canceled Monday night due to snow (commute times were tripled that night), and I should have used that time to do a strength workout at home, but I took a wonderful nap instead. Ahh.
• I’m so glad I got to do this week’s speedwork outside. It feels so much easier to me outside, than on the treadmill <— broken record.
• We canceled my Friday 5:00 am class too, due to weather! We got about six inches of snow over night, and weren’t sure how safe the roads would be in the morning. I drive quite a distance to teach, and am grateful my boss had my travel safety as his #1 concern. I hope I get to teach all my classes next week!
• I actually practiced next weekend’s indoor cycling class a week and a day early, on Friday! Yay! Go me! (Last time I did it the day before and that was NOT a good idea.)
• I was actually sore from Friday’s at home strength workout, on Saturday. Also yay!
• I did not intend for Sunday’s “double.” I went out to run, realized we got way more snow than I thought on Saturday night (five inches?), and went back in to snow blow before I left to teach! Then I ran again later to “finish” my run.
• I didn’t get to swim this week. The roads were bad during the time I usually go. Maybe I can double it up next week. But I swim for fun and exercise only, so it’s okay if I don’t.
• I’ve decided to start my weekly tempos after the Frosty Footrace on February 25th.

Link to Training Week 433

Comments (8)

By kilax, February 4, 2018 2:02 pm

Highlight of the Week: Running with Rachel!

Monday | January 29, 2018: 10 m ride + 7 m run + teaching strength class
Indoor Ride Time: 40:18, Pace: 14.9 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, sweaty
Loc: VP Woods Loop, Temp: 23°/21°, Time: 1:07:14, Pace: 9:36 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great
Strength: body bars, Difficulty: easy, except squats, Felt: slap happy, hungry
Tuesday | January 30, 2018: rest
Wednesday | January 31, 2018: 10 m run (incl. 12 hill repeats) + 3 m run
Loc: hood, Temp: 32°/32°, Time: 1:39:39, Pace: 9:58 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, held back by the wind
Loc: Lakefront Trail, Temp: 41°/41°, Time: 28:58, Pace: 9:38 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, annoyed with all the stops!
Thursday | February 1, 2018: 5 m run
Treadmill Time: 49:17, Pace: 9:51 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: surprisingly good on the treadmill!
Friday | February 2, 2018: teaching strength class + 1,302 yd swim + 4 m run + 15 m ride
Strength: body bars, Difficulty: easy (1/2 observing), Felt: good, happy for the distraction
Loc: FitNation, Time: 28:09 Pace: 2:10 min/100 yd, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great, wanted to keep going!
Loc: hood, Temp: 12°/12°, Time: 36:53, Pace: 9:12, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great, glad for the sun
Indoor Ride Time: 56:37, Pace: 15.9 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Saturday | February 3, 2018: 10 m run (w/Rachel)
Loc: Burlington, Temp: 22°/22°, Time: 1:38:29, Pace: 9:51 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great!
Sunday | February 4, 2018: teaching fitness boxing + 4 m run (incl. 4×400)
Strength: boxing and core/cardio, Difficulty: easy (mostly observing), Felt: good
Treadmill Time: 39:47, Pace: 9:56 avg, Difficulty: medium, Felt: fine

Notes:

• Pretty Little Liars was my go-to TV show for indoor cycling for the last year+ and I finished it Monday! It’s time to find a new show to watch!
• Wow, the squats in Monday night class killed my quads. My quads must have been sore from running right before class, or the tempo run the day before. (They’re all better now!)
• I ran a little more than I needed to this week because I was irritated and angry and trying to deal.
• I need to quit pushing my swimming ear buds in so far. I was freaked out Friday when one was stuck deep in my ear. I’m so glad Steven could get it out.
• It was so fun to meet Rachel for a long run and chat away! It’s awesome that our meeting town has so many trails. I hope we can meet again next month!
• I felt really good having my fitness boxing workout planned a week in advance, for once. But as I was teaching, I realized I should have reviewed it right before, and especially reviewed the playlist, since there were song cues. Lesson learned!
• I didn’t do my speedwork on Thursday because I didn’t have the emotional energy for it. I decided to save it for Sunday, then realized later I was supposed to do a tempo that day. Dammit, no tempo this week. Oh well! And I cut a lot of my speedwork out – four 400s instead of ten! Ha! Another lesson learned – avoid speedwork on the treadmill. I felt out of control, like I was going to fly off, and it scared me (which is funny – my Thursday treadmill run went so well). (I ran inside because it was snowing, and I didn’t want to run outside and slip, or drive to the track to run because the roads were bad. )
• It’s monthly recap time. In January I ran 181.8 miles (27 runs, more miles than any month last year), cycled 150.5 miles (11 indoor rides) and swam 4,704 yards (4 swims). My coldest run was 12°F and my warmest was 64°F. I did 5 hill sessions and 5 speed sessions. I ran one race – the Snowshoe Scurry 5K Race #2. I taught 7 strength classes, 2 fitness boxing classes, and 1 indoor cycling class. I did 2 strength workouts at home.

Link to Training Week 432

Comments (10)

By kilax, January 30, 2018 6:30 am

The 2018 RAGBRAI route was announced Saturday night!

I’m glad the route is not going through the far south side of the state. My family lives north of Highway 20 and going far south gets logistically tricky with finding a place to stay, getting to the start, getting all the cars to the finish, and getting to Guttenberg (for vacation!!!) when we’re done.

Not to say it’s NOT going to be logistically tricky to figure out! It still will be. I’ve been trying to think about it, but haven’t wrapped my head around it yet. It’s logistically similar to what we did in 2016, so I wonder if we’ll have to repeat that. Things to think about. Anyway.

The plan is to do Day 7, on Saturday July 28th, from Iowa City to Davenport. I know that Dad and (bestie) Gina are in, and Gina said (her husband) Steve is interested too. Yay! Will (BiL) Andrew be back this year? How about (BiL) Will?! I will make sure to harass them and find out. Ha.

Something exciting about the course this year is that it goes through my college town, Ames. I would LOVE to figure out a way to ride the Wednesday route that leaves out of there. Then ride Saturday as well. I am sure I could convince Dad to do that. And maybe even Andrew (since he is an ISU alum as well)!

Time to plan!

Past RAGBRAI posts:

• 2017, Day 7 Waukon to Lansing
• 2016, Day 7 Washington to Muscatine
• 2015, Day 4 Cedar Falls to Eldora, Day 5 Cedar Falls to Hiawatha
• 2014, Day 7 Independence to Guttenberg