Training stalled

What training? I'm now in full-on Christmas knitting mode. No time for extra triathlon training. This could be a problem. Or not. I really like knitting and am content to do that for now. I can't do a tri until the summer (late spring) anyway, so I don't really need to train until after the Christmas knitting is all done and given away :)

I'm working on a sweater. It will be the first adult sweater that I have made. So far it is going well. The pattern repeats a lot, which is good and bad. Good because it is easy to get into the rhythm. Bad because getting into a rhythm can mean thinking it is okay to do other things too and making silly little mistakes. Luckily all the little mistakes are small enough that only a few people would be able to pick them out. It helps that the sweater is black!

sleepy day

Today I had a headache. I decided to bag the run today and sleep for a few extra minutes. I have mixed feelings about this. I don't know if I should feel guilty for not getting up and going. I also don't know if going for the run might have helped me to clear my mind and perhaps helped to ease the headache. I don't really know because I didn't go. My head still hurts (though not as badly as earlier) and I feel a little sleepy. I did feel good about running on Sunday, a day when I normally do not run. I am starting to feel very cooped up in the house and perhaps the headaches have something to do with it (so not taking my 30 minutes in the fresh air may have a far more detrimental effect than I realized at the time).

I am starting to grow weary of my schedule. I need a few more minutes of quiet alone time ;)

back again

To all my loyal readers, I apologize for my sad lack of posts.

I went out yesterday and today in my re-ignited effort to become a triathlete. Friday I went on a "spring run" with some people who utterly spanked me and I was feeling very under trained. No more. I am slowly building up. My knees have been a little achy lately so I'm trying hard not to overdo it. Today my run/walk was: walk the short sides and run the long sides of the rectangular block that I train around. I figure I am running about 3/4 of a mile and walking about 1/2 mile. I could be slightly off but that is probably close. I'm trying to work up to the mile by next Monday. That is the goal. I want to run the whole distance then.

So tired

I shouldn't be as tired as I was this morning. I felt like I was running in Jell-o this morning. I'm working up my time. I walked 2 mins, then ran for 15, which put me at 1.25 miles running or so. I was happy to get the extra run-time in but felt so lethargic. I pushed myself to run the last 30 sec or so at 6.5 MPH then got into the interval run I've been doing (run 30 sec, walk 90 sec). It was a good workout but I did feel so pooped. I need to look more closely at my diet for dinnertime, which may be where I'm running out of steam. I did eat some pasta, but perhaps I need to pump it up with some TVP or a veggie burger. I need to do some research about what I need to do to make sure I have the right amount of energy to get myself through. It doesn't help to be in the way of women.

I got 2 dishcloths done this weekend while watching Jane Austen movies. I worked a little on my Packers scarf for the play, which is very close to being finished, I think. I still have at least two hats to make. I need to do some recon. and go look at bottles of laundry detergent for some inspiration. Hopefully I can find something good to pattern a hat after. I also need to just sit my butt down and work on my lace. I have it sitting on the table and am expecting a houseguest this weekend. I really need to get the lace to the point where it is really portable again so it doesn't need to sit there, not being knitted! Oh, and I also want to finish it!

End of the Week

This week I had a bizarre set of workouts. I started the week strong with a running pattern I kept all week long. I ran just over 1 mile after a short walk, then did 12 minutes of intervals (30 sec @ 7MPH, 90 sec @ 3.5 MPH three times, then 30 sec @ 6.5 MPH, 90 sec @ 3.5 MPH three times). Good workout. On Tuesday & Wednesday I also added a 10 min. bike ride. Tuesday I stayed at level 1 and it was too easy. Wednesday I pumped it up to level 3 and struggled, so I dropped it back to level 2. Thursday, I totally skipped. Didn't work out. Didn't go to the gym. Didn't take a walk. Woke up at 6:30 or so, just did stuff around the apartment. Must have needed some nesting time. Today I did the run, no bike ride. Planning on some workout tomorrow to make up for Thursday :)

As for knitting, finished the adjustment to the dog sweater on Monday night and it fits! Tuesday on I worked on two projects, a scarf for the next BST production (GB Packers colors) and a felted bag. Just decided to make the felted bag on Tuesday night, finished it Thursday morning, and I'm excited to felt it this weekend. I may shoot for Sunday morning when I do the rest of my laundry. Or may try it early Saturday morning. Still struggling to work on the cape and still knitting the scarf. The scarf will get done this weekend unless I work the whole time on the cape.

Still working out the kinks

Today was an interesting day. I'd heard about this great interval training program that burns a lot of calories/fat and thought I might try to incorporate it into my routine. I did about 1.25 mi (walk .15, run 1, walk .1), then broke into this interval training. I noticed my recovery improved over the course of the 12 or so minutes I was trying it. I was really pushing on the run intervals and took a long recovery, but found that each recovery period resulted in a faster return to a normal heartrate and breathing level. I'm definitely trying that again! I'm also interested in working more on the cycling, if I can just get myself out of bed earlier!!

I finished the fingerless mitts over the weekend and have had to repossess the dog sweater that I thought was done. Unfortunately, the original pattern didn't provide good finished measurements so I could gauge better. . .I failed Oliver by several inches at the broadest part of his chest. Luckily, it seems the whole shebang can be fixed up with a nice knit-on panel. I am also starting on the projects for the local theater. . .costume accessories that need to be knit. However, I can't decide if they are costumes or props!

Feeling the Burn

I keep increasing my running ratio. This week I've been walking for under 1/4 mile, then running the rest of the mile. It seems to be going alright, but today I thought I was going to kill myself, after doing well all week. I haven't quite figured out how to pace my upticks on Monday, but I know that I have to keep building upwards. I also just read something about shorter intervals, which I may experiment with. However, I don't want to get behind when it comes to the long distances that I will have to have in my legs before the race occurs. I also need to get myself on the bike and in the pool soon to start working on my other skill sets.

I just finished the dog sweater after some pulling out. I am still working on the lace. Doing the add-on border is just tedious, so I have been sort of avoiding it. It is also not portable. I think I need to give myself requirements to work on it a certain amount per day to get it done. I was cooking on it so well. I did start some wristlets, which should be a short project, and I have some hats to do, too, which I need to get moving on quick. They should be a bit of a stash buster, I hope!

Week two and recharging

Unfortunately the weather hasn't really cooperated with me for running outside, which is a shame. There is something that really grounds me when I run outdoors. However, -3 is not good running weather, so I have moved indoors to the treadmill. It is a strange cacophony of sights and sounds. Today I arrived at the gym and found the room deserted. The light was even off. I had a nice 5 minutes of solitude.

I've switched my intervals to increase my running time. I'm now walking for one song and running for two (until the end, when I sometimes go straight into another walk to cool down). I think I'm about ready for two laps (45 minutes) of walk/run intervals. I'm trying to work up to more running and this seems to be doing the trick, and not doing it so quickly that I'm discouraged or in pain.

I've had to start a second project for knitting. This may qualify me for a biathlon. Perhaps I can start a third and do a knitting tri, with three different projects. Maybe I could start socks! That would totally get me going!

At last. . .

What a wonderful phrase, at last. Today what it means. . .no more pain! Today I did my interval training and this afternoon I am still moving about without stiffness in my joints and pained leg muscles! Yippee! I had to run a long interval this AM, too! I can tell when a song happens to be a little longer. I have a rule that Donna Summers is automatically skipped because her songs tend to be 5-11 minutes (yes, some are 11 minutes). Most of my other music is allowed to play out as it will. There are some random classical & jazz pieces that tend to be long and slightly awkward as running music.

I am falling behind in my knitting marathon. I've just hit a wall and need to force myself over or around it. On this project, once I get around the corner, it is smooth sailing. . .now for that corner!

Three days

I'm tempted to use some resurrection imagery. Sure tomorrow, after this third day has passed, I will feel something that is not akin to pain when I try to move about the room. I started running again on Monday. It is not a great showing yet, but honestly, a great effort. I'm doing some interval running. I tried this the last time but, to be honest, I wasn't feeling the same sort of patience that I did on my last training attempt. It feels more urgent this time, probably because I am certainly going to face a contest of some sort in the coming months. The last time I did 1:1 intervals starting with 1-2 minutes at a time. This time I'm not training on a treadmill, but out on the open road. I decided to use my iPod as my interval trainer. I walk to warm up for one full song, then alternate between running and walking, going for one full song at a time. By the end I've been pooped, but in a good way. I think I'm moving through the pain of adapting to running more quickly. It feels that way anyhow.

I'm working on the marathon knitting project, 2.0. I'm attempting to finish my second Victorian Lace Today cape. The first turned me into a wreck, mostly because it was for a wedding, included techniques I'd never tried, and was for someone I dearly love. This time, only the last statement is true. It seems I've flown through this version, having knit it up previously. I'm also less concerned about some of the errors that would undo me the last time I attempted this. I know it will be worn & loved, but probably will not make it to an occasion as important as her wedding (since I've already been to it).

I'm trying something again for the second time, in both these cases and things are moving more quickly now. My only concern is what to do when I finish. I could start all over again from scratch or find a way to keep building.

Getting back on the bike

This week I've been trying to restart the training program I was on last year before the big move. So far I've managed to wake up early and walk, stretch, do some crunches, and have a healthy breakfast before I get to work. The weather has not been super cooperative about helping me start to run again, which is probably a great thing for my body, which might not be ready yet.

I'm also working on a tri-training partner who has a different daily schedule from me, so it may be difficult to do all our training together. I will need to have some long workouts and long days to put in either way, so it makes sense to train twice a day, although may be unnecessary this far out (and this out of shape).

Hitting the gym this weekend. . .bike? treadmill?