Eat Drink Run Woman

Boy, some gung-ho runner I am. Here I am crowing about running 150 miles in December, only to bring in the New Year with a whimper.

Since I had to work on New Year’s Day our New Year’s Eve celebration was low-key. We noshed on raw oysters and sipped champagne while watching movies. By 10:30 we were ready for bed; when we heard firecrackers go off in the neighborhood signaling midnight we rolled over, kissed, wished each other happy new year and then promptly fell back to sleep. What an old married couple we are!

My cookday on the 1st went quick, but rather than go for a run upon returning home I decided what would be of greater benefit would be to catch up on more than two months of bookkeeping. (I am in taper mode, after all). I fully intended to go for a run after my cookday on Wednesday, but as I headed back over the bridge toward home I saw dark storm clouds forming. By the time I arrived home it was a downpour, so I was easily convinced to join my darling and his friend for a beer at the pub (so much for not drinking until Saturday after the half marathon).

I had a pint and a schooner of beer, plus I shared a mediterranean appetizer plate with my darling. By the time I got home I started feeling bloaty and just a bit off. The feeling got worse after our dinner — an Asian chicken salad with a spicy sesame dressing. I was heavy-handed with the chile oil, so I thought that was what was making my stomach upset. I then kept smelling the sesame oil and my queasiness intensified. I tried chewing a few Altoids (normally they’re a great way to tame an upset stomach), but to no avail. Within the hour I knew I was dealing with a bug (I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say I was thankful for the Pepto Bismol and Imodium A-D in the medicine cabinet).

Fortunately I already had Thursday off; while I had hoped to get even more caught up with various office duties, here’s how I ended up spending it:

(And in case I haven’t said this before, I have the absolute BEST husband. Not only did he make me chicken noodle soup, he also got me some mango popsicles).

Although I was feeling much better on Friday, I decided to take yet another day off (the last thing I want is for one of my clients to get sick). I was up and about, but still was in no shape to run. Today, however, was the turning point. I was done with my cookday about 4 p.m. and managed to convince my darling to join me for a 6-mile run. God, it felt good! Tomorrow I plan on doing a 12-miler, then I’ll probably just do one more short 3-miler before we head to Orlando Thursday evening.

In addition to spending in inordinate amount of time reading blogs/running forums while I was sick, I also thought about my fitness goals for 2008. I toyed with a crazy-ass goal: 2,008 miles in 2008, but decided not only was that ambitious, it was pretty arbitrary. So I revised my list to include activities that will directly benefit my quest to qualify for Boston. Here they are in no particular order:

Determine my maximum heart rate. Subtracting my age from 220 just doesn’t cut it. If it did, then I should be dead by now (since I’ve come close to reaching that number several times). In his book “Advanced Marathoning,” Pete Pfitzinger recommends running up a moderately steep 600 meter hill three times (after a 15-minute warm-up), jogging down after each one. The the third time your heart rate should be close to the maximum. Once I determine that I can start training within certain heart zones.

Run at least 1,000 miles. My total mileage for 2007 was about 825, so I’d like to increase it for 2008. As with my goal for December, I have three targets: 1,000 is the bare minimum, 1,250 is the “way to go” goal, and 1,500 is the “wow! I feel good” goal.

Maintain a plank for at least 2 minutes, side planks for 1 minute. My physical therapist says I need to work on my core, and these exercises are great for that. Right now I can hold a plank for 1 minute, side planks for 30-35 seconds.

Fill out my arm weight routine sheet in 4 weeks at least 4 times. My gym has index cards where we can fill in our weight routine, marking down the weight, # of reps and sets for each one. There are six columns on each side of the card, so if I keep my Monday/Wednesday/Friday routine, then I’ll fill the card within 4 weeks.

Sub 2:00 half marathon. Hopefully this will happen before my first BQ attempt on June 8. I’m planning on running at least two, and possibly three halves by then.

Get down to 155 pounds by March 9 (Mercer Island half), 150 by June 8 (North Olympic Discovery Marathon). sigh The never-ending weight issue. Notice how I haven’t been blogging much about it lately? It’s ‘cuz I was a total pig/booze hound during the holidays. But I’m back on track (having the stomach flu certainly helped), and if I’m going to be serious about my training, then I need to get serious about getting down to my “racing weight.”

Decrease salt intake. This should also help me achieve the above goal.

Après-run junk food in moderation. Ditto.

PT exercises/stretching at least 5x/week. I’m now taking yoga on Tuesday mornings, plus I do about a half hour after my arm weight routine M/W/F and an hour on Thursday. My flexibility has improved considerably, and my knee and hip issues are pretty much gone.

Races:

These are subject to change (obviously if I’m not chosen for the New York lottery, I won’t be running that!)

January 12 & 13: Goofy Challenge
March 9: Mercer Island Half Marathon
March 16: St. Patty’s Day Dash
April 13: Whidbey Island Half Marathon
May 11: Kirkland Half Marathon
June 8: North Olympic Discovery Marathon
August 17: Danskin triathlon
November 2: New York Marathon