Tuesday, May 18, 2010

What a difference a week makes....

Last week this was my attitude towards alot of stuff: ( sorry Mom)

I just was done with the cold and rain and my body was not feeling right. I have alot of good friends that are injured and i seem to get into funks at times where i am training in fear. As many of us are I am 100% in touch with my body. Maybe too much :) In my last post I said it was affecting not only my training, and yes, I am no pro but I was so tired and just wanted to sleep. I didnt even want to watch TV bc I was bored with it all. Reading Dara Torres book helped a bit, but i felt like i was in a void.

Cut to this weekend, where our weather really looked up. We had sun and 70's and I got in some great training and got to spend some time with my Mom so my dad could go to the cabin and also my lovely Ruby. Some of you may know this. Ruby is not my dog. She lives at my parents house and she is their dog. A RAGOM dog and she is a love. Every time i walked into the room ( and this was repeated every 90 seconds or so) she would wag and jump and say "OMG you are still here? SERIOUSLY? Lets go play." She has this new skill.
She barks at me with the tennis ball in her mouth. Sounds a bit like someone talking with their mouth full. When i came down stairs early saturday morning before I got my mom down the stairs Ruby TORE DOWN the stairs "YOU ARE STILL HERE? THIS IS LIKE CHRISTMAS!"
IT totally reminded me why i want a dog ( one that doesnt yip and isnt a cat dressed like a dog, sorry you little purse dog owners I may be out on a limb but they arent for me) and how much joy they can bring you, shedding aside.
I need some new pics but yes her tongue is still that long!


I was so amped to go run bc it was so nice and i knew that when i got home i could go to the yard, be greeted like the queen and throw tennis balls! What a day.
Run was SLOW. It was supposed to be slow. I hadnt run since earlier in the week and it was a base ZONE 1- low 2 run. Those are hard for me. I Cant look at the pace but i just kept it to a heart rate that was in those zones and it was fine. My sore quad had somehow switched to a lazy hamstring. The massage i received the night before helped but it also made the light go on in my head when she said "your hammies are like butter." Um. That isnt always good. For me at least I need a little tone bc if those hammies arent kicking in they grab and then they dont work and other things start trying to extend your hip and flex your knee. Like my sore ITB and my TFL. so ding ding ding. I still had a bit of grabbing sunday on my T run.
You dont need to know all the details but I had a glorious hilly ride with my friend Kyle and then had a 35 min T run, Moderate to Hard as YOU FEEL. The first mile was ok but that hammie was grabbing. I knew i had to get it firing and so i did some butt kicks and as the run went on it started to kick in a bit and was ok by the end, but it was tight sunday night and monday. Sigh. Am I gonna miss the trainer wko with the track AGAIN? I really wanted to do that wko bc its so hard but such a confidence builder and a way to keep learning to suffer.

MY plan for sunday was to recover like a champ. I did an ice bath in the pool ( now its 62, bummer, no more ice bath) I added more recovery nutrition bc lets face it, for me, the choco milk is lovely but i need more than that. More protein or something fast before i eat more. I added back the Recoverite ( icky) but just slammed it. Then had choco milk, too with some Whey protein added. Ok maybe overkill but whatever ya gotta do. Stretch foam roll, etc...and ya know monday i wasnt so bad. I could tell I had a 5 hour day sunday but all in all I was not worried.

Ok this is getting too long. Long story short did the trainer-800 wko today and killed it. ( I learned those terms from reading blogs from SoCal) I saw some numbers on the 800's i never thought i would see. And that was super fun. And super hard.
I also wore these shoes. Yup I alternated them. I have wanted to try the Zoots and i did. Liked em but i dont know about running more than a sprint in them.


On my way home i snapped this bc I was wearing my Full Tri suit and the visor i will wear sunday at the Gear West Du.

It was a great confidence builder for me today and after an ice bath my legs feel like i worked em but I think I am good to go for sunday! Enjoy the week everyone!

PS LOOK what just came in the mail! Woohoo no more recoverite? Just am gonna try this:


12 comments:

Running and living said...

You really know what your body needs. That's awesome! What is the trainer-track workout? Are those Nike Lunar Elite shoes? I am thinking of investing in some, do you like them?

GoBigGreen said...

I think they are luna trainers. Not sure they are ELITE, but I got em last year so they may have updated them. Yea I do like them. I ran equally fast in each pair, descended regardless of the shoe:)

Michelle Simmons said...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Ultragen. I really think it makes a difference in my recovery. :)

And man I wish I could run in the Nike Luna Trainers. I did one race last summer (70.3) in them and then ended up injured because they are just too narrow for my foot. If they came just a little wider I'd be running in those a lot! I love how light they are. I don't think Zoots fit my feet very well either? Grrr. But the Saucony FastTwitch 4's are equally good for 5K to half marathon though if you're in the market for a light shoe that can also go the distance.

Marit C-L said...

I LOVE Ruby!! She is awesome, and if I ever get a dog - I'd like to get one like her :) I know what you mean about the hammy.... Whenever I'm at the gym, I always make sure to use the hamstring curl machine...just because I tend to get injured when it's weak - ITB and TFL. Same boat :)

And... HORRAY for your trainer + 800 workout - that is a tough one! Awesome! Glad that you 'killed' it - gosh... I think that's the first time I ever said that. Yeah, I live in SoCal but "crushing" and "killing" workouts aren't my thing. My Minnesotan/Norweigan heritage prevents me from talking that way, I think. There's a block or something... Ha! Continue to recover well!!! Can't wait to (hopefully!) see you soon!

cheryl said...

yeah, dogs aren't made to be carried in purses! Ruby is soooooooo cute, I'd be loving all over her too. I love the big dogs!

Glad you KILLED the track/trainer workout. You are the pro at reading your body, take care of it, you still have a lot of fast miles to put on it in this lifetime!

Beth said...

Yeah!! So glad you are feeling better and had a great track/trainer workout today! A week can make a HUGE difference. ;) And you definitely need a dog. NOTHING is as great as how excited they get when they see you. :)

Good luck this weekend Julia!

Melissa said...

OMG. You are going to crush that ultragen after your next big workout. It's going to be rad.

Are you thinking about getting a dog of your own? Ruby is really cute. I love coming home to Sky and all her affection. Even when I tell her she's stinky, she still loves me.

Good luck this weekend! I don't understand duathlons...why would anyone take out the best part of a race?

Kim said...

dont you HATE crappy Z1-low Z2 runs? i had one last night and it sucked big time!

i love your zoots! they look so speedy!

Angela and David said...

I'm impressed with how well you know what's going on with the legs. Good luck recovering and kick a$$ this weekend!

Rebecca DeWire said...

Ruby is so darn cute! I like the pic of you in the car, you definitely look like a force to be reckoned with.

runningyankee said...

i would like ruby to come and visit me please. great job on the du workout. it is KILLER. descending 800s is NOT easy. you are so on par for this weekend. i lvoe the zoots. just because they are super bright and look fast.

Libby said...

let me know what you think about the ultragen! I'm a recoverite girl who could easily switch. so far I love all efs products (or whatever that company is )
get that hammie together girl and don't worry about bum days, the northern gloomy weather will do it to ya.
I'm with you on the big doggies :) no little purse dogs for me either!