Tempo Run... Or not

Tonight was supposed to be my last "tough" workout of the training schedule. I was planning on a 6.0-6.7 stepladder to bring me to a negative split tempo for a PR. Unfortunately about 1.5 miles in I had ridiculous stomach cramps that I'm going to blame on a buffet brunch that I had earlier in the day. I hadn't done much moving around between the run and the meal, so I'm guessing it was just kind of hanging out and then decided to cause cramping later on. I scrapped the run as it was getting late anyway and settled with doing a tempo run at lunch tomorrow. I may tone it down a bit as it is nearing Thursday and, given that I'm writing this at 11:30 pm and I wake up at 6:30 am, I doubt I will get enough sleep to really give it 110%.

The plan for tomorrow is the tempo run and hopefully a light legs workout mixed with some lower core while I can get it in. Tuesday it's off due to an MRI and umm... a spray tan (the shame! the shame!).... and then Wednesday I drive down to New Jersey. I'll be getting in around 8 pm I assume, so I doubt I'll have time for a workout (if I do, it's a short walk and maybe some arms). We'll see.

Airline Marathon

The title of the post actually sounds like a pretty neat race! But it doesn't exist, sadly. Damn those imaginary races.

Thursday's session was pretty good. I knew I only had to bang around 2 miles out but I ended up doing 5.8 in what I can only call a long tempo run. It was a terrible idea, really. I had stayed at work a bit longer than I planned and, after basically forcing a co-worker to get a group of people together to go to Moxie's, I had an obligation to go to the bar at 5:30. I had this tiny window of opportunity to run between 4 and 5 pm. I knew I wanted to get in a long run, but I knew I had to give up the "slow" if I wanted the "long". I did 3 sets of tempo increases and got my 5 miles in (the remainder was for warm up and cool down)... it was good but by the last set, I was finished.... big time. Around the 40 minute mark, it was just me and some French lady doing P90X in the gym, so I went all Brandi Chastain in the last little bit. My stomach isn't quite bare-worthy, but I was soaked through my shirt and it was not helping out my chafing situation.

Anne on mile 5...

The good news is that it's the end of my running week and I got over 14 miles in and 2 weight sessions. Next week will be a chilled out week for running as I'm doing my 5K on Thursday.

Now... on to some NRR....

This is a topic that touches me personally, and this will be a major vent. I really do not intend to offend anyone since I know some airline spouse-types read my blog and I know that the primary reason they do is because we all run and the airline thing comes second, so I'm actually not directing this at anyone that I know personally. I found the blogs of a few airline spouses on a complete accident... not because they were going on about their husbands and their husbands' job, but because they were runners. The employment of their spouse took a backseat to their own goals. I applaud that. So, with that discretionary notice aside...

I am sick and tired of these freaking airline wives. I got exposed to this type VERY early in my status as a "pilot girlfriend" mainly because the girl who my boyfriend dated before me was that creepy hangy-on type and she had a bunch of online friends who supported this behaviour. I thought it was confined to this one sort of arbitrary group, but that does not appear to be the case. After scrolling through some blogs Wikipedia-style (where you click one to get to another, to get to another, to get to another, etc), I've found that this is actually fairly common behaviour among pilot wives. The behaviour I'm referencing is this whole, "I'm dating a pilot, therefore I must worship the ground he walks on" thing.

Maybe it's because I work in the aviation industry and have for so long that I just find that particularly occupation to be not-so-impressive, but I am just appalled by any person who lets themselves be defined by someone else. My boyfriend's job does affect my life. I am certainly the only person who goes to England for a night on the weekend at my work. It makes an appearance on my blog only as a passing reference, such as an answer to a question like: "Why was Anne running in Virginia on Saturday when she lives in Ottawa?". I travel a lot as a result of my boyfriend's job, but that's all it is... a result of a job. I look at my boyfriend now the same way I'd look at him if he did anything else. I did not fall in love with my boyfriend because he was a pilot and my feelings certainly would not change if he decided he wanted to change careers.

I am so over women who spend all their free time just basically talking about how important their husbands' jobs are and how everything they talk about is related to them and their lifestyle. I non-rev, but I certainly don't go on and on about it. I may gripe, but I gripe to my boyfriend and I leave it out of the public domain. No one really cares. It's a benefit and as much as I am exposed to the shittiness of various airlines as a result of me doing all this random flying on weekends, these women act like spoiled entitled brats who are just grasping for attention. Army wives, okay, that's something I get, the guy is gone for maybe a year or so. Major effect. But your husband not being home for two or three days? You married the guy. You knew you were getting into this so don't act like it is such a big deal and the world needs to hear about it. It's a unique job and it has its pros and cons, but stop making it the most important thing in your life. Take it as it comes.

I'm tired of women sitting around saying, "Oh, when Dave flies this route, he loves listening to this song. He also doesn't like calling me after flying this route because he gets jet-lagged, poor guy"... are you talking about your infant or something? Honestly. I know a ton of pilots and guess what, a ton are jerks mainly because they get elevated to this God-like status by women who have zero self-esteem and huge dependency issues. I fully respect the plight of someone who has to raise a child with a guy who's away half the time, but get a freaking grip... I'd much prefer to hear someone say, "Well, the hubby was away this week so we did this.. and then I went for a run and carb-loaded for this race and blah blah blah"... that is SO much better than, "He's away. Again. My kids miss him. Like they do. Every week. I'm a pilot's wife. It's so hard. All the time. My life revolves around my husband". Get a grip!!!!

Okay, I'm done with that rant... I've probably ticked off a bunch of people (but like I said, this isn't directed at anyone I know in particular since I generally can't stand this type of person in the first place, so any readers are safe). It probably doesn't make sense to people who haven't met this type of airline spouse, and I'll give credit to the women who just take trips and such as they come and look at their husband as their husband and his job as his job. Why anyone would choose to let someone else's occupation define them, I'll never know.

@!#!&(@%#

Waaaaaaaaaaaait a minute...

There's SNOW in the forecast!?


That's all I have to say about that.

Running and Workout Stuff:

Today is hopefully going to be a decent training day. I'm scheduled for an arms workout at lunch and then a long-ish run. My legs were pretty much shot for two days after a fairly difficult legs workout on Monday. I'm not sure if it was the difficulty, the fact that I hadn't done a specific legs workout in ages, or both, but either way -- that shiz hurt!

My 5K pseudo-plan calls for a long run today. I've been half following the plan and half just doing what I can given timings and schedule, but I think I'm going to aim for 5 miles today. It's long, but not TOO long (especially running on a treadmill). The goal is a 5.5 to 6.5 mph pyramid, with a speed increase/decrease every 0.25 miles (10 levels each way = 5 miles). I'll see how the ankle holds up. If things become sketchy, it may just be 4 miles. Either way, I'm hovering at around 9 miles for the week so far, so as long as I complete 1 mile and finish this arms workout, I'll have reached my weekly goal.

The goal system seems pretty decent so far. I checked out the calendar to see how the plan plays out over time and it looks like by mid-February, I'll be hitting around 20 mpw. It seems so close, yet also pretty far away. This isn't accounting for weeks where I don't hit my mileage. If I don't hit my goal, I tack on an extra week to the 4-week intervals. I'm guessing by the beginning of March, I'll be running a consistent 20-25 mpw base. This also happens to be a perfect time to start a 5 or 10K training program for spring races. I know the boyfriend wants to do a few in the spring, and we're still planning on our 50 Races in 50 States goal.

NRR Stuff:

I need to start baking muffins at home and THEN taking them into work. I keep buying cafeteria muffins and, while I deem it "okay" twice a week-ish because I only eat the top, I know they're still far more terrible than my 150 calorie, 3g of fat muffins.

I'm getting hardcore anxiety about the next Month. Between Thanksgiving next week, my cousin from South Africa visiting, packing everything up, moving on December 1, two uni exams, working full time, balancing a healthy lifestyle, and settling into a new place, I feel ridiculously overwhelmed. Not to mention that the boyfriend has been busy getting his stuff packed and shipped on his own, so we haven't been able to do any shopping or planning together. I'm so ready to just be settled into my own place. I love my family but after having lived on my own and then moving back in with them, I'm ready to get out ASAP. I just hate the moving process!

Happy trails! x

Fractured Stress

My weekend > your weekend

It's been a little over a week and the area around my toes/ball of my right foot is still in pain. For a while I thought it was a stress fracture but it really just seems to be the result of wearing unsupportive shoes through airports all weekend. Blah.

I did an easy 30 minute run of randomness last night. It wasn't too bad but I was getting some pain in my right Achilles which became a bother towards the end of the run. In total, it was 2.6 miles on a mostly high incline... probably not what I was aiming for in an "easy" run, but it wasn't too bad. I was still majorly jet-lagged from the fact that I was in England over the weekend. Yeah, over the weekend. Meaning I had about 24 hours to adjust to the 5 hour time difference and then, just as I adjust, fly 5 timezones back.

Today felt even worse jet-lag wise. I went to get some fillings fixed at the dentist and began to fall asleep. You know it's bad when you have the ability to sleep in a dentist's office! After a quick adjustment (that really hasn't done anything to help the pain, might I add), I hit the Snap on Woodroffe. I wasn't quite sure what the workout would bring... for a while, I wasn't even planning on working out, but I'd realized that I'd forgotten my iPod at the gym and luckily someone turned it in, so I wanted to pick it up.

I decided on my negative split/tempo run for a tough workout. Figured another easy run would only make me sleepier, so I attempted to feel gung ho about this run. If I haven't mentioned it, my negative split run starts with me at 5.8 mph, then jumps to 6.0, 5.9, 6.1, 6.0, 6.2, 6.1, etc. until I get up to 6.5 mph with a speed change every 0.25 miles. Today's run went stunningly and, with a 0.25 mi warmup and cool-down included (plus a hard extra tenths of a mile at 7.1 towards the end), I finished with 3.75 miles. I was super pleased with this! I further killed my legs with a leg/lower core workout.

The total for this week is a little over 6 miles with one weights session. I've decided for the next four weeks, I will be doing 10 mpw (at least) and 2 weight sessions/week (at least). I've printed out charts so that every 4 weeks, my goal changes. The next 4 weeks' goal will be at least 13 mpw and 2 weight sessions again (eventually upping it to the 20 mpw and 3 weight sessions I'd like by next spring). It seems like a nice structured, yet unstructured (aka no set running plan) way to stay motivated and hopefully injury-free.

I'm freaking out a bit about the stress my upcoming assignments/exams/moving will have on my workouts, so we'll see how well this whole "plan" plays out.

Might I add that men's washrooms are disgusting. A chick was in the women's one when I went to change, so I went to the men's and did not want to touch one freaking thing in there. I was going to toilet paper the seat to go for a quick pre-run pee and, when I put the seat down, there was dried pee everywhere from previous users. I don't think I'm ready to live with a guy! I was too freaked out and eventually just waited for the women's washroom... which smelled of lovely fragrance and was the epitome of clean. I like my gender.

Happy trails!

x

Virgin(ia) Territory

I was in Herndon, VA this past weekend. It was fantastic.. flights were good, weather was good, and I got a lot of quality time with my boyfriend which is tough to get in this hectic period of transition.

I was hoping to run the WO&D trail but realized I had no idea where it was relative to a Hilton that was in a random industrial park, so I figured the jog just to the trail and back would've been the longest part of the run and therefore not really worth it. I went down to the lobby to map out a run and decided to do a little out and back from the hotel to the end of Centreville Rd (at Frying Pan Rd). I'm still recovering from surgery and haven't really run anything past a 5K in the past few weeks, so I wanted something "long" but also something that was short enough to not push myself too hard. It was going to be around 4 miles and seemed pretty straightforward. Or so I thought...

I take off wearing my new lululemon tights that have only seen the likes of a treadmill and hadn't gone for their proper road test yet. I was wearing underwear with them which sounds like a fairly common thing but, according to the female runners that I know, it's actually best practice to either invest in an Under Armour thong or go commando. I was about to learn my lesson. Not only do they provide you with hideous panty lines beneath the tights, but underwear LOVE to not stay in place with running tights. And they go in a very not-so-nice direction. By the first 1.5 miles, I threw in the towel with the underwear and stopped at a Burger King to strip off and stuff them in my cardigan pocket for the remainder of the run.

With that minor issue out of the way, I was ready to go. What I didn't realize was that the Burger King was at the intersection of McLearen and Centreville Rds. I was supposed to continue on Centreville, but ended up taking McLearen (thinking I was on the correct road). I'm enjoying the run and pacing myself up and down the hilly landscape, when I stop an intersection ahead of me. I had noted a major intersection before my scheduled turn around point on the map, so I just assumed I was approaching that intersection. When I got to it, I realized I was at the end of the road, and the road was NOT Frying Pan Road -- it was West Ox Road.

Realizing that I must have made a wrong turn and my run felt somewhat short at this point (though it had been 2 miles so the wise decision would've been to turn around), I made a right onto this foreign road, hoping to meet up with my intended route. I spotted another intersection ahead and prayed that it was a road I recognized. When I made it up to the lights, it was not only a road that I didn't recognize, but it was also a dual-lane highway! The highway had a trail running alongside it so I decided to head westbound (or, what I thought was westbound). I could see a set of lights in the distance so I was hoping that road was the correct one (spoiler alert: it wasn't).

This highway was extremely hilly and at times like these, I wish I had a GPS device! Not just for the fact that I was lost, but to track elevation changes! The path dipped down sharply to a stream, crossed the stream, then took what must've been a 60% incline back up the hill. Ridiculous. I finally made it to this next intersection but was again, in unfamiliar territory. I did remark that there was a Snap Fitness and the gym nut inside of me secretly wished that I had brought my pass so I could do a mid-run weights session. There was also a grocery store and a gas station, so I decided it was time to figure out just where in the hell I was. I was pondering making a right down this street (northbound) but wanted to make sure I didn't get even more lost as I had hit the 4 mile mark at this point and knew I was still nowhere near home.

Some kind young guys at the grocery store affirmed that I was going in the right direction and also laughed at my predicament. Thanks. I stopped into the gas station and was really quite pleased with the fact that I had thought to bring a $20 bill in my little zippy section of my capris. I bought some Starburst to load up on a few carbs. Thinking I'd only be out for a relatively short run, I had only eaten a bit of a Clif bar before the run and my energy levels were tanking at this point. I also picked up some water as the waterbottle I had stored in a groundhog hole about half a mile from the hotel was but a mere mirage. I needed some hydration now.

I did my best to enjoy the rest of the run knowing that I was on the correct path but the constant "how much longer" feeling was starting to bother me and I was really longing to get back. I finally made it onto Centreville Rd and smelled (then saw) the Burger King that I had stopped at to ditch my underwear. The remaining 2ish miles felt so quick and I finally made it back to the hotel with the stiffest legs in town.... 7 miles after I left the hotel.

I did a few front/side raises and some bicep curls at the gym, but my plan to do a leg workout was definitely scrapped.

I'm back in Ottawa and plan for a run tonight (short easy one) and some weights. I'm planning to eat a bit healthier this week as I've been dragging when it comes to food and I need to start adjusting my diet. Only 3.5 more weeks until my move-in date for the new home though, so I'm excited and looking forward to cooking for me. I think things will for sure change then.

Happy trails!

Would you like Original Recipe or Extra Crispy?

The showers at my work suck. Not only does the water come out smelling like egg yolk, but the temperatures are extremely wonky. If you set the temperature to around 75 (the water is NOT 75, by the way), it’ll cool off and then scald you, and then be normal, and then go to near-freezing, then re-scald you. I guess it’s their way of helping everyone save water. No one is going to be lingering in that pain stall for long!

I hit the treadmill at lunchtime today to get in a sprint session I’ve been meaning to do. The Hal Higdon adaptation I’ve been doing called for 6X400 m (so, 6 X 0.25) with jogging breaks of equal distance between sprints. Sprints are your goal pace which, for me, is 28:00, so that worked out to be 6.5 mph. Boy, did 6.5 mph feel a LOT easier a month ago! I know that I need to bear in mind that I just had surgery and I’m still even getting some pain from it so I can’t be too tough on myself, but a teensy weensy part of me still hopes that I can PR at the run this month. It’d be nice to go out with a big win.

Either way, I know that by next spring things will be looking up (or down, time-wise). The boyfriend is hardcore motivated to get fit and, the way he does things, he’ll be trailing behind for about a month and then lapping back to get me by the first race.

In other news, I got a new George Foreman grill and a crock-pot for the new home! I’m excited to make healthy foods for us! Especially in the winter. Healthy comfort food is what I’m all about, so I’m really looking forward to getting a kitchen to myself.

Time to actually work (boo).

Halloween Hunger

I had planned for a 3 mile negative split night to get me running non-stop again. With speeds adjusted for the fact that I recently had surgery near a vital organ, I planned for:

Mile 1: 5.5

Mile 2: 5.8

Mile 3: 6.0

I plan to increase the speed with each week. Anyway, miles 1 and 2 were good, but by the time I got to mile 3, I had a sharp pain in my right side where my gallbladder used to be and had to pack it in again. It seems like this is happening when my heart rate becomes more elevated and I'm running faster (so more jostling of body parts) so I'm going to assume it's just healing as usual. It kind of stinks though. The goal of a PR at the end of the month is becoming less and less attainable. I did eat popcorn a few hours before the run, so I'm going to chalk the other abdominal pain up to GI issues and give it a go again tomorrow with a sprint session at lunch.

So the fat-laden season has begun, and it really started a week ago for me with the frequent appearance of Halloween candy. Between that and me manning the bake sale at work, I've been feeling the effects of decreased exercise and increased unhealthy food! While I haven't gained weight, I've certainly lost muscle and tone and just don't feel 100% like me. My energy levels are down and I just have a general "yuck" feeling. I'm in anxiety mode as the BF and I are moving in very shortly and it seems like there's so much to do and very little time in which to do it. It's still really no excuse to be eating crap food though. I'm very much looking forward to having our own space and being able to make healthy foods again! In the meantime, I'm going to focus on getting ample sleep, not losing my weight training (I need the tone back, dammit), and keeping up with my cardio sessions. It's a lot to do, but a few sessions over lunch hour and 30-60 min at night isn't too much, I don't think. We'll see how it goes. American Thanksgiving onwards is gonna be a shitshow (at least until the New Year).