Friday, January 15, 2010

ISO: One pair of legs

If found, please return to Molly M, TooTired-ToRemember-HerOwnAddress, California.

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This week is kicking my ass, in the best possible way.  I can’t believe how heavy my legs and tight my hamstrings feel, all from relatively short distance workouts.  I always had assumed that recovery work like massage, use of the foam roller, etc was more critical for Iron-distance training.  I am wondering though…not even a week into this build, I’ve felt the need for them more than in my last few long weeks of Ironman training!  My hours of training aren’t all that different than they were for most of last year (but for the last couple months before AZ of course) but the work is already higher intensity lately.  I’m very grateful today for yoga class, my TP ball, and my new TP foam roller (with ridges for extra digging into the muscles!).

I’m feeling the full weight of my post-race deconditioning when it comes to running right now.  I’ve been feeling slow and sluggish and like my legs are just dragging (and yet, my legs wanted to go faster than my prescribed heart rate zones for Wednesday’s run).  I think the snickering coming from the general direction of Chicago is my coach laughing at me for being frustrated with being out of shape, but I do have the experience to know at this point that it will come back fast.  I have a 10K in 3 weeks, it’d better come back fast!!! [Funny how as soon as I finished IM AZ, I was excited for doing some short distance running races and the first one of 2010 felt like a MILLION YEARS AWAY.  Time flies!]

Yesterday was the dreaded bike strength workout, one that burned a spot in my memory last winter.  This time around though, I’m training with watts, which makes it even more painful.  Imagine riding the trainer, pushing hard watts, then immediately jumping off and doing lunges and squats, then back onto the bike to push more high watts.  Rinse, repeat, repeat.  *sob*

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I’m on a self-imposed ban from buying any more lululemon clothes for the rest of January.  This after I found myself driving 30 minutes each way in rush hour traffic to check out a store location I hadn’t been to before (and yes, buying more clothes).  My ban does not, however, apply if they finally upload the Olympic cheer gear on their website as promised sometime in January.  I want one of those hockey helmet hats. 

And…oh shit, that just ended when they put bras on the Loot section for $5 tonight.  Bugger. 

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The mutts and I are off to an agility trial all weekend.  I really really really hope it’s not another wet muddy miserable rainy affair.  And I really hope Stanley remembers how to weave.

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I was tagged by Kelly to list 10 simple things that make me happy.  Easy!

  1. Jeff
  2. Max
  3. Stanley
  4. Cujo
  5. Hot chocolate
  6. Feeling strong
  7. Lululemon
  8. Feeling fast
  9. Making visible training progress with my dogs
  10. Sleep

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Finally, a rave for my mom.  She took bikram yoga class with me in mid-December and nearly passed out.  I went off to Hawaii and she, determined to get the hang of it, went back 4x a week.  She just told me last week that she’s getting the unlimited classes per month membership.

She’s also been doing the Couch to 5K program to build up slowly and do the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot 10K in November.  She keeps saying she is doing one and only one event and that’s it and only because she got talked to it by family at Thanksgiving last year.

Guess who just signed up for the 3K division of the Superbowl Sunday race I am doing?  *snicker*

11 comments:

jennabul said...

If I find your legs. I will give them back. But I might want to borrow them. Yay for your Mom! I guess I will get to meet her no matter what by then! Good luck at agility! I hope it's not too wet =)

Unknown said...

Thanks for posting your happy list!! Beautifully simple, just the way it should be!!

I hope you find your legs...and I hope my coach doesn't get wind of that crazy bike workout!!;)

Missy said...

I love that for your mom, that's great. See, sometimes you can inspire your parents too. I love that.

OH, make NO mistake, that short distance stuff is a whole different kind of hurt than IM training. So true, good luck finding your legs.

...and, we're on the hunt for our 2010 puppy, a boxer of course. Ryan says to me - this one is going to need a job and I told him I had a good agility resource IF that's the route we decide to move in. I know boxers aren't typical but I'm going to see what his/her aptitudes are before we decide.

beardies3 said...

McNamaras are all inspirational! What amazing spunk you all have!

Iron Jayhawk said...

I think your legs and my quads have gone into hiding together. Keep at it as you know it'll get easier in time. :)

Liz Waterstraat said...

Short course training is 100x harder than Ironman. You just 'do' your first Ironman. You actually have to produce some speed & power in short course. :) You'll see. Also be sure you are eating good sources of iron from food (apricots, spinach, lentils, etc)....especially after then run training for Ironman you stores could be low and creating some fatigue in the runs. Just something to keep an eye on.

Runner Leana said...

Welcome back to hard training! I had a very similar bike strength routine this morning. Tough low cadence stuff, jump off for squats, then back on the bike for more low cadence. Good stuff!

You want a hockey helmet? I can totally buy you one here. Shoot me an e-mail and I'll hook you up.

Sherry said...

Yes, yes... I LOVE it! Way to kick those workouts hard, Molly. It's going to pay dividends!

Ha! Self-imposed Lulu ban. Yeah, I'm on one of those right now too. Um, hard!!!

Way to go, Miss Molly's Mom! It all started for me with C25K, so I have a SUPER soft spot in my heart for it. I wish her well. :o)

Good luck to you and the fuzzles this weekend!

Lisa T said...

TP foam roller? Ouch! Like the regular one doesn't hurt enough....

Anonymous said...

I just spent way too much time lusting after lululemon tonight. Thanks for that. ;)

The legs will come back... but if I find them, I'm keeping them!

ShirleyPerly said...

Funny that I'm gearing up my first-ever 10K this year too and the short speedy stuff is kicking my @ss. So much harder than long easy-paced iron workouts ...

Very cool about your mom doing yoga and training for a race!