Warm-Up 25-30 min
Friday, September 29, 2006
I got a good practice session in this morning. My lesson with Selena yesterday sucked so it has spurred me to get back to being more meticulous. I guess I just needed a few weeks to just sing and have fun but now it’s time to be picky since we are going through the music for the concert. I don’t want to have bed habits setting in. I am still struggling with keeping my jaw completely relaxed. At times, it’s almost imperceptible when my jaw is “supporting” the sound instead of the breath, both to me and someone watching making it very challenging to catch. Selena can though, and boy she nails it every time. She’s really quite something.
I met Matty after work today to do a warm-up run before tomorrow’s race. I feel pretty rested (and almost lazy!) after taking yesterday off. My back and groin are still a bit tweaked. I just need to be careful during the warm-up strides to take it down a notch so I don’t go into the race feeling off and to be sure to run tall with a fast, light turn-over even if the terrain is uneven. It should be a fun race!
29 09 06 19:29 | diva | 
Rest 36:21
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
It was a very easy run tonight after work...I want to be sure my back has a chance to recover. I did a few weights and core exercises but again I was very gentle with myself. I would be really upset if I did something stupid and had to lay off for more than a day or two. So....the plan is a restful day today and completely off tomorrow just to be on the safe side.
Beacon Hill 1:14:52
Tuesday, September 27, 2006
Matty and I got to Beacon Hill a bit early so we did some easy running before meeting the IRR group. My gut was a bit wonky all day today so I knew I was going to have a problem later on. Boob had the Halfers and Thoners do an out and back along Dallas Rd. while Ron took the rest of us out on the Vikes x-country course for intervals. Tonight we did 10 x 3 min with 1 minute off and a 5 minute set break. My groin felt unhappy at first but once I got going I was fine. The first couple of intervals felt smooth and spinny but then my belly started cramping…arg! I jumped in the bushes as soon as the third set was done and managed to finish just in time to start the next interval (I had TP this time so it wasn’t as humiliating)…too bad there wasn’t a race for doing your business….I win! After the set-break, Ron had us do 2 mins on /2 mins off. I put my spikes on for these and tried to go hard. My groin was acting up again so it was frustrating not being able to just concentrate on turn-over and going fast. It wasn’t my best WO but I am not too worried about it. I know what I’ve got to do to relieve the pressure on my back…Joey the masseur will be on duty tonight!
Matty and I did a quick cool-down with Gwen and then headed home. Ron and I agreed that I need to give my back a break just to be on the safe side. This of course sent a wave of panic through me (WHAT?! No hard running until Saturday?! AHHHH!), but it is probably really a good idea….so it’s going to be an easy rest of the week for me!
Easy Running 51:18
Monday, September 25, 2006
I haven’t written much about singing stuff lately. There is nothing to report, really. I am just hacking through the Mozart, learning the notes and getting it into my body. The Bach has less music so I haven’t done much on it yet. Joey told me the other day that the concert date may have to be moved from November 27th to December 1st so they can get Christ Church Cathedral. That would be brutal since the x-country Nationals are the following day in Vancouver….typical. I’ll survive.
Matty and I met after work and did a run around the trails at UVic. My legs feel pretty good but my back and pelvis aren’t very happy right now. I am thinking it’s just the combo of Mike moving things around last week and the runs on the weekend….maybe it’s just age…Ahhhhh!!! I will be careful and listen to the ol’ bod at tomorrow’s WO. I suspect the faster, more efficient running will put less pressure on my back and will line things up again. After the run we did a few relaxed strides on the grass which made me feel better
I did my usual, boring weight and core routine after dinner. I really must call up Roland and get another routine set-up soon. It will have to wait until after x-c season though.
Sunny Sunday! 1:44:30
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Joey got up early so he could meet Shan and Lise at the lakes this morning…he grumbled a bit (quite a bit) but he eventually got out the door. Judy picked me up about 45 minutes later and also headed to the lakes to meet Matty. There were hoards of people out running this morning….and what a gorgeous morning it was! The Firefighters race was getting set-up as we ran by the lower p-lot. I love that race but had to skip it this year. We did a very relaxed first loop this morning (44:28) since Judy and I did a good WO yesterday and Matty is just getting his running legs back after being sick for almost two weeks. My legs felt great but I know now not to fall for that trick and just stayed relaxed. We picked it up a little bit on the second loop (42:27) and got to cheer on the racers as they passed us going the opposite direction. Paul O was leading the way with Patrick about 30 seconds behind. Judy was doing a third loop so Matty and I ran as far as the boat-house with her and then turned around and came back giving us a good hour and 45 minutes of running. We killed some time waiting for LeRoo by heading over to the finish area of the race. Jarhead and Alan had run a good 3 hours in the wee hours of the morning timing the run to finish in time for them to hop into 10km race…maniacs! That was a four-hour run for them….holy.
I rented the DVD “Quill” to watch after supper. It’s about a Labrador puppy who becomes a seeing eye dog for a cankerous, old blind-person. The first 20 minutes was worth renting it (loads of puppy footage…why do I torture myself so!) but the movie itself was painfully boring.
Fall Track Classic 1:12:49
Saturday, September 23, 2006
There was a wonderful turn out at the track this morning for the 1st Annual Fall Track Classic, an event Ron organized for any runner wanting to hop into a track WO/race. Deby, Jarhead and Ased were super sweet, showing up to watch and cheer. Too bad Ased was sick and Deby’s calf was sore. They would have had great runs today. My legs felt very fresh during the warm-up. I was feeling a little bit tired/sleepy but I knew I would be ok to run 3km. Ron suggested I stick with Lucy for as long as I could. The idea was that since she was doing the entire 3km-2km-1km WO, her 3km was going to be a brisk tempo run for her and perhaps at a pace I could handle. I just wanted to come in as close to 10:00 as possible so I was thrilled with my 9:50 time and how strong I felt compared to the pain I experienced at last week’s 3km road race. I barnacled on to Lucy right at the start and stayed there the whole way. I was such a cow towards the end, though. After Lucy had done all the work with me dangling behind her I picked it up in the last 200m and tried to pass her. She did the same and we ran neck and neck to the finish. I hope she didn’t mind that she lead the whole way. There was no way I had the courage to switch the lead since I would slow down and get in her way. Her pace was solid the entire way and it was a pleasure running behind her and cuing off her smooth form. How lucky am I to have had this opportunity! Thanks Ron! Gwen had a superb run today and seemed pretty pleased. After catching my breath, I jogged around the track watching and cheering the 2km runners. I was feeling recovered by the time the 1km was to begin so I decided right at the last moment to jump in and give it a go. I got boxed in a bit at the start and could see Lucy pulling away so I veered out to lane 2 and caught up to her tucking myself back into the coat-tail position. I hung on to her again for dear life and then gave a good surge in the last 150m. It was so fun!! We crossed in 3:07. Judy ran a perfect WO as usual with a solid 3km, a faster 2km and even faster 1km…way to go! She is going to have a brilliant Half! Steve O. looked incredibly strong with Eric and Adam dueling it out not too far behind.
I did a nice, relaxed cool-down of about 30 minutes, running part of it with Lucy and her husband Lance. A very nice couple! When I got back to the track, Deby and Jarhead were still there waiting for me. They wanted to go to Mollé for brunch and agreed to drive to Willow’s Beach first so I could do my usual 10 minute soak in the ocean. I had a delicious brunch followed by some shopping with Jarhead. Shan picked me up downtown late in the day and drove me back to her place so I could see the new paint-job she is in the middle of doing in her kitchen. It looks very hip! We then walked over to Spinnakers where we met Lise and Jen for dinner. We laughed our heads off the entire time…too fun! Joey dropped in and joined us for a beer since his rehearsal ended early.
Coey Day!
Friday, September 22, 2006
I had my third visit with Michael Coey today. I really like him! I think he is really balancing me out…at least it feels that way to me. He said he is seeing more movement in my pelvis and lower back so I am making progress! I walk out of there feeling pretty light and free and the feeling carried over through the week last week so I am very hopeful it is going in the right direction. I liked Rob too and actually saw him as I was leaving the office. I apologized for having an affair on him and he seemed cool with that! Ha!
I took my usual day off from running and met Joey for dinner between his rehearsals instead. I am going to hang out on the couch tonight and watch some tube. Tomorrow is a big WO at the track. Ron is putting together a “run” (he means a race) featuring a 3km, 2km and 1km. I would love to run close to 10 minutes for the 3km. I’ll give it my best shot!
Selena's Back in Town! 1:13:17
Thursday, September 21, 2006
I had my first lesson with Selena this afternoon. We started working on one of the solo bits from the Vespers and as usual, she was brilliant. It’s still such a balancing act trying to coordinate all the concepts so that everything lines up but it’s getting there. It won’t be perfect by November but I have just got to get up there and see what sticks. It’s a lot like racing. If all you do is train but you never test out where you’re at, you never know where you need to improve. The more races you do back to back, the easier it gets as far as knowing what you’re capable of. Unfortunately, we are only doing one performance so it will be like standing at the start-line after not racing for a year…gulp! It’s time I start getting myself to the start-line more regularly even though I know it won’t be perfect.
I had to pick up the Maestro downtown before the WO today so I didn’t get in my usual pre warm-up drills and easy running. Boob’s WO for us was 4 x 5 minutes with 2 minutes rest. I kept the effort moderate and ran most of it with Patrick. We were able to chat a bit so the pace was brisk but not hard. I did the last interval with Tim. We did the first two minutes very relaxed and then broke up the last three minutes changing gears at the top of every minute. He said it was more comfortable and yet he ran just as far through the interval….it’s so hard to watch people take off at the start and not chase them trusting that you will catch them later on. My legs felt super fresh and my breathing was very relaxed so I think the past month of training is starting to kick in. Patrick is getting fit fast…watch out! I did an extra 20 minutes after we got back to the fountain and still felt fresh when I finished.
We ended up going to Il Greco’s for dinner with Squintch and had a great meal (a big juicy steck!) a lovely time chatting with Pan-Pan’s Mom. We heard some fascinating stories about Pan’s childhood antics…great razzing ammunition that I will be using the next time I see him! Can’t wait!
Cruisey Wednesday! 45:54
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Tonight I ran a super easy run with the Wednesday night gang. Legs felt pretty frisky but I was a good girl and stayed calm! Jarhead was out…hard to believe he can even walk after running 50km on the weekend. Wow. We cruised along the new trails near the Tech park, briefly running near Beaver lake, passing Kelly Guest and the tri kids he coaches (so great to see kids outside and active!) and then back to Boob’s office. Jarhead, Boob and I stuck around and did some weights and core exercises. I did seven chin-ups tonight…no cheating. We did our weekly weigh-in. I am maintaining my weight, which is good. I lost about 10 pounds between January and July but have stayed right at 113 lbs since then, which is as far as I want to dip.
Selena called me tonight and is back in town! We have set up a lesson for tomorrow. She approved of me doing the solos for the VCS concert in November. I have been working a little on the Mozart and Bach but I didn’t want to sing through it too much in case any bad habits crept in. Selena’s keen ears will pick up any weirdness right away so I’ll be able to work on it more now that we'll be working together weekly. The concert is still a couple of months away but I am out of town with Les Violons for two weeks of that and won’t have the time to practice while I am gone.
Beacon Hill WO 56:48
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
We switched locations for the IRR Tuesday night WOs starting this week. Boob usually takes us to Beacon Hill Park so the Marathoners and Halfers can get accustomed to running on the road before the big race. Since I am racing in the 8km and concentrating on the shorter distances for the x-country season, I did the other WO option that Ron was doing on the grassy trails behind the petting zoo near Dallas Rd. We did 3 minutes on, 3 minutes off x 6 sets on part of the route that the Vikes use for their x-country race that’s coming up in two weeks. Lis, me, Matty, Jude and Boob all opted for this WO which had Ron blowing a whistle every three minutes in between his encouraging calls to us. My shoelace came untied on the first set but I just kept running and managed not to trip on them. The first two sets felt pretty good and even. I threw on my new x-country spikes on the third set to see how they felt. It was strange at first but I soon got used to them and how close my feet felt to the ground. The fourth set was brutal but after an emergency pit-stop, I did a strong fifth set. Ron suggested I do the last set with Judy who was doing 4 minute repeats. I felt strong on this set too with Matty jumping in to pace us through to the end. It was a fun WO! We didn’t have much time to do a longer cool-down but we ran hard tonight so it was probably for the best.
Easy Monday 44:46
Monday, September 18, 2006
Joey went to the lakes early today to do one loop on his own before Matty, Squintch, Alan and I joined him on the second. He wasn’t able to do his long run yesterday so he did it today. He ran the second loop with Squintch and Alan while Matty and I went a bit ahead running at a relaxed pace. There were a few people walking their dogs but otherwise it was pretty quiet likely because it was raining a bit and cold. We crossed paths with Pierre along the back end and met up with him again at the fountain at the end of the run. We chatted with him while waiting for the other guys to finish.
I did a good long session of upper body strengthening and core exercises when I got home. Joey and I ate dinner (breaded turkey cutlets!) and then watched the final episode from the last season of Prison Break. Now we have to wait for the current season to end since we have already missed the first few episodes. Arg!
Sunday Run 1:26:15
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Boob emailed last night asking if we could run at 10:30 today. I emailed Judy and she was as happy to run later as I was! I woke up at my usual time but lazed around in bed for another hour or so and had a relaxing cup of coffee with my sweetie! We picked Boob up at his place and met Judy and Deby at the lakes. Squintch was Joey’s partner today and they ran at their own pace. Our group ran steadily for booth loops with Ian H joining up with us at Hamsterly Beach. The guys complained nearly the whole way that Judy and I were running too fast….if you can’t handle the heat, don’t play with the fire, boys! 43:41 was clocked for the first loop. We picked it up slightly in the last 2-3 km finishing in 42:34. Judy did a third loop…likely speeding things up even more! I felt good again today despite yesterday’s longer track WO but was dying for a nap at around 4:30pm..
We had a short rest of the day since we ran late so we had just enough time to run some errands and then head to Timothy and Wendy's for dinner.
Oak Bay Track 1:20:32
Saturday, September 16, 2006
I took my usual day off from running yesterday so I was raring to go this morning. My legs felt fresh and I felt rested from the previous week’s lesser mileage. There was a great group out at the track this morning. I arrived a bit late so I missed running the warm-up with the main group but soon bumped into Eric so I had someone to run with for most of the way. I did about 5 minutes easy and then we picked it up in the last 10-15 minutes of the warm-up. When we got back Antonia had arrived along with LeRoo (back from her trip to Italy!), Nanc, Chris, Rui and my bud Gary! After a few strides Ron organized the WO. He had Dave and Eric doing 1200m repeats (I think) and the rest of us doing 5 sets of 2 mins on, 1 off, 1 on, 1 off. Ron was blowing the whistle and having a ball. It was a really fun WO where you just concentrated on effort as opposed to thinking about distance and time. It was great having Jude to pace with again. I felt in control and was recovering well after each interval so I think I was running at the right effort. I have to say, I think Mike is really helping with my back injury. My hips felt much more in line today…hard to pin-point what’s different…I guess I could say it feels like I have more range of motion in my hips or something…anyway, I felt much better than I have in a while…maybe it was just a good day.
Nanc and I did a 30 minute cool-down and even got in a soak in the ocean on the way back from Cattle Point. I have to say, Nanc was surprisingly wimpy in the cold water. She was hilarious! She would run in up to her ankles, scream and then run out again…very funny. Eventually she got right in (it really did take three or four tries though!) and we stayed there for almost 10 minutes.
The rest of the day was spent cleaning, grocery shopping and preparing dinner (helping Joey prepare dinner) for my boss and his wife.
IRR WO 1:22:40
Thursday, September 14, 2006
I had my second appointment with Mike Coey today. I really like him. He’s kind of quirky and knows what he’s doing. He really did some funny maneuvers on me today and said that there was progress made since last week. My pelvis is still twisting to the left and my back is twisted to the right..basically I’m twisted…but we all knew that anyway! He was also worked my left glut to the point where I started laughing uncontrollably…the fine line between pain and pleasure, I suppose. I walked out of there feeling light and released. He said last week’s aches and pains were normal and expected as things would be trying to settle again after being moved around. I looked around the waiting room nervously as I was leaving and told the receptionist as I was paying that I felt like I was having an affair on Rob Hasagawa. She assured me that he wouldn’t mind that I was seeing Mike…whew! I definitely think Rob is awesome too!
After yet another ZANEY day at work I picked Joey up downtown and headed to the lakes for a WO. Ron asked me earlier in the day if I felt ok after doing the races yesterday and Sunday. I said I felt fine and in fact I feel a bit lazy from doing less mileage this past week so I feel rested. He still insisted that I ease up a bit on the intensity tonight. Before the WO I did about 10 minutes of running followed by Pose drills. Boob gave us 3-4-5-5-4-3 mins with 2 min breaks. I eased into each interval picking up the pace as I went along but making sure I stayed in a cruisey, comfy zone. My legs felt perky and light…maybe because of Mike’s work or maybe from the fast turn-over feel from last night’s race or a combo of the two. We saw Arturo at one point running in the opposite direction. Boob checked in with me after the second, 5 minute interval and said to take it easy even though I was feeling good so I took his good advice and ran the last two intervals with Joey and Squintch. Lis and I did an extra 20 minutes after we got back to the fountain and had a nice catch up chat. Les still felt good. Maybe I’ll blow up tomorrow…Ha! Dave joined Joey and me for dinner afterwards. I did some weights and core stuff, watched some tube while Giuse worked on his scores and then hit the hay.
Tour de Rock 3/5km 54:12
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Joey picked me up right after work so I would have a lift to tonight’s Tour de Rock race 3km (& 5km) race. We had trouble finding the start line but finally managed to find the registration table to get directions. Arturo and I jogged to the start where I saw my rival, Sylvan setting up the start. I dragged him away to do a loop of the 3km course because I knew he would have just ran the race full-out with no warm-up otherwise! When we got back I did another 10 minutes quickening up the pace to a brisk tempo. Ron suggested trying this out as an experiment. I didn’t have quite enough time to do 5 minutes more of easy running as was the plan…just a few strides.
The race went out fast…waaay faster than the 10km and with the uphill start I was caught a bit off guard. Sylvan and I were running side-by side at first…all jovial, smiling and say hi to a few people who were watching from the side of the road. As we got to the top of the first hill it got serious. I started to hurt a bit and friggin’ Sylvan starts to pull away, I tried to hang on but he moved in front and so I tucked in behind as we headed down the hill. I thought I could pass him at this point but he was just flying so I just hung on for dear life. My legs were not responding and were already feeling heavy. This is not good, I thought. Just keep going and try and relax… We turned and headed along the flat bit and the guy starts to pull away and close in on Mike Lord. Holy crap, Syl! Go for it…you bugger! We’re just past the halfway point and Syl was now a good 20 meters in front of me. I refused to give up…he’ll blow up on the next hill, I thought…he even told me he would on the warm-up…heh…heh…I did manage to catch him on the hill. Actually, he ran a really gutsy race. I really thought he was going to catch Mike…that would have been sweet. Mike’s a great guy but that would have been a nice Victory for Syl…He was almost there! Unfortunately the race was 800 meters too long for him today. The finish was on a downhill so I just did my best to let go coming in at 10:12. I found the race tough…but I guess that’s what a 3km feels like. Lot’s of fun though! I did a good cool-down with Mike, looping around the course a few times chatting about training and stuff. Joey was there at the finish having missed an appointment trying to find the start line with me earlier on. What a sweetie! Ron was in his glory doing the announcing and watching and coaching. He is like a kid out there having so much fun! Great to see! The 5km race was stacked. Steve O won but had a few great runners following not to far behind. Ased ran 16:40!! Nice!
It was a super event. I think Chris was very pleased with the turn-out. A lot of money was raised for kids with cancer….a wonderful cause. I hope he gets even more people to come out. What better way to spend a cool, September evening than running a local race on country roads?
Easy at Cedar Hell 1:12:03
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Today was another easy recovery day. I ran to Cedar Hill from UVic and met up with the group but just ran easily with Deby. We stayed on the upper loop and tried to find the rest of the group doing their repeats of the ¾ loop but missed them every time. We bumped into Mike C chatting with Ron in the p-lot. He said he will be running with us again as soon as his golfing season ends. My stomach wasn’t very happy today. I think I know what upset it…something I ate yesterday…My legs feel ok, so I should be good to go tomorrow. There’s a 3 & 5km race after work and I plan on running the 3km. Actually Sylvan has challenged me to a duel. I will go easy on him :)
Recovery Run 45:06
Monday, Septmeber 11, 2006
Joey, Matty and I did an easy run around the trails at UVic after work. My legs feel pretty good so far... No pain yet but it could hit me tomorrow. Joey too said he felt ok so we had an enjoyable run at a very easy pace.
I did my little weight and core strengthening routine. I am getting bored with it so I think it's time to go see Roland again to switch it up a bit.
Nanaimo 10km 1:20-ish
Sunday, September 10, 2006
After a pleasant drive up to Nanaimo, Joey and I found a map at a hotel in town and made our way to FR to pick up our and Deby’s race packages. We caught sight of Sylvan punching in data from entries coming in and ribbed him a bit before getting a few groceries and heading to our hotel. We spent a couple of hours hanging before meeting Ron and a group of other runners for dinner at a Tapas place close by. The dinner was a bit of a fiasco but otherwise it was a fun night. I got caught up with Karen and it was nice that Joey got to meet everyone.
We didn’t get much sleep last night. We could hear people walking around in the room above us. We both felt ok though in the morning because we had had a good sleep the night before. After a quick breakie and a good cup of coffee we headed out the door. We met Lucy in the lobby (she’s my favorite female athlete!) and the three of us walked to the race together. What a positive, cheery woman she is!
After a 20 minute warm-up with Joey and Deby (until he turned off onto the half route), a few strides and a few last words of wisdom from Ron (which I recited at the top of every hill the entire race), we were off! I didn’t really know what to expect after the first 2kms but was told there would be a few ascents mostly on the way out. I asked myself several times in the first couple of kms “Is this a good race pace effort?” because I hadn’t raced in over two months. I soon found a rhythm that felt right for the day. I was by myself from about 3km on so I focused on keeping the effort strong and steady and the turn-over, quick and form efficient. The closest person in front of me was a cyclist so I tried to stay with her. She had great calves….still not as nice as Shan’s but a close second! Ha! I finished in 36:39… not a huge PB but much better than what I was hoping for. Thanks Ron! Thanks to Boob too and those bloody Cedar Hell WOs! The pay-off was obvious to me on those hills today!
After a quick bottle of water and a chat with a few people, I changed shoes and headed back on the course to watch Joey come through. I waited and waited and then realized the bugger must have already gone by. I ran back to the finish and there he was looking for me. Joey finished in 42:50!! A new PB by nearly two minutes! He was thrilled! After watching the halfers finish as we ran part of our cool-down, we met up with Nanc and ran some more through a nice park nearby and then went back to look for Deby. Despite a tight calf, he ran a great race!
The event was really well-organized with loads of water-stations and marshals who knew what they were doing and live bands along the way. The vibe was definitely up there with bigger races like the TC and RVM. I hope the attendance continues to grow for this race.
After the cool-down, we took a quick shower, checked out of the hotel and then sat through the awards presentation. Deby joined me and Joey at a diner nearby soon Sylvan came by and entertained us all with his stories from his evening of debauchery the night before. The rest of the afternoon was spent doing some leisurely shopping in Nanaimo and then driving home.
Nanaimo Bound! 27:44
Saturday, September 9, 2006
I woke up to my usual 7:00am inner alarm clock this morning but stayed in bed until 9 falling in and out of semi-sleep. Deby called soon after we got up and we decided we would all do our warm-up run together along the Goose. The three of us did a 15 minute out and back with a few 1 minute pick-ups on the way back just to wake up the lungs a bit. We did four short strides on the grass in the park across from our place. My legs feel rested and will likely feel perky by tomorrow. My back and pelvis feel a lot better so I think I was right about having some sort of reaction after my pretzel session with Mike Coey. Everything has probably tightened up again and back “in place” and so everyone is happy!
I just gave the place a once over…I hate starting the work week with a messy place. After I sing a bit, Joey and I are going to head up to Nanaimo and plan on staying at the Ho Jo overnight…thanks Jarhead for the package!! The plan is to meet Ron and some others for dinner later this evening.
It will be interesting to see how I do tomorrow. I haven’t raced since July 1st and have no idea where my fitness is at as far as a 10km goes. I think Deby will be surprised at his time if he has a good day tomorrow. I know Joey will do well too. It should be fun!
Crazy Day...Quiet Night
Friday, September 8, 2006
What a long week it’s been! The first week of classes is always a bit nutty but this year was a doozey! Tonight was a night off from running so Matty met Joey and I for a bite after work before Joey had to go and sit through audition for the VCS. I spent the rest of the night being lazy and watched a movie…just chillin’…
IRR WO 1:09:41
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Matty picked me up after work since Joey had the car tonight. We did our little extra 20 minute warm-up and got back just in time to hear the WO. I did 6 x 3 minutes with 2 min recoveries. I kept the intervals at a brisk pace holding back a bit. My legs didn’t feel that perky but that is not unusual for me two days after a hard WO. I opted not to run the usual extra 15 minutes just to be on the safe side.
I just got up off of the couch to write this blog entry and my lower back and pelvis feel pretty achy but I think that is from the work I did with Mike Coey yesterday. Joey said this is often how he feels the day after a session with him. I feel as though he has stretched everything out and now my bones and muscles are trying to settle into place and are not too happy about having been moved around. I think I may have to bum a massage off of the Maestro tonight…..who, by the way, did a WO on his own earlier today since he was missing tonight’s IRR WO….6 x 4 minutes…I’ve created a monster! :)
Easy Baby! 50:46
Wednesday, September 6, 2006
I had my first appointment with Mike Coey this morning before work to see if he could straighten out my lower back. I feel like I’m still twisted and that my left side is locked and my right side is trying to compensate. Rob was away last week so I ended up booking with Mike. Joey and Squintch say he works wonders so I thought I would give it a shot. He spent a lot of time assessing my injury and after doing a bunch maneuvers he agreed that my pelvis was pretty locked up and that the left side of my back was not moving freely. That’s exactly how it feels! He is confident that he can help me take my recovery to the next level. He really did some yanking and twisting with me. I almost felt like I had done a big stretching workout!
Today was an easy run with Joey, Alan and Wayne at the lakes after work. My legs felt pretty good considering the WO the day before but I kept the pace easy. I did some weights and core stuff afterwards and even showed Joey a few core exercises.
Big Turn-out! 1:24:52
Tuesday, September, 5, 2006
Singing went well this morning. I went through the aria from the Vespers and it is lining up nicely. It feels a lot easier since I sang it last, which was shortly after I started studying with Selena. She’ll be happy to hear that. It looks like she’ll be coming back September 17th! I miss the old broad!
I ran from home tonight to Cedar with Joey and Deby. It’s only 12 minutes away but I figured I could do some extra running afterward the WO if I was feeling good.
There was a massive group out tonight. Jennie is back! She is starting off carefully but I’m hoping the injury is far behind her. Antonia made her début at Cedar Hell and I hope will come back. Wayne has returned from some vacation time. A great turn-out!
Boob’s plan was to run the course in figure eights so basically five, one mile loops for those doing the RVM half/marathon and four for the rest of us. Ron was there keeping a watchful eye making sure we were doing well and even had some bottles of water on hand. I started the first upper with Matty and Boob and was feeling good but half-way along they took off and had a race leaving me in the dust. I did that loop a bit too briskly coming through in a PB time of 5:44…ooops! Matty paced me for the next bottom loop. I held back a bit as we came down the hill taking it closer to tempo pace until I got to the bottom of the hill and then gunned it to the top in 6:41. The next upper was closer to what the first one should have been at 6:00. I got a good tug in at Patrick’s shorts after he tried to pass us on a downhill stretch…that’ll teach him! The final lower loop started off very controlled until the last 300 meters or so where I finished hard in 6:41. Thanks Matty!! We jogged down to meet Joey as he came up the last hill…sheesh…he sure is looking quick! We picked up Deby after he did his fifth loop so we could run home together. I realized I left my shirt in a bush near the lower parking lot so we had to go all the way back. Joey grumbled a bit and I got some razzing from Matty and Deby but I suffered through it as we made our way back to the p-lot. Matty offered us a lift home but we decided we could handle another 10 minutes of running.
I talked with Ron tonight about the race this weekend and other stuff. Syl is doing the timing for the race so we were emailing back and forth a bit in the usual jokey way. It should be a fun weekend!
Long Weekend!!
Friday, September 1, 2006
I had another good lesson with Barbara today. She suggested I should start auditioning for people like Tania, Vancouver Opera and a new chamber opera company that is starting up this year in Vancouver. She said to check with Selena first but thought that I am ready to do some auditions.
I didn’t run today. Instead Joey, Matty and I headed downtown after work and met up with a few people in Chinatown for dinner. Ron organized the dinner and arranged some tickets to see the Corb Lund band in Centennial Square. We didn’t know this artist that well but thought we would broaden our horizons a bit. The music had us tapping our toes and the people watching there was great fun!
Saturday, September 2, 2006 1:20:46
The track session today went very well. Claire was there and is already looking speedy after a long break over the summer…curse her! Ha! Ron had Eric and Elliot running 1km repeats with me and Rui staying with them for the first 400m. We had a short rest while they continued around on their second lap. We hopped back into their groove for the last 200m of their 1000m picking up the pace a little bit to lead them through to the end. After we did two sets of these, Ron checked how we were doing. Our first two 400s were at 77 and 78, the 200s at 35 and 37. They felt pretty comfy so he bumped up the 400m to 500m leaving us with a shorter rest between the intervals. I felt very good today and could have done another set or two after we did our sixth and final set.
Chris and I did a longer cool-down together around Cattle Point followed by a good leg soaking in the ocean. I felt like I could have kept running today but decided not to push it. We yakked a bit about training and Arthur Lydiard’s methods.
The rest of the day was spent hanging out with Joey. We went to Island Runner to see what new stuff Phil had brought in for the fall. Once again he was super generous and I left with some new gear. Hisham and his wife showed up just as we were leaving so we stayed and chatted a bit with them. He'll be coming out to IRR WOs in about a week or two.
We had company for dinner so I did some major cleaning in the latter part of the afternoon while Joey prepared one of his gourmet meals: BBQ pork loin rubbed with freshly ground and roasted cumin seed. It was another new recipe and a big hit!
Sunday, September 3, 2006 1:23:58
Joey and I drove to the lakes together this morning. Pan-Pan and Lin were back on the island for the weekend so they showed up for a long run as well as Joan and Deby. Shan joined up with us going into her second loop. Deby, Matty and I did a steady first loop taking the route closest to the lake running it in about 43:30, chitty-chattying most of the way. Then it got serious as we picked up the pace on the second loop, finishing off with a clippie last km with a time of 40:28. I didn’t feel super perky to start with but my energy stayed the same (i.e. I didn’t feel any worse) in the second loop at the faster pace. I am racing the 10km in Nanaimo next weekend so this was a good indicator of where my fitness is at.
The group of us decided to go to the Broadmead plaza for some breakfast. Boob joined us and we all had a very relaxing breakie on the outdoor patio.
Matty came over for dinner and we had BBQ hamburgers and potato salad (that I actually made myself, thank you very much!).
Monday, September 4, 2006 45:06
I woke up at 8:00 this morning and thought I would try and stay in bed until at least 9. I tossed and turned for about an hour and the next thing I know, Joey is waking me up at 10:00! I had made plans to meet Matty at 11:00 in North Saanich so I called him right away to say we would be a bit late. Joey and I got to Sydney at 11:30. Matty and I did an easy- paced 45 minutes sticking to the trails and fields while Joey stayed behind and read. My legs felt surprisingly fresh….despite this, I managed to trip over a root landing on my hands. No scrapes, just a bit of a shock. I was surprised Matty didn’t laugh at me…I’m sure he is giving it a day and will lay it on me tomorrow!
The three of us went for lunch in Sydney, again eating on a patio this time right next to the water...what a glorious day!
