Yuck!

Not at all happy with the work I did this morning - 380 stair sprints in 67 minutes. Garmin said it was equivalent to 8 miles. I should be happy, right? WRONG!! I had to stop twice because I got faint and dizzy and was heaving. This doesnt happen very often - maybe its dehydration? I could not stop sweating and shivering even after it was over so I'm thinking its an electrolyte issue. Pass the salt!

The stair workout I usually do is one I mentioned a while ago on this blog - by the Olympic javelin thrower. Its 18 continuous minutes of 2,3,2,1 (no stopping). I do as many sets as it takes to reach an hour+. Trust me - it improves your conditioning very quickly.

Anyway, I will log in 3-4 miles this pm on the road since the morning was so unsatisfying. Happy Saturday!

4 runs left and listening to your body

Another happy run logged in today. 11 miles. Finished 10 in 80 minutes and the last mile took me 20 mins because I played wih a stray dog on the way and brought him home. We fed him a loaf of bread, milk and put him back in the park - not sure where he belongs.

I left so late this morning - at 6.26am. I couldnt get myself out of bed before that. It got me thinking - As runners we always hear how important it is to "listen to your body"... but actually when I think about it, I'm not sure what this really means.

I mean, as runners we ALWAYS have little aches and pains - if I were to "listen to my body", I'd never get off the sofa. True - I can tell the difference between a sharp pain and nagging soreness. I can tell that some days I feel good and other days I don't feel so great (although I'll rarely cut a run short)... but I'm not sure if this is "listening to my body"?

What about you -- what does "listen to your body" mean to you? How has "listening to your body" helped you?

Easy

I poured sweat like a Mofo today. It was supposed to be recovery day but I still went an hour.

350 stair sprints in 60 minutes (I am faster now on the stairs than I used to be - this amount used to take me 70 minutes)

Mid week long (I have 6 runs left in Singapore)

23.4 miles. Yes, you read that right :-). How sore am I? Not sore at all. Could have kept going, but decided to save up some for tomorrow. Never underestimate the amount of fuel a run like this requires - I fuelled really well last night and gave it 9 or so hours to digest before heading out. Left at 3 and got back at 6.30, before leaving for a swim.

23.4 miles, followed by a mile in the pool. 30 laps in 23 minutes.
4 hours this morning all before 7am!!

Needs and seeing the pitcher half full.

Just as this Chapter in my life is coming to an end - me leaving Singapore, my thoughts turn to family. What are we without family - I identify myself in regards to mine - either negatively or positively. For example, "I am unlike my mother in that I love talking to strangers", or "I look awful in brown because my mother says so". This is not a huge revelation; it is something I am aware of and it is the truth.

All of us have many cups to fill that sometimes I feel like an endlessly pouring pitcher. 'Some for you, some for you, here you go honey, hold it with 2 hands, thats it'....

This is fine, better than fine. I am not complaining. Like you, I feel blessed to have cups to fill at all. And blessed in the attempt to fill them. But the factor we cannot neglect is not so much importance of filling the cups, but of replenishing the pitcher. And this is what finally snagged my heart. The reminder to all of us to stay filled, to remain connected to our source, to refill before we run dry. In an effort to do and be for everyone else, we often put ourselves last by default - thinking we can catch ourselves later, as long as everyone else is okay, we'll be okay too. And so we do this...grab a snack on the go instead of sitting down to a meal, skimp on sleep, forget to date our spouse, stuff an opinion or complaint for 'later', run in shoes that lost their cushion last spring. It's not okay. Taking care of ourselves and refilling our tank is not a luxury. It's just like gas in the car, only for most of us we drive too long with the indicator light flashing, on fumes and a prayer.

Basically I'm saying - one needs to nurture oneself before meeting every single need. This has been my greatest lesson as a distance runner. I have an endless capacity to give. but for how long - I need my needs met too.

Planned a 22-23 miler tomorrow am. Cant wait!

I've been so good about taking a day off here and there - none yesterday.

This morning was my stair workout. The laundry wasnt done and I only had a torn sports bra and a tech singlet with my blue (again, torn) tights. Mother forbade me from going outdoors so indoors it was!

I must have gone too fast because what usually takes 2 hours, took me an hour and 45 minutes today. I felt it after - my quads are sore!!

1300 single sprints - 105 minutes.

Sunday Brick

I love brick workouts. Sounds all technical but they really are what they sound like. 'Bricks' are used in tri training to describe workouts that make your legs feel like bricks afterwards. Try swimming a mile after a long run and see what I mean. Or riding a bike just after a hard run. Or climbing stairs after a run and vice versa - you get the point.

I usually love running after a difficult stair session - the legs feel heavy but you feel so accoplished afterwards. This morning I did a running and stair brick and it felt great. 300 stair sprints, followed by a 21 minute 5k, followed by 70 stair sprints again.

I want to be back to doing an hour of stairs followed by a 9 miler immediately. Now *that* is a test of endurance. Someday Someday :-)