Sunday, March 1, 2009

The Weekend Wrap Up

Since my Saturday morning was pretty well shot I procrastinated on my spin workout until sometime after 5 pm. I had a 72 minute ride on the schedule called "crest the hill." The idea is to spin hard in your low cadence section as you go up the hill, then keep the momentum going as you "crest the hill." It is definitely a good workout, and I'm hoping that these spin workouts are really going to help for when I can get outside to ride again.

After the workout was done I had a 20 minute T2 run on the schedule. It was getting late...it was -13C...so it was dark and icy out. But I got out there and got it done. Well...okay...I went for just under 17 minutes, but who wants to quibble over three minutes? With the warming, then the snowfall, then the freezing the sidewalks change day to day and they were brutal last night. I'd definitely be running somewhere else for my Sunday long run.

After the run I whipped up dinner. I'd found an interesting recipe in a magazine while I was waiting for my massage and I was keen to try it out - stuffed poblano peppers. These sounded like a great alternative to chile rellenos. I lucked out in finding some poblano peppers and queso fresco at a Mexican grocery here in Calgary, and this dish turned out so well. I'd definitely recommend it! Because I'm all about the pairing I figured some Dos Equis Amber would work out pretty well.
After dinner I went through my stretches from my PT and whipped out the foam roller. Holy...flibberdijibbet... That thing just about made me cry...

Sunday was more procrastination. The weather was supposed to warm up so I took care of a few things in the morning, had some lunch, then decided to head out for my run. I had 15K (or 9.3 mi) on the schedule. I've been running around my neighborhood most of the time and I needed a change of scenery. Not to mention that I wasn't keen to be dodging a lot of the ice on the sidewalks here. So I drove down to Shouldice and ran the pathway along the river towards downtown since I knew the pathway would be cleared well.

It was +2C (35F) when I was leaving my house. After the crazy cold weather this past week that meant capri weather in my books. Plus a long sleeve shirt and a midweight top. It was somewhat overcast and luckily it was nice and calm out. Since the pathway is pretty flat I also wanted to try and keep my heart rate in zone 2 the entire time. There were a lot of people really bundled up for their run, but I felt pretty comfortable. It just felt so good to not be bogged down in so many layers. I really can't wait for spring!

While I was running I was tossing and turning my fall race schedule around in my mind. The lottery for the Nike Women's Marathon opens this week so I had a lot going through my mind:
  • Do I want to enter the half or the full marathon in San Francisco?
  • Is two months enough time between Lake Stevens and a possible full marathon?
  • Is San Francisco the place to go for a sub 4:30 marathon?
  • If I do go for the full...that means I'd probably wipe the 2010 Disney Marathon off the slate. This is where I'm fence sitting mostly. While I'd love to go and meet up with friends do I really want to kill a full week of vacation at Disney World for the third year in a row?
  • If I don't get into the Nike race, what's my backup? The more Suz (my friend in San Antonio) and I talk about meeting up, I think my backup race may be the San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll Race in November. It would be a great chance to hang out and to see friends back in SA. A race in November would really nix the Disney Marathon for sure. But anyhow, we'll see...
Anyhow, lots of stuff was running through my mind while I was out there today! I ran an out and back and it was pretty easy to keep my heart rate in zone 2. Slightly tougher on the way back. After I hit 8 miles I gave myself permission to just run without worrying about heart rate.

So the interesting thing is, I was trying to run easy...didn't feel the need for a walk break at any time...and I finished up in 1:33:46. That is a solid 6 minutes faster than the Minnie Marathon 15K last May when I was trying to race. Yay for progress!!

15 comments:

Mel-2nd Chances said...

thanks for the reminder about San Fran! Great job on your progress, that's amazing!

holly said...

Dude, those foam rollers are seriously amazingly painful! But so worth it. Have you tried it on your piriformis? That's also one of those SURPRISE muscles.

Marlene said...

I hear you on being ready to ditch the layers. It feels so good to dress down a little. I seriously can't wait for spring!

Nice job on the 15K. You have come a long way!

ShirleyPerly said...

I know they've changed the course since I ran Nike 26.2 in 2004, but I still think it's a fairly difficult course to PR on because of the hills. Then again, I'm not much of a hill runner ... There are a ton of marathons in the Oct-Nov time frame to choose from, though!

Wes said...

Dos Equis Amber makes ANYTHING taste better :-) but those stuffed poblanos look scrumptious!!

Nice (easy) run, speedy peep! :-)

RunToTheFinish said...

SF is really hilly and like big serious hills kind of hilly. I was thinking about trying to get some of us to register as a group! I think you are the one who mentioned that if then 1 person from the group gets in everyone does.. that would be so fun!

Aron said...

awesome job on the 15k!!!

sounds like a lot of great options for the year :) i hate the whole lottery process because i like to KNOW and having to wait always drives me crazy :) good luck!!!

audgepodge said...

1) I 100% recommend the Nike half vs the full and here's why
2) FYI - I am going to attempt a marathon PR at CIM and then go for Goofy six weeks later. You should look into CIM - flat course and Cali in December is very ideal racing weather!
3) Awesome job on the 15K - you are ready for so many PRs this year!

Deb said...

Whoa...you've got some sweet races planned or to decide on! What about the Vegas marathon in early december...ever think about that one? I think it would be sweet! I'm super interested in the Victoria marathon in November but wondering if i'll have any juice left in my legs after transrockies at the end of august...it would be sweet to do a marathon at sea level though...living in Calgary would make us superstars racing at sea level!! :)

Laurel said...

Oooh, great progress girl!

I have been avoiding the foam roller even though I know it will help. It just hurts sooooo bad...which I suppose means I should use it more.

Marathon Maritza said...

Glad to hear the weather was a bit better for your long run this weekend!

Well if you come to SF, we will have to meet up, but sounds like you have to see where the marathon roads take ya!

And yum on poblanos rellenos!

Scott said...

Nice run Leana.

You seem to be quite the foodie! I'm curious to know what is your favorite dish (or dishes)??

Rainmaker said...

Very nice looking food. Seems much better than my subway sandwhich tonight!

Thoughts on your questions:

1) It is enough time if your base milage pre-70.3 is high enough.

2) If 4:30 is on the edge of being possible, then SF is not the place to try for it given the hills. Both MCM and Philly are flatter - and cooler temp-wise than most of the other fall races.

3) SF would make for a solid half tuneup though.

Just my two cents...occasionally only worth one cent.

kristen said...

I think this is the first time I've commented, but I've been lurking for awhile.

I was in San Francisco in December and the hills are unreal. I can't even think of a hill in Calgary that compares. Both my husband and I commented on how hard a marathon would be there. But I saw go for broke but realize that the hills are killer.

Bootchez said...

As everyone has said, better than me, SF is super hilly and I would think a TOUGH place to PR - unless hills are your thing (they just make me -- a trail runner no less -- quiver and shake and call for mommy). Nice recipe -- I think our food tastes are quite the same -- I've bookmarked it and will give it a try (though I've had terrible luck with quinoa in the past . . . )