Data Whore

My post-half marathon recovery:

Sunday: rest
Monday: 25 minutes of “gentle” yoga; ran 1.95 miles, easy.
Tuesday AM: ran 4.35 miles, easy
Tuesday PM: 5 mile fun run in a test pair of Kinvara 3s.   Minutes from the run, I realize I rushed out the door wearing my heart rate monitor, but without my watch.

Wednesday: 8.2 mile leisurely bike ride
Thursday: ran 6.14 miles, easy
Friday: 5 mile leisurely bike ride at the beach
Saturday: rest.
Sunday: ~5 mile crazy hike at Tar Creek in Los Padres National Forest. We thought it would be relatively easy given the distance, but were not aware of the rock climbing involved to get down to the water (which, by the way, is a rarity around here.  For example, the “river” that runs through my town only had water in it during a torrential downpour).  While the rock part was tough, it was still fun though.

 

    

  

  
^Those teens were diving into the water.  We wore our suits, prepared to go for a swim, but I’m pretty sure their discovery of a water snake changed my mind. It didn’t stop them from continuing to swim though.

I guess I’m still “recovering” if you go by that rule where you’re supposed to rest one day for every mile that you race, but I don’t and my legs feel fine anyway.  So far this week I ran:

Monday: 6.05 mi easy
Tuesday: 6x400m with 1 minute rest. Running it on a bike path after I’ve gotten used to running on a track made it a little tricky to gauge if I was on target. Ran them in 1:55, 1:48, 1:45, 1:49, 1:47, 1:52.
Wednesday: 3.09 easy

I’m planning to get in a few more runs: at short tempo pace (8:23), long tempo pace (8:53), and a couple easy runs before the 10k I’m signed up for next Wednesday on July 4th.  I just borrowed the last week of the Run Less Run Faster 10k plan because I didn’t really know what to do with myself, but knew I wanted to get in a few faster runs so my legs know what to do. But, hey, even if I don’t run it well, it’s my first 10k and will therefore be a PR.

And just for fun, the day after my half marathon, unbeknownst to my husband and prior to him calling me a data whore, I pulled up little reports in Garmin to compare my running so far this year to the same date last year (up through June 17th).

  

Change from 2011:
Distance: +36%
Time: +~21%
Elevation Gain: +207%
Avg Speed: +11%

Review: Aspaeris Pivot Shorts

Back in early December, Kari from Aspaeris gave me a pair of Pivot shorts to try.

According to the Aspaeris website, the Pivot short is actually two pairs of shorts bonded together: an outer compression short and an inner short with compression bands designed to "guide your muscles into the proper position, thereby improving your pivot performance which helps prevent ACL and hip injuries."

source

Kari sent me the size chart and I agonized over what size to order for far too long.  Seriously, for a couple days.

My hips fall in the Small range.  I was unclear on where to measure my waist. Many size charts mean your natural waist, however these shorts clearly hit below your natural waist.  My waist at the belly button level is right between a Small and a Medium. 

In the other Pivot short reviews I found out there in internet land, I wasn't able to find much on sizing other than that they look really really small (fact).

The shorts are intended to fit snugly but not restrict motion. I decided to go with the smaller size, based on my hip measurement, instead of rounding up.  I think I chose right on the size?

everyone loves a crotch shot

They are snug at the waist, but not muffin-top snug, and they hit just below my belly button (I am short - 5'2").  They are also snug throughout the bum/hip/thigh region, but not uncomfortably so.  In fact, they are snug in a strangely comfortable way.  I can feel where one of the "compression bands" cuts across the back of my legs, a couple inches from the bottom, but I would not say my range of motion is impacted.


It's hard to say if the next larger size would have fit as well.  I would expect it to be a little looser around the leg openings and throughout, but I don't know if it would provide as much compression.  Then again, I'm not sure I would know what level of compression is appropriate.

looks great with a wool sweater!

These shorts felt so good on my legs!

Just for fun, I put on my calf compression sleeves too.  Before, the calf sleeves were the only compression I knew.  After wearing the Pivot shorts though, I feel like the shorts compress more/better than the leg sleeves.

It's not that my legs are uncomfortable normally, but somehow when wearing these I feel lighter in the hip region and like it's very effortless for me to move my legs from the hip joint.

This was one of about 20 attempts

Since getting them the first weekend in December, I've worn them several times.  A couple times I have slept in them at night following a long run (9-13 miles).  I've also worn them in the afternoon/evening following a long run.

I have yet to run in them, but that's because all my running shorts have an attached inner "brief" and I don't know how that would jive with these shorts underneath OR I run in capris/tights and can't imagine layering with those either.  That leaves running in these on their own -- and for some reason I feel more self-conscious in these than full running tights.

The shorts are made in the USA (and I'm happy to support athletic gear made in the US!)  They're available in black, white, red, and navy and in sizes XS - XL. The Pivot short retails for $60, but if you check the coupon part of the Aspaeris website, you may find a special offer.  At the time of this review, the offer is $10 off!

You can find some other reviews of the Pivot short here:

• by Kristy 
• by Emily
• by Marcia
• by Racing with Babes

Note: I was provided these shorts free of charge but not compensated in any other way for writing this review.

Recovery Week

With 2 half marathons in 8 days I thought I should properly recover this week.

After Sunday's trail half and "cold water bath," I took it easy the rest of Sunday and all of Monday.  My legs felt a little tired on Tuesday but my quads and calves were not sore (hooray!) and I wanted to move my legs around.  A friend talked me into going to spinning with her that night.

So I bit the bullet and renewed my gym membership after a 5 month hiatus.

Thursday work was closed for a Jewish holiday.  I met my husband for Indian buffet lunch then swung by my favorite bakery ever.  (Alyssa and Kari can skip past this part because they have strong willpower and are 2 weeks into their dessert ban leading up to their marathons this month).

 

 For the fellow coffee fan, the coffee buttercream frosting is AMAZING.

Amazing, I tell you!

Their cinnamon buns are pretty special too.

That night, I went to spinning again, followed by a 1/2 hr abs class.

And Friday morning my abs were SORE.  Admittedly, I haven't done much for them since the Fit Abs Challenge that ended in early August.

Saturday I decided it was time to run again.  My goal was to run at a comfortable pace but with still with some effort for a favorite 3 mile loop.  I tried to not look at my watch too much.

I ran 3.18 miles and surprised myself with my splits: 9:50, 9:40, 9:15, followed by a .18 mile jog then walk cool down.  Apparently my spinning classes did not do enough to wear me out and I had lots of energy to get out of my system.  The run didn't feel like I was running that hard, though the cooler weather might be to blame/credit.  I didn't run until noon and it was only 62 out.  It was glorious!

[source]

Back to the gym:

Tuesday I dropped 94 big ones to get myself gym access-- including group classes-- through the end of 2011.  AND a free sample of deodorant.

 If you could smell me, today I smell like a rain kissed water lily.

The low cost, for me, is the main perk of going to a university gym.

Group classes are included which is a huge plus too.

They offer a bunch of classes, but my main interests are boot camp, spinning, and abs.  I don't see myself as a zumba person, the kickboxing paled in comparison to my previous cardio kickboxing classes at a martial arts place, but I hope to try yoga or pilates sometime in the future.


Some of the drawbacks?

• 2nd day at the gym and "looking good for spring break" has already been mentioned
• Realizing current freshmen are 10 years younger than me
• I was the oldest person in Tuesday's spin class (aside from the instructor) 
• one of the girls in the class loudly said the room "smelled like moth balls"
• The room did not smell like moth balls
• But I hope this was a reference to some of the older women leaving the room from yoga, not my friend and me-- soooo old in our mid-late 20s
• At one point during Thursday's ab class, out of 30 people, one student, another "regular" (university staff, not a student) and I were the only ones doing all the ab exercises.  The room was sooo loud because people were talking to eachother and not following along with the instructor. ONE girl was texting!!
• A) So rude to the instructor
• B) If you're taking up a spot in class, you better be working. Why else are you there?

Emily has touched on this recently, and I completely share her opinions.

I'll get over it.  Because it's cheap.  And at these classes - the undergrads will start dropping like flies in a couple weeks anyway :)
So to summarize:
This time around, my recovery included: very cold water bath, spinning, abs, baked goods, and a short run at the end of the week.

I'm ready to get running again!

Questions for you:
Do you belong to a gym?  University or other?
What's your usual post-race recovery routine?

Hi!!

Just a quick post to say I'm still alive!

-Last week, work was very crazy and it will be for the next month or so.  
-I took a couple days off from running after my half marathon so I really didn't have a lot to post about. 
-Then we went out of town for a friend's wedding this weekend and just got back.  So I'm finally getting around to posting again.

Back to last Sunday-- I felt pretty good later in the day after the half.  I wore my Zensah leg compression sleeves for the rest of the day, who knows if it helped...?  Monday my quads and the muscles above my knee felt tight when I woke up.  I made Monday through Wednesday recovery days, only walking the dog and doing some crunches. I think I could have done an easy run Wednesday night, but I got home late from work, had planned to make dinner, and there was a small amount of lingering muscle soreness so I talked myself out of running.  No need to rush back in to it, I guess.  Thursday morning my leg muscles were back to feeling 100%.

Thursday night I went to boot camp where we did all kinds of arm and chest and ab things with some quick cardio things mixed in (i.e. burpees, and a couple laps around the indoor track), then I did an easy 2 mile run outside because it was too nice not to.  I did not let myself look at my Garmin until the whole first mile passed which is sooo hard for me to do-- I wanted to run at an easy/comfortable pace without worrying about the numbers for the first time in a long time.

Here are some not great race photos from last week.  Nothing to write home about. The ones of me crossing the finish line were not any better.

 Why Am I Staring at my Foot!? I just finished my first gu here.

 This was at Mile 8...right after water sloshed out of my cup and into my eye.  

5.2 miles later, this point in the course is also the finish line.  Beware of those pasty legs of mine.

I need to remember to do something cool when I see the race photographer...you know, like smile or look at the photographer!


I will obsess about my failed timing chip one last time...for now.  Using starting line photos and the race results, I looked up the chip start times of those around me at the beginning of the race. 

Where's Waldo??

The metal archway is what was supposed to read my chip at the start line.
 

There was not any weaving in and out or thinning out of the runners for about a quarter of a mile, so this is pretty much how everyone started the race.  

As you can see, I started after 59 and 454, who crossed the start at 8:05:21 and 8:05:20 respectively.  

I started before bib numbers 24, 22, and 76 who all crossed the line at 8:05:22.

So if I started at the same time as bib number 454 (at 8:05:20), and I crossed the finish line at 10:24:15 am (as recorded by my chip) that would mean my ACTUAL race time was 2:18:55.  Just sayin'...

Photo-based time: 2:18:55.

Garmin-based time: 2:19:07

Gun time: 2:19:33.

Quick Poll:   I'm working on putting together my next training schedule.  I asked on Twitter last week, but didn't get a huge response...

After running a ~2:19 hilly half marathon, how much do you think I can expect to improve my time on a flatter half marathon that is 6 weeks away?

(Thanks to Heather at Miss FancyPants Tris)-

:15 off my pace would be a 10:21ish average pace, which would be about a 2:15:35 half.  That's actually toward the faster end of the range I was training for - for this past half marathon, so I think that would be doable. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts! I don't know how much progress to expect in a 6 week time frame.

Half Marathon Recovery

Woo hoo!  A couple days after the half marathon, they posted pictures.  They even have video footage of you as you approach and cross the finish line - crazy!  (Available for purchase, of course).  Here's a pic from somewhere along the course, can't figure out when it was taken:

I'm still riding the recovery wave following my 13.1 miles last Sunday.  My quads and the muscles around my knee were a little tight/sore for a day or two after.  I took a break from wearing heels to work.  Wednesday, the soreness was mostly gone.  Thursday morning I went for an easy 1.6 mile run before work on a nearby path (flat surface, dirt).  I felt really good after!  And now on Friday night, as I write this, my leg muscles are feeling completely back to normal.  I didn't take any pain medication/anti-inflammatory.

Aside from Thursday morning, my physical activity over the past 5 days has consisted of walking the dog.  My plan is to go for a bike ride Saturday, and I'll start up with the running again sometime after that.  I don't have any specific goal in mind to train for right now, I just plan to resume running about 3x/week and to enjoy some fall bike rides.  I was up to running around 20-25 miles per week at the peak of my half-marathon training.  I don't necessarily plan to maintain that level but I will probably strive for about 15 miles per week (maybe a 7-8 mile long run on the weekend, an easy 3 mile run and a 4-5 mile tempo run or some kind of speed work during the week).

I'm actually really looking forward to some cooler weather for outdoor exercise.  Here's an article from Runner's World on fall running and what your runs should look like in the fall based on your summer running accomplishments/fall running goals.

Some Tips on Half Marathon Recovery from a few sites:

• Active.com [link]
• Running Times
• Running.About.com [link]

Some sources say you should do an ice bath; I couldn't convince myself to get into a cold bath tub.  Some say you should get a gentle massage (sounds awesome...actually it's been a really long time since I've treated myself to a massage, probably over 2 years.  Maybe it's time!)  I have read some things that say to take a day off for every mile you raced (!) but there is no way I can be sedentary for nearly 2 weeks.  I think it's most important to just listen to your body.  If you're still sore --> rest.  If you feel comfortable starting up again, go for it, but take it easy for your first couple runs.

And here are a couple of pictures from Competitor's website from last Sunday:

Tons of people waiting at the Start Line

 

 View of the Finish Line from the Art Museum Steps, looking toward City Hall

What does your post-race recovery/rest routine look like?

What are your fall running or fitness goals?