Month: July 2010

Takin’ It Slow

I got back to running today. Although I did the Queens Half-Marathon on Saturday, that was the last time I ran, and this 3-day hiatus from running felt so long that I felt I was starting over. Why such a hiatus? Yet another brutal acting schedule. Sunday I rested, Monday wasn’t so bad but I couldn’t get in a run, then Tuesday I worked 15 hours, on few calories because I skipped lunch to go to an audition plus I have inflammation in my jaw that limiting my ability to open my mouth (so I was zonked!), then I could only get 4 hours of sleep before today’s call. Fortunately, though, I was wrapped early, made up my lack of sleep in the afternoon, then got out for a “take it easy” 8.12 miles.

My left calf felt a bit better today. It hasn’t hurt much today, though after my run, when I stretched it, I felt it was still a bit sore. My ankles were (probably) a bit still/sensitive toward the beginning of this run but they never made me buckle.

The heat was moderate. The temperature was 86 with about 50% humidity, which equated to being and feeling warm but not excrutiatingly so. In fact, it felt a little cooler than other days. Despite the relative coolness, I didn’t push myself. I realized during my run that I’ve basically been burned out because my life has been very demanding–much more demanding than last year. I’ve deprogrammed running on days I should be running, and I’ve also been left without time, quick turnarounds, lack of ability to rest, and brutal heat. It’s a tough year!

I also thought that maybe I’ve been playing it a bit too easy. I’ve been guarding against any kind of injury this year, though I thought maybe I could “risk injury” a bit more. It’s a change of thinking that may push me a bit more. I think I’m getting behind in my training, or really can if I don’t start stepping up as I move into August. Remember: I want to break 5 minutes in the 5th Avenue Mile in September, so I had best step something up!

Ming!!!

This morning I pounded out 13.1 miles in the Queens Half-Marathon. The heat was lugubrious, with a start time temperature of 86, and the assurance that it would hit 90 degrees during the race. Despite it all, I made a decent showing. I did the half-marathon in 1:40:46, which equates to doing 7:42s.

Here are my unofficial results per Garmin, which I forgot to stop after I finished (but it may have stopped on its own when I finished):

Unofficial Race Results per Garmin

As you can see from my splits, my performance started to diminish inside the 5th mile. There, we were faced with concrete streets and slight rolling hills, plus limited cover from sunlight which drove up the body heat a bit. My performance really started to deteriorate around the 10th mile, even though I took in water and Gatorade nearly every station. Around mile 10 I had a PowerGel with 1x caffeine. Per the splits, it didn’t seem to help me unless its payoff is 2 miles later when it may have helped me sustain increased speed as I tried to catch up to two fast girls, one of whom took a bathroom break then caught back up to me!

I never caught them but I finished just behind them. Last year I did “this race” in 1:27:30, or 6:40s. The thing is, “this race” last year was a) in September, b) substantially cooler, and c) on a completely different course. That course was quite a bit hillier but I was in two months’ better shape, too. It’s good to note I pulled off a 6:35 first mile in this race, but I couldn’t sustain it very long. Heat heat heat. I decided I’d tried for 7:05s in this race, or maybe pulling a 1:35. Neither happened, but that’s okay. The heat made me take a minute longer per mile relative to last year’s race (which isn’t a fair relation because I’m not in that kind of shape yet).

I ran shirtless for this race–my first time doing a race without a shirt. There were no problems to report. I do wonder, though, what the difference might be between running mit oder mitaus a shirt. Does the sopping wet shirt keep me cooler and allow me to perform better? Or does the wetness weigh me down? I can’t say. But I did feel freer and more comfortable without the shirt.

And I saw Ming in this race! Ming is an Asian guy with glasses and a ponytail on the Warren Street team whom I saw walking one race last year who eventually beat me. I’d asked him how he finished so strongly and he said “hillwork,” and explained what he did. Around the 10k mark he moved ahead of me. I eventually caught him and talked to him, then (as expected) he left me in the dust a little bit later. It was cool to see him.

As for injuries, nothing to report. My left calf is still very sore but not when I run!–just when I walk. No stabbing ankle pain. I imagine the heat allowed me to “warm up” those areas. I started off this race tipping the scales at 180 lbs., but I ended the race 5 lbs. lighter. That seems pretty standard when I run this distance in this kind of heat. I’m glad I got this race over by 8:45am because I had heard it was supposed to get up to 98 today with a heat index of 103. Egad! Apparently now it’s “only”going to get up to 94.

Gonna take a nap with circulation socks on to recover. I had coconut water and chocolate milk, plus some yogurt with granola and agave nectar for additional protein. I also popped some ibuprofen and 1,500mg magnesium to deal with any restless leg issues. (I also took my morning vitamins upon getting back home.)

Cooler, Faster, Stronger, Early!

It’s been a punishing week this week. I started off this week with a night shoot into morning with me on my feet most of the night, then followed with a gig that next day after 4 hours of sleep, then a gig with an early calltime and another day mostly on my feet, but in the heat, humidity, and business suits. I even had an audition then a callback in the only potential time zones of availability, just ruining my opportunities for training runs. With a somewhat later calltime, this morning I eked out a run before work, and although I have been unable to run this week in light of my work schedule, I went really fast! I managed 7:12s, a considerable improvement in my time with pretty even splits. Here are the deets:

It helped that it felt considerably cooler today. The temperature was 74 and humidity was negligible (about 60%) with a cool wind in the morning sunshine. No one passed me today and I blazed through the park in 45:19, over a minute faster than my fastest time over this distance this year (set a month ago). I had set out to do 8+ miles but the urgency of going to the bathroom made me reconsider.

As for pains, my left ankle got that stabbing feeling in the very beginning of my run, and interestingly enough, it was when I was fiddling with my mp3 player. This is leading me to believe that when I get distracted when running, I improve my chances of experiencing that pain, possibly because my balance changes and the forces redistribute on that ankle, triggering the problem. And my left calf is a big pain. It wasn’t a pain when running, but it has been extremely tight since the last run. It’s as if I ripped some muscle and it’s healed and now I’m tighter. I seem to have more flexibility with it but it’s still painful to do a calf stretch on that leg.

Anyway, that’s it! I’m hoping to score a pasta dinner tonight and maybe tomorrow night before an upcoming half-marathon!