Our last run before race. 6k - 8:45 min/mile pace. Wonderful clear morning, but cold...
It seems after being alone during the last couple of days the "New Year resolunioners" are out too:-) We saw dozens of new walkers, runners - among the familiar faces. Legs still feel relaxed, ready to race.

Off gym UBWO (shoulder, upper back):
Warm up: band
Arnold press: 2x10x12 lbs
Front raises: 2x10x10 lbs
Lateral raises: 1x10x7 lbs + 1x10x 12 lbs
Reverse overhead laterals: 1x10x10 lbs
Seated bent over laterals: 1x10x7 lbs + 1x10x10 lbs
Upright rows : 2x10x12 lbs
Shoulder raises: 1x20x15 lbs
Bent over rows: 2x10x15 lbs
Bent over alternate row:s 2x10x15 lbs

Pilates, SFactor, stretching meanwhile watching A Streetcar Name Desire this afternoon/evening. Brando is fantastic. From alfa (Streetcar) to omega (The Godfather) How pity he had nothing really good between:-(((

..and 215 hours 49 minutes to the start of the San Diego half-Marathon.

Ok, so the countdown started. Less than 24 hours. Today is only stretching (movie: Chariots of Fire - what would I give for a beach where I can run as the guys in the movie!), and for pleasure - SFactor Chapter 4 : The Goddess rising - dozens of wonderful exercises for the back - and for the soul:-))

Good Luck Galladriel!!!
I know you'll do great.
Mary

Thanks Mary - hope to see you in June in San Diego? Suzuki Rock&Roll Marathon?

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!
We are the champions!!!
Our second half-marathon was an unexpected success, with unexpected times. 1:59:45 (vs 2:13 last time), 9:09 min/mile pace - vs 10:13 min/mile pace last time....
Nutrition: one cup Gatorade before race at home, 2x1/4 cup Powerade druing race.(We forgot to check who is the sponsor, assumed Gatorade, so failed to bring our own drink. Big mistake.)
And it was only a dress rehearsal for next weeks San Diego half-Marathon.
We are dead tired.... More details later....

Irvine half marathon is a low-key, but very popular, friendly race. There is no three day expo - only one morning event, there are no chips - means you have to start your own clock when crossing the start line (it takes about 5 minutes till everybody crossing it), no certified course (it does not mean the course is not mesasured, only that the city does not want to pay thousands of dollars for the certification). No marathon - means no pros.
On the other hand there are hundreds of kids from Orange and LA counties - part of a wonderful year long running LA program. My utmost respect for the teachers. To inspire kids to get up every weekend to run - instead of sitting in front of the tv, eating junk food...
There are always reservists - motivational run, with loud singing. (Because of the kids the lyrics strictly G rated.) There are beginners - walking more than running - but enjoying it tremendeously. And there are the ones (we among them) who use this nice race as a dress rehearsal for an upcomming big race.
We chose this race to have a long run on asphalt - the same surface as our next weekend San Diego half marathon has. Usually we have our long runs on a high school track - much more easier for the legs. We planned to have an easy run - a training run, not a race run. Oh, but the temptation was so hard. The race effect. I read a lot about it, and somehow was sceptical. Why would, and how could anybody run much more faster simply because it is a race and not a training? Then I remember our first half marathon in October. We did run much faster than ever before. The race adrenalin rush:-)))
We did not have any time goal, other than aiming for an under 10 min/mile pace. We started with a conservative pace, as we planned with 9:20 min/mile pace. But at 6 mile we speed up. Unfortunately we forgot to calculate with the heat. The last weeks were realatively cool. Even this morning it started cool, but at 9 AM the sky had cleared up - and the sun warmed up the temperature very fast. Exactly when we were speeding up. Oh my! I have never thought that January morning sun can be so mean. The same sun I worship every morning at sunrise - was killing us.
Other problem: the placement of water stations was a little chaotic. We should have had our own drink.
But all these did not ruin our mood, or slowed us down. At 11 mile we already felt that we could finish under two hours. (Our original goal for the Carlsbad half marathon.) We could not resist the temptation. Who cares that this was supposed to be a trainnig run? Without talking about this (none of us wanted to push the other) we pushed more, and finished at 1:59:45-))) - 9:09 min/mile pace.
Then we had an almost 30 min/mile walk to home, and a 3-5 sec/one step stair climbing.....

Now, 24 hours after the race we feel much better, it seems our legs are recovering fast. Today is rest day - preferably swimming + jacuzzi.

This morning our official results were posted - I finished 20th in my age group (40-49 female) from 84.

Sunday was a nice rest day - with swimming, and with long evening stretch. It seems my legs are healing/recovering fast, during the day I climbed many stairs - without any problem. On the other hand during the stretch I did feel the sore points. (Stretching movie: two episodes from Babylon 5 season 4 - What can I say? It seems the writer ran out of new ideas :-( )
Today, Monday - still resting my legs, but had an off-gym UBWO.
The reason to stay away from the gym is a strange experience. Usually the advice: to use weight machines to prevent injuries. I am much more careful with free weight, tend to overdo with the machines. I want to protect my (very sensitive) back before next weekend running.

Chest:
warm up with bands
push-ups 5x10
dumbbells:
press over 1x20x15 lbs
flys 1x20x12 lbs
straight-arm pullover 1x20x12 lbs

Biceps: (dumbbells)
hammer 2x10x12 lbs
wide curl 2x10x12lbs
alternate curl 2x10x15lbs
reverse: 1x10x10 lbs

Triceps:
warm up: band
dips: 3x10
dumbbells:
kickbacks 2x10x7 lbs
overhead extension 1x20x12 lbs

Forearm:
wirst curl-up 2-2x10x7lbs
wirst curl-down 2-2x10x5lbs

Plan to do the intermediate Pilates program this afternoon.

galadriell,
Congratulations on your 10K, and this was just the warm up .
I am certantly learning from your posts, they are so detailed. Thank you.

Also, I wanted to ask you, do you take any supplements?
You and your husband seem to have it all together, any info I could get would be appreciated.

Have a Great Day!!!

Thanks Mary for the kind words. Yes, last weekends half marathon was a great "warm up" :-))

The only supplement I take is a clacium/magnesium/zinc combination - 1 caplet/day. It seems to me that I can get all other necessary vitamins from food. (Living in warm climate big help.)

Yes, we are running togethewr with my husband. He joined me last February, when after a month Walk Away the Pounds I started the real running.
His participation is the biggest help for me. Without him I could not have done this. Imagine. Waking up going out to run every morning before sunrise - with a husband sleeping at home? No way.... Or running 40-60 laps, sweating two hours on a high school track on Saturday mornings alone? No way...
Husband, friend - or any partner can give the necessary push that we all need in some point.

After giving 48 hours complete rest to our legs - we are back in business. We started this day with 45 min leg strengthening - loosely based on the WATP 3 miles video. We modified both the upper body and the lower body movements - making them more challenging, but still keeping the low-impact. It is always a good warm up (before we restart running) and an excellent test - to see, if everything is ok with our legs.

We already feel antsy - our son's e-mails making this mandatory tapering period harder. He is running with us on Sunday. Actually not with us, he is running the full marathon. We were jocking if he would finish the 26 miles before we finish our 13 miles:-)) Because this San Diego Marathon is a three day festival, we plan to go there early on Saturday to spend the day with our son on the expo.

Planning a Pilates intermediate session for this afternoon again - with the SFactor "Transition" exercises.

Galadriel,
How fun to be ab;e to run the same race with your son!
I am sure he's proud of his parents.
A question, what's SF factor? Also, I was considering getting some Pilate videos, any recomendations?

I hope the weather stays nice all the way to Sat.
Have a great day!

Mary,
Yes, it is huge fun to run the same race as our son. He (a marthoner, triathloner Marine ) was our inspiration to start to run. The big dream was to run with him - actually behind him:-) We had already two races together, our first half-marathon in October , and a 10 k hill race in November. (In my gallery you can see our family running team.)

About SFactor check my January 6 7:40 gym log entry:-)
It is a strip workout program for everyday woman:-))) (Intermediate, advanced Pilates exercises with an erotic touch, created by a woman, who teaches strip dance:-)
www.sfactor.com - but I use the book, not the video.

Pilates video? I learned the Pilates from a UK book: Lynn Robinson's Pilates Manual,
But there are many Pilates videos out - check the exercise threads for "Pilates" or post there a question.
Or if you want reviews, go to the www.collagevideo.com site, you can find detailed descriptions, reviews, even 60 sec previews from exercise videos.

Back to running... after not running 72 hours after our Saturdays half-marathon, we are back again.
6k - easy run (11, 10:40, 10:40)
Wonderful mild weather, clear sky, sunshine - what else we need?
(How much I will hate this clear sky, sunshine on Sunday somewhere between mile 8-13....)

Back maintenance programme by Fielding + stretching - movie: Z

ooohhhhh how I envy your running!!!! I wish I could do it! Once when I had been workiong out 3 hours a day at a gym..prekids...I was able to run a 10 minute mile on a treadnill..only ONCE...was never able to do it again! I think if I had a treadmill I could get there again but I dont so...I do what I can in my living room when the kids are sleeping. Thanks for visiting my gym log...lol

It seems the California winter ended. No more sweatshirt, gloves...
DH had to leave early, so we started/finsihed our run before sunrise. 6k easy run (11:00, 10:50, 10:30)


Off gym UBWO (shoulder, upper back):
Warm up: band
Arnold press: 2x10x12 lbs
Front raises: 2x10x10 lbs
Lateral raises: 1x10x7 lbs + 1x10x 1o lbs
Reverse overhead laterals: 2x10x10 lbs
Upright rows : 2x10x12 lbs
Shoulder raises: 1x20x15 lbs
Bent over rows: 2x10x15 lbs
Bent over alternate row:s 2x20x15 lbs

71 hours to the San Diego half-marathon start, but I already feel the fevor. It so hard not to go out for a long run. (That would be a very stupid thing before race.) The reason behind my fevor is not to compete with others, not even to compete with myself, but to run, to fly with the easiness, with the plus energy that only a race can give me.
(And as I read, heard to millions of other runners.)

Yesterday I read a long article in Newsweek about sport over 50. I am not over 50, but I do accept the advices given to them: take it easy. But it is hard when I feel 26, when my heart/lung feel 26 - to accept that my legs are 46. I am proud that during my one year running training I never had any injury - it means somehow I was able to tame my temper, but it is harder and harder. Fortunately DH is a very disciplined man, he always holds me back when I feel the adrenalin rush:-))))