Training Log Archive: AliC

I ran from my house to the race, yay local! With one detour back to make sure I'd turned the oven off from baking a tomato tart. Highly, highly recommend the recipe, especially if you are swimming in tomatoes. But warning, does take a chunk of time!

Ottawa Hills Back-to-School 5k

Did it! Finally under 17.30! This particular time is something I've been shooting for since hm, spring of 2007, when I first learned that it was the Full Blue standard for the 5k for OUAC (Oxford Uni Athletics Club). (Now the time has been adjusted up to 17.40? I swear it was 17.30....)

A Blue is kind of like your varsity letter at Oxford, but you don't just earn it by making the team. Particularly in track, there are set standard times/distances/heights that you have to achieve in order to be awarded a Full Blue or a Half Blue. They are pretty tough, but that also means it's really special to achieve that level. I was close-ish my first year at Oxford (17.45), before I switched to running steeple as my main event, but never ran a sub-17.30 time before today. So, just a bit bonus happy to have finally gotten there!

It was a good race. I made sure to pace properly, using my Garmin a bit particularly in the first half mile. Zach just ran away with it (he was under 17) and Steve had a good 10s on me by the first milemarker, which was way early. It occurred at 5.19, even though I was religiously running ~5.40 pace. But mile 2 was long to make up for it, so at least it wasn't a mis-measured course.

I stayed about the same distance back from Steve all through mile 2 and was thinking how tough it would be to battle for all those 10s right at the end. But then mile 3 happened and I started to reel him in. I passed him up the final 'hill' and then put a bit on him in the final quarter mile for 2nd overall in the race.

3 guys from work and one of their wives and one of their kids all also raced and I had the whole crew over for brunch at mine after. And both of my bosses were actually out there cheering too. Small-town feeling! =)

C • Sub 17.30 16

C • Nice Race... 3

Lovely day! Biking from Barbara's to Kent Lake on mostly dirt roads/trails.

C • Your absence at the corn ma... 5

Canoe-o with Barbara! Jens planned a course and set out streamers in the morning with Jeff, lots of fun. There were probably a few cuts over narrow land masses that we should have taken if really racing, but we just kinda went for the pure paddle. Awesome times, a great day for it!

One issue: forgot to sunscreen my shins. Ouchie are they burnt!

And cycling back. Almost almost made it up the steep hill to the road bike-whacking.

Then we puzzled together the code to the streamers (scrambled message), cooked food, ate food, geeked over maps and generally had an awesome rest of the day. Happy!

Snuck in specific strength, workout #2. So two times through the whole circuit. Arms are definitely still weak! As are hands, which want to blister....

Other notes: new pizza place for lunch, that actually does thin crust pizza, mmmm! And saw a new art exhibit. It's this very modern multicolor (including neon) zigzag pattern, with, get this, collage donuts flying out of it! Kinda made my day =)

Recovery run in Wildwood. Rain started just in time for the run, ah well, at least didn't thunderstorm!

Full core- elbows are finally recovered from bruising so I can do side-planks!

Pre-Zumba row. Two guys were on the newer ergs, rowing with painful technique, so I got to use one of the old ones whose monitor was broken. It really doesn't matter, erging is pretty boring with or without info.

And Zumba again! Spoiling myself with twice, since it's my birthday week! =) But, I still am terrible at Hips Don't Lie. I really don't think anyone except the instructor has the hip motion down...

And class went better today! Brought my enthusiastic game and explained how displacement, velocity and acceleration totally make sooo much more sense with derivatives and integrals. Did not quite have the guts to pull Hammer-esque moves, but I could see getting there =)

Miles for Missions "10k"

Hmmm, and that's a bit short for a 10k! 6 miler, more like. But anyways, a nice little race at Sidecut Metropark- one of the few Toledo races not on roads! Hottish + humid out, so I joined the hordes of HS girls in just sports bras, definitely the right call!

Three guys took off faster from the start, one I regained, one ended up doing the 5k, so I think I was second overall. But lead guy was well out-of-sight after mile 2, so mostly on my lonesome. But it was pretty along the river and then just took focus in the first 1.5 miles of the 5k loop to find the way, so didn't end up too bored.

Chatted with Randy, the race organizer and prof in biochemistry at UT, then went anti-parallel to the race finish, cheering. The post-race popsicles totally hit the spot!

Birthday run! Ottawa Park in the pretty-hot. Did some mild hill repeats, 3x both hills.

And then, home and the CSA pickup bike loop. Corn, eggplants, peppers, cabbage, broccoli, and then even more tomatoes! Am kinda swimming in tomatoes, time for more salsa!!

Later in the eve, found La Fin du Monde!

C • La fin du monde 3

Taught my first class! Went over the syllabus details and then did vector addition, and both vector multiplications. But, I felt sooo boring! I guess I'm used to giving talks on my own research and I'm really excited by that, so it's at least easy to feel like everyone listening might be too... I did not feel the love of vector multiplication coming from my audience today. But Wed starts up kinematics and I mean, calculus was born for kinematics, so that's just got to be more fun!

Jogged over to gym right afterwards, 3.50pm class over = perfect timing for 4.15 Zumba!

C • boring 6

Yay!! Sooo happy to be back a-dancing! Joanna's class. A bit easier than normal because lots of new people. Everyone was in super-friendly beginning of term mode! Met some freshman gals who are majoring in exercise science, and a senior with a similar major, but I forget what exactly...

C • Happy Birthday!! 5

And then Core15, also led by Joanna. Good, but not crazy tough. Added some side planks at the end on my own.

Ergity erg, pretty mellow, but quads felt past days' use