No Watch

Today I tried the ultimate challenge- a 5k with NO watch. The goal for the morning were to listen to my body and push when I could. I have never raced without a watch- without splits- without a number telling me how I am doing.

So, nice cold, windy Memphis weather- again. (as I write this we have a nice pile of snow in our yard). Same 5k course I did in December. Very small crowd, probably due to a competing race in the area and the yucky weather. Garmin on my wrist but completely covered up with tape.

The trusty garmin is on my wrist for the race to take splits, but the screen is covered up. No cheating!

Worries? Yes. What if I go too slow and I am too scared to push? What if I blow up the first mile? I was feeling a little tired from the week. I had a great week's worth of running including a 4 x 1200 track run Tues at interval pace and then a 6 x 1 mile with 1 minute rest at threshold pace on Thurs. So, this would be my 3rd day of quality for the week, which is a lot for me.

With all of this on my mind, the only thing left to do was focus. That was the one word that kept going through my head during the race. Focus. Leave everything else out of this- no numbers, no nothing- just focus.

Mile 1- am I too fast or too slow? I have no clue. Keep going.
Mile 2- I think I am still going strong. I am working as hard as I can on the hills. I repeat the word focus to myself. I try to keep my arms from crossing over. I try to stay light on my feet.
Mile 3- Am I at the same pace? Slower? Faster (doubtful!)? Last big hill. Is that the finish clock at the end of the street? Is there a 21 on there or is that guy standing in front of the clock covering up what is really a 4?

Finish time- unofficial- 21:45. Almost 1 minute faster than I was in Dec on this course.

Now it is time to pull off the tape and see my mile splits...this is going to be the interesting part.
Mile 1- 7:07
Mile 2- 7:01
Mile 3 - 7:04

That is a pretty consistent race for no watch or garmin, I should say. Despite the weather, the fatigue, the doubt- my body handled everything just fine when I listened to it. This was a fun experiment :) I know I would not enjoy doing it for every race, but I would like to try it from time to time just to keep myself in tune with my body and mind.

Okay, time to now snuggle up in bed and watch a movie and while the snow falls all around.

Dave 31

Happy Birthday Dave :)

This is my shout out to my husband on his birthday (although I know he doesn't read my blog...he says it makes no sense to hear things twice from me since I have already probably already told him about whatever I am posting).  

You are 31 now...ha ha!  Older than me again :)

Building Rome

Not in one day, eh?

I just returned from a nice night at track. Nice being the temps were not freezing- of course there were the 4 x 1200 awaiting me- nice? Hmmmm....

I am still building on Jack Daniel's program for now- one vDot at a time. I like to read running books. A lot of people have a favorite running author or program- Pfitz, the First program, Lydiard, whatever. I don't really have a favorite, but I have learned a lot from all of them. This year I have learned a lot from Daniels. Here are just a couple of things that helped me tonight- and believe me, there are so many more...I have the book underlined!

1. I don't have to kill myself at track. Go figure? Confusing at first, but now it makes perfect sense. If I do the right track workout, I will be able to do another one or two quality runs in the week. If I blow myself out, I risk injury and sacrifice the quality of everything else. Track is not the end all be all of my running existence- I need to see my week's worth of workouts in its entirety.

2. Know why you are running a particular workout....VO2max? LT? speed? now that I understand this, I feel more satisfaction when I hold the appropriate pace at track. I know what pace to hold and why. To be honest, I never really understood this until recently.

3. Train where I am- not where I was (faster) or where I want to be (even faster!). Lots of reasons for this- but for me, decreased injury and burn out are among the top. Again, Rome wasn't built in a day. I am not magically going to get fast with one track workout, either.

Armed with my interval pace ingrained in my mind, I approached track tonight in the same way that I have for the past month or so. Blinders on, focus on myself and my body, know my pace and keep it. Oh yea, and have fun! (fun includes listening to Joy say "go Damie" under her breath, complimenting Ashley for not looking at her watch every 200, and connecting with friends that I have not seen in a bit :)

My intervals have been nice and smooth. I have a good awareness of my body. I am doing a great job of holding my pace out there. I am just steady, steady, steady! I leave the workout knowing I have worked hard, but not feeling trashed. After all, I have a threshold run to do on Thurs. How do I know that I have worked hard enough? Jack Daniels told me so. He gave me the interval and I followed it.

What is interesting is that I am running a bit slower now by following his vDot paces than I used to run at track. But, I am willing to see where this takes me. When Coach Paul asked me after practice if I was happy with my pace tonight, I didn't even think that I shouldn't be. I could honestly answer that I was happy with my pace and felt that I was right where I should be.

Cool? Cool. But, I know this is not for everyone. We all have to listen to our own bodies and trust that we know what works for us. (or get a good coach to tell you)

So, if you want to add some more stuff to your training toolbox, check out Jack Daniel's book. For a quick calculator, go to www.runbayou.com

Missing Out On Mardi Gras

As I write, Endymion is rolling. (Jen. H, guess who the king of Endymion is this year? Kid Rock! ha ha!!!)
This is our second year to miss Mardi Gras, and it does sting quite a bit. We absolutely love this time of year in New Orleans.

But, we can still wear our beads.

Be a New Orleanian, wherever you are.

The End of the Week- Whew!

Thank goodness. I am about to lose it here in Memphis.

I think my house is a symbol of my life right now. It is in shambles. It is messy and it smells. The sink is full of dishes, the bathroom smells like mildew, and nothing is where it should be. My checkbook is not balanced and my desk is a mess. I have not picked up dog poo all week in the back yard and I have two baskets of clothes that have not been put away. I am living the life I never wanted to live-

And I ate fritos for dinner- with a couple of handfuls of granola out of the box. That will be good for my self esteem tomorrow.

Dave was playing soccer on the Wii- and for some reason (eye roll) I was feeling really irritated as I looked around the house in all of its disorder. Not that he doesn't help around here, but I am a do a little something every night kind of girl while he is a 1x a week I will clean really hard kind of guy.

Messy house + exhaustion + frustration + bad nutrition = grumpy me

It is beyond time for me to go to bed.
The week has not been a total waste, though, as we had fun at book club last night talking about Twilight. I came to the conclusion that I am the only one in love with Edward. Since he doesn't sleep, I bet my house would be clean when I woke up in the morning if I were his better half.

Hugs and kisses to all. Hope your week ends well, your weekend is full of good training, your house stays clean, and your mind stays sane.

Mercedes Half Marathon

The Mercedes Half Marathon in Birmingham has now made my list of recommended races. Today the weather was beautiful- lowish 40s with sun. There seemed to be some wind, but the type that kept the course nice, not the type that killed your pace. There were hills- long and short, but they were spaced so nicely you didn't even mind them. You also got nice downhills and good flats to keep the HR low and get the pace moving. It was a nicely planned course.
Angie and I stayed in Birmingham with my sister-in-law Stephanie, her husband James, and their dog Molly. I am sure she is not loving the pajama picture on my blog, but I had to show everyone the most hospitable couple in the world. They treated Angie and I like royal guests. I have a great sister-in-law.

Angie and I both had a good day out on the course. I won't spoil her blog post, so I will just give some details about my race. Like the most recent races, I am not really sure how to pace myself since I haven't had a lot of race results or speedwork to fall back on. I have an unwritten rule that a not-in-shape Damie still has to come in under 1:45 for a half. That is my cut off time- something I should be able to do no matter what shape I am in. So, I figured I would pace between 7:50-8:00, come in around the 1:44s, and be cool with that. I also decided to work to keep every mile under 8, even if it was 7:59- just something to keep me focused.

First mile 7:55....right on track. It just kept getting better from there. The miles rolled along. Most of them in the 7:40s. The miles with the hills were in the 7:50s. My last few miles were in the 7:20s. I really felt a good focus, had fun, and felt good about my pacing. There were no compromised miles. Finish time for 13.2 miles according to Garmin (either the course was slightly long or I managed to run an extra 40 seconds out there) was 1:42:11 (unofficial).

So, normally this time of year I don't have great half marathons- it seems that I am always trying to get back in shape around this time. This was actually better than expected so I am pleased, plus it is just plain nice to run a full race and feel good about almost every mile. I may try to see if I can PR in a month or so, but no guarantees. If I can at least get in shape, that will be reward enough. :)

I told you my arm warmers were going to be really awesome. Anyone jealous? I promise to go pick you up a pair from the dollar store if you promise to wear them.

The only casualty of the day was a toe. I knew I was in trouble by mile 1 when something was bugging me in my shoe. I hoped that if I ignored it long enough I would forget. I kind of did, too. :) Then I took off my shoe to find a bloody toe post race. I couldn't really get my leg up there to get a shot of the top and bottom of the sock which looked really bad in combination, so this will have to do as proof to Dave that I do need a new pair of shoes.

Road Trip Half Marathon Weekend

Today I stopped by the dollar store to get a new pair of tube socks to wear for my half marathon this weekend. (Angie, watch out now. My style will be kicking...) I scored a pair of tie dyed tube socks (not sure yet which color I want to wear) and a cap with a skull on it. I use the socks for arm warmers so if I need to lose them it is not a big deal. I figure I would rather toss the $1 pair of socks than good $25 arm warmers. Plus it gives me a chance to wear my own dollar store fashion creation.
Angie and I are heading to Birmingham to do the half marathon. I love racing out of town. It should be lots of fun, and I am excited to go. More to come...Happy Friday the 13th to all.

I Am Not #1

I am not the best bowler in the Turpin family. I am in the bottom 3rd of the bowling rankings- I even went so far as to be second to last, and gasp....last at one point. My mom beat me once.

I did beat Dave in one game, so that was good. I was getting killed because I couldn't hit my spares, but I finally came around and started bowling a better game.

I would say that the number two I am holding up is very generous. It is also certainly not a V for victory.

Saturday 4 Miler

I had two goals today for my 4-miler...well, three, I guess.

1. Suffer. Just be okay getting faster. No panicking, no guessing what speed I can maintain, just run hard. It is such a Jen Harrison thing to say, but seriously, just suffer- get used to suffering again. (by the way, an Ironman is NOT suffering, it is fun. So it seems like forever since I have endured suffering.)

2. No Garmin. I have never used a Garmin until this year, and I basically got it because I was having to run different paces and zones for IM training and thought it would help. And, while it is cool, I have lost some of my own internal ability to pace myself. Well, let me clarify. If you told me to go run a dozen miles at a 9 minute pace, I could do that no problem..on the dot. It is the faster paces that have eluded my internal GPS. In the past, if I said- hey, I will hit this first mile at 6:50, I would hit it 6:50 on the dot. No Garmin. Today I decided I could only use my watch and start relearning my body again. I had to feel the pace today and be comfortable not knowing for sure if I was on track.

3. This wasn't a real goal, but it was in the back of my mind to be faster for this race this year than I was in 2007. In 2007, this was my first race back after I broke a bone in my foot by jumping off a platform from which I had no business jumping. So, I was stuck in a boot for some time and lost a lot of fitness. I remember being so out of shape the race was soooooo hard for me. I could barely even trot. I can't even describe how hard it was for me to run this race that year. So, I thought before the start of this year's race, I better be further along than that! After all, I have not been in a boot! (In 2007, I PRed in a ton of distances, it was a great racing summer. So, if I could start this year ahead of where I was that year, well who knows where I could end up this summer!)

Met all 3 goals, mostly. I guess they aren't really quantifiable, but in my mind I met them.
1. I did suffer more...I was willing to suffer more. I went out faster and didn't back down mile 2 when I saw I was faster. I ran the 2nd mile just as fast. Now, I definitely lost time on the 3rd mile, but that was okay- I went out hard and didn't stay content. I also didn't freak out, wondering if I could hold the pace. I just ran. (okay, and the 4th mile was slow too, but not as slow as the 3rd, so I didn't completely die.)

2. No Garmin. And I like it better that way. It felt more like the old me that knew what the pace was. Well, felt that way, except I didn't know where I was, but I am getting there. Some more race practice and this stuff will almost feel natural again. Pretty soon I think I will know exactly what pace I can hold out there- and how to push past that.

3. 2 minutes faster than the broken foot year/good running year. So, maybe that means by the warmer season running, I will be back to where I want to be, or even further ahead! It was not close to my 4 mile PR, but I was really pleased that I am in a place now where some focus on speedwork and some more racing will get me right where I want to be. The time wasn't great, but the process of today was. It is all starting to make sense to my body and my mind now.

I think things are getting ready to get really good. I can feel it in my body :) It is starting to respond physically and mentally again for me.

Oh, and I am getting ready to go kick everyone's butt in bowling tonight (real bowling). Well, at least I am talking a big game. As the Wii champ, I have a lot to live up to- me and my 8 lb ball. Ha ha!!!

Will post some race pics and my championship bowling debut pics as soon as I have them.

Another Boring Training Post

As punishment for standing Joy up on Thurs for swim and coffee, I decided to work in the missed swim this morning at 5:30 am before the 7:00 mandatory work arrival time. I thought I could get away with a few easy laps, pump out some 100s, work on form, or really just whatever I wanted to do. But no..... there was a new coach on deck this morning. I didn't even know they had master's on Friday mornings (it is a new thing). He immediately and correctly assumed I was a triathlete. What gave it away? The lack of muscle? The scared look in my eyes?

He asked if I could handle 2,900 yards to start with. Okay, now I had to roll my eyes. I may be a triathlete, but cut me some slack. I am not fast, but I can swim for a long time. Okay, and being the little piss- ant that I am (some things never change no matter how old I get), I made sure to tell him that I had done an Ironman, and I also put on one of my half-Ironman swim caps to prove to him that I would not quit after 800 yards. Like he cared- he probably didn't even know what an Ironman was.

And, practice was fun, informative, and great! I didn't get picked on at all, although I am sure he wondered how in the hell someone like me and my slow butt ever finished an Ironman as I was the last to touch the wall every time. There was something to focus on with every length we swam, and I felt like I was really learning something for once.

Besides that, I must confess that I have run 17.5 miles in the past three days-


on the treadmill.


yup. Because it is still dark and cold when I get off of work. I once again did my tempo run on the treadmill, and my easy runs are really starting to feel easy on there. Sometimes I had to double check the pace to make sure I had it right because everything is starting to feel easier on there. I even, gulp, did striders at the end of my workout last night on the machine. Dave was super impressed that I could stay on that thing for 6 miles, and I am too. I am not going to push my luck and ask for more miles on there- I am grateful I have survived thus far.

And this weekend I am going to do a 4 mile road race to make myself suffer. Yes, racing is suffering to me right now, but it is the only way I am going to get back to that competitive place where you feel confident to let the pace rip and KNOW you can hold it. (Right now I don't know anything). One race at a time- I'll get there.

I promise I am not getting blog lazy- I am just working my butt off trying to fit everything in.  The computer has been neglected.  I have not kept up with anyone lately like I normally do, but I hope everyone is going well and I can't wait to have a free day to catch up.

But, when I have had free time lately- the only thing I seem to do is lust over Edward in Twilight.  I think he is the perfect man in my imagination and I just can't get enough of him.  :)  On Sunday, Dave was watching soccer and I was reading the 1st book.  I asked Dave if he would mind fixing me some coffee, and he said sure...when the game went to half time (in 30 more minutes).  I stooped so low as to say- "Well Edward would get me coffee right now.  Can't you be more like Edward?"  

Ahhh ha ha ha ha!

But, I had the unfortunate event of looking at the trailer for the movie.  You see, my Edward doesn't look like that teenager- he looks more like Brad Pit circa Interview With a Vampire.  :) 

Okay, so someone tell me...is the movie worth going to see?  Or should I just keep the all of the lusty details in my mind as a Damie original?

I am on the 3rd book- time to get off of the computer and read!   xxxxxooooo