Patience pays off

Well, it's back to the working life again after a nice, relaxing week off.   We did a few day trips to science museums in Syracuse and Buffalo and got the squeeze in two trips to Moe's for burritos- yum.  I felt a little antsy when relaxing around the house because I didn't have to go to school and didn't have any projects to do around the house since the kitchen is done and the family room got a fresh coat of paint two weeks ago.  I felt like I should have done double or triple workouts everyday but held off because I know it is too early for that yet. Hopefully patience will pay off there.

When I tried to go on my long run two Sundays ago I pulled a calf seemingly out of nowhere.  As far as runs go, I skipped my Tuesday run and replaced it with a session on the Nordic Track which always gets my heart rate up pretty easily and leaves me feeling tired but not beat up.  My calf felt tight still but was definitely getting better.  On Thursday, I went out for an easy five-miler and still felt some tightness but, again, it was definitely getting better.  By the time Sunday rolled around, I was ready to go out and do a twelve-mile run with no troubles.  I made sure to keep super hydrated after my long bike ride on Saturday, took salt tablets before and during the run, stopped to drink water and ensure twice during the run, and stretched liberally during the week.  I am going to repeat all of these actions to hopefully stay craMp free.

Cycling was no problem last week due to the basement getting consistent weather in the low 60s but I was concerned as to how I was going to get some swimming in because the regular pool schedule was halted due to the school break.  Luckily, I bumped into the swim coach at the pep rally before break and he invited me to swim with the kids who qualified for states.  So once after a ride and once after a run (and shoveling the driveway) I ran over to the pool to get some laps in.  In case I didn't feel slow enough in the water before, swimming with the speedy kids made me feel glacial.  All in all, it was a pretty good week.  I keep adding time and distance and am starting to get excited for the race which is only 150ish days away.

tri-annual checkup

I went for my physical today which I do about every three years and the doctor said I'm good to go.  I asked him about the cramps that I keep getting in my calves (like I got on Sunday) and he is thinking that they are from not being hydrated well enough, especially since I do my long bike rides on Saturday and long runs on Sunday.  He is a runner too so he knows where I am coming from.

So this past weekend was filled with parties- Saturday we had a baby shower for our friends (Chris and Janine) who are expecting their third baby and Sunday was the family birthday party for February birthdays.  Both were great fun and I ate lots of good food and sweets.  I also squeezed some excising in with a 2 hour and 30 minute ride on Saturday morning and what was supposed to be a long run on Sunday but, as I said above, I had a sudden calf cramp about 3 miles in.  I walked and limped/ran back home- the whole ordeal only took 52 minutes.  I'm not worried about missing a long run at this stage of the game but am hoping I can solve my calf problem before I get too much farther in.  Here is what I'm going to try: downward dog yoga pose (minimum of 15 per day), use massage stick daily, hydrate more, and get more comfortable with using salt tablets.   About the hydration: my doctor said that if I am hydrated well enough I should be getting up during the night to visit the potty (but I always sleep through the night now).  Sorry for the TMI.

Today I got up and rode my bike for an hour and 40 minutes and then ran to the pool to swim for 40 minutes (which was all of the time I could afford).  I felt extra slow in the pool because I swam with the kids who are going to states next weekend.  I appreciate getting a lane with them though.  We have this week off so we hit the Strong Museum, with the rest of Rochester, and met up with college friends that we haven't seen in 15 years; except for 5 kids between the two couples, everybody is pretty much the same.

Off to eat- more on that some other time.

Be the dinosaur

We just got back from visiting the new traveling exhibit at the Rochester Museum and Science Center.  It was pretty cool playing the video games that let you sniff out prey and then eat them.

Along the exercise front, I've been plugging along.  I did a long bike ride on Friday and a long run on Saturday so that I could rest on Sunday because it was Gracie's eighth birthday.  The Saturday run was blustery (at 17 degrees and a tough NE wind) but I felt good the whole way with no calf cramps!  Two possible solutions for good calves in my mind: downward dog yoga stretches and/or salt tablets to combat low salt levels- either way it was a good run.

Today I rode for an hour an forty minutes before school and felt good on the ride (but the bike rides haven't been so bad so far).  Eight mile run tomorrow morning and then a swim in the evening.

Yo, Adrian!

I got my afternoon run in today and it happened to be sunny, which is always welcome in February.  This was extra special to actually see the sun since all of my normal weekday runs are done by dawn so I can get to school on time.  To keep some speed in my legs I did 30 minutes of hills, with an average heart rate of 148.  The hill (our usual sledding hill) happened to be mostly covered with snow, so every time I was running up I couldn't help thinking about Rocky-whatever where he goes and trains in Russia to fight Ivan Drago- what a good Cold War movie.

Sleeping in

I meant to get up and run today but forgot to set an alarm, which let me sleep in until 6:30- the latest I have slept in quite a while.  My only rest days are on Friday but I volunteer on the ambulance on Thursday nights and usually get less sleep than usual.  Luckily I don't have anything pressing this afternoon so I will be able to run after school- six miles with some speed work.

I've seen some mileage increases this week; I added 40 minutes to my Monday bike ride, two miles to my Tuesday run and a little more distance in the pool.  So far this week I've exercised for a total of 5 hours and 20 minutes and covered a little over 55 miles.  I'm feeling pretty well and just happy to be getting closer to the big day.  I'll have to sneak my long ride in on Friday since I have to go to the Science Olympiad competition on Saturday. As for my long run on Sunday, I might move that to late Saturday night because Gracie's birthday is on Sunday.