Saturday, March 31, 2007
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
2 classes a week?!!
I teach 2 Spinning classes every week. Next year, that'll go up to at least 3. I'm already out of music ideas here. I need help. What are your favorite songs to listen to when you work out? What kind of music makes a Spinning class work for you?
I know what works for me, but I'm getting bored of me...which makes me think that perhaps my class is as well...
I know what works for me, but I'm getting bored of me...which makes me think that perhaps my class is as well...
Friday, March 23, 2007
Since I have nothing to say...
I figured my website could use a little sprucing up. Check it out; let me know what you think, how it's looking on your screen, and any other useful tips. I'm new at this stuff, so I'm definitely open to ideas.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
My eyes hurt...
Because my eyes hurt, I'm wearing glasses instead of contacts...glasses which fog up when you eat steaming macaroni and cheese. I wish I had a video of the scene.
Here's the setting: Me with my dorky glasses sitting at my computer with the pot of mac 'n cheese (no bowl because I don't want to dirty another dish). I look slightly downward at the food, and the glasses steam up. I don't know what to do. I want the food in my mouth, but I can no longer see it. I look up. The glasses clear. I look down again at the food and they steam up again. A perplexed look on my face. Don't want to wait for the food to cool off, but have to. Put the pot aside, put head in hands, glasses still steamed up.
On a more productive note, I went to a group speed workout tonight. We did a 20 minute tempo run, 5 minutes of rest, and then 10x30 seconds hard, 30 seconds easy, with a warm up and cool down. It was a good workout, and it was nice to be out with people.
I'm still not doing very well with the whole blog thing as of late. You know how you just go through your day and certain things happen to you, and you think 'I'm going to blog about that.' And then you do--you sit down at your computer and write and all is fine and dandy. Well, I'm not getting the ideas. The muse is still missing.
Six weeks of school left...and counting...
Here's the setting: Me with my dorky glasses sitting at my computer with the pot of mac 'n cheese (no bowl because I don't want to dirty another dish). I look slightly downward at the food, and the glasses steam up. I don't know what to do. I want the food in my mouth, but I can no longer see it. I look up. The glasses clear. I look down again at the food and they steam up again. A perplexed look on my face. Don't want to wait for the food to cool off, but have to. Put the pot aside, put head in hands, glasses still steamed up.
On a more productive note, I went to a group speed workout tonight. We did a 20 minute tempo run, 5 minutes of rest, and then 10x30 seconds hard, 30 seconds easy, with a warm up and cool down. It was a good workout, and it was nice to be out with people.
I'm still not doing very well with the whole blog thing as of late. You know how you just go through your day and certain things happen to you, and you think 'I'm going to blog about that.' And then you do--you sit down at your computer and write and all is fine and dandy. Well, I'm not getting the ideas. The muse is still missing.
Six weeks of school left...and counting...
Sunday, March 18, 2007
"Let this be our reply...
"Let this be our reply to violence: To make music more intensely, more
beautifully, more devotedly than ever before." -- Leonard Bernstein
beautifully, more devotedly than ever before." -- Leonard Bernstein
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Muse, where are you?
In ancient Greek plays, when missing some kind of inspiration, or needing some kind of advice, the characters called on the assistance of the appropriate Muse. There were 9 of so-called regular use...
- Calliope (Chief of the muses and muse of epic poetry)
- Euterpe (muse of lyric song)
- Clio (muse of history)
- Erato (muse of erotic poetry)
- Melpomene (muse of tragedy)
- Polyhymnia (muse of sacred song)
- Terpsichore (muse of dance)
- Thalia (muse of comedy and bucolic poetry)
- Urania (muse of astronomy)
Friday, March 09, 2007
...Green Rice Crispy Treats!
the whole scene
a turtle
a snake, the solar system, and an alien wedding ring
close up on the snake
a lizard
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Don't be fooled.
A $4.99 bottle of wine is not good...even if it does come from the Liquor store with a flashing neon sign.
Some things to consider.
Okay, I'm going to allow myself one more post on this and then we'll move on to the bigger and better (or at least different).
I just wanted to write down what I've been thinking about over the past couple of days, because I really think there are some things I need to remember before I run another marathon (yeah, I'm already past the 'never again' phase).
1. If you have to change your race, also change your training. I knew the LA marathon was a week later, but I didn't add another long run for no reason other than that I simply didn't want to. Another long run might not have done anything physically, but it would have helped me mentally. And physically, it just might have been what I needed to scrape those extra 9 minutes off my time.
2. Pick a race that has weather similar to that in which you've been training. The heat was hard to deal with, but it wasn't really that hot. That same weather a little bit later in the year (when I had been running regularly in similar conditions) would have been a lot easier. The temperature in LA ended up being close to 80 degrees by the marathon's end, and I hadn't run outside in anything over 40 degrees for months. How could I not expect some kind of consequence? Aside from my legs cramping, the big problem I had during the second half of the race was my heart rate; it was way too high and out of control for the 9-10min/m pace I was running. I knew I couldn't keep it up, but I didn't know how to fix it. Looking back, I think it had a lot to do with the change in climate.
3. Use the race elevation as a basis for how you train. I did that at first. The Mardi Gras Marathon is flat and I was training to run flat. But, I changed the race a month out, and I knew it was going to be running a downhill start. I totally discounted the difficulty of that and figured I'd be fine. I was cocky.
4. Go out slowly, no matter how hard it is on your legs or ego. The start of a marathon is easy. The finish? Not as easy. Keep that in mind.
5. Don't wait until you're hungry to eat. By then, it's almost too late. Of course, you have to be careful to avoid an upset stomach from eating too much, so it's definitely a fine line to balance. But, I waited until mile 18 to finally take down a Hammer Gel and by then I was already kind of done. Why did it take me so long? My stomach was rebelling...but ultimately it was fine, and I should have at least tried to get something down earlier. Let's face it. Gu's are just kind of gross, and they always will be...but you still need them.
6. Numbers don't help with the mind games. If you're feeling sluggish, do your best to ignore the splits and just keep running. It was really hard to see my mile splits go from the 7 minute to 11 minute range. Looking at the numbers afterwards though, it wasn't as bad as I thought. Yeah, I got slower, but at the time I felt like it was a lot worse than it was. Sometimes the numbers can help, but you have to know when to ignore them.
7. As far as vacation enjoyment goes, you'll have more fun if you can stay afterwards instead of get there early. Of course you want some time to acclimate before the race, but afterwards is when you'll be able to relax enough to enjoy a beer. If at all possible (Saturday races!) stay afterwards to thoroughly enjoy your new surroundings.
8. Remember why you're out there. It's not about times and splits and qualifications. Yeah, those things are part of it, but ultimately you signed up because it was something you wanted. Enjoy yourself.
So, I guess that's it for now. None of this is lightening-striking news, but just some things I thought about when falling apart during those last few miles. There isn't much point in wishing you had done things differently, but there are a lot of reasons to try to remember these things for next time...
I just wanted to write down what I've been thinking about over the past couple of days, because I really think there are some things I need to remember before I run another marathon (yeah, I'm already past the 'never again' phase).
1. If you have to change your race, also change your training. I knew the LA marathon was a week later, but I didn't add another long run for no reason other than that I simply didn't want to. Another long run might not have done anything physically, but it would have helped me mentally. And physically, it just might have been what I needed to scrape those extra 9 minutes off my time.
2. Pick a race that has weather similar to that in which you've been training. The heat was hard to deal with, but it wasn't really that hot. That same weather a little bit later in the year (when I had been running regularly in similar conditions) would have been a lot easier. The temperature in LA ended up being close to 80 degrees by the marathon's end, and I hadn't run outside in anything over 40 degrees for months. How could I not expect some kind of consequence? Aside from my legs cramping, the big problem I had during the second half of the race was my heart rate; it was way too high and out of control for the 9-10min/m pace I was running. I knew I couldn't keep it up, but I didn't know how to fix it. Looking back, I think it had a lot to do with the change in climate.
3. Use the race elevation as a basis for how you train. I did that at first. The Mardi Gras Marathon is flat and I was training to run flat. But, I changed the race a month out, and I knew it was going to be running a downhill start. I totally discounted the difficulty of that and figured I'd be fine. I was cocky.
4. Go out slowly, no matter how hard it is on your legs or ego. The start of a marathon is easy. The finish? Not as easy. Keep that in mind.
5. Don't wait until you're hungry to eat. By then, it's almost too late. Of course, you have to be careful to avoid an upset stomach from eating too much, so it's definitely a fine line to balance. But, I waited until mile 18 to finally take down a Hammer Gel and by then I was already kind of done. Why did it take me so long? My stomach was rebelling...but ultimately it was fine, and I should have at least tried to get something down earlier. Let's face it. Gu's are just kind of gross, and they always will be...but you still need them.
6. Numbers don't help with the mind games. If you're feeling sluggish, do your best to ignore the splits and just keep running. It was really hard to see my mile splits go from the 7 minute to 11 minute range. Looking at the numbers afterwards though, it wasn't as bad as I thought. Yeah, I got slower, but at the time I felt like it was a lot worse than it was. Sometimes the numbers can help, but you have to know when to ignore them.
7. As far as vacation enjoyment goes, you'll have more fun if you can stay afterwards instead of get there early. Of course you want some time to acclimate before the race, but afterwards is when you'll be able to relax enough to enjoy a beer. If at all possible (Saturday races!) stay afterwards to thoroughly enjoy your new surroundings.
8. Remember why you're out there. It's not about times and splits and qualifications. Yeah, those things are part of it, but ultimately you signed up because it was something you wanted. Enjoy yourself.
So, I guess that's it for now. None of this is lightening-striking news, but just some things I thought about when falling apart during those last few miles. There isn't much point in wishing you had done things differently, but there are a lot of reasons to try to remember these things for next time...
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Marathon Transformation: Proud Road-Warrior to Humbled Road-Kill
I figure I owe you guys something and I don't know when I'm going to be able to write out worthy post. So, here are my splits.
Go ahead: Laugh. Cry. Dry your tears on your neighbors sleeve. I did.
mile 1: 8:58
mile 2: 8:09
mile 3: 7:39
mile 4: 8:08
mile 5: 7:54
mile 6: 8:13
mile 7: 8:31
mile 8: 8:50
mile 9: 8:35
mile 10: 9:01
mile 11: 9:38
mile 12: 9:19
mile 13: 8:47
mile 14: 9:49
mile 15: 10:05
mile 16: 9:57
mile 17: 9:38
mile 18: 10:16
mile 19: 9:55
mile 20: 10:23
mile 21: 10:40
mile 22: 11:33
mile 23: 10:26
mile 24: 11:34
mile 25: 9:29
.2: 2:08
Total: 4:09:20
I don't understand the last .2, because I definitely sprinted to the end. Fuck all the quad-pain, I'm going to run the end of this thing if it kills me, sprinted to the end. Maybe I waited to stop my watch, but I don't think it was that long after that mat. Oh well; I guess it doesn't really matter...
Anyway, I obviously exploded in a totally ungraceful manner. I went out like a bat out of hell and then crashed into the wall due to the fact that bats are blind. For just a little bit in my defense though, the first 10m were completely downhill. So, not only was it hard to control my speed, but my quads were getting shredded into pizza cheese. The rest of the race was basically flat, but after all that downhill, it definitely didn't feel flat. It felt like I was freaking running up Mount Everest. Slowly.
I'm the first to admit I gave up at a certain point. It was hard, and I was hurting, and I felt like I was giving it everything I had, but I know that when those splits started getting slower and slower, my brain just freaked. I don't know if I could have run any faster, but I would be curious to know how I would have done sans-watch.
It was hot, but I think I handled that part pretty well. I drank all I could and didn't feel like the heat affected me as much as it could have. In other words, I didn't end up in an ambulance. I monitored my body and did what it told me. Which in this case, was to stop the insane running and walk. Yeah, I guess it's obvious from my splits that I did a bit of walking. I walked through the water stops when it first started hurting, and then I walked a bit past the water stops during the Last 10m Death March.
So, that's all I have for now. I PRed. I guess I should be happy enough with that. I just know I could have/should have done so much better. If nothing else, I should have had fun. I didn't. Marathons are hard and it sucked and I just wanted to be done.
I would say that I'll do better next time, but right now I can't even think to the next time. I'm still in the 'Why not just stick to the half marathon? Those are cool!' frame of mind. But, just give me some time. I'm sure I'll forget all this pain soon enough.
It's just not going to happen while my legs are still unable to get me down stairs and the blister on my foot has enough pus to gross out the couple that used to pick each others' zits during lunch in high school.
I guess that's why I had wanted to wait a bit to write this. I wanted to wait until I was a little less grumpy and had more of a positive spin. But, alas...I guess it's more honest this way, right?
Humbled by the Marathon. I've been told I'm not the first one.
I just can't help but wonder if I'll ever figure out how to push it to the limit without crossing the line...
Enough. Time to study for a mid-term. 3 hours and counting. Yuck.
Go ahead: Laugh. Cry. Dry your tears on your neighbors sleeve. I did.
mile 1: 8:58
mile 2: 8:09
mile 3: 7:39
mile 4: 8:08
mile 5: 7:54
mile 6: 8:13
mile 7: 8:31
mile 8: 8:50
mile 9: 8:35
mile 10: 9:01
mile 11: 9:38
mile 12: 9:19
mile 13: 8:47
mile 14: 9:49
mile 15: 10:05
mile 16: 9:57
mile 17: 9:38
mile 18: 10:16
mile 19: 9:55
mile 20: 10:23
mile 21: 10:40
mile 22: 11:33
mile 23: 10:26
mile 24: 11:34
mile 25: 9:29
.2: 2:08
Total: 4:09:20
I don't understand the last .2, because I definitely sprinted to the end. Fuck all the quad-pain, I'm going to run the end of this thing if it kills me, sprinted to the end. Maybe I waited to stop my watch, but I don't think it was that long after that mat. Oh well; I guess it doesn't really matter...
Anyway, I obviously exploded in a totally ungraceful manner. I went out like a bat out of hell and then crashed into the wall due to the fact that bats are blind. For just a little bit in my defense though, the first 10m were completely downhill. So, not only was it hard to control my speed, but my quads were getting shredded into pizza cheese. The rest of the race was basically flat, but after all that downhill, it definitely didn't feel flat. It felt like I was freaking running up Mount Everest. Slowly.
I'm the first to admit I gave up at a certain point. It was hard, and I was hurting, and I felt like I was giving it everything I had, but I know that when those splits started getting slower and slower, my brain just freaked. I don't know if I could have run any faster, but I would be curious to know how I would have done sans-watch.
It was hot, but I think I handled that part pretty well. I drank all I could and didn't feel like the heat affected me as much as it could have. In other words, I didn't end up in an ambulance. I monitored my body and did what it told me. Which in this case, was to stop the insane running and walk. Yeah, I guess it's obvious from my splits that I did a bit of walking. I walked through the water stops when it first started hurting, and then I walked a bit past the water stops during the Last 10m Death March.
So, that's all I have for now. I PRed. I guess I should be happy enough with that. I just know I could have/should have done so much better. If nothing else, I should have had fun. I didn't. Marathons are hard and it sucked and I just wanted to be done.
I would say that I'll do better next time, but right now I can't even think to the next time. I'm still in the 'Why not just stick to the half marathon? Those are cool!' frame of mind. But, just give me some time. I'm sure I'll forget all this pain soon enough.
It's just not going to happen while my legs are still unable to get me down stairs and the blister on my foot has enough pus to gross out the couple that used to pick each others' zits during lunch in high school.
I guess that's why I had wanted to wait a bit to write this. I wanted to wait until I was a little less grumpy and had more of a positive spin. But, alas...I guess it's more honest this way, right?
Humbled by the Marathon. I've been told I'm not the first one.
I just can't help but wonder if I'll ever figure out how to push it to the limit without crossing the line...
Enough. Time to study for a mid-term. 3 hours and counting. Yuck.
Monday, March 05, 2007
I finished.
And that's all I've got for now. I'm exhausted. And sore. And kinda cranky. And this next week is going to be hell on earth with mid-terms and work and gigs and just the normal hullabulu of my completely insane but totally mundane existence. But LA was fun, and I'll give you some details as soon as I stop feeling like I just got run over by a herd of stampeding elephants.
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