Every day I'm strength training

I've been doing a lot of this lately:

 I've been biking to work and around town more, which is great. Although one day the hour bike ride home from work aggravated my IT band and caused some hip pain. But it's feeling better now.

Overall, my IT band is still a bit sore, but I'm running. Not at the levels to do serious marathon training, but at a level where I'm happy. I think the consistent strength training is helping me recover faster, and it certainly makes getting up at 5 AM four days a week worth it. I think at this point, the marathon is too soon for me to train and reach the mileage levels where I'll have a good race and not threaten injury. I don't have the base I was hoping for, and while 12 weeks out is enough for some people to train effectively, not a first time marathoner with a recent IT band injury. So I'm going to find some 10 mile training plans and kill it on the Twin Cities 10 Mile on October 6.  My plan last year prepared me pretty well, so I may go back to that one.

 It's getting to the hot point of summer, where my lunchtime runs may have to move inside or in the morning. Sam thinks it's hot out too.

Coming up:
TBD... probably more structured than I've been the last two weeks

past few weeks:
June 24 - Strength training; 2 mi
June 25 - Strength training; bike to/from work (20 mi)
June 26 - Strength training
June 27 - Strength training; 2 mi
June 28 - yoga
June 29 - biked to the Twins game
June 30 - 1 mi, biked downtown to the Pride parade
July 1 - strength training; biked to/from work (20 mi)
July 2 - strength training; 2.5 mi
July 3 - strength training
July 4 - rest
July 5 - strength training; 3 mi
July 6 - canoe trip
July 7 - 27 minute run with Sam (my Garmin wouldn't sync), yoga
July 8 - strength training; bike to/from work (20 mi)
July 9 - strength training; 2.5 mi
July 10 - strength training
July 11 - strength training; 3 mi

TCM training - Week 3

I went to my physical therapist on Monday, all set to describe my new left IT band issues, and she said, "Yeah, that happens sometimes." Well. Wonderful. It was supposed to be our last appointment, but she's extended our sessions through October and the Twin Cities Marathon, to help with this new issue and anything else that comes up.

I went for a test run that afternoon, to see where things were with my knee. I couldn't make it a mile without stopping in pain. It's really demoralizing to spend so long thinking about something and working towards that goal, only to be held up before training really even starts. This last week had 21 miles on the schedule, and I did 1 mile. On the other hand, I also woke up at 5 AM and did my strength training routines 4 days, additional strength training Nike Training exercises, and biked the 10.5 miles to work (up hill both ways!) on Wednesday. So it's not a complete waste, but not anywhere near the mileage I was hoping for.

After taking another rest week, I cautiously went out today to see how my knees/IT bands were doing. Success! I made it 2 miles without having to stop. There was some lingering pain, but nothing that forced me to stop. I'm cautious about running through the pain, and finished the two miles in good shape. So that was an awesome turn of events - I'm going to be laying off increasing mileage and will incorporate more rest days than I planned this week so I don't backslide. I was also reminded, by my good friend Matzke, about increased cadence and a shorter stride as to land midfoot instead of heel striking. I made a deliberate attempt to have fast turnover and shorter strides today also. I also need to be better about foam rolling, too. No consistency with that at all.

We'll see how this week goes, but today's run was enough to make me feel like I still have a shot at a good training cycle and preparing for the marathon. I also had an itch to do a sprint triathlon (YWCA Tri in August), but we'll see how that fits in if marathon training continues as planned...

Last week:
Monday: 1 mile, AM - routine 1
Tuesday: AM - routine 2, Nike Training workouts (Butt Buster and Ab Burner)
Wednesday: AM - routine 1, bike to and from work (round trip 21 miles, ~120 minutes). My abs were so sore on Wednesday, either from the Ab Burner or biking.
Thursday: AM - routine 2 (only one set)
Friday: rest
Saturday: biked around town
Sunday: rest

Week to come:
Monday: AM - routine 1, 2 miles (minimal pain!)
Tuesday: bike to work, strength training
Wednesday: Run attempt
Thursday: Run attempt or strength training
Friday: yoga
Saturday: rest or run attempt
Sunday: bike to yoga/rest

Week 2 of TCM training

Well, considering I had 18 miles on my schedule for training last week, I ran 1.75 of them. Awesome, IT band. Way to go.

I went out for my three miles on Monday, cautiously optimistic about the state of my left IT band. I could barely make 1.75 miles, which may or may not have ended in an epic sobfest on the trail that runs along the river in downtown St. Paul. My sister says the only thing I get emotional about is running (it's true). So I had a good 45 second cry, then sucked it up and started doing hip/glue strength training exercises.

I think I need to be more consistent about strength training. I do it regularly when I can't run, and then get sloppy when I start upping my mileage and training. I started getting up a half hour early four days a week to do a mix of core and glue/hip exercises. This is to go on top of my regular training, and really be a habit that sticks with me regardless of what I'm doing.

I'm seeing my physical therapist tomorrow morning, and hopefully she'll give me some insight as to what happened with my left IT band.

Last week:
Monday - 1.75 miles
Tuesday - Routine 1 in the morning, more strength training at noon
Wednesday - Routine 2 in the morning, went to the gym with my Bolder Options mentee and we rode bikes and lifted some weights
Thursday - Routine 1 in the morning, some stair running and stretching at noon
Friday - off
Saturday - indoor rock climbing with Andrew
Sunday - Biked 50 minutes to and from yoga, 1 hour vinyasa yoga class.

Week to come:
TBD

numbers, data, numbers

Some numbers for you:

22 (anticipated)/30 days I've either run, biked or dance partied in April
3.51 miles for the longest distance
255 minutes on a bike
30.68 miles run (plus another ~2.8 tomorrow)
6 weeks until the Bellin 10k
3rd month I've kept a training long (is it a routine yet?)

1/10 kids on target in picture naming in the fall
6/11 kids on target in picture naming in the spring*
5/11 kids near target in picture naming in the spring
0/11 kids far from target in picture naming in the spring

1/10 kids on target in rhyming in the fall
5/11 kids on target in rhyming in the spring
4/11 kids near target in rhyming in the spring
2/11 kids far from target in rhyming in the spring

2/10 kids on target in alliteration in the fall
4/11 kids on target in alliteration in the spring
3/11 kids near target in alliteration in the spring
3/11 kids far from target in alliteration in the spring

*Not all the same kids from fall to spring, but mostly the same. Some kids have left, some new kids started and some 3 year olds have moved up to the 4 year old room recently meaning there's nearly an 18 month age range in the room.

We've made gains in some areas and not in others (the ratios in letter naming remain the same from fall to spring but everyone has gone up at least a little). Some of the kid's scores have been predictable but some have been really suprisingly good. The kid that scored 12, 10, 11, 8 in monthly progress monitoring in picture naming went in and knocked out a 27 (26 is target). I think he just didn't like the controlled aspect of being timed, personally. I knew he could do it and it was irritating that the scores would have been off (used for indication of program's success). But they're not! We're almost done with testing so I should finish up today or tomorrow.

I'm also thinking of half-marathoning it in the fall. Good? Bad? I may want to see how the 10k training goes.

accidentally training

I've been planning on running the Bellin Run 10k for awhile now; I was tossing around the idea of entering a triathalon but I think I will have to save that for another year. I don't think I can financially afford all of the expenses/upgrades that I would need for that. I have a pair of running shoes, so I'm pretty sure I can swing the Bellin.

I accidentally ran it last year. When I say accidentally, I mean I started with the mindset that I'd run until I got tired, walk a little, then run the rest of the way. Well, I got to mile 4, was feeling good and just kept going. The last quarter mile was about the point my body rebelled against me; I puked during the last block of the race. After puking I kept running though, so whatever.

I mapped out my training for the next few months. I've been logging my exercising just for fun recently. I kind of like seeing it all written out like that. It's on a calendar I keep in a filing cabinet at work, which is where I usually work out. I like having April and May printed off already with my anticipated training written and highlighted. Of course, there's space for what I'll actually do too.

Here's my log from February and the first week of March:
2/2 - run 2 miles, weights
2/3 - run 1 mile, bike 28 minutes mid-high intensity
2/4 - DDPP 1 hour (Dance Dance Party Party)
2/7 - run 2 miles, bike 20 minutes mid intensity
2/8 - run 1 mile, bike 20 minutes
2/10 - run 1.5 miles
2/11 - DDPP 80 minutes
2/17 - bike 30 minutes low intensity
2/18 - bike 25 minutes low intensity
2/19 - run .5 miles, bike 20 minutes mid intensity
2/20 - run/walk 5 miles
2/23 - run 1.5 miles, weights
2/24 - bike 25 minutes
2/25 - bike 25 minutes
3/1 - run 1 mile, bike 30 minutes mid-high intensity
3/2 - bike 30 minutes mid intensity, weights
3/3 - run 1 mile, bike 30 minutes
3/4 - DDPP 60 minutes
3/5 - run .5 mile, bike 30 minutes
3/8 - run 20 minutes, weights

Can you tell when I felt a little sick this past month? (See 2/17 - 2/19) I've been working out pretty consistantly since mid January and I can tell a difference. I get lethargic in the afternoon if I don't exercise; my mind gets fuzzy and I'll waste time online without doing any work. Might as well be doing something productive with that time. My muscles feel stronger and more pronounced in places. I don't exercise with the intention of losing weight but to generally be healthier. I think it's working.

And now, some quotes from my kids:

D: I have to go to the dentist.
Me: Why?
D: I have a booger I have to get out.

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D: Your arm looks like a cookie.
(I have lots of freckles/birth marks on my arms)

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E: Clowns are disgusting because they chew with their mouths open.

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Words from the wise, friends.

dirt everywhere

Rachel says I write too infrequently. Here's another post to appease her.

I went to a MRC training in St. Paul today, not too far from Andrew's place. It was easier to stay overnight there and bike the two miles from his place as opposed to get up early and bus for an hour. I didn't think to check the weather forecast, but when I left the training at 3:45, everything was wet and still a little misty. I thought about taking the bus home, but I thought I'd give it a shot. I hadn't biked to work the two days before and missed Dance Party yesterday, so I felt kinda shitty and lethargic since I hadn't gotten physical activity.

I got so wet and so dirty on the 9 mile bike ride home, but it was really really really really fun. I sped past blocks and blocks of cars on Snelling waiting to get on 94, flew down the giant hill on Marshall and sped over the Mississippi into Minneapolis, and stopped on the Greenway bridge to snap this picture:




And these of my dirty legs:



It was a good rainy Friday afternoon.

Also, I love American Routes. It makes working at 8 am Sundays totally worth it. That is all.

things i like:

Things I like:

-the Greenway around 4:45 or 5:00. I bike home facing west, the setting sun in my face while people whiz past in either direction.

-sweet corn from the farmer's market. Recipes in local magazines on organic food.

-reading books about apple orchards, knowing we're going to take the kids to one in a few weeks. Trying to reinforce the vocab of apples, apple orchard, applesauce, picking an apple so they can use it when we go.

-frequent flier miles. I'm going to New Haven in October with mine.

-homemade sun dried tomatoes. Took 7+ hours in the oven, but they're delicious.

-60 cent gelato.

MPLS edition

My internet is out, it's raining and I'm at the coffee shop down the block from my house. Mom is coming for the weekend and she's bringing her bike. It looks like it's supposed to rain all day. Good for plants, bad for outdoor activities.

Here are some articles about my neighborhood:

Things to do by my house (Visitors welcome, hint hint)

A really fantastic writeup of Lake/Marshall.

And apparently the city is taking away my favorite bike lane. Sad.

I had a dream that I was at an airport with Drew and Amy. Drew was watching our bags while Amy and I got coffee. I dreamed Sarah Haskins was staring at me. I was wearing a black and white strapless dress and someone asked me if I was in Good Night and Good Luck (because it's in black and white?). We kept getting cup after cup of coffee because Amy was flirting with the coffee guy for free stuff.

The coffee shop just played a recording of a Schubert piece I played in high school orchestra. I've always loved that piece because the viola part is fantastic. I can't remember the name right now, but I think it was in F minor. I used to have it on my computer, but it seems to have been lost in The Computer/Coffee Meet-up of 2009.

bikes and books

I'm going to fight someone.

Ok, maybe not someone, but my bike for sure. I wanted to adjust the brakes today, so I wrangled with my front brake for awhile before I realized that it was tight enough. It's a byproduct of the handle design that makes it seem looser than it really is. Booo.

Then I fiddled with the back one for awhile and now I can't seem to get it back to its original tightness. I took a break and checked some stuff online, so we'll give it another go here shortly. I'm frustrated, nonetheless.

No illusions; I am not a bike mechanic.

Ugh. Got to fix the bike quick, so I can grab a book and go read by the lake. I just finished book 25 of the year, which is good. I was lagging behind there for awhile, but I caught up by having only leisure reading and lots of time on the bus. Here are the books I've finished since getting back to MPLS:

• Me and Mr. Darcy, Alexandra Potte
• Speaking of Faith, Krista Tippett
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith
• The Hip Hop Wars, Tricia Rose
• The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Ernest Hemingway
• Spanish Lessons, Derek Lambert
• Strawberry Tattoo, Lauren Henderson
• Potential, Ariel Schrag

I'm also doing a much better job of reading more books written by women, people of color and non-straight authors. There's 6 women, one out lesbian and one Black women author. Although I suppose Hemingway kind of stands in the face of all of that... I figure when I read something misogynistic, I might as well go all the way. Hah. I have a big stack of books borrowed that I need to read, but the library books get some priority since they've got a deadline. Yesterday I picked up a Mexican cookbook, one of Ellen's books, the graphic novel by Schrag, and John Hodgman's book. I forgot how great the downtown MPLS library's bookstore is. All of the books they discharge from circulation are sold at cheap prices - most expensive one I saw was $3 (a collection of sermons and lectures by Rowan Williams. I was going to buy it, but no cash and I'm living light these days).

Ok. I need sunlight so I'm giving the bike one more chance to be fixed nicely before I throw it off the back porch.

it's me

Job rejection emails are like the worst "it's not you, it's me" line, but you know it's not true. It has to be something with you, otherwise they would have hired you.

I had a slew of interviews last week, half of which turned out "it's not you, it's me" emails and half of which I have yet to hear from. It's just frustrating to get nice emails from people shooting you down for jobs you'd be great for. On the upside, I got a part time job at a cafe near Lake Harriet. It's really cute, a tad expensive and serves organic, local vegetarian food. They have a fairly small staff and everyone bikes. A match made in heaven? Well, let's try working for awhile before I decide if I'm smitten.

4th of July was fun. Fireworks were fun. Sat by the Guthrie on that big hill, which was perfect. Some friends of mine and I are starting a writing group so I have good motivation to write. It's hard to start writing again, but it gets easier every time.

That is all.

i lack a fresh breeze

I am, at heart, an entertainer. Not in the top hat and cane sense, but in that I like organizing events and seeing people have a good time. I loved doing it for YDS, even on my most frustrating days.

I'm guessing that's why not having a backyard or porch is killing me. Or a big dinner table. As much as going out for dinner is fun, I like the idea of cooking for friends much better. I wish I had time, ingredients, the imagination and skills do amazing things with food. And the space to accommodate that magic.

Yesterday, I headed to St. Paul for an old friend's birthday, and marveled at her awesome porch. Made me miss the CHouse porch.


This is the view from my back steps right now:


Not quite the same. Next place I live is going to have some mad backyard awesomeness. Here are some more apartment pictures, since I realized I never posted them:




Also threw my bike in there for good measure. I love it. It takes me places. It also has a "I <3 unicorns" sticker on it. I'm thinking it'll take me to Pride this afternoon, while it's not too ridiculously hot out.

embrace change

Everytime I start missing New Haven, YDS, and Marquand, I have to remind myself of the fortune cookie I received my first week back in Minneapolis:

Embrace change; don't battle it.

There's something about embracing change that honors what once was while still anticipating what will be.

A few days later, I got this one:

Is this where you saw yourself five years ago?

Honestly, I didn't see myself anywhere five years ago. I was too busy thinking about the present to think about the future. I still have to remind myself to imagine five years from now. That'll be easier once I have some sort of permanent work, but the options are wide open now while I'm still looking.

Anyway. Time to battle the heat, test my repaired tire and try for a bike ride.