Running + Training

By kilax, September 26, 2016 6:23 am

(again)

The two races I’ve been running each year since 2009 – the Frosty Footrace 5K and the Wisconsin Half Marathon – both decided to change their courses for 2017*. The Frosty course is a completely new location, and the Wisconsin course is in the same area, but tweaked. I am hoping the Frosty course won’t be as hilly, and that the Wisconsin course won’t have as many potholes. We shall see!

These are also the only two races I’ve done this year (I am signed up for one more race – a 5K in October)! It’s kind of nuts for me to be this far in to the year and to have only done two races. A few people have asked me if I am burned out on racing and running. I’m not, actually! I just don’t want to commit my time and money to doing races now, with all the house stuff we have going on. That’s it! Maybe my racing will ramp back up next year or in a few years… or around Thanksgiving when I get the racing bug. But I know I’ll be doing these two races for sure, next year – I already registered for the Wisconsin Half**!

*Thanks to Anne for the heads up re: the Frosty course changing!
**The past few years I’ve gotten a free entry to this race for getting ten people to use a $5 off code I had for the race. I am not doing that this year. It became too stressful because there were eventually so many codes out there that the people who’d normally use mine weren’t anymore.

Running + Training

By kilax, September 25, 2016 5:47 pm

Highlight of the Week: Building my freestyle swimming endurance.

Monday | September 19, 2016: 1,365 yd swim + 3 m run + 5 m run + teaching strength class
Loc: FitNation, Time: 37:59, Pace:  2:36 min/100 yd avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: Gurnee, Temp: 63°/63°, Time: 29:01, Pace: 9:39 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: hood, Temp: 82°/84°, Time: 48:48, Pace: 9:45 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, hot, but what’s new?
Strength: Lebert Equalizer and Kettlbells, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Tuesday | September 20, 2016: rest
Wednesday | September 21, 2016: 13.5 m ride + 5 m run
Indoor Ride Time: 49:58, Pace: 16.2 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: Van Patten Woods, Temp: 73°/73°, Time: 49:07, Pace: 9:49 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Thursday | September 22, 2016: 5 m run (incl. 8×400)
Loc: hood, Temp: 72°/72°, Time: 47:51, Pace: 9:34 avg, Difficulty: hard, Felt: a bit like death
Friday | September 23, 2016: teaching strength class + 1,197 yd swim + 4 m run
Strength: body bars and soft balls, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: FitNation, Time: 33:11, Pace: 2:17 min/100 yd avg, Difficulty: easy, minus inhaling water a few times, Felt: great
Loc: Raven Glen FP, Temp: 69°/69°, Time: 40:01, Pace: 10:00 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: physically fine, but stomach hurt from lunch
Saturday | September 24, 2016: 6 m run + teaching fitness boxing
Loc: hood, Temp: 64°/65°, Time: 57:26, Pace: 9:34 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great, minus last mile (bathroom ish)
Strength: boxing and core, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great
Sunday | September 25, 2016: 14 m run (last mile w/Bobbi!)
Loc: DPRT, Temp: 65°/69°, Time: 2:35:08, Pace: 11:05 avg, Difficulty: medium, Felt: okay, but worn out

Notes:

• Swimming was such a wonderful, calming way to start the week. That would be a great habit to get in to. I have been working on my freestyle swimming endurance and it’s going pretty well when I remember to go SLOW. And not try to inhale air when I am under water.
• It was horribly muggy for my speedwork on Thursday. How appropriate for the first day of fall. Blah!
• I typically run from my front door to save time, but lately I’ve been driving to trails to run once or twice a week. The runs from the house are getting a bit old, and I’ll be running those routes all winter when the trails are covered in snow – I should be running the trails now!
• We had another fun fitness boxing class with great energy from the students! I love teaching that class. Although, man, I was SORE from it. We had an uneven amount of students which means I paired up using the target mitts and pad and I can ALWAYS feel that the next day! It definitely affected me on my long run.
• I ran in to Bobbi at the last mile of my long run! I saw her car when I parked at the trail but figured there was little chance I’d see her, so it was a really nice surprise!

Link to Training Week 361

House

By kilax, September 24, 2016 1:02 pm

I’ve had the urge lately to decorate. But all my decorations are still in storage. And I only have winter holiday decorations. And I am not good at decorating. Ha.

So I picked this up today:

Boom, decorations, done!

Ha ha.

In all seriousness, I am excited to get a few things over the years as we live here and REALLY decorate. But this will do for now!

Running + Training

By kilax, September 23, 2016 8:45 am

Is the sunglasses tan. Sigh.

This isn’t even from running!

It’s from wearing my regular sunglasses while playing with my nephews in a bounce house over Labor Day weekend. Gah! Hopefully it goes away soon. I’ve had it for a few weeks now (and running mostly midday, wearing shades, probably doesn’t help it go away).

Remember my rant about Runner’s World and their stupid swish and spit advice? Here it is, again, in the October issue, as a way to “perk up” when you “hit the wall” during a run.

Seriously. Did whatever study make them want to continually give this advice say that your brain would not notice the presence of carbs and “perk up” if you swallow the beverage? Is anyone actually doing this?! It blows my mind to see this tip in their magazine over and over and over.

Knitting, Life

By kilax, September 22, 2016 6:58 am

• My baby is at the vet today to get his teeth cleaned. I’m always nervous when they have to put him under! I will anxiously be awaiting the call to come pick him up!

• CK is visiting the house a few times a day now! She even got close to me yesterday! We’ve been assuming she is stray, because we can’t imagine letting a cat roam free here with the coyotes and cars… but who knows. She looks healthy, so maybe she is someone’s cat?

• That knitting project I was having a few issues with (because I am not paying close enough attention, honestly – I’ve learned that now!) is going to be a baby blanket for my snister. It’s a beautiful chevron pattern. I can’t wait to see it finished! I’m loving working on it, despite the few hiccups (and my freakouts over those are me just wanting it to be perfect for my snis!). And I definitely feel grateful to have the time to sit down and knit!!!

• I’ve only worked for the federal government under one administration (well, I started with a month left of Bush), and am really curious how things will change next January!

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 108

Knitting, Life

By kilax, September 21, 2016 6:29 am

I must be in a bit of a funk this week, because all the small things are making me stabby. Small things like when you put something somewhere and it immediately falls on the ground. STAB. Small things like feeling cramped on Metra and having people bump in to you. STAB. Small things like not being able to figure out how to fix one stitch (ONE!!!) then spending two hours trying to figure it out*. STAB STAB STAB. Sigh. Knitting is supposed to relax me. What the eff is my problem this week?!

Get a grip, Kim.

*I finally reached out to the pro and mostly fixed it, but have no idea how I effed it up, sigh.

Running + Training

By kilax, September 20, 2016 6:21 am

I’m so excited about Gina running the Chicago Marathon this year. I love hearing about her training (and doing some runs with her!), planning for their trip out here, getting ready to spectate, anticipating going to the expo, talking about what we are going to eat before and after the race… I can’t wait!

This will be the first time I’ve participated in Chicago Marathon activities since I ran it in 2010, and I am happy to be on the spectating side! Now, if we could get some actual fall weather going on for this race… Surely, the temperature could drop in the next eighteen days, right?!

House

By kilax, September 19, 2016 6:27 am

New Rug!

Our old neighbors graciously let us use their rug at the rental house and at our new home – that’s almost ten months we had it! Time to give it back! We found a rug on rugsusa.com (thanks for the rec, snis! also, not sponsored, I bought it) that goes with our “inspiration look,” and it arrived on Friday! We love it! Someday, we’ll update the furniture, too (and change the look of the wood floors).

Medal racks in the office!

This is the moment I have been waiting for – putting my medal racks up! AHHH!!! So excited! Ha ha.

We couldn’t hang my medal racks and shadow box up until we replaced that joist in the basement, since it would affect the wall some of the stuff was hanging on. Then, after we replaced that joist, we had way more important house stuff to do. But we finally had a quiet weekend and got to hang a few things. YAY!!!! At the old house, my medal racks were in my closet. I love having them out in the open at the new house (note, I need to find something more organized for all that paper on the shelf – and overhaul the office, in general)!

Failed guest room headboard

Here’s where I’d share a picture of a headboard of our guest bedroom if we liked the one we bought, but the coloring was wrong. Back to Amazon it goes. The search continues!

Running + Training

By kilax, September 18, 2016 10:56 am

Highlight of the Week: Working out with Gina! A great long run!

Monday | September 12, 2016: 3.2 m run (w/Gina) + 17 m ride (w/Gina) + teaching strength class
Loc: Van Patten Woods, Temp: 71°/72°, Time: 29:47, Pace: 9:18 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great!
Loc: DPRT, Temp: 72°/75°, Time: 1:30:13, Pace: 11.3 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great!
Strength: dumbbell and cardio/core circuits, Difficulty: easy, Felt: sick of teaching that workout
Tuesday | September 13, 2016: 5 m run (w/Gina, incl. 2:00/1:00/:30 fast/faster/fastest x5)
Loc: Lake Andrea, Temp: 70°/70°, Time: 47:25, Pace: 9:29 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good – liked the workout!
Wednesday | September 14, 2016: 840 yd swim (alt. breaststroke & freestyle)
Loc: FitNation, Time: 22:15, Pace: 2:24 min/100 yd avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: strong
Thursday | September 15, 2016: 8.8 m run
Loc: ML loop, Temp: 72°/71°, Time: 1:27:26, Pace: 9:56 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: mostly good, minor stomach pain
Friday | September 16, 2016: teaching strength class + 5 m run + 10 m ride
Strength: Lebert & Kettlbell, Difficulty: easy, Felt: okay, knee bugging on lateral moves
Loc: hood, Temp: 78°/79°, Time: 51:15, Pace: 10:14, Difficulty: x, Felt: heavy, hot, annoyed (w/bugs hitting me & the wind)
Indoor Ride Time: 32:36, Pace: 18.4 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Saturday | September 17, 2016: 7 m run (w/Kelly, on phone)
Loc: Pine Dunes FP, Temp: 69°/69°, Time: 1:12:00, Pace: 10:17 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Sunday | September 18, 2016: 12 m run
Loc: Kilbourne/DPRT Loop, Temp: 55°/67°, Time: 2:03:51, Pace: 10:19 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great, even sped up at the end!

Notes:

• I liked the intervals Gina’s coach had her do for our Tuesday run. We ran a warm-up mile, then ran two minutes fast, one minute faster, and thirty seconds our fastest, with two minute recovery, five times. It sounded horrible when we were talking about it, but it went by so fast, and I didn’t mind it! I may have to try it again!
• As of today, for the month, I have run one mile more than last month’s total mileage. I am happy to be getting back in to the groove!
• Last Sunday, Steven’s aunt and uncle were and town, and they had dinner at our house with me and Steven and Gina. Steven’s aunt was talking about a local news anchor who was doing the Madison Ironman that day and how she was talking about “slacking off time,” when you’re done with all your peak training and getting close to the race. And took me and Gina a second, then we asked “Do you mean taper time?” “Oh yeah!” Ha! We all laughed at that! And now Gina and I are calling taper “slacking off time,” cause we like it better.
• That knee pain from last week seems to be mostly gone. I wonder if it was just a deep bruise.
• I have another update on those Champion Absolute Fusion shorts I’ve been trying. I’ve love the way they feel on runs, but unfortunately, they don’t seem to be constructed very well – the seams are coming apart after only a few wears (see pics below). I contacted Champion and they think it’s a “bad batch.” I hope so – I’d like these shorts to work out! I plan to return the bad ones and try new ones.

Link to Training Week 360

Knitting

By kilax, September 17, 2016 9:52 pm

At least a failed start to a knitting project makes for a fun toy for Data!

Yeah, we’ll start that one over tomorrow…