Treadmill. Ugh. 20 minutes today.
I felt pretty good at 5 minutes. The pace was set at 4.5 (yes, I know it's slow, but I am slow, and that's respectable for me), and I felt strong. At 8 minutes, the side cramp started. It was sharp and awful and no amount of deep breathing would get rid of it. I had to slow to a walk at 9 minutes in for 2 minutes to get it to calm down enough that I could run through it.
I got through the last 9 minutes despite the pain. I was bent over a bit funny and concentrating hard on my breathing. I didn't start feeling decent again until right at the end.
It's frustrating, the cramping. This is the first time it's been a problem this season, but it was a serious issue at the start of last season. I'm hoping this is an anomaly, a problem that won't rear its ugly head again. One can hope.
I followed the run with my Pilates class, which destroyed my core the usual fantastic amount. I love Pilates. It was a mistake to give it up last season - it makes me stronger. I'm going to hurt tomorrow. Good hurt. The kind of hurt that flares up when you laugh and makes you laugh more.
Tomorrow's workout is supposed to be cross-training. Luckily for me, "cross-training" and "dessert tasting" are practically the same thing =)
On a slightly different note, buy wine and help fund the cure for cancer: http://www.grapesurfer.com/kelseyhughes
Monday, August 24, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Not So Easy
Training went pretty badly this week. I keep waiting for everything to fall into place, but things keep disrupting my plans. I desperately need to get on a schedule and stay there, and I need for my runs to start feeling less like disasters. I know this will happen eventually, but I'd really appreciate sooner than later.
Wednesday's track night was the best run of the week for me. Those of us training for the half marathon just did two 800s. The track out at Memorial is 400m, so we basically ran the distance around the track twice, then rested before doing it again. The point was to get a feel for the pace we'd like to be able to maintain for the race.
I ran comfortably at a speed faster than I've managed to keep up in the past. I was actually surprised by how good it felt. Of course, I was totally spent by the end of my second 800, but I felt like I had accomplished something. Overall, it was a total of one mile, but it was a good one.
We had a woman's apparel clinic Thursday evening, so I went straight from work to run. I only had a 20 minute run scheduled, so I planned to get the run out of the way, shower, and head over to Finish Strong for the clinic. I failed to consider what even a 20 minute run would do to me at 5:00 in the afternoon - 98 degrees and sunny is not good running weather.
I could tell right away that the run was going to go badly. I left the apartment complex and headed out on the route that I ran so many times last year. I started struggling immediately, so I decided to take it easy and walk a minute for every 4 minutes I ran. It just felt wrong. I'm fairly convinced it was the weather, but who knows.
The first 2 intervals went ok. Not good, but I made it somehow. When I started running the 3rd time, I knew I'd have to stop. Every breath made me feel more nauseous, and I just couldn't drive through it. I walked the rest of the way home, feeling terribly sick the whole way. It took a good 10 minutes lying on the floor under my fan for the sheets of sweat to stop and the nausea to calm enough that I could start drinking massive amount of water.
Basically, it was bad. I need to find a better time to run - or at least somewhere with more shade. I mean, I'm not in great shape, but I think the majority of my issue was the heat and sun. I wish I could run in the morning. I wouldn't mind getting up earlier, but there's nowhere I feel safe running before the sun's up, and I get to work before sunrise.
On an up note, the clinic was a lot of fun. Nothing like wine and cheese to make you feel better about bouncing around a closed retail store in a sports bra =)
I had very minor oral surgery on Friday (still the remnants of the massive disaster that started over a year and a half ago), but my oral surgeon said that I could attempt the run on Saturday morning if I felt ok and took it easy.
I didn't feel great on Saturday morning, but I didn't want to skip the run. I feel behind as it is, so I needed to put in the distance (3 miles this week). My mouth was a bit swollen and painful, but it's been worse. The run wasn't great. It started out as a run, but became a walk before too long. Yeah, I wanted to run, but I definitely didn't want to do anything to put my health at risk. Sigh. We move up to 4 miles next week, and I still can't run 3.
The route was interesting because we actually left the park. I really liked the neighborhood we ran through, and I was impressed by how many people are out running in Houston on Saturday morning. It's a bit crazy.
One of the other mentors put together a video of the training (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR-NQ5FFv6o) - the bit of me shows pretty effectively how I was feeling. And you can definitely see the swelling. Fun times!
Running might not be great (yet!), but I really love mentoring. We have a fantastic group, and I love being able to be so involved. Go Team!
Wednesday's track night was the best run of the week for me. Those of us training for the half marathon just did two 800s. The track out at Memorial is 400m, so we basically ran the distance around the track twice, then rested before doing it again. The point was to get a feel for the pace we'd like to be able to maintain for the race.
I ran comfortably at a speed faster than I've managed to keep up in the past. I was actually surprised by how good it felt. Of course, I was totally spent by the end of my second 800, but I felt like I had accomplished something. Overall, it was a total of one mile, but it was a good one.
We had a woman's apparel clinic Thursday evening, so I went straight from work to run. I only had a 20 minute run scheduled, so I planned to get the run out of the way, shower, and head over to Finish Strong for the clinic. I failed to consider what even a 20 minute run would do to me at 5:00 in the afternoon - 98 degrees and sunny is not good running weather.
I could tell right away that the run was going to go badly. I left the apartment complex and headed out on the route that I ran so many times last year. I started struggling immediately, so I decided to take it easy and walk a minute for every 4 minutes I ran. It just felt wrong. I'm fairly convinced it was the weather, but who knows.
The first 2 intervals went ok. Not good, but I made it somehow. When I started running the 3rd time, I knew I'd have to stop. Every breath made me feel more nauseous, and I just couldn't drive through it. I walked the rest of the way home, feeling terribly sick the whole way. It took a good 10 minutes lying on the floor under my fan for the sheets of sweat to stop and the nausea to calm enough that I could start drinking massive amount of water.
Basically, it was bad. I need to find a better time to run - or at least somewhere with more shade. I mean, I'm not in great shape, but I think the majority of my issue was the heat and sun. I wish I could run in the morning. I wouldn't mind getting up earlier, but there's nowhere I feel safe running before the sun's up, and I get to work before sunrise.
On an up note, the clinic was a lot of fun. Nothing like wine and cheese to make you feel better about bouncing around a closed retail store in a sports bra =)
I had very minor oral surgery on Friday (still the remnants of the massive disaster that started over a year and a half ago), but my oral surgeon said that I could attempt the run on Saturday morning if I felt ok and took it easy.
I didn't feel great on Saturday morning, but I didn't want to skip the run. I feel behind as it is, so I needed to put in the distance (3 miles this week). My mouth was a bit swollen and painful, but it's been worse. The run wasn't great. It started out as a run, but became a walk before too long. Yeah, I wanted to run, but I definitely didn't want to do anything to put my health at risk. Sigh. We move up to 4 miles next week, and I still can't run 3.
The route was interesting because we actually left the park. I really liked the neighborhood we ran through, and I was impressed by how many people are out running in Houston on Saturday morning. It's a bit crazy.
One of the other mentors put together a video of the training (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR-NQ5FFv6o) - the bit of me shows pretty effectively how I was feeling. And you can definitely see the swelling. Fun times!
Running might not be great (yet!), but I really love mentoring. We have a fantastic group, and I love being able to be so involved. Go Team!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Mondays suck
Running on a treadmill is so different from running outside. I don't really enjoy it. Its not that I enjoy running outside, or that I don't appreciate the chance to do my run in the climate-controlled space that is my gym. It just doesn't quite feel right. Unfortunately, the only way that I can cram both a run and my Pilates class into my Monday afternoon schedule is to head straight to the gym from work, do whatever time was assigned on the treadmill, and then head to Pilates.
Yesterday, the run assigned was 20 minutes at an easy pace. I probably pushed myself a little harder than I should have, but I think I might have needed it. Being sick and not running has made me feel like I am getting behind. I managed to do the full 20 minutes at a 13:20 pace. See, treadmills are different - I never could have managed that pace outside (yes, I know I'm slow).
Pilates was really good. I miss the core workouts when I don't do them, so I'm definitely sticking to that this season. My abs are hurting today.
Still sick. Sigh. This cold is just hanging on. I'm forcing my way through everything, but I feel pretty crappy most of the time. I just want to get back to being healthy so all the pain can come from the running =)
Tonight's workout is uncertain. I am going to a wine dinner with a friend (yay for that!), so depending on how sick I'm feeling post-work, I'll either do the insane 30-Day Shred Jillian DVD or just skip the workout altogether. I need to put some priority on the whole "getting healthy" thing.
First track practice of the season in Wednesday. I totally expect to have my butt kicked!
Yesterday, the run assigned was 20 minutes at an easy pace. I probably pushed myself a little harder than I should have, but I think I might have needed it. Being sick and not running has made me feel like I am getting behind. I managed to do the full 20 minutes at a 13:20 pace. See, treadmills are different - I never could have managed that pace outside (yes, I know I'm slow).
Pilates was really good. I miss the core workouts when I don't do them, so I'm definitely sticking to that this season. My abs are hurting today.
Still sick. Sigh. This cold is just hanging on. I'm forcing my way through everything, but I feel pretty crappy most of the time. I just want to get back to being healthy so all the pain can come from the running =)
Tonight's workout is uncertain. I am going to a wine dinner with a friend (yay for that!), so depending on how sick I'm feeling post-work, I'll either do the insane 30-Day Shred Jillian DVD or just skip the workout altogether. I need to put some priority on the whole "getting healthy" thing.
First track practice of the season in Wednesday. I totally expect to have my butt kicked!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
I have the plan in place. I know when I need to run, and where I plan to do it. I wake up early on a cruise to run and run across the street from the plant when I'm away on business. But my stupid body seems to have issues with the whole plan thing.
I've got an ugly cold. Ugh.
Training officially started 2 weeks ago. I've made 2 of the 3 Saturday "long runs" (hard to call it a long run when we're at 3 miles), and only 3 of the 8 weekly runs. Today's long run was rough, but not as bad as last year. It'll be better when I get healthy again.
I'm frustrated, to say the least. I've been amazingly healthy since the surgery, really. So, of course, the timing of this cold isn't so great. And it's stretching out - I'm staying sick for a lot longer than I would expect. At least I can breathe.
I am intent on keeping to my training schedule from here on out. I am also intent on staying healthy. We will see how it goes.
A run of 3 miles still requires some walking, but my shorter weekly runs are better. I wish running would stop sucking - personally, I blame cancer.
On another note, if you hate cancer and love wine, buy wine here (a portion of the proceeds go to my fundraising account): www.grapesurfer.com/kelseyhughes
I've got an ugly cold. Ugh.
Training officially started 2 weeks ago. I've made 2 of the 3 Saturday "long runs" (hard to call it a long run when we're at 3 miles), and only 3 of the 8 weekly runs. Today's long run was rough, but not as bad as last year. It'll be better when I get healthy again.
I'm frustrated, to say the least. I've been amazingly healthy since the surgery, really. So, of course, the timing of this cold isn't so great. And it's stretching out - I'm staying sick for a lot longer than I would expect. At least I can breathe.
I am intent on keeping to my training schedule from here on out. I am also intent on staying healthy. We will see how it goes.
A run of 3 miles still requires some walking, but my shorter weekly runs are better. I wish running would stop sucking - personally, I blame cancer.
On another note, if you hate cancer and love wine, buy wine here (a portion of the proceeds go to my fundraising account): www.grapesurfer.com/kelseyhughes
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Donate!
My website for this season is up: http://pages.teamintraining.org/txg/houston10/khughesw0s
Go. Donate.
Running has been spotty so far because of family vacation, a work trip, and illness. I have done runs on the deck of a cruise ship, on a hotel treadmill, and at good old Memorial Park. I haven't been able to get into a good groove yet, but runs are feeling much better than this time last year.
The worst run so far was on the cruise ship. Seriously, the track was 1/10 of a mile. So. Many. Circles.
I love our team this season - so many amazing people! I am mentoring this year, and I am so inspired my the people I am mentoring. They are all unique and wonderful and full of energy. I am so lucky!
I am doing 2 things this year to encourage you all to donate:
1) At the end of the season, I'll do a drawing of the names of all my donors. The 3 names I draw will get to choose something homemade by me (cookies, cake, homemade bags, a blanket, etc). If you donate $100 or more, I'll put you in the drawing twice.
2) If I manage to raise over $5,000 this year, I will suck it up and train for a full marathon next year. Yeah, that's right, I love Team in Training more than I love my poor body. So, donate. You know you all want to see me suffer.
Love you!
Go. Donate.
Running has been spotty so far because of family vacation, a work trip, and illness. I have done runs on the deck of a cruise ship, on a hotel treadmill, and at good old Memorial Park. I haven't been able to get into a good groove yet, but runs are feeling much better than this time last year.
The worst run so far was on the cruise ship. Seriously, the track was 1/10 of a mile. So. Many. Circles.
I love our team this season - so many amazing people! I am mentoring this year, and I am so inspired my the people I am mentoring. They are all unique and wonderful and full of energy. I am so lucky!
I am doing 2 things this year to encourage you all to donate:
1) At the end of the season, I'll do a drawing of the names of all my donors. The 3 names I draw will get to choose something homemade by me (cookies, cake, homemade bags, a blanket, etc). If you donate $100 or more, I'll put you in the drawing twice.
2) If I manage to raise over $5,000 this year, I will suck it up and train for a full marathon next year. Yeah, that's right, I love Team in Training more than I love my poor body. So, donate. You know you all want to see me suffer.
Love you!
Friday, June 26, 2009
And so it begins again....
So, running.
I ran the Houston Half Marathon a little over 5 months ago. I was sick, and slow, and it was a rather miserable experience. It was also one of the greatest things I have ever done.
Kelli and I spent the entirety of the training and most of the run itself swearing that we would never run again.
And we both held to that for a little under 5 months. 3 weeks ago we started running again. It is roughly as bad as I remember.
To be fair, we are doing much, MUCH better than we did last year when we started running. We aren’t running a full three miles without walking yet, but we are running more than walking and generally feeling less like death than we did at the beginning of our training last year. So far, we’re just meeting once a week after work to run the loop at Memorial and then training separately the rest of the week. I am in the midst of training to climb my first mountain, so running is taking a back seat for now. But the mountain trip is in 2 weeks, and once I’ve conquered that, I can start focusing the cardio part of my training on running instead of on hills.
Our goal is to be able to run a really comfortable 3 mile loop before the winter season of Team in Training starts in August. That way, we’ll start the training in better shape and more comfortable running than we did last year. We hope that will lead to a better season and a quicker finish. Mostly, we think it will make for less miserable long runs.
The worst part of the running, by far, is the heat. It’s summer in Houston, full blast, and we are running at 5:30 in the afternoon. Last week the temperature got up to 104F. Ugh. We’ve been running when the heat index is up over 100F, and I don’t expect that to stop any time soon. We hydrate like crazy the whole run just to keep from making ourselves sick, and that doesn’t always work. It takes at least an hour after I get home for my face to stop burning. Basically, it’s HOT. But it’s worth it, really.
Last week we got lucky and were able to run when the clouds were coming in and there was a bit of a breeze. It was still really hot, but it felt amazing compared to what we have been doing.
So, why am I doing this, again? It’s the cause, and the people. Team in Training raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). Too many people have to suffer through these diseases (including my wonderful running buddy), and I have to believe that there’s a cure out there. I feel like I have a responsibility to raise awareness and money for this cause. And the cause is suffering in this economy (just like we all are). I heard some really scary statistics at the mentor training last week, and I believe even more firmly that I have to help. The LLS gives money every year to patients to cover the incredible travel and parking costs associated with getting treatment. This year they had to decrease the amount from $500 to $150. Think of what that that $350 could mean to a family swamped with medical bills. They have also had to lay off staff and reduce the money they give to research. I think funding that type of research is key to our future. So I will do everything I can to support this cause. Even run.
If you are interested in training for a distance event with amazing people while raising money for an important cause, please get in touch with me. I would love to have you come run with me, and I will do anything I can to help make you successful. If I can run a half marathon, anyone can! If you don’t want to run, but still want to support me and help out a great cause, you can donate to my fundraising goals this year. I will have my information up before too long (this page has my link from last season, which shouldn’t work anymore). I will also post about some of the awesome events that we are planning to help raise money.
I will be mentoring for the Team in Training Team Memorial this winter season. I am really excited to be able to give my time this way. We have an amazing group of mentors, coaches, and staff, and I can’t wait to meet the rest of our team. I know from experience that we always have a great group of people come out and run. I will be training with the team, but I will also be manning water stops and helping with fundraising ideas. If any of you want to volunteer at a water stop for a Saturday morning long run, please let me know.
Anyway, I am excited to be a part of the Team again this year, and I am excited to see how the whole running thing goes now that I’ve had my sinuses all fixed up. Here’s to running healthy!
My current training schedule, for anyone interested, looks like this (it will change in 2 weeks after the mountain):
Monday: 45 minutes of hill intervals, Pilates class
Tuesday: 3 mile Memorial loop run with Kelli
Wednesday: 30 minute power intervals class, 15 minute abs class, 45 minute upper body class (to be replaced by track practice when the season starts)
Thursday: hills (or a makeup run)
Friday: 20 minutes hills, session with trainer (to be moved once the season starts)
Weekend: try to learn how to move again, do fun, active things
Tentative schedule starting in August:
Monday: easy run, Pilates class
Tuesday: tempo run, workout with trainer (or weights)
Wednesday: track practice
Thursday: run at park, abs
Friday: rest day
Saturday: long run
Sunday: rest day
I ran the Houston Half Marathon a little over 5 months ago. I was sick, and slow, and it was a rather miserable experience. It was also one of the greatest things I have ever done.
Kelli and I spent the entirety of the training and most of the run itself swearing that we would never run again.
And we both held to that for a little under 5 months. 3 weeks ago we started running again. It is roughly as bad as I remember.
To be fair, we are doing much, MUCH better than we did last year when we started running. We aren’t running a full three miles without walking yet, but we are running more than walking and generally feeling less like death than we did at the beginning of our training last year. So far, we’re just meeting once a week after work to run the loop at Memorial and then training separately the rest of the week. I am in the midst of training to climb my first mountain, so running is taking a back seat for now. But the mountain trip is in 2 weeks, and once I’ve conquered that, I can start focusing the cardio part of my training on running instead of on hills.
Our goal is to be able to run a really comfortable 3 mile loop before the winter season of Team in Training starts in August. That way, we’ll start the training in better shape and more comfortable running than we did last year. We hope that will lead to a better season and a quicker finish. Mostly, we think it will make for less miserable long runs.
The worst part of the running, by far, is the heat. It’s summer in Houston, full blast, and we are running at 5:30 in the afternoon. Last week the temperature got up to 104F. Ugh. We’ve been running when the heat index is up over 100F, and I don’t expect that to stop any time soon. We hydrate like crazy the whole run just to keep from making ourselves sick, and that doesn’t always work. It takes at least an hour after I get home for my face to stop burning. Basically, it’s HOT. But it’s worth it, really.
Last week we got lucky and were able to run when the clouds were coming in and there was a bit of a breeze. It was still really hot, but it felt amazing compared to what we have been doing.
So, why am I doing this, again? It’s the cause, and the people. Team in Training raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). Too many people have to suffer through these diseases (including my wonderful running buddy), and I have to believe that there’s a cure out there. I feel like I have a responsibility to raise awareness and money for this cause. And the cause is suffering in this economy (just like we all are). I heard some really scary statistics at the mentor training last week, and I believe even more firmly that I have to help. The LLS gives money every year to patients to cover the incredible travel and parking costs associated with getting treatment. This year they had to decrease the amount from $500 to $150. Think of what that that $350 could mean to a family swamped with medical bills. They have also had to lay off staff and reduce the money they give to research. I think funding that type of research is key to our future. So I will do everything I can to support this cause. Even run.
If you are interested in training for a distance event with amazing people while raising money for an important cause, please get in touch with me. I would love to have you come run with me, and I will do anything I can to help make you successful. If I can run a half marathon, anyone can! If you don’t want to run, but still want to support me and help out a great cause, you can donate to my fundraising goals this year. I will have my information up before too long (this page has my link from last season, which shouldn’t work anymore). I will also post about some of the awesome events that we are planning to help raise money.
I will be mentoring for the Team in Training Team Memorial this winter season. I am really excited to be able to give my time this way. We have an amazing group of mentors, coaches, and staff, and I can’t wait to meet the rest of our team. I know from experience that we always have a great group of people come out and run. I will be training with the team, but I will also be manning water stops and helping with fundraising ideas. If any of you want to volunteer at a water stop for a Saturday morning long run, please let me know.
Anyway, I am excited to be a part of the Team again this year, and I am excited to see how the whole running thing goes now that I’ve had my sinuses all fixed up. Here’s to running healthy!
My current training schedule, for anyone interested, looks like this (it will change in 2 weeks after the mountain):
Monday: 45 minutes of hill intervals, Pilates class
Tuesday: 3 mile Memorial loop run with Kelli
Wednesday: 30 minute power intervals class, 15 minute abs class, 45 minute upper body class (to be replaced by track practice when the season starts)
Thursday: hills (or a makeup run)
Friday: 20 minutes hills, session with trainer (to be moved once the season starts)
Weekend: try to learn how to move again, do fun, active things
Tentative schedule starting in August:
Monday: easy run, Pilates class
Tuesday: tempo run, workout with trainer (or weights)
Wednesday: track practice
Thursday: run at park, abs
Friday: rest day
Saturday: long run
Sunday: rest day
Monday, June 22, 2009
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