105: the BEST kind of cross training involves adventure!

Before today I hadn't ridden a real bike since my middle school 10-speed in suburban San Jose. Clay's roommate Stephanie graciously let me borrow her mountain bike so I could test the mantra "you never forget how to ride a bike." And I'm happy to report, it's true! I survived the day without crashing or scuffing any knees or elbows.

From Clay's house at 19th and Vermont Street, we headed down Potrero Hill to 3rd Street to the ballpark and onto Embarcadero where we joined thousands of pedestrians and bicyclists kick off SF's first sundays event (click to read article). It was a great feeling to freely ride ON the street on our bikes, not being restricted to the sidewalk.

At Gate "B" to the left of the Ferry Building, we boarded the Blue and Gold Ferry bound for Angel Island with bikes in tow. For $15 round trip, bikes were no extra charge and left twice daily on the weekend, at 9:20 and 11:20am. It would have been ideal had we had time to pick up some snacks at the Ferry building itself, but the last Ferry was nearly boarding by the time we arrived. Snacks aboard the Ferry were reasonably priced...! We stowed a pretzel and peanut M&Ms for the trail ahead.

Per the Ranger's advice, we traveled counter-clockwise around the island on Perimeter Road. This made for an easier (less uphill) ride around the island. The views were fantastic with 2 bridge views, Belvedere, Berkeley and SF in our sites!

All in all, we rode 10.25 miles from Clay's house and back, including around 5 miles on the island itself. If you ever get a chance, I highly recommend this day trip. Couple suggestions would be to definitely pack your own snacks before getting on the Ferry. If you don't have a bike, you can rent one, and bring sunscreen and a camera!

106: a jog thru golden gate park

Sounds almost romantic, right?

Except Hukilau was packed Friday night and I didn't get to bed until 2am. Then I woke up at 7am to power up with a toast and peanut butter snack, 12oz of water and off I went to Kezar Track. I assumed we would be running around the track, but apparently Saturday's peewee football day at the track. Instead we met up and headed down Martin Luther King Street in GG Park. It made for a beautiful, scenic route, but very slightly hilly. The grade up and down was minor but repeated over and over, taxing my body to the limit. Was harder than I imagined, especially on the little sleep (5 hours is not enough for me) I got. Overall, 4.2 or so miles wasn't half bad!

I told myself I would have to do this one again to learn to conquer the inclines.

107: back on track

After 2 days of no exercise, I felt like a gym-phile junkie...just a little "off" without my (gym) fix. It's almost sick, really. It was both a physical and mental desire to get my butt (literally) in gear. My needs had expanded past my own personal selfishness to the needs to my supporters and now TWO personal honorees -- those in my extended circle of friends and family that have been affected by blood cancer. I could not, NOT train. Sound gung-ho enough? I hope so. I'm setting myself up to not let this happen again (the two days off) only because I know myself. I need a routine and if I falter, I falter. And I do not want to falter.

Some facts for ya:

• Approximately every 5 minutes, someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer.
  An estimated 118,310 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma in 2007.
• New cases of leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma account for 8.5% of the 1,399,790 new cancer cases diagnosed in the United States this year.
• Every 10 minutes, another child or adult dies from blood cancer.
• Leukemia, lymphoma, or myeloma will kill an estimated 53,920 persons in the United States this year. These related cancers account for 9.5% of the deaths from cancer each year.
• More than 823,000 Americans are presently living with leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma - approximately 14,000 of these people live in Northern California.

Whew...nuff on my soapbox!

So this morning, I was a determined woman. At my home gym, I pushed through quarter mile speed bursts on the treadmill, spread apart by arm free weights, core strengthening exercises on the exercise ball and adjustable grade bench (you know the one where you lay down with you feet higher than your head and you ankled tucked under the padded bar?) where I did situps and over the body medicine ball tosses. Thank god no one else was in the gym, otherwise my superheroine prowess would have shrunken to a self-conscious wannabe.

After the workout, I felt gooood. Clean almost, if that makes any sense. Ready for my long run tomorrow at the real track!

108: sloth, i am

Today was day # 2 of not working out and I feel like a behemoth. I packed for the track but didn't make it out of work until 7pm (track started across the bay at 6:45pm) and there was a fire earlier in the day on Treasure Island which clogged east and westbound traffic on the bay bridge past 7:30 when i was driving through. Needless to say, I didn't make it. We opted to go to a friend's going away dinner and gorge ourselves furthering the sloth-like feeling. Bleh.

So with two days of rest under my belt, I AM running tomorrow, scheduled rest day or not. And I will be going to the track on Saturday morning. GRRRRrrrr.

109: off schedule but top of mind

So, I ran out of time this morning to squeeze in a cross training schedule, but as I drove to work I reminded myself of a Chi Running lesson. An easy, everyday, ever (wo)man workout: when in the car, tilt your rear view mirror slightly higher than normal, forcing you to sit up straight to see back. This is not intended to risk your safety but rather to re-inforce your body to learn to sit up straight, not scrunch your diaphram a-n-d engage your core muscles. This little exercise is meant to strengthen your core and develop good body form for running.

I'm crossing my fingers that I don't have to work too late at Hukilau tonight and that I have the energy to make time for the gym after working the bar!

110: worst 3 mile run ever

I think I'm mentally weak. For the first time I ran alone outside. And it sucked. I'm not sure if I pushed myself too hard in the beginning, not having anyone else to pace off of or what, but by the end I was huffing hard and my chest was tight. I worked late and wasn't able to join the buddy run group under the clock tower on the Embarcadero. Instead, I parked at Folsom and Embarcadero, right beside the arrow and ran towards the Ferry building to Pier 39 and back. I don't know how Clay runs solo all the time. I found it really challenging, but was encouraged to keep at it knowing that there was a high probability that I would be running the marathon solo as well. Gotta toughen up.

"Few of us know what we are capable of doing… we have never pushed ourselves hard enough to find out." - Alfred A. Montapert

111: lame attempt at working out and a little on lactic acid

So, I changed into my gym clothes with the intention of working out. Then I was so lazy I decided I would just do some strength training in my room on the floor (saving the 16 steps to the gym from my front door). I laid back in the sit-up position and promptly fell asleep on the floor until Julia knocked on my door to say goodbye. By that point, I needed to get ready for work and skip the attempt at a workout.

I resigned to running the treadmill for 2 miles this evening to justify eating the yummy dinner Julia cooked.

On Lactic Acid: Beginning this week and next week, TNT runners will see an addition to the normal workout, "LT" or Lactic Acid Threshold. Without getting into the hard science of LT's we'll give you a quick run down and why we use them.

Carbohydrates are broken down by the liver and converted to glucose (sugar). Muscles then either use the glucose or store it as glycogen. During exercise glycogen is broken down to glucose. This reaction produces energy which fuels muscles. There are two routes that can be taken during this conversion. The glucose can be converted into pyruvic acid, yielding a high amount of energy, or it can be converted to lactic acid. Lactic acid is a temporary end to the energy yielding process. Lactic acid is not bad, without it we would not be able to have brief but high intensity exercise. Too much lactic acid accumulation however will slow you down. The heavy leg feeling we are sure you have all experienced is a result of lactic acid accumulation. This accumulation inhibits muscle contraction.

Organs such as the heart, liver and kidneys are able to convert the lactic acid back to pyruvic acid. So it comes down to balancing production and conversion back to usable energy. To do this you train your body to "deal" with increased amounts of lactic acid. For runners, we need to push our individual limits. During increasing exercise intensity, lactic acid begins to accumulate. Our goal is pushing this threshold (LT) and increasing you bodies' ability to clear the lactic acid. The end result will allow you to run longer and further, while holding off fatigue.

So this is how we use them in our workouts: After warming up for 10-15 minutes at your normal running pace, increase your effort to 75-85% for the next 5 minutes or whatever the schedule dictates. During the LT portion of the workout, maintain good form and concentrate on your breathing. After the timed effort return to 60-70% effort and finish the run.

112: recovery run

Last night we celebrated Ryan's birthday and I drank too much red wine. I only mention this because I was the most hungover I've been in a loooooooooong time. Running didn't seem like it was going to happen, but then after brunch and a lazy stroll through the haight, I managed to squeak out a 2-miler on the treadmill. My legs feel surprisingly good. I'm actually looking forward to my buddy run on Tuesday to again, get outside and put my new Nike+iPod to use :) Kelvin got it for me to help track my pace and progress...thanks Kel!

113: first ever 6 mile run!

After working the bar until 1am, getting up at 7:15 to get to the College of Marin by 8am was brutal. I even slept in my running gear. Once there though, the sun eventually came through the clouds and the group energy was uplifting.

The coach, Leslie, pictured below with her arm raised by the water station, marked the trail with flour for the 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5 and 4 mile turn around points. My original goal was 5 miles but I was feeling good and so we went to the 3 mile turn around and did a total of 6 miles!

The run had one water station and a light brunch at the end (I'm eating a soy yogurt below :). The run was followed by a Nutrition clinic by an endurance trainer. For long runs, she suggested:

• before a long (10+ miles): 200-250 calories
• during: 200-250 calories every 60-90 minutes, 8 oz of fluid every 15 minutes
• after: 200-250 calories
  
• suggested "calories" was a balanced high carb, med protein and low fat diet
• using training time to experiment with different bars, sport drinks, gels, etc to see what you like the best and as often as possible eat real food
  

20 days down, 114 to go 'til race day

I wanna write something but today is our rest day so we don't train and supposedly stay off our feet. Or are supposed to anyway. Ironically, Fridays are the one day I typically am on my feet the longest... currently Harmonique is looking to fill our store sales position and until we do I am temporarily manning the store and I work the bar at Hukilau Friday nights right after Harmonique. Thank god for stools and rubber bar mats or my feet would be toast.

Tomorrow's goal 4-7 miles. I think I'm going to shoot for 5.

115: Track Workout #2

I'm in discovery mode. Figuring out what my body is trying to tell me about how it's feeling. I've been given lots of good information from the coaches and mentors about what to watch out for and how to prevent injury. Now I find myself questioning even minor soreness as potential injury flags. I suppose its for good reason though i feel like a bit of a wuss. For example, the foot doc gave us a whole low down on knee pain -- to expect front knee soreness with mileage increase and that outside or inner knee pain is a red flag. So when my left knee started bothering me last night, I was psyching myself up about front vs. inner and where mine was actually hurting. So I busted out the ice pack and iced the left knee before going to bed and when I woke up this morning for 20 minutes. Better safe than sorry, right?

I suppose this small ice exercise is a mental strength builder for later down the training road when after a very long run, lets say 12 miles, I'll be so woofed that I'll need a full-on ICE BATH so that my recovery time will be faster. Who the hell takes ice baths anyway? Ice baths are included in our training packets as recommended regimen to improve recovery time. Supposedly Olympic athletes do this regularly, and since they mentioned it I now notice on TV when they show Olympians with small ice packets plastic wrapped around specific body parts. But really, can you imagine sitting in a tub full of ice for 20 minutes? All I know is I better not feel any pain after that!

Kezar Track, 6:45pm

An introduction to Chi Running and more circuit/strength training: ChiRunning combines the inner focus and flow of T'ai Chi with the power and energy of running to create a revolutionary running form and philosophy that takes the pounding, pain, and potential damage out of the sport of running. Who knew? Our speaker shared that she ran a 50-mile endurance running utilizing the practices of Chi Running. The biggest take away was the focus on form and efficiency.

1) Visualize a needle and a cotton ball. Picture a straight needle running through your entire body from head to toe. Your limbs are the cotton ball surrounding the needle at your core. They should flow smoothly and lightly around the needle....
2) Your feet should be aligned straight and fairly close together.
3) Your shoulders, hips and ankles should be the 3 main points you concentrate on keeping aligned.
4) Your core should be strong with your pelvis straight and not allowing your hips to dip forward or back.
5) When thinking about your arms, hold them at a 90 degree angle, focusing on the back swing and with your arms held close to your body.
6) To position your body to move forward, lean forward starting at your ankles...not your hips or waist allowing gravity to work with you while keeping your "needle" straight and your core strong.

There was more but thats all i can regurgitate in one sitting. It made for a very...concentrated run. Trying to keep all that together and still move in a forward motion is challenging.

116: learning to love water

I like water. I drink it over soda or any other beverage. I just don't drink that much of it. Clay can pound two 8oz glasses before I've finished half of my first. So, I've made a conscious effort to try to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. This morning, before my cross training workout, I dithered about for a half an hour, opening mail, starting a load of dishes, etc just so I could finish the glass of water I had started drinking prior to going to the gym. Seems silly, I know I could have just tanked the whole glass if I really wanted to in one sitting but that always comes back to bite me if I immediately go to the gym.

They say Cross Training is broadly defined as any activity that increases fitness while minimizing the risk of overuse injuries and burnout. They suggest swimming, bicycling (road, mountain, spinning), yoga, rowing, rollerblading, skiing, and deep water running. The point is to improve your heart and lungs without using running muscles. Hmmm. Well, I opted for convenience this morning and used the exercise bike at the gym. I can't say that I pushed myself that hard that I felt like I was improving my heart and lungs but eh, I sweated.

117: Team-In-Training is like a being in a Sorority

They have an acynym for a name (TNT).
They have colors (Purple).
They have a "secret handshake" ("Go Team!").
They have weekly meetings (Tuesday buddy runs, Thurs track workouts, Saturday long runs).
They have a pledge period (Between registration and re-commitment).
They have initiation (Re-commitment).
They have an active period (Re-commitment to race day).
They have alumni (Race completion).
And, they have a philanthropy (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society)!

Anyway, it was a funny realization that I had joined yet another "sorority" post college. There are a number of social aspects: post workout events, happy hours, and new friendships made during the training season. As Clay's co-worker Diana, a TNT alum put it, "You get to know someone pretty well after training with them for hours at a time, especially those several hour long runs." She is still good friends with some of those she met during her first season with TNT. Sounds like the bonds of sisterhood to me....

Aimee, my mentor, and me on the Embarcadero..yay!

Tonight was my buddy run on Embarcadero. Again, we met under the clock tower @ 6:30 and this time ran towards Fisherman's Wharf to about Grant Street and turned around. The goal was to run 15 mintues out and back for a 30 minute round trip run. Mapped it out and distance was 2.77 miles.

118: circuit city...where training is state of the art

Does anyone remember that slogan from Circuit City (...where service is state of the art)?!

Anyway, today was a cross/strength training day for me. I was planning on doing the elliptical machine but they were in use so I hoped on the treadmill and decided I would mimic our circuit track workout, but in the gym. It must have looked a bit odd as I would run a 1/4 mile on the treadmill, go to the adjacent stretching room and use the exercise ball for crunches, then do the quad strengthening leg lifts, the "jane fonda" side leg lift, push ups, hold the bridge for 30 seconds then do it all over again, and again, and again. The only thing I did differently than last Thursday's actual track training was push myself on the treadmill speed.

119: hills are not fun

I've avoided them at all costs. I had only run on very flat surfaces until today. Then I told myself that I couldn't go to brunch (my favorite sunday morning thing) UNTIL i went running...around potrero hill. It's funny how seeming short distances, a mere couple of blocks in the car, are eons long on foot, especially when each new block is another uphill grade. So i left Clay's house at 20th and potrero and proceeded down the hill. I literally only went 7 block and looped back but I wanted to d-i-e. Total loop was 1.38 miles, check it out here: http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=237811

Total running time included stretching at the beginning and end, 22 minutes. Time to hit the showers.

120: monkey bars mentor run

8:00am, Marina Green Monkey Bars

F'ing 8am on a Saturday. Which really means waking up at 7:30 and leaving at 7:45 to be there by 8am. Bleh. I'm a cranky morning person. Ask Clay. Enough monku'ing out of me.

Today was pretty simple. No pace requirements just running for a specific time period. So from the monkey bars, we ran to the Flag Pole, stretched, and ran for 15 minutes out, then 15 minutes back in to the monkey bars for a final stretch. Using USA Track and Field's badass running routes website (here), you can actually calculate a pretty accurate route, even utilizing google earth's hybrid mapping so that you can take walking paths and trails into account. So Clay and I ran a total of 3.84 miles together.

Clay went on past the monkey bars, through fort mason, down jefferson then the embarcadero for another 4.3 miles. His total mileage was 8.14. I DROVE the rest of the way and picked his sweaty butt up at willie mays plaza before heading home.

121 days until race day

A little about my fundraising...$4000 is the number I tell people because it's a round number. $5000 would be nice, but really my bottom line, must have is $3900 raised by race day. The difference between whatever I do raise and that number is what I personally have to fork over. All the TNT alum say the easiest part is the fundraising. I keep telling myself that to avoid the sheer terror of how truly difficult it will be to run 26.2 very long miles.

For those of you who need a deadline. I would really, really, really appreciate whatever amount, small or large to be donated by September 26th. That is the day I have to re-commit and say no matter what, I will pay the difference. If all else fails, November 24th (ironically my birthday) is they day they will cash my blank check for the monies not raised. So if ever you considered a birthday present for me, this year would be the year to donate at GoAlohaMonkey.com instead of giving me a material gift!

More inspiring than all this money talk is what I just found out. Through emailing my circle of friends and family, I have discovered my own personal honoree -- someone quietly fighting the disease. She doesn't want to be named but is a relative of one of my friends. This event, this training, doesn't even compare to the emotional and physical roller coaster she will have to endure. I am that much more inspired having a personal connection to succeed and fight in her honor.

122: Track Workout #1

I seriously had never in my life ran on a real track until tonight. Or at least I don't remember one at my ghetto high school. For all I know, we could have had one but I stuck to dance team in high school and didn't play sports. Anyways, I was excited and a little apprehensive.

Kezar Stadium, 6:45pm
There are big groups gathering at different points along the track. Obviously different training teams, some more advanced than other, some working on speed, others endurance and other still for strength. Really though, the track was open to anyone who wanted to use it (note to self!).

We meet at one end of the oval after a warm up run around the track, do some simple stretches then split into training levels. I'm level 1 (aka beginner). Levels 1's are to do 4 circuits plus one cool down. Each circuit is a single time around the track (400m or approximately a 1/4 mile) then 10-20 reps of 5 different strength building exercises.

1) crunches
2) quad lifts
3) "the jane fonda" or side leg lifts to work the IT band
4) push ups
5) "the bridge" - in the push up position, plant your toes and forearms on the ground, balancing your body parallel and straight with the ground - works your core

After cool down, we did a group stretch and done for the day!

I must admit, I am going very conservatively, not pushing myself too hard. I barely broke a sweat tonight but will be more assertive next time around.

123: Testing of the Exercise Bike

Biking is a b*tch. Today was cross training day so I gave the gym cycling machine a test run and have not sweated like that since the last heat wave. And my legs were tired after 5 minutes! It sure made running, feel like a walk in the park. It felt weird to not have my arms doing anything so I attempted to use free weights while biking. Talk about turning on the perspiration faucet. Bleh.

124: Buddy Run #1

Completed my first buddy run along Embarcadero. A group of us met under the clock, ran to the arrow, stretched, continued to willie mays, then back to the clock for final stretching. I felt like we could have slowed down; I was thinking ahead to how I would need to to survive longer runs, but others thought we could have picked up the pace! Now more than ever, I have long-legs envy.

Stretching at the arrow.

Heading back towards the Ferry Building.

Done!

125: YOYO (You're On Your Own) Run

Felt good running this morning. Still a chicken shit when it comes to running outside so opted for the gym. Ran solid for 20 minutes, pushing my pace. Ran 2 miles. Was lazy yesterday and watched the Olympics instead of running.

127: First Saturday Run

Today, I survived my first group run!

The coaches pre-chalked the ground with distances 2-7 miles. My goal was 3 miles starting at Sports Basement in Chrissy Field, to Fort Point, back along the gravel path and back around to SB. TNT had a water station set up at the end and a light brunch. Each team is assigned one week to bring brunch. This week was my teams turn and we served hard boiled eggs, yogurt, granola, fruit, and pastries. Once all groups had returned, SB's buyer gave a small gear clinic to go over everything from sports bras to hydration belts to shoes and hats.

128: Schedule

Even scarier than the Team-In-Training schedule is what published Marathon guru, Art Liberman recommends for a training schedule. According to him, I should have started training for this event in April, giving me 19 weeks to "build up" my mileage and 18 weeks to "train" for the event. Considering I started with TNT on August 2nd, it's a little daunting... check out my actual running regimen, versus Art's recommended one here.

129 more days until marathon day

Today I was tired. Just told myself I had to get into the routine and run as scheduled. Clay hates the treadmill. While I appreciate the controlled environment it's in, it is drollllll.

130: Date with the Foot Doc

First group meeting at Sports Basement with National food doc to analyze each person's gait and recommend gear and training strategy. (OK, I just re-read my update...should be "national FOOT doc" not fooD doc...LOL). Got the "stamp of approval" from the Doc on my Nike running shoes. I can thank Fleet Feet for their original gait assessment and shoe recommendation a couple months back.
Dr. Dave reviewed injury prevention as well and the ladies from ChiroHealth did a demonstration on foam roller exercises.

133: SF Marathon Day (No, I didn't run)

Played "Race Support Team" at the SF Marathon and realized how HUGE this sport is and how many people are involved. I proudly sported my new TNT jersey that I was given yesterday.





Clay and Gary's dad ran the half. Gary ran the full.

134 days and counting: TNT Kick Off

Official team Kick-Off at Wheeler Auditorium, UC Berkeley! Met Aimee, my new mentor, coaches, several team mates, and honorees (those who have fought or are fighting blood cancers). Was handed a (very organized packet) of training how-tos, a 2-month calendar of upcoming training events, and administrative paperwork.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS's) roots stretch back to 1949, when the de Villiers family experienced the devastation of leukemia with the death of their 16-year-old son, Robert Roesler de Villiers. Family members and friends declared war on the disease by creating The Robert Roesler de Villiers Foundation, funding research to find a cure. The foundation later became The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Our mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

Team In Training^® History
Team In Training (TNT) began in 1988, when Bruce Cleland of Rye, NY formed a team that raised funds and trained to run the New York City Marathon in honor of Cleland's daughter Georgia, a leukemia survivor.

The team of 38 runners raised $322,000 for LLS's Westchester/Hudson Valley Chapter. Because of the pioneering efforts of Cleland and the Westchester/Hudson Valley Chapter, Team In Training was born and has grown into the world's largest endurance sports training program. Cleland was honored by Runner's World magazine in 2004 as one of their "Heroes of Running" for his role in establishing TNT.

I just joined the more than 30,000 runners, walkers, cyclists and triathletes who will participate in the world's major marathons, triathlons and century rides this year on behalf of LLS.