Chronicles of a fish: the days of surf and turf

Dory Dory

donothoponpop wrote: »

You've been training hard for quite a while, and the intensity and distances have upped over the last few weeks. Approaching max milage weeks; its quite usual at this stage in a marathon program for the muscles to start complaining, and for little stresses and niggles to appear. Soreness, its expected.

It's also expected and quite usual for a novice marathoner to start doubting their program, their milage, their ability to perform on the day, so in case you're experiencing any of this too, just realize its all par for the course. Your training has been great so far, trust your ability and stay the course!

Thanks. <**checking watch on wrist**> You're right on time.

RayCun

donothoponpop wrote: »

It's also expected and quite usual for a novice marathoner to start doubting their program, their milage, their ability to perform on the day, so in case you're experiencing any of this too, just realize its all par for the course.

and if you think it's fun now, wait until taper madness sets in :eek::pac:

Marthastew

RayCun wrote: »

and if you think it's fun now, wait until taper madness sets in :eek::pac:

+1, taper madness is so much fun......

Dory Dory

RayCun wrote: »

and if you think it's fun now, wait until taper madness sets in :eek::pac:

Marthastew wrote: »

+1, taper madness is so much fun......

And I've already crossed the line into the starting-to-have-dreams-about-running-the-marathon realm. It gets worse? :eek:;)

Krusty_Clown

Dory Dory wrote: »

And I've already crossed the line into the starting-to-have-dreams-about-running-the-marathon realm. It gets worse? :eek:;)

A couple of weeks ago I dreamed that the marathon I was running was routed through a shopping centre(mall). When I got into the shopping centre though, there were so many shoppers that I couldn't follow the runners in front of me. It was ok though, because my watch was on auto-pause, so my marathon was paused while I was inside the shopping centre. But then for some reason, I got into a hot air balloon from the roof of the building, and it was too far to the ground to jump. All this, and still 8 weeks from the marathon.

Dory Dory

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

A couple of weeks ago I dreamed that the marathon I was running was routed through a shopping centre(mall). When I got into the shopping centre though, there were so many shoppers that I couldn't follow the runners in front of me. It was ok though, because my watch was on auto-pause, so my marathon was paused while I was inside the shopping centre. But then for some reason, I got into a hot air balloon from the roof of the building, and it was too far to the ground to jump. All this, and still 8 weeks from the marathon.

I have two things to say about that crazy dream -
Thank god for auto-pause...
...and, I'll have some of what you're drinking.

Speaking of crazy....we've got two dogs here at the clinic who've eaten foreign objects that we are prepping for surgery - one tonight, and one in the morning. We deal with dogs eating things they shouldn't eat...but two in one day is nuts!!

Dory Dory

Trainer

A musical spin on the bike.....nothing too exciting.....feeling pretty good other than I need to do better about sleep and diet. I need more sleep and a better diet. I'll try to hit the hay a little earlier tonight, and I'll think about improving my diet right after I consume this huge bowl of ice cream I'm getting ready to serve up.

30 miles in approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Tomorrow.....10 mile tempo run at PMP. The plan is to sneak out of work a little early to do this before darkness falls. Fingers are crossed...and hoping for good weather.

Dory Dory

10 Mile Tempo At PMP

This run was a real confidence booster for me. Why? Because I was tired before I started the run.....my legs were sore before I ever made my first stride.....my effort was solid, especially into the wind.....and my pace was lower than I targeted. I didn't leave much in the tank at the end, but I don't think I was supposed to - however, someone correct me if this is wrong.

Splits:
7:55, 7:45, 7:17 (too fast!), 7:35, 7:44 (into the wind), 7:24, 7:38, 8:01 (wind again), 7:38, 7:37

10 miles, 1:16:41, 7:40 min/mile

I will take it easy tomorrow - maybe just a low-key spin on the trainer....then trying to decide about a swim on Friday.

Dory Dory

Trainer

Up and at 'em early to work this morning and kept with my daily ritual of checking my weight on our very accurate dog scales (they weigh up to 300 pounds!) to discover that my weight was at the lower end of where I normally am thus giving me the green light to make a total pig out of myself ALL DAY LONG. Omg....first it was a bakery doughnut and Honey Nut Cheerios followed by a banana (Oryx, no gagging)....then I turned to a handful of caramel filled Hershey kisses...then Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies.....then pretzels...and M&Ms....Gummi Bears.....an apple.....peanut butter crackers.....more pretzels and more M&Ms....fresh veggies and another apple....a bite of cake that hubby was eating....and even more pretzels and even more M&Ms translating in day filled with food choices that would make my mom swear that she raised me better. Obviously, I did not give up chocolate (or crap food) for Lent.

Fast forward to this evening's session on the trainer. Physically I was feeling better than I was after last night's tempo, but I still wanted to ease off just a bit to give the body a break. I decided I'd relax the effort/resistance some, but increase the speed of revolution. iPod on....Jet was the band of choice....spinning like mad to the tunes for the first 45 minutes. Upon the completion of the cd, I decided I'd turn on my favorite political news show and get caught up on all the dirt while finishing up my session. At this point the odometer showed 15 miles was in the books, but I wasn't sure how much longer or how much farther I would go on the bike. I figured I would go at least 20 miles....but then there was that little matter of eating so much junk ALL DAY LONG (see above consumption confession), so, perhaps I should go at least 25 miles. Well, when the odometer ticked over 25 miles it just so happened that my favorite political news show that was catching me up on all the dirt was in the middle of a very juicy segment that I had to finish watching...so.....I kept watching, which got me to 30 miles. In 1 hour and 30 minutes. Yay. Will check weight again in the morning.

Oryx

After reading that, I feel sugar-rush sick.

RedB

Dory......its Lent.......your log is being read by a load of guilt ridden Irish people who are trying to be healthy and good on the food front and who have probably given up sweet things for the next 6 weeks+......you're not helping!!!!

Dory Dory

Oryx wrote: »

After reading that, I feel sugar-rush sick.

I know. Sometimes I totally disgust myself. Left to my own devices, I'm not sure how long I'd make it, nutritionally speaking.

RedB wrote: »

Dory......its Lent.......your log is being read by a load of guilt ridden Irish people who are trying to be healthy and good on the food front and who have probably given up sweet things for the next 6 weeks+......you're not helping!!!!

Yeah, food discipline is not my forte, that's why I do not ever consider giving up sweets/chocolate for Lent - I figure, who am I kidding? I, on the other hand, have given up cussing this year. But you know, technically Sundays are excluded from Lent...so I say let the fecks and sh!ts rip after the church clothes are off and put away.....and to all you healthy guilty Irish folks, treat yourself to an extra piece of triple chocolate cake or decadent peanut butter pie (the kind with the graham cracker crust and chocolate drizzled on top) on that thankfully excluded day as well!

shotgunmcos

Fine gorge there Dory Dory, although the mix of sweet and savoury was not exactly my style, peanut butter excluded.

Anyway good training going on here as usual. You have me on the B an R of the SBR challlenge and I suspect the S will come in good time. I'll reel some of it back in due course but will settle for your FB acceptance for now My profile pic is me with morning hair

Dory Dory

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Fine gorge there Dory Dory, although the mix of sweet and savoury was not exactly my style, peanut butter excluded.

Anyway good training going on here as usual. You have me on the B an R of the SBR challlenge and I suspect the S will come in good time. I'll reel some of it back in due course but will settle for your FB acceptance for now My profile pic is me with morning hair

My gorge doesn't come anywhere close to your 2,000 Kit Kat calorie epic moment of candy bar debauchery. I am not worthy......

Training....SBR challenge.....I'm on top, you're on top, I'm on top......the net at this very moment is we are equal at 19, but I suspect you'll be back on top by the time I wake up in the morning. Oh well, I'll enjoy being your equal while I can. Hope you're back in full action very soon.

Oooooo.....and FB. Bed head....how sexy. Acceptance is guaranteed.

Dory Dory

Swim Session!!!

It's been two weeks since I've had a swim session, so after work I headed to the pool to log in a few yards. I decided to work more on distance than anything else as I was in the mood to relax and get lost in my thoughts without any interruption. It took about 30 laps to really get in a good rhythm, but once I got there all the worries of the day evaporated. Stroke, stroke, stroke, breathe...stroke, stroke, stoke, breathe.... All day long I am tugged and pulled by employees and clients so this solitude is my private island.....my opportunity to solve the world's problems, think outside the box, and count my laps while employing all sorts of mathematical equations, breaking down what I've done and what I have yet to do.

The pool was empty, so it was an enjoyable swim. I planned on swimming for a full two hours, and I did just that. I think my strongest set was actually the pull buoy set near the end - the arms felt such power.

5,000 swim (1 hour 15 minutes)
1,000 kick
1,000 pull
200 free
3 x 100 free

7,500 yards in 2 hours

Oryx

That sobbing sound is the crying of all the average (read, normal) swimmers here.

Dory Dory

Trainer

It was (and still is) way, way, way, wayyyyyyy too windy outside to even consider doing my 15 mile LSR today. With winds up to 50 mph, I could see no benefit in handicapping myself with that struggle. Therefore, after returning home from work this mornig and after taking a much needed 2 1/2 hour nap (did not sleep well last night due to the wind howling around our house that sits on a hill in a field...plus, I've been tired most of the week....plus, I really pushed myself in the pool last night (only 14 hours prior)....plus, I may be thinking about coming down with a cold - boo, hiss) I hopped on the bike and did a session on the trainer while I watched another independent film on Cable On Demand. The movie was barely entertaining, but the spin was of pretty good quality....using various degrees of effort and gears. I don't really know what I'm doing on the bike (it's definitely my weak spot), but between the legs screaming and the sweat rolling, I know I was doing something productive. Run is planned for tomorrow.

40 miles in 2.25 hours.

Dory Dory

15 Mile Run

Gorgeous day here - much better behaved than yesterday's crazy gusting wind kind of a day. It was still quite chilly with a bit of a breeze, but the sun was shining and it felt so good to have its rays pouring down on my face. With only 6 weeks to go (actually, 5 weeks and 6 days! :eek:) until the marathon, I bit the bullet and picked up a few packets of Gu to try on this run - Gu is the brand that will be handed out at the marathon. I still packed up a baggie of trusty jelly beans to take with me on the run, but I am not sure how feasible running with jelly beans will be on race day.

Felt good and relaxed for most of this run.....and other than seeing a zillion people I know and having to smile and then point to my iPod that was pumping me full of Imelda, Adele, Cher, Christina, and Dave (Grohl, for those of you who don't recognize him by his first name only) when they would try to engage me in conversation while I was zipping by them, the run was fairly uneventful. Oh, wait...there was one highlight.....and it was when I passed one of the local studs while on my 10th mile. And I'm talking I caught and passed him while on my 10th mile. That felt pretty good.

Stopped to re-hydrate and take one gel - blueberry pomegranate - at 9.6 miles. About gagged sucking the gel down. Good god, that's awful. The taste wasn't so bad, it's just the gooey texture that disturbs me. But I do think it kicked in and gave me a boost after about a mile or two.

Laps:
7:45, 7:48, 7:42, 7:39, 7:48, 7:36, 7:41, 7:50, 7:47, 7:38, 7:42, 7:40, 7:46, 7:49, 7:34

15 miles in 1:55:51 for an average pace of 7:44 min/mile

Recovery Run?

As noted above, it was so gorgeous out that upon my return home I decided to do a few easy spins around the field to act as my recovery in lieu of my usual easy spin on the trainer. Well, I don't know if you are supposed to allow time in between the hard run and the recovery to get the benefit....or if the trainer is just better at recovering me....but I definitely didn't feel as good after this easy trot as I usually do after the bike. And, the most worrisome thing that happened was at about mile 3.3 I had massive stomach cramping and had to make a quick and urgent pit stop. Oh god....was it from the blueberry pomegranate Gu? Could just one Gu do that to me?? That certainly will not do on race day...but perhaps I need to try again to be sure? Oy vey!!! Now this is a fine mess!

6.12 miles in 1:01:19 for an average pace of 10:01 min/ mile....and that does not include the lightening fast bee-line for the loo, which would have both added mileage and reduced the average pace.

shotgunmcos

Try a couple of different brands and flavours. Just because the Marathon is doing GU doesn't mean you have to use em. If the one that suits your taste and absorption isn't GU then just carry em on the day. For the marathon, comfort is everything

Krusty_Clown

Did you take on water after the gel? Nothing wrong with Jelly Beans, if you find that the gels don't work for you. Have you tried the sports beans, our are they just normal Jelly Beans?

Dory Dory

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Did you take on water after the gel? Nothing wrong with Jelly Beans, if you find that the gels don't work for you. Have you tried the sports beans, our are they just normal Jelly Beans?

I did take on water after the gel. (Can only one gel upset the stomach?) They are normal jelly beans (haven't tried the sports beans....may look into them...), but will have to figure out a way to carry them if I do that. I'm not a huge fan of things around my waist (they fall down and I keep having to pull them up)...don't mind things around my wrists or arms...but, in a moment of zany thinking I may just have a marketable idea (wink, wink) - I could just velcro all of my nutritional needs to my shirt. Packets of jelly beans, pixie stix, gel packs, beef jerky, candy bars, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, bananas......a veritable buffet on my chest and torso. kidding, of course.....a banana would be way too heavy to velcro.

RayCun

I hate stuff around my waist too, so I use an arm wallet

Dory Dory

Any idea how much it will hold? (translation - how many jelly beans can I pack in there without too much difficulty retrieving them?) Do you wear only one?

RayCun

Should hold a lot of jelly beans... three of these in each marathon

on my run home from work it holds a phone, swipe cards, and a small bunch of keys.
Yes, I only wear one.

Dory Dory

Thanks! I will google Arm Wallet and order one!

Krusty_Clown

Personally, I'm not a fan of having something strapped to my arm (other than a Garmin) so I tend to head the other direction, with a belt with gels in it. Last marathon, I just stuffed some gels into the pockets of my shorts and that worked fine.

There isn't a huge difference between the sports beans and the normal ones in terms of calories, but I think they also include some additional electrolytes, and some of them contain caffeine, which can give a much needed boost (personal favourite: watermelon with caffeine, though I couldn't eat more than a packet). Best not to take on too much caffeine.

Could 1 gel give you stomach issues? Absolutely. Particularly on an empty stomach. Like everything else, they do take a bit pf practicing/getting used to. I tend to opt for the Isotonic gels, as I find them less gloopy. They are larger though and contain less calories.

Dory Dory

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Personally, I'm not a fan of having something strapped to my arm (other than a Garmin) so I tend to head the other direction, with a belt with gels in it. Last marathon, I just stuffed some gels into the pockets of my shorts and that worked fine.

There isn't a huge difference between the sports beans and the normal ones in terms of calories, but I think they also include some additional electrolytes, and some of them contain caffeine, which can give a much needed boost (personal favourite: watermelon with caffeine, though I couldn't eat more than a packet). Best not to take on too much caffeine.

Could 1 gel give you stomach issues? Absolutely. Particularly on an empty stomach. Like everything else, they do take a bit pf practicing/getting used to. I tend to opt for the Isotonic gels, as I find them less gloopy. They are larger though and contain less calories.

Is there a particular brand of sports beans that you like? And the watermelon sounds wonderful....but caffeine does tend to get me buzzing, so I'd be careful with them.

And the stomach was empty yesterday...so I suspect it was the gel. I may look into the Isotnic gels, but I'm such a jelly bean girl that I'd hate to switch now when I'm doing well my beans - but definitely want to try the sports beans with the added benefits of electrolytes, etc. You know what we used to ingest at swim meets for quick energy? We'd down Jello out of the box, you know, the sugary powdery stuff. We loved it and it gave us the quick kick that we needed.

A cycling top with the zipper pouch in the back would work to carry my beans....
....but will look into the arm wallet....

Krusty_Clown

Sports Beans: Made by the same company as Jelly Beans. There's probably very little difference between these and normal Jelly Beans. I just like the flavour!
The Isotonic gels are made by a company in the UK (SIS), so they're probably not available in the US. But they're basically just the same as an ordinary gel with added water/salt (so you don't need to take them with water).

Jello out of the box. Hmm... Never heard of it, but sounds... yum... :eek:

Dory Dory

KC....just found these....

http://www.jellybelly.com/Shop/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=98482

Is this what you like?

Dory Dory

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Sports Beans: Made by the same company as Jelly Beans. There's probably very little difference between these and normal Jelly Beans. I just like the flavour!
The Isotonic gels are made by a company in the UK (SIS), so they're probably not available in the US. But they're basically just the same as an ordinary gel with added water/salt (so you don't need to take them with water).

Jello out of the box. Hmm... Never heard of it, but sounds... yum... :eek:

Will order the sports beans TODAY so I can try them this weekend. And don't knock the Jello til you try it.