Run w ith Liz!

A brisk hour along the river (we turn around at the end of the 70th St. pier!). Beautiful day, though barely 40F - still in the lower 30s when I first looked. Only slept about 4 hrs, woke up 3:30 and couldn't get back to sleep - just too much irrational anxiety about travel etc. Hopefully it all goes smoothly (and also that I get a chance to properly deal with final paragraphs of book manuscript, it's killing me that I won't have sent it before leaving!).

1hr moderate intensity

Placeholder 30

Bad logistics, didn't get up early and run in the morning, by the time I got out in the evening it's only 12 hours from my run date tomorrow morning so instead of doing the full 70 I just did 30 easy. Head in book-finishing (got a better idea for conclusion while running), need to leave for LGA tomorrow by 10:45 or so, slight chaos mentally as a result!

:30 easy

Scant cold wet 30!

Should have been an hour; I almost talked myself out of going out at all, the weather is really pretty dreadful and my head is 100% in book-finishing mode, but realized that there might be some other day when I will have to take a zero for reasons truly beyond my control, and today wasn't that day! Have now demonstrated to my satisfaction that my nice new blue running windbreaker, while fine in drizzle, is NOT sufficient in driving rain - I was soaked to the skin within minutes....

Gonna run tomorrow morning BEFORE I get to work on book, even if it seriously curtails morning work time. My flight Thursday leaves at 1:48pm from LGA, I need to be done with the book (I think I can take marketing questionnaire with me and finish at the conference) and to have had sufficient time and attention to pack appropriately for conferencing and a Minnesota trail run, but other obligations are relatively light....

:30 wet cold minutes!

Recovery walk!

I had a walk on the schedule yesterday but I didn't do a separate one, just usual misc. life walking. Today I did do the walk as specific (1hr+ brisk walk) - was theoretically going to Chelsea Piers to lift, only I realized my hip was sore and that I was an idiot if I went back to deadlifting during my recovery week immediately following long run and with something actually already kinda hurting in advance! (It's not something new - it's one of the manifestations of the very tight sore right lower back that when everything clenches up, the right hip then stops moving properly in the socket.) So I stopped around 42nd St., got on a crosstown bus and came home on the subway. Also in throes of finishing final Austen fixes, my head is more in the book than in the gym....

1:10 brisk walk

20-miler DONE

And really it was better not to have to wake up super-early and get to Queens - the good thing about doing a training run in a race situation is that it completely forestalls all "Oh, that's sore, why don't I just stop now and call it a day and try again in another few days?" thinking. But really I knew I wanted to get it properly done today!

That right hamstring tendinitis thing was quite sore yesterday during my run with Liz, and unfortunately it was sore again today pretty much right from the start - it doesn't get worse, and it's not like having seized-up back or anything that really makes you question your sanity, but it's tough when even the opening couple miles of a long one are already causing you to make mild grimaces! I ran the first loop of Central Park pretty well I think (deduction is that I am slightly faster on rolling hills than on flats, in that the downhills are rather faster than average), slowed down after that as it dawned on me that hip flexors REALLY were noticing the hills. Thereafter a slog - I did the middle loop a couple times, then turned around at 72nd and ran back up the west side of the park and partway home. Stopped my Garmin the MINUTE it hit 20.00 and walked the remaining 7 or 8 blocks!

Shower, ibuprofen, food - all better now, feet still a bit sore but feel pretty normal otherwise.

20mi, 4:39 or so

Run with Liz!

OK, this day is off to a better start I think - always good to run in the morning if possible. Made a date with Liz and just had a very nice hour in Riverside Park. A student meeting at 11, but after that the day's clear for Austen revisions. This is good!

1hr easy!

Took yesterday off, just TOO TIRED. I think it's always like this after a long trip and with jet lag - fortunately things are fairly quiet (a lot of work to get done, but all the sort of thing I can do at home horizontally in bed with cats - wrote and sent promotion letter today, hoping to finish final Austen manuscript for Monday), but I still feel pretty much knackered. Too cold this morning to run (really), got out just now for a pretty nice :40 easy but everything seems slightly out of sorts. Back of right leg rather tender/sore, I think from sitting so long during travels. Also just realized that the tune-up in Queens is SUNDAY not SATURDAY, which really means I can't do it - it is the sacred Sunday breakfast (formerly Friday dinner) with G. and my brother, I have just been away for six weeks and really cannot bear the thought of missing it! It's fine, probably for the best - I'll do it Saturday in Central Park instead, on my own schedule, with less chance of the sleepless night that accompanies a very early alarm.

:40 easy

Sunday long run, Tuesday home run!

Hmmm, did I omit to write a blog post? I wrote something on Facebook, it must have left me with the mistaken impression that I'd logged here! Anyway, did get my long one done on Sunday, woo-hoo! The cycle path along the Tiber goes much further past the Ponte Milvio than I had feared, it was lovely, nice overcast wweather. Slept not a wink on Sunday night inevitably as the car to take me to the airport was due at 5:30am. Travel went fairly smoothly, I was home before 5pm, slept a long time last night and am feeling tired today but not unmanageably so. Weather very nice here too actually (though ground is covered with dirty disgusting snow), had a nice easy hour in Riverside Park....

Run!

Was feeling rather lazy (and yes, it does go better to run first and go to yoga later - but there's pretty much only one English-language class a day or none, plus genius teacher, so I haven't had wiggle room on that here), but got myself out the door around 3:45 or so and had a very nice hour along the Tiber cycle path. Rather overcast, would be nice if it's that way again tomorrow - otherwise it's going to be a lot harder to stay hydrated for my LONG one...

1hr easy

Hot yoga!

In case I had not already realized, I have now DEFINITIVELY proved that even getting up early enough to run for an hour before 10:30 yoga does not leave me doing anything other than lounging in bed reading the news on the internet! Will have to run later. This yoga teacher is just SO GOOD - I feel really lucky to have had such a great experience yoga-wise in Rome - reminds me as always that I really do love yoga and need to make it a more consistent feature of my exercise life....

1.5hr hot yoga!

Run/yoga!

Ah, bliss - such beautiful weather (it's about to tip into being too warm, but not quite yet). 1hr easy, then 1.25hr genius slow flow yoga with Bon. Gotta have more yoga in my NYC life!

1hr run
1.25hr yoga

Run!

I really enjoyed that. Need to keep in mind for the future the goal of making life simpler and more streamlined - getting frazzled/overscheduled, which I often do pretty much voluntarily, is the surest way of making it harder to do the things I want with full enjoyment.

1:25 total, 20:00 easy, 40:00 as 10 x (1:00 faster, 3:00 easy), 25:00 easy

Yoga!

Thought I could run this morning before going out, didn't need to leave till 10:15, but I think the stress of navigating foreign city is still high enough (though much reduced - I got to where I was going pretty efficiently and without undue drama, indeed with only a tiny amount of map consultation!) that I found myself psychologically incapable of getting out the door. Had backup plan to run in Trastevere after church walks and before yoga, but it was in retrospect totally unrealistic - having been on my feet for about 3 hours at that point all I could do was sit down and try to refuel and rehydrate. Yoga was good, and I will just have to take today as a rest day from running (there was one written in for Friday) - knee a little sore, so possibly just as well.

1.25hr flow and restore yoga (plus 4 important churches - Aracoeli, the 2 big Jesuit ones and the Pantheon!)

Run!

Yesterday was rest day, which is smart because I could tell today that knees and various other bits are still a little tender from Sunday's long one. Only did :55 not the full hour, the turnaround points of preference come a little bit sooner than :30!

:55 easyish (but with hills)

Long run!

A relief to get that one done - it didn't seem impossibly long - that's good! (Just VERY SLOW!) About 3:20 total for 14mi.

Run!

Slow easy hill hour in the park. Lovely! Ended up at grocery store - note to self, shopping when hungry post-run is NOT the best idea....

1hr easy

Yoga!

I have now proved to my own definitive satisfaction that I CANNOT make myself get up and do the run-yoga double on an empty stomach "first thing" in the morning. Lounged in bed a little longer, went to yoga (very good - essentially same class as yesterday, nice to get another go at it!), will run later. And have just registered for Bon's classes this week, not the Tuesday-Thursday morning one, in the interest of hewing better to my run schedule and getting some last bits of museum-going done.

1.5hr hot vinyasa!

Run-yoga double!

Ah, that worked well. An hour easy running downhill and along the river, purchase of a Gatorade and a large bottle of water at the little grocery round the corner from the studio, then an excellent yoga class with Bon. I only wish I were better at yoga - I love it, and I think I understand the fundamentals reasonably well; my strength and balance are suitable; but I am woefully inflexible!

1hr easy run
1.5hr vinyasa yoga

Run!

Hmmm, it is certainly dodgy to leave it till the end of the day, but today it worked out pretty well. Ran down the hill and did it along the river (this park nearby is so lovely but SO hilly, there is really no way to have 75 minutes easy there!).

75 minutes easy (should have had some hill intervals but I spaced out and forgot...)

Yoga!

I didn't do the run-yoga double after all, it just seemed too much, but yoga was great and I will run later (nothing else on the agenda so I hope it will not be a problem!). Need to do laundry - I ran out of tokens, and now all suitable exercise gear is smelly...

1.25hr power vinyasa

Genius yoga!

This teacher is so good, and the "flow and restore" class is I think the best of all.

1.25hr yoga!

Wednesday hills!

Ugh, had to take a zero yesterday - it is clear that on days with morning tourism, it either has to be an early run beforehand (couldn't quite manage this yesterday as it was the day the housecleaning team does my room, at pretty much exactly the time I would have needed to shower) or else I am so knackered when I get home, from finding a place and looking at things and often vigorous 5K or so of walking up and down stairs and hills, that it is impossible.

But today was perfect - open morning - was up late, so slept till latish and got out in a leisurely fashion into the most glorious day in the most glorious park - it is really the best combination of running terrain and running weather that I think I have ever had!

20 minutes easy, 5 x 2:00 hills (jog down recovery), 20 easy
1:05 total

Happy short run

Nominally Monday is a rest day, but I took a zero on Friday and didn't want to take another so soon - also the short run is key for mood management! Just did :30 easy (well, aside from the hills!) at the Villa Pamphili park.

Long run!

I am really behind where I should be in training, for reasons pretty much beyond my control (this is always the way of it!). I think I'm over the hump of major anxiety - the remaining two weeks I'm here should be a bit more manageable now that I've figured out my way around. Will do 14 miles next weekend, 16 the week after and 20 when I'm back in NYC (got a good set-up for that one as there is a tuneup component to the Queens marathon, so I can do it with support and external accountability). This will be a big jump up from where I am currently.... but today's run was really pretty nice, I'm ready to start the build again.

2hr easy along the river!

Run/yoga!

I had to take a zero on Friday, that's not good but Vatican museum visiting was too tiring! (Also about 3mi brisk walking, 1.5mi each way, c. 1hr.) But this morning has been idyllic - it is the Saturday morning I wished I had last week and was crestfallen not to! I have finally oriented myself such that I can handle the logistics of figuring out the run-yoga seamless transition. Also a gear question - they have mats at the studio, but I need to bring a towel to soak up sweat (otherwise hands are way too slippery!) - foolishly did not bring little running backpack with me to Italy, but turns out the folded towel hangs easily and comfortably over my small waist belt. ANYWAY...

70 minutes run along the river
1.5hr hot vinyasa with Bon, who is a yoga-teaching genius

Also had the most delicious Gatorade in the history of the brand - blood orange flavor! And have identified the shop where I can buy sport drink and water if I want to do the back-to-back run-yoga combo. All is good! And this afternoon after lunch I have a plan to visit the Keats-Shelley museum with one of the other fellows - having a companion takes a lot of pressure off of navigation, even if I am in charge of the route it is not as stressful getting lost with company as solo!

Run!

And yes, I know running is more important than yoga given my upcoming race, and I should do it FIRST in the day, but I didn't have the wherewithal to get up early enough and deal with logistics of here-to-there, so it had to be this way round today (there's usually onlyl one English-language yoga per day, so no flexibility there re: class timing). Legs rather sore from yesterday's run, it was obviously at a faster pace than usual, but once I was about ten minutes in I was happy to be out there, albeit at "trudge" pace.

1hr "easy"

Yoga!

Very nice too - I feel like I am finally settling in to a little bit more of a routine/system. Plotting to have next week ENTIRELY for "home" things (running, yoga, Gibbon) - doing Vatican museums tomorrow and Keats-Shelley museum Saturday, that only leaves a couple essentials remaining....

1.25hr power vinyasa

Run!

Even better, it was a run with the Black Knight! Stefano has been my friend online for many years, and it was a great pleasure to get to run with him in person - he drove in from Civitavecchia, where he lives, and we had a run in the park, now will go and do interesting tourism.

:50 with 6 x 1:00 hill intervals