T.I.R.E.D.

I'm so tired. I really hope I'm not coming down with what Shaun had last week, where all he could do was sleep. I don't seem to have a fever, so I'll keep my fingers (and toes!) crossed. I really shouldn't feel this tired after a rest week last week (I did 10 hours, rather than the normal 12-15).

Other than being dog-tired training is going really well.

I went on a 40 mile bike ride on Saturday in the 65 degree weather-NICE! I only wore my shorts and a sleeveless jersey and even got a watch tan! The Amgen Tour of California started on Sunday in San Francisco so all the teams were out on Saturday. As I was climbing up Old La Honda (7% incline-my heart rate stayed below 150 ) 2 cycling teams (Team Slipstream presented by Chipotle and one other with a blue jerseys (can't tell which one) passed me (like I was standing still) with their team cars. It was really cool. I also saw the Gerolsteiner team while I was out. It was a good ride and it felt really good to be out in the sun.

On Sunday, I had a team workout at Rodeo Beach in Marin for a ton of climbing. So, here's the rule: If Coach D has made up the run route then there will be monster hills and it will be hard! Unfortunately I had a little too much fun the night before and I definitely felt the effects of my alcohol consumption. I did about 7 miles of hills and by the second half I was feeling pretty good.

This week is back to full on training-no recovery week. It looks like there's 12 hours planned (not including yoga and getting back and forth to all these places). Hopefully, I can get a good night's sleep tonight and not feel like poo in the morning. A girl can hope, right?

Even Faster!!!!

I had my best run yet today!!!!

I did strength followed by running. My run consisted of a 10 minute warm-up followed by 5 6-minute intervals (up to Zone 3) w/ 1 minute rest and then a 6 minute cool-down. For the ENTIRE run check out my numbers:

6.22 mi in 50:07 for an 8:03 pace!!!!!

That means that I ran my intervals BELOW an 8 minute mile. I was so flabbergasted, I was sure my Nike + was wrong so I logged onto the gym computer to check-it was RIGHT!!!

Here are the more detailed numbers:

Mile 1: 8:27
Mile 2: 7:38!!!
Mile 3: 7:53
Mile 4: 7:49
Mile 5: 7:51
Mile 6: 8:55

That's just insane. I run around Central Park (the one in SAN MATEO :) ), it's almost a mile all the way around but not quite. I was trying to run a full lap in 6 minutes and was feeling really great but was also kinda down on myself for not being able to get around in 6 minutes. Now that I think about it-6 minutes is a REALLY fast time to get around that park.

This training-it's WORKING!!!!!

Dipsea=Dipshit

Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.

Yesterday I did a coached work-out. Anytime Coach D says something will be an "adventure" or "fun" remind me that that really means "torture" and "hell".

We "ran" the famous Dipsea trail yesterday. Here's a description from their website:

"It begins in downtown Mill Valley with a sprint down Throckmorton to the Old Mill Park, then up three flights of stairs as tall as a fifty-story building, and up some more through an old horse ranch to Windy Gap. Then it plunges down into Muir Woods across Redwood Creek and begins a tough grind up through the trees over trails named "Dynamite" and "Cardiac." At the top of Cardiac, the course levels out before it plunges down through the "Swoop", over the rocks and roots of "Steep Ravine" and the discouragingly steep climb up "Insult Hill." Finally, as the course follows the relatively gentle slope of The Moors toward the ocean, Stinson Beach is in sight a mile ahead. This is where experienced racers resort to secret short cuts and where others racers will sprint the last quarter mile in an effort to move up a couple of places in the final results."



We started in Mill Valley, did the Steps, Windy Gap, Suicide, Dynamite, and Hogsback. We were supposed to run out an hour and then back. I think that I got to the bottom of Cardiac. I know that I didn't actually climb Cardiac, but that still means I climbed about 1000 ft. in one stint (Suicide to Hogsback). Altogether about 9 miles in an hour and 48 minutes.

It was beautiful. I had a good time. It was hard. Today I hurt. Like bad. I'm limping when I get up from sitting. If I walk around a little, it's okay.

Teaching this morning hurt. Swimming this morning hurt.

Here's some more pictures of what I did:

So yes. I'm sore.

Do I want more? Um yeah...Bring it on!