Okie Dokie. Well – I have definitely discovered that I can do one thing a week other than train, eat, keep my husband happy, and sleep. I have had some work this past couple of weeks, plus have picked up on my marketing efforts – no chance to write here at all. I guess it’s all a balance.
Today Iron Mel and I headed out to Terra Linda High School Track to do Yassos. We warmed up a few times around the track, then did the various “track drills” – skipping, “bounding” (sort of like running but as if you were going over logs rolling towards you), “hava negilas” (that’s crossing your feet in front and behind one another, running sideways – Mel and I sang Hava Negila to it because we are a bit loopy and it was cold and rainy), “kick your butt” running . . . you name it. Then it was time to do the Yassos.
OK, last time I did this was one of my least favorite workouts EVER, and it made me feel surly and depressed. To take you back to THAT post, it was on January 27th, and I was supposed to go 5:14 per 800 (2x around the track), which seemed immensely fast to me, since the best I’d ever done an 800 in was 6:10. We did 10 that time, and my times were 5:18, 5:19, 5:30, 5:37, 5:39, 5:44, 5:51, 5:56, 5:50, 5:55, for a median time of 5:39. Coach Simon kept me at the higher VDOT that I had supposedly earned – I had gone from 25 to 27 (the times for which should have been 5:37 and 5:14, respectively) – but I “knew” that just was not right. I wasn’t sure how I had “advanced” from 25 to 27, but my performance in the Yassos pretty much showed me (to me) that I wasn’t quite there yet. So, though Simon told me to stay at 27, I decided to split the difference instead. So, I did the workouts from January 27th to now at a VDOT of 26. It still felt fast, but not depressingly, un-meet-ably fast.
Today, I just decided to do the best that I could – but aim for that VDOT 27 time (since “Simon Sez” I could do it). It was cold, wet, miserable (and I was in cotton because I’m still saving up for at least ONE shirt that’s not) – but Iron Mel and I made it out there, and my 800s were: 5:04, 5:06, 5:13, 5:06, 5:01, 5:10 (for an average of 5:06). YAY! Poor Iron Mel, I think she has pinched her sciatic nerve from where she was having pain – she did her Yassos but was in pain during the whole thing.
It was actually fun in a clammy, wet, “cotton is rotten” way at the track. We were kept company by 3 high school boys (and 2 other gals walking, one with an umbrella). The boys were not skinny track kids but also not big football player kids. They were obviously out doing track work with some “purpose.” We were trying to figure out what sport they might be in. They were super cute – to pass the time I would “tease them” every time I went around the track. We even played “chicken” once – Iron Mel decided to go around the track “backwards” to see if it would help her glute pain (nope). So when it was my turn to start, I followed her – and wound up running straight towards one of the guys as they came around the track the “correct” direction. He was being respectful and moving over, then I moved over, then he moved over, then I moved over – he finally actually “looked at” the crazy old lady (me) and then sped towards me yelling “Chiiiiiiiicken!!!!” and we all started laughing. It made a rotten rainy workout more fun. (And thank goodness he and I peeled off in separate directions – he was even taller than me, I think it would have made for a helluva collision!). On my 2nd to last Yasso, I wound up running next to another of the guys. He had slowed up in his sprints because he kept getting cramps. I told him everything I knew (dehydration, Margarita Clif Shot blocks, sweat test, pee test) as we went around the track. It kept my mind off my own aching legs! So thank you Julio, Jorge, and Jeremy for being “playmates” during our track time.
So what else is up? My dad sent me an email – he’s booked his flight to Louisville with non-refundable air miles, so that’s his version of an “Atta Girl I Believe In You.”
We’ve also had a number of workouts – hill workouts, swim workouts, blah, blah. I had my first ever missed Team workout last week because I had a Send Out Cards Treat’Em Right in San Jose (which was, of course, awesome) . . . I am trying to “catch up” as I can. This photo is of “Captain K and the Kegelettes” – our Marin/Sonoma County branch of the IronTeam, after doing our hill workout together one night. Yeah, well, regarding that name – you know what? If you want to know about it – talk to Iron Mel (smile).
I did do the Swim Marker. I tried to insert Coach Sedonia’s email from last week (and the graph showing times), but I’m doing something wrong and so I will just “tell you” that, per Sedonia,
“You shaved another 1 minute off your extrapolated 2.4 mi swim time and you are ALMOST under a 2 min per 100 yard average!!! This is awesome Sandy!”
YAY, that made me feel good. I am sure there is more to say, but time to get this post up there – and plan for getting up at 0-dark-00 to go swimming with Coach Sedonia in Napa tomorrow morning.
Oh wait, one more funny thing. Sunday (Valentine’s Day) is a 45 mile bike, 40 minute run “brick” day. The team is doing it from Benecia – just no way I can get H there by 9:00, so we will likely do it in Petaluma together. (I did mention I signed him up for a Century Bike Ride, right?) So, he asked me what I would like for Valentine’s, and then I told him about the workout. He said in his dry fashion, “So, a bubble bath, and then a massage” (knowing look) “…and then SLEEPING, huh?” Well, he has Monday off so I am going to take it off too – we can streeeeeetch Valentine’s over 2 days!