The Week I Only Ran 4 Miles

I’ve been taking this whole “recovery” business seriously.  VERY seriously.  We’re talking laying on the couch watching the Olympic Trials 24/7 serious.  Except the West coast got totally screwed with JUST having swimming coverage on nightly and having to record the track coverage on NBC Sports at 2am in the morning.  That’s crap.  

 

And did you guys watch the gymnastics trials over the weekend?  I love me some women’s gymnastics, let me tell you.  Nastia Liukin, I salute you.   

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Rebecca Bross, who had knee surgery and fell twice on the uneven bars – I sobbed for you. 

And don’t even get me started on Dara Torres.  You are my ultimate hero.  

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I digress.  I did one small 4.3 mile run this week, and that was IT in terms of running.  I did do a bit more in terms of general exercise, but seriously, not much.  Instead I ate Red Robin burgers.

That’s right.  You get a free Red Robin burger during the month of your birthday, so JMan and I waited until the last possible minute and then indulged in some delicious peppercorn burger goodness.  Get in my belly. source

So, just to recap:

Monday – I did NOTHING.  Nothing nothing nothing.  Except watch the Olympic Trials, of course.

Tuesday – Uhh, nothing?  I think I ate something delicious.  

Wednesday – My first real exercise.  I met Jordanne at Cedar River Trail for some biking.  We did 13.5 miles in a little over an hour and then she headed home, but it was such a gorgeous day that I couldn’t bear leaving already, so I pumped out a few more miles (my quads were so ready to be done by the end!) – 22.86 miles in 1:42. 

Thursday – Tennis match (doubles).  I thought I was 100% better when just walking around, but when I got to my doubles tennis match and had to run down my first ball I knew I was in trouble.  My left hamstring was still sooo tight and my legs in general weren’t exactly feeling “springy”.  My poor partner.  I do not think she was too pleased with my performance.  And we proceeded to lose quickly 6-2, 6-2.  Sorry partner.  

Friday – Hit the pool for the first time in a long time.  Started feeling a bit nauseous halfway in though, so couldn’t complete the whole mile I intended to.  32 laps, so 1,600 yards in about 35 minutes. 

Saturday – My first run since the marathon!  Headed out with Jordan, Rachael, Frankie, and Cooper (a fun group affair!) and did about 4.3 miles with some walking.  Rachael is still running at 38 weeks pregnant and is the ULTIMATE inspiration.  She climbed those hills faster than I did at that.  SHE ROCKS!

Sunday – TONS of walking, both on the roads garage-sale-ing and on the beach.  

So, there you have it.  A full week of recovery.  And I’m still not feeling all the way back.  Spoiler alert: I ran on Monday and it did NOT feel good.  So I think I may need another week of recovery?  :-) Which requires more delicious food, of course.  

What’s your recovery strategy? 

Olympic Diving Trials!

I'm seriously obsessed with the Olympics.  Although I've always thought the Olympics were awesome, I think my intense obsession with them first began when I watched Kerri Strug's vault on a broken ankle to secure the team gold in the Atlanta 1996 games. 

The Olympic Trials though, provide almost as much awesomeness.  Last week I got plenty of inspiration through watching Amy Hastings dominating her way to the Olympics and David Boudia scoring some 10's in the 10-meter-platform diving event. 

So when I realized that the Diving Trials was nearby, I knew I HAD to go.  HAD TO! 

AND I got to meet another awesome blogger in the process - Jill!  We turned out to watch two semifinal events: the women's 3-meter-springboard and the men's 10-meter-platform.

The women's 3-meter-springboard event was awesome and I quickly discovered my two favorites: Cassidy Cook and Christina Loukas (Loukas made it to the Olympics, Cook sadly did not).  But it turns out that the REALLY awesome event is truly the 10-meter-platform.  It is is just SO HIGH!  Taller than a 3 story building, I cannot even imagine jumping off that platform, let alone doing 3 somersaults with a twist off it.  AND starting from a handstand position. 

 

In conclusion, I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE OLYMPICS!!!

What's your favorite Olympic event?  I love gymnastics, swimming, the marathon (obviously), track events, oh the list goes on and on!

Ever Had a Terrible Run?

First of all, who watched the Olympic Trials and LOVED.EVERY.MINUTE.OF.IT??!!  Talk about inspiring.  If you ever feel on the fence about wanting to run a marathon just watch those trials again: instant motivation.  I also succeeded in my quest to not find out who won before I watched the delayed coverage!  The runners did not disappoint - I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.  It was fabulous and I'm so happy for all of them: Shalane, Desi, Kara, Meb, Ryan, and the least known of all of them to me (I need to study up on him), Abdi.  But wow, poor Ritz and Hastings, I was nearly in tears watching them, I would truly rather get last than get 4th, 4th place is by far the worst.

So the big question remains: Should I go to watch the Olympic Marathon in LONDON?!?!

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Now, let's back up a bit to how I killed time before the Olympic Trials.  Around 9am I set out to run 12 miles. I had sufficiently carbo loaded with my pizza overload the night before, got a good night's sleep, and had only swam the day before. Yet despite these seemingly star-aligning-feats, this run was far from fabulous.

               That's not me.  But it's pretty much exactly like how I felt.       source.

In fact, it was downright horrifying. I am notoriously over-dressed for runs, since I hate to be cold, yet I was actually under-dressed for this one. The bitter wind cut right through my thin long sleeve and burned my face. My legs felt like lead the entire time: so heavy and impossible to pick-up / move.  I tried taking walk breaks, I tried getting water, I tried going to the bathroom.   Feeling like a complete and utter loser, I finally admitted defeat and called JMan to come pick me up.  By the time he got there, I was surprised to have actually finished 6 whole miles, since I wanted to quit after 1.  Why were my legs so freaking heavy?  Maybe it was because I hadn't watched the Olympic Trials yet?! :-)  I can only hope my next run won't be nearly so horrible.  Annnnd maybe I just need a drink.

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Ever had a run like this?  How often does it happen to you?  And why do you think it happens?  Should I watch the Olympic Marathon in London this summer??!!

Who's Excited for the Olympic Trials?

I am I am! If only I could run even within an hour of the 2:45 qualifying time needed to get in!

Who's it going to be?

                        Desiree?                          Shalane?                         Kara?           source

Will all three make it on the team?  Or none?  I CAN'T WAIT TO FIND OUT!  I am beyond jealous of those who will actually be in Houston today, cheering their guts out.  I have a definite loyalty to Kara after reading her book, though I'm definitely mostly looking for an amazing, nail-biting-worthy race. 

My TV is ready to be tuned to NBC today at 12:00pm and my snacks are ready (hey, I need some quick energy-in-the-form-of-sugar just like the athletes!).  The tough part remaining involves not checking Twitter, Facebook, CNN, TV, etc. etc. etc. so I don't know who wins before I watch.  WHY IS IT NOT LIVE PEOPLE?  Why?  It will be just like that episode of How I Met Your Mother when the gang didn't want to find out who won the Superbowl.  EXACTLY the same as that. 

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Will you watch?  Who are you cheering for?  Have you read Kara's book?