Monthly Summary - October 2010

Here's October:

Swim: 5,357 yards
Cycling (outdoors): 0 miles
Cycling (indoors): 0 (hours)
Run: 12.5 miles
Strength Training/Yoga: 6 sessions

Approximate monthly total training/racing time: 26 hours

Weight: 169

This month was all about recovery and coming back from my surgery. The last week of September and the first week of October, I did nothing more strenuous than walking the dogs around the neighborhood. During the next two weeks I started doing some hiking and swimming and then yoga and strength training. This week I added a little running back in - I ran Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, each time doing a run/walk routine. It feels great to be active again. I haven't really tested my cardio yet, so it's hard to tell how much I actually lost after the surgery. The one thing I can tell you is that I lost whatever little bit of flexibility I had.

My weight's gone up, partly because I'm not working out like I usually do and partly (probably mostly) because I've been eating like crap. Whatever, whenever, including tons of sugary treats. I don't mind putting on a little weight, but I can't do it that way. And eating like that just makes me feel tired, lazy and heavy.

My plan is to continue to slowly increase the time and distance I'm running but also be sure to get in a fair amount of cross-training: swimming, cycling, strength and yoga. I can't run that much right now and the other sports will help me get back my strength, fitness and flexibility for the 2011 races. As for nutrition, beginning tomorrow morning I am off refined sugar until Thanksgiving dinner.

Looking ahead

Five weeks post surgery now.

And now that I'm back on my feet and doing some regular fitness-like activity, I'm getting antsy to get back to it. So naturally, I've started seriously thinking about my race schedule. I have some ideas, but I'm not 100% ready to put them in writing yet. Among the thoughts under consideration are:

• a few "shorter" races to ease my way back into things
• a road marathon or two
• a trail ultra or two
• an Ultra half-way around the world
• a trip to the east coast for a repeat performance at one of my favorite races I've ever done

Stay tuned!

and p.s. tomorrow I'm gonna go for my first post-surgery run - a really easy, slow, short run with lots of walking mixed in, but still a "run"

Recovery gets more active

For three weeks my most strenuous activity was walking the dogs around the neighborhood, but I've finally started getting out and sweating a little bit.

Elizabeth and I took the dogs to Runyon Canyon a couple times over the weekend. Runyon was a nice way to get active again because it's local, it's dog friendly and while the main loop is just about 1.75 miles, it's got some nice climbing that works the legs, heart and lungs a little bit. We usually do the loop counter-clockwise, which means a rocky ascent and a smooth, paved descent. Runyon gets a bad rap because it's "sceney" and crowded and stinky because of all the dogs and even though it is all those things, it works perfect as a way to get in a quick hike.

On Tuesday morning I stepped it up a bit and met Billy for a seven mile hike from Los Liones to the Parker Mesa overlook. It's a trail that I only discovered a couple weeks before my surgery. And it's one that will fit into my rotation nicely going forward. It's a great hike that starts with a nice long climb. Usually, there are amazing views of the ocean, but the marine layer had us fogged in for most of the hike.

(thanks for the picture Billy!)

It was a nice test for me to see what I could do - strength-wise, fitness-wise and comfort-wise. The good news is that I felt great. I was a little more winded than I would have been a few weeks ago, but I didn't have any real discomfort during or after the hike! It'll be at least a couple weeks before I'm running, but it's nice to know that I can hike instead.

And then today I went for a swim. I should really describe it as a "kick", because that's pretty much all I did! I took it really easy and I kicked about 700 of the 900 meters, some with the kickboard, some without. Again, no pain or discomfort during either the kicking or the swimming. My hips and shoulders burned a little; the good kind of burning. This was my first swim since July 2 (and the last swim before that was June 2), so even without the surgery in mind, I wanted to be really really careful - I want to be able to move tomorrow!

Onward!

Recovery continued

I had a dream last night that I went for a little run. The other part of the dream was that I was in some kind of prison or camp or dorms. One of my cell/room-mates was an old friend from college I haven't seen in many years.

Other than the fact that I'm itching to go for a run, I wonder what the dream means. On the other hand, maybe that's all it means.

Recovery is going well. The staples came out on Tuesday. They came out really quickly and mostly painlessly. I wish I'd taken a picture of the collection of the removed staples in the little basket. Or a video of the doctor removing them. Not having 24 little metal pieces sticking out of my back is a huge relief. But I'm certainly not "back" yet. The doctors said I can do some light hiking now, can probably swim in a week and then, well, then we'll see about anything else.

I'm sorta getting used to sleeping in, sitting on the couch, watching TV and eating whatever I want. Hopefully not too used to it though...

NYC Marathon - Fresh Air Fund

The ING NYC Marathon is on November 7, just 37 days away.

Will you be in Staten Island that morning, ready to run? If you're not registered, but want an opportunity to run the race and help raise money for kids from disadvantaged communities, read on.

I was recently contacted by the Fresh Air Fund, a New York City based non-profit. Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund has been helping low-income New York City kids get out of the City and experience the country with host families around North America or at a camp in upstate New York.

The Fresh Air Fund has a NYC marathon team and they currently have two spots still available for 2010. If you want one of them, it's gonna cost some money and/or take a little effort, but all you have to do is pledge to raise (or pay) $2,500. I recognize that $2,500 is no small feat, but (I think) you have the full 37 days to raise the money and with a few badgering emails to friends and family, I bet you can get at least a good chunk of the way there pretty quickly. And this way you avoid the lottery or any qualification requirements. You do still have to pay the registration fee and any travel or lodging expenses. But remember, you get to run one of the greatest marathons in the world!

If you're interested in helping Fresh Air Fund and getting a chance to run the Marathon on November 7 or just finding out more information, please contact Fresh Air Fund directly: you can email kbrinkerhoff@freshair.org or call at (212) 897-8890. Click here for some more basic information.

And look at some of the 44,000+ who are expected to be there on November 7:

• Defending champion Meb Keflezighi (USA!)
• World record-holder Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia)
• World Championships Half-Marathon bronze medalist and 2008 Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein (USA)
• 2009 World Championships Marathon gold medalist Abel Kirui (Kenya)
• Four-time Boston Marathon champion Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot (Kenya)
• Two-time NYC runner-up Abderrahim Goumri (Morocco) 
• Two time NYC winners Martin Lel (Kenyan) and Marilson Gomes dos Santos (Brazil)
• Defending women's champion and Olympic gold medalist Derartu Tulu (Ethopia)
• 2000 NYC winner and 2009 women's runner up Ludmila Petrova (Russia)
• American Olympic medalist Shalane Flanagan in her marathon debut
• Reigning World Half-Marathon Champion Mary Keitany (Kenya)

Click here to read my race report from the 2006 NYC Marathon (my BQ!)

(That's me in the blue shirt and white visor.)