WEDNESDAY'S WISDOM - GETTING OVER THE HUMP! (7-10-13)



YOUR BEST TRAINER - YOURSELF!



MONDAY'S MEDS: THE DOCTOR IS IN (7/8/2013) - Why Am I So Tired

I found this article on WebMD about Possible Causes for Fatigue:

The 3 Top Causes are typically related to our daily habits
1) What You Eat - put down the sugar and caffeine and lift up your fork with a healthy, balanced diet of vegetables, fruits, and lean protein.
2) How Much You Sleep - Most people just don't get enough.  Avoid alcohol and caffeine before bedtime, turn off the TV, and keep your room quiet and restful.
3) How Much You Exercise - A great way to ward off tiredness is good old-fashioned vigorous exercise.  Do it at least three hours before going to bed to wind down - start with about 40 minutes for 4 days a week for about a month.

If after a couple of months of putting these 3 steps in place you don't see improvement, you should check with your health care provider about your chronic tiredness.  This could be linked to other medical conditions such as:

4) Anemia
5) Nutritional deficiencies
6) Thyroid problems
7) Diabetes
8) Depression
9) Sleep problems
10) Undiagnosed heart problems

For more information about fatigue, check out this WebMD article about Possible Causes for Fatigue.

Talladega 21000 (half marathon) training plan - week 3 (7/7 - 13/2013)

Training Plan
Sun, 7/7/13 - OFF
Mon, 7/8/13 - Speed work (5 mi)
Tues, 7/9/13 - Cross-training (belly dancing class)
Wed, 6/26/13 - Interval training (5 mi)
Thurs, 6/27/13 - Tempo run (4 mi)
Fri, 6/28/13 - OFF (or strength training and HIIE)
Sat, 6/29/13 - Easy run (3 mi)
Total miles - 17

My Goals for 2013 - Road to Progress (July 2013)

1) Lose 50 lbs - although weight has fluctuated, I have been able to keep weight at same level since the 1st of the year.
2) Look absolutely sexy in my Rock N Roll Goddess outfit - still can't wear it, but the year isn't over yet.
3) Sustain sub-14:00/mi pace - pace has been getting increasingly slower (race pace - around 15:00/mi, training pace - around 17:00/mi).
4) Finish a marathon - maybe finishing 3 half- marathons this year will compensate.
5) Learn to swim - signing for lessons at the Y this week.
 

Talladega 21000 (half marathon) training in review: weeks 1and 2

Week 1 (6/23 - 29/2013)
Sun, 6/23/2013 - 6.16 mi, 1:40:16 (pace - 16:16/mi), 1299 cal
Tues, 6/25/2013 - 3.03 mi, 52:44 (pace - 17:24/mi), 308 cal
Wed, 6/26/2013 - 4.01 mi, 1:11:13 (pace - 17:45/mi), 734 cal
TOTALS - 13.2 mi (planned - 16 mi), 2:33:00 (avg pace - 17:00), 2341 cal

Week 2  (6/30 - 7/6/2013)
Sun, 6/30/2013: 1st long run - 8 mi, 2:16:14 (pace 17:01/mil), 1551 cal
Tues, 7/2/2013 - 5.5 mi, 1:24:40 (pace - 15:23/mil), 980 cal
TOTALS - 13.5 mi (planned - 18 mi), 3:40:54 (avg pace - 16:12/mi), 2531 cal

Talladega 21000 (half marathon) training - Week 2, Day 2 (7/2/13) - Military Services fitness runs/interval training

This day, I decided to try something different for my interval training.  The treadmill I used at the gym (Star Trac) has several routines for fitness training (Fireman, Air Force, Navy, Army, and Marine).  I assumed the Fireman routine probably involved inclines (something  I could use for hill training).  The remaining routines had pre-set distances (1.5 mi, 1.5 mi, 2.0 mi, and 3.0 mi) to be completed as fast the runner could go.  I picked the 1st 3 (Air Force, Navy, Army) assuming these would be somewhat easier than the latter (Marine) and because the schedule called for only 3 miles interval training (when completed these 3 routines would add up to 5 mi).

The physical tests for the military services consist of three or four areas/components - aerobic/cardiovascular fitness (usually running), muscle strength (push-ups and sit-ups), and body composition.  The respective service requires a minimum combined (averaged) score. 

I found several websites that showed the physical fitness requirements for the military services.  One site (Military.com) is a military organization (not affiliated with the military) website that provides information and resources to anyone that is military-connected (servicepeople, civilians, etc.).  One resource area is Physical Fitness provided information on the fitness requirements for all the services.  I searched the Net to find the official service websites (Air Force, Army, and Navy) with the official physical fitness requirements to compare the requirements listed on the Military.com website:

AIR FORCE - Air Force Fitness Charts
NAVY - Navy Physical Readiness Test (PRT) Guide
ARMY - Army Physical Fitness (FM 7-22/Oct 2012)

I started with the Air Force fitness test/1.5-mile run (assuming it would be the easiest of the three):
Intervals - 4.5 mph/0.5 mi, 4.0 mph, 0.25 mi
20:50 (pace - 13:53/mi), 250 cal
Score (machine) - 32
According to the Air Force Fitness Charts, I would have failed (score - 0) that portion of the test,  For females in my age group, acceptable times are between under 12:53 (max score of 60) to 19:43 (score of 45.4).
The Military.com website shows a composite score of 32 for a 1.5-mile run between 20:37 - 21:30.

I did a short recovery run between the Air Force and Navy tests:
Manual - 0.25/3.5 mph, 5:00 (21 cal)

Next I tried the Navy fitness test/1.5-mile run
Intervals - 4.5 mph (0.25 mi), 4.0 mph (0.25 mi)
21:07 (pace - 14:04.mi), 239 cal (machine); didn't reset my watch so it calculate cumulative calories)
Score (machine) - 45
According to the official Navy site, I would have failed their run test as well (runs >19.05 receive a rating of 'Failure').  To be satisfactory, runs need to be between 18:16 and 19:05 (score - 45)
The Military.com shows a composite score of 42 (probationary) for a 13:30-run.

I did another recovery run between the Navy and Army tests:
Manual - 0.25/3.5 mph, 4:59 (21 cal)

The final test was the Army fitness test/2-mile run (I was a little fatigued at this point, so I changed my interval patterns between the 1st and 2nd miles):
Intervals
0 - 1.0 mil/0.25 mi, 4.0 mph; 0.25 mi, 4.5 mph
1.0 - 2.0 mi/0.5 mi, 4.0 mph; 0.25 mi, 4.5 mph; 0.25 mi, 3.5 mph
25:00 (pace - 12:30/mil), 305 cal (machine); didn't reset watch
I shut down the machine before I can record the 'score' for this test.
According to the Army's FM 7-22, my score would be 54 for women in my age group.  The Military.com website showed scores for only up to age 41 (age 37 - 41, score 52).

TOTALS (combined military tests + 2 recovery runs)
5.5 mi, 1:24:40 (pace - 15:23/mi), 980 cal (watch; machine - 818 cal)

Talladega 21000 (half marathon) training - Week 2, Day 1 - 6/30/2113 (1st long run)

Sunday was my 1st long training run (8 mi) and it wasn't easy.  Hot, Hot, HOT!  At least I did start a little earlier (7:00 am).  Not easy at all.

My app (Endomondo Pro) for what ever reason (probably operator error - LOL) didn't start when I first started running and I didn't notice for about the 1st 15:00.  Unfortunately I had run this part of the route before and estimated to have run about a mile.  So I just added that additional time and distance to my watch time.

TOTAL STATS
8.0 mi, 2:16:14 (pace 17:01/mil), 1551cal

I need to shave about a minute or so off my pace if I plan to finish this half in under 3:30.