Sunday, January 31, 2010

Yurting



Ever since the triathlon, I have developed a predilection for timing everything. I like to know precisely how fast I run, walk, bike, and swim. My sleep schedule is relatively fixed, it takes me the same amount of time to get out the door every morning, and I eat my meals at set times throughout the day. If I didn't stick to a schedule, I would never be able to balance work, life, and exercise.

I forget that not everyone lives in my strictly regimented world. My obsession with timing everything has apparently overflowed into my personal life. I made the mistake of taking my watch when camping with friends in a yurt in the Adirondacks. Apparently one of the joys of being out in the woods is being able to eat and sleep without a schedule. (I disagree, but I was outvoted on this point.) Lesson: watches are good training tools, but are not to be worn on vacation.


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Overall, the week was bad for exercise but good for fun. I skipped two runs, but we did go for a long hike while camping. Hiking for 2+ hours on snow definitely counts as cross training.

Half Marathon Training: Week 2
Week of 1/25/10 red=incomplete; green=completed







stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Brrrrrrr

Best run time yet!!! Michelle and I did the same route to Game Farm Rd that we did last Tuesday but this time in reverse. The temperature plummeted into the teens today and it was extremely windy. I think that helped motivate us to get to my car, which was parked near the end of the trail, as fast as we possibly could.

Afterward, we met Brian and Melissa at the gym for some more weight training. This time, we focused on our chest, tricep, and leg muscles. I didn't push myself as hard as I did on Monday because I'm going camping this weekend and I don't want to be in pain before the trip starts. Highlights from today's lesson included a debate on whether building chest muscles in women leads to perkier breasts or to a manly chest and an argument over whether it's acceptable to dance between sets while you're waiting for a machine to be free. I don't think Brian will be joining us for weights again, which is too bad because our lessons were fun!

Nike+ run stats: 3.97 miles, 40'12" minutes, 10'07" minutes per mile

Half Marathon Training: Week 2
Week of 1/25/10 red=incomplete; green=completed







stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Spinning

I'm not on track to finish my goal for this week. Work and life have been busy, and for just one week, I'm letting that take precedence. Although I was still exhausted and sore from weights on Monday, I managed to go to spinning with Michelle and Melissa. It was tiring but felt good.

Half Marathon Training: Week 2
Week of 1/25/10 red=incomplete; green=completed







stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run

Monday, January 25, 2010

Weight training demo

Michelle and I got a free private lesson from her boyfriend on strength training. When Brian heard how we did our strengthening exercises last week, he was amused/appalled and decided a tutorial was in order. Here's what I learned:
  • Quality over quantity. Last week, we went around to each machine, did 8 reps, and then moved onto the next one. Today, we did 3 sets of 10 reps with free weights and at a few machines that worked our upper arms and backs. We'll go back on Thursday to work on our lower bodies.
  • Rest between sets. It's better to work at your upper limit of weights and allow yourself to rest between sets.
  • Less talk, more work. Apparently engaging in conversation when you're lifting weights means that you're not working hard enough.
  • Girls are different than boys. Michelle and I can't do pull ups. We already knew that, but it was an educational experience for Brian. ("But.... but.... just pull yourself up with your arms.") We then discovered that the machine was weight assisted and gives you a little "push" if you need it. Someday soon hopefully I'll be able to do pull ups on my own.
  • Remember to breathe. Sounds dumb, but this is something I'm terrible at in yoga as well. It's easy to forget to breathe when you're focusing on contracting muscles.
It was fun to get advice from someone with more experience, and Brian put a lot of thought into putting together a good workout for us. As we were leaving, we got into a debate about which muscle groups we should be concentrating on. He thought we wouldn't want to work on our legs since those get exercised with running. I thought that we wanted to build our leg muscles to improve our running. Unless I'm proven wrong, I'm sticking with my approach.

Half Marathon Training: Week 2
Week of 1/25/10 red=incomplete; green=completed







stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run

Sunday, January 24, 2010

South Hill Rec Trail



Annie, Michelle, Brian, Melissa, Nori, Jen, and I met at this morning for a Sunday run. It turns out that the South Hill Rec Trail is not plowed in the winter. Running on packed snow was a great workout, but it's a little hard on the knees and ankles so I think we'll avoid it in the future. I guess we'll need to look for a different spot to do our 4+ mile runs. We ran out and back on the trail so we were able to split up and run by speed.

Nike+ run stats: 3.84 miles, 45'40" minutes, 11'52" minutes per mile
(I think I need to recalibrate my pedometer. According to the trail markers, we ran 4 miles.)


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Half Marathon Training: Week 1
Week of 1/18/10 red=incomplete; green=completed







stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run

Saturday, January 23, 2010

climbing + weights + bike trainer

I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I'm no longer working at Cornell. The gym is next door to my building, the climbing wall is across the parking lot, and the indoor track is across the street. Today I took advantage of that and went to both the climbing wall and the gym. I did a little bit of bouldering and then went to the gym to work on my upper arms. It's interesting-- my fear of heights is not a problem when I'm harnessed and on ropes, but it quickly becomes apparent when I'm climbing without ropes.

After a full Saturday at the lab and in the gym, I headed home and spent 30 minutes on my bike trainer. After all, today was supposed to be a cross training day.

Half Marathon Training
Week of 1/18/10 red=incomplete; green=completed







stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Evening run + strength training

I'm finally back on a normal sleeping schedule so I once again have time for weights, sit ups, and push ups in the morning. It helps that all the running wears me out so I can fall asleep pretty quickly most nights.

Michelle and I headed out for a run after work. This time she was the tired one and I was the one who forced us out the door. We did a quick run around campus that went through the insectary, around Beebe Lake, through the arts quad and Ho Plaza, and then back up to Teagle. It was a little short of our 3 mile target, but since we went too far on Tuesday, it works out on average. Afterward, we went to the gym to do our strength training.

Nike+ stats: 2.53 miles, 30'47" minutes, 12'08" minutes per mile

Half Marathon Training
Week of 1/18/10 red=incomplete; green=completed







stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Belay certified!

I have a secret. I took a climbing class a few years back, and I was never belay certified because I didn't pass the test. I hated climbing. The knots befuddled me. I got frustrated quickly because I lacked upper body strength. The class started at 9 am on Saturdays so I was always half asleep. And since it was a course, the emphasis was on doing everything exactly as we were taught and not on having fun. But my major downfall was that I lacked confidence in my athletic abilities and in myself.

When I re-learned to belay over winter break, I was surprised at how relaxed and informal the instructors were. It was a lot easier this time around, probably because it didn't feel like I was memorizing a series of directions. Ben was kind enough to give me a refresher course this past Sunday, and I was 100% confident in my ability to safely belay someone by the time I went to the gym today. I'm quite proud to say that I passed the test this time. Not only that, I was able to teach Lauren the ropes (sorry, bad pun), and she is now also certified. We spent 2 hours climbing until our arms couldn't take any more.

Half Marathon Training
Week of 1/18/10 red=incomplete; green=completed







stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Evening run to Game Farm Rd.

Michelle and I went for a run after work. We got a beautiful layer of snow last night but the roads were clear so it was a great day for a run. I didn't want to run outside at first, but luckily Michelle convinced me otherwise. It was right around 30F which was the perfect temperature once we got warmed up.

We cut through campus to the East Hill Rec trail, ran to Game Farm Rd., and then took back roads back to get to campus. It was muddy and wet, but it was a great run. For a long time, I couldn't run more than 3 miles. I've finally overcome that barrier because we did this entire run without walking, and I had plenty of energy left afterward.

It's just my luck that I finally am able to run the entire distance of the Rec trail, only to get this in my e-mail this morning:

There is an important meeting tonight, Tue, Jan. 19 at 7:00PM at the Town of Ithaca, Town Hall. The first item on the agenda is a vote to decide if Cornell can have approval to do work at the East Hill Recreation Way that will close the trail for at least 3-4 weeks, or possibly a lot longer. This will happen soon. The part of the trail that will be closed is the 1 mile segment between Game Farm Rd. and Judd Falls Rd.

Nike+ run stats: 3.83 miles, 46'47" minutes, 12'12" minutes per mile

Half Marathon Training
Week of 1/18/10 red=incomplete; green=completed







stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run

Monday, January 18, 2010

Trainer ride

I was exhausted after work, but I did a quick 30 minutes on my bike trainer. I think it gave me the energy I'll need to stay awake for trivia night.

Half Marathon Training
Week of 1/18/10 red=incomplete; green=completed







stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Sunday run


View Larger Map

I'm feeling conflicted. I want it to snow more so I can go skiing again, but I also want it to stay above 40F because running outside is so much nicer than running on a treadmill.

This was a great run. My goal was to run the entire distance without walking, and it was easy to do since I started off very slowly. I got to the 2 mile mark and I realized that I was only a few hundred meters from the end of the trail, so I decided to make it a loop and I ran back on the road.

Nike+ run stats: 4.29 miles, 51'05" minutes, 11'54" minutes per mile

Half Marathon Training
Week of 1/11/10 red=incomplete; green=completed







stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Bike trainer + strengthening

I took two days off this week, so today I doubled up cross training with strength training. I spent 30 minutes on my bike trainer and then started doing a yoga video. Unfortunately, I got demoralized by my weak upper body strength and, without peer pressure to power me through, I gave up. I ended up lifting weights instead and doing crunches for a core workout.

I also finished up Iron Heart. I'll admit, I was a little skeptical about the book from the first few chapters. But I quickly got caught up in Brian Boyle's struggle to recover from a car crash that left him first in a coma and then in a wheelchair. I think the story is especially compelling because he's very easy to empathize with. I think a lot of readers see qualities of themselves in him and find themselves rooting for him to succeed. It's a completely crazy story at the end... the man trains for the Kona Iron Man in four months.

Half Marathon Training
Week of 1/11/10 red=incomplete; green=completed







stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run

Friday, January 15, 2010

Lunchtime run

Michelle and I went for a lunchtime run around campus. We went off-road for a little bit, which was an icy mess because the snow is starting to melt. The plantations are apparently not being plowed so there was quite a bit of snow on the road. I walked over the icy bits because I'm not going to risk injuring myself. I think we went too far or too fast because I was super sleepy for the rest of the afternoon.


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We're up to at least 5 people who are following the same half marathon training guide. In theory, it would be great if we could all do our runs together, but it seems impractical given the variation in running speeds. Nonetheless, Michelle wants to continue to train together*, which is great because running with her is sure to make me faster. She's two weeks behind me in the schedule, so I'm going to repeat those weeks with the aim of doing all my runs faster than I did before.

*I may be slow, but I make a great personal trainer since I can be quite persistent (i.e. annoying) about making my friends work out with me.

Nike+ run stats: 3.65 miles, 42'46" minutes, 11'41" minutes per mile

Half Marathon Training
Week of 1/11/10 red=incomplete; green=completed







stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run


In other news:
  • My new (used) climbing shoes have arrived! I found them on geartrade.com. They were $40 with shipping, which means that I need to go climbing 10 times to make them worth the investment.
  • I'm officially signed up for the Cayuga Lake Triathlon. After a lot of internal debating and a little external pressure, I decided to do the intermediate distance. It's a little intimidating since I've never even run a 10K, but I have seven months to fix that (for example, by training for a half marathon).
  • There's a new triathlete blog on my list. Amit is a former Cornellian who'll likely come back to Ithaca to do the CLT with the rest of us.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Bloody spinning

No, I'm not cursing spinning. I managed to slice my finger open in the locker room. I'm not sure how it happened, I just looked down to find my hand covered in blood. It wouldn't clot, and I ended up with blood absolutely everywhere (bike, towels, locker, floor...ew).

Other than that, spinning was uneventful. Michelle and I headed over after work. It was a short class (~50 minutes) so we biked around 10-11 miles. The instructor was Zipi, who also teaches Pilates. She ended with quite a bit of stretching, which was wonderful because my muscles are still tight from skiing and then running.

This week has been emotionally and physically exhausting, so I'm taking it easy this evening and curling up with Brian Boyle's Iron Heart, recommended here. I love reading biographies and autobiographies, and this will be the first one I read in the fitness genre.

Half Marathon Training







stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Running while sore

I'm still incredibly sore from skiing. It's a little mystifying... I wasn't even this sore after biking around the lake. I decided to do a run anyway because my muscles needed to be stretched out. The run felt nice, although it was split into two halves because the treadmills were all booked up.

I tried the weight machines between runs. They're not as intimidating as they used to be. I've guess I've finally learned not to be self conscious at the gym.

Poonam, Vikram, and I have a new Nike+ challenge going. First one to 50 miles by 2/11 wins. Three miles down, 47 to go!!

Nike+ run stats: 3 miles, 37'16" minutes, 12'25" minutes per mile

Half Marathon Training

stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run
red=incomplete; green=completed

Sunday, January 10, 2010

One week down, eleven to go

Finally! I finished a weekly goal! I'm considering that 3 hours of skiing probably surpasses a 3 mile run, and that skiing uses a lot of the same muscle groups (plus more) as running.

Half Marathon Training








stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run
red=incomplete; green=completed

Skiing at Yellow Barn


Link to more pics, photo credit: Ben

Today a bunch of us went cross country skiing at Yellow Barn. We've gotten a lot of snow in the past two days, and the scenery, ski conditions, and company for this outing could not have been better. Ten of us went: Ben, Gretchen, Sarah S, Matt, Sarah J, Mark, Arend, Greg, Michelle, and me. It was a mix of first-timers and experienced skiers, and everyone did a great job. We were able to stay together for the entire 3 hours (roughly 5-6 miles?).

Yellow Barn is almost completely flat (well, if you're skiing and not biking...) which makes it a great place for skiers of all skill levels. Very close to the intersection of Signal Tower Rd and Tehan Rd, the road becomes unplowed and open to skiers. We quickly found that skiing off road was much easier than on the road because the snowmobiles made the roads very icy.

I'm pleasantly surprised to find that I can stay just as active in the winter as I am in the summer. The key to staying happy during the long Ithaca winters is to embrace winter sports.


View Larger Map(there's a little more snow right now)

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Saturday treadmill run

How did I live without exercise for so long? Running fixes *everything*. I'm getting redundant but that was another great run. I was all set to run outside but it started snowing really hard and the roads were a mess. Instead, I ran on the treadmill at a maximum speed of 10'45" minutes per mile with a mix of running and walking.

Nike+ run stats: 4.02 miles, 50'05" minutes, 12'27" minutes per mile

In other news: After I did the AIDS Ride for Life, I said that I wanted to volunteer at a racing event that I couldn't participate in. I finally found the perfect opportunity: the Boston Marathon. I've never been a spectator at a major event like this so I think it'll be fun. Plus it's an excuse to go to Boston and hang out with Asti.










stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run
red=incomplete; green=completed

Friday, January 8, 2010

Yup, I still hate Pilates

I went to pilates today since fitness class options are limited during winter break. The instructor was Jana. I didn't hate it as much as last time, but I didn't feel like I got much out of it either. I understand the important of stretching and building core muscles, but pilates is not my first choice.










stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run
red=incomplete; green=completed

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Spinning while sick

Yesterday I came down with a sinus infection which put a damper on my grand plans for the week. I had recruited a bunch of people to go to spinning class, but I had to cancel so I could rest.

I'm still not feeling great, but I decided 30 minutes on my bike trainer couldn't hurt, especially since it gave me time to listen to the latest Savage Love podcast. It was another great workout. I finally feel like I'm pushing myself hard enough on the trainer to get some good exercise.










stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run
red=incomplete; green=completed

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Ithaca is small

I didn't sleep well last night so all I wanted to do after work was go home and curl up on the couch. However, I really want to complete my goal for the week so I motivated myself to get to the gym. As always, I felt fantastic as soon as I was there. Exercise is better than caffeine for perking me up. Apparently I'm not the only one in workout mode. Out of the eight treadmills, at least four were occupied by the same people as last night (all people I know through work).

I had to wait for a treadmill so I did 20 minutes on an elliptical (1.75 miles, whatever that means). I did some light weightlifting between the elliptical and treadmill, and then again after my run. For the run, I ran at a max of 11'30" minutes per mile (treadmill speed). Combining the elliptical and treadmill, I'd say that I did about 3 miles worth of running today.

Nike+ run stats: 2.3 miles, 27'45" minutes, 12'02" minutes per mile










stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run

Monday, January 4, 2010

The gym is open again!

Helen Newman gym has reopened, and apparently the word is out because it was *packed* today. I had to wait 20 minutes to get onto a treadmill, so I biked while I was waiting. Why they decided to open the smallest gym to accommodate the entire campus is unclear to me. The gym was closing up as I finished my run so it was a short workout, but it felt awesome.

Nike+ run stats: 2.25 miles, 25'32" minutes, 11'18" minutes per mile











stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Fighting the winter blues on my bike trainer

After absolutely no aerobic exercise this week, I finally found the motivation to spend some time on my bike trainer. I spent 40 minutes on my bike while watching an episode of 'Dexter.'

I failed miserably at my goals for the week. In all fairness, I forgot to account for the gym being closed this week, and I couldn't have known that Ithaca would get two feet of snow and have a windchill of -20F. I'm itching to go for a run and am so excited that gym opens tomorrow.

Goal for the week of 12/28/09
1.5 hours 50 minutes of biking
15 miles of running
+climbing

I'm trying a new format for my weekly goals, since the previous way has failed twice in a row. It comes from Half Marathon Training for Novices (courtesy of Maddie). They have a 12 week program for building up to a half marathon. I won't stick to their daily schedule, but I'll try to do each of their suggested exercises each week and check them off each day (sort of like workout bingo). (Note: I'm not actually signed up for a half marathon yet. A bunch of friends are doing the Skunk Cabbage Half Marathon on April 11. I'm not sure if I'll be in town that weekend, but if I am, I'll definitely do it too.)










stretch & strengthen3 m run2 m run or cross3 m run + strengthrest30 min cross4 m run

Friday, January 1, 2010

2009 year in review

I hate year end wrapups so I'll make this brief. Mostly, I just want to have something to compare with at this time next year.

Road bike: 569 miles
Running: 108.91 miles

For comparison, here's my mileage for the decade preceding April 2009.

Road bike: <100 miles
Running: 0 miles