The week started with a work-related trip to Sedona for one of my favorite clients, Pink Adventure Tours. I had the presence of mind to take my bike with me. I had charted a 20-mile route through Boynton Canyon (similar to the route I had run during my tough half-marathon in Sedona earlier this year). […]
intervals
Unmotivated fartleks

When Missy is happy and healthy, I am happy and (usually) healthy. In a dog’s life, 6 months is a long time. She’s been lethargic for more than 6 months but today she wanted to play with the ball and her favorite stuffed toy (Mr. Bear). Physically, I still feel lethargic. I forced myself to […]
Lethargy to energy running intervals

When you train for endurance events, some days are bad and some are good. Some days are lethargic and some are energetic. Today was a lethargic day. The heat in Arizona has returned with temperatures expected in triple digits again this week. It’s mid-October. This is ridiculous. I dreaded getting on the treadmill today. I […]
Two happy hours = scratchy throat!

I went to two Happy Hours today. The first one was OHSO. I saw Ali, Shelly, Brett and Jennifer at around 4:30PM. A beer later, I went to the Parsus-organized Happy Hour at Salty Sow where I had a jolly time with friends and colleagues. A Moscow Mule and a few junk-food (albeit delicious) appetizers […]
Pyramid Intervals; Mistake!

I woke up this morning at 3AM with excruciating pain in my neck. Many years ago, I had a root canal on one of my lower left molars. The neck pain was centered around that area. I thought something was wrong with it. I got out of bed, drank water and waited for the pain […]
Hard morning run, hard evening cardio training

6.4 miles in DC Ranch – Intervals It was absolutely gorgeous this morning. Last night’s thunderstorm cleaned out all the pollutants from the air leaving behind the crisp clear breathable air. It was perfect temperature too! Ethel’s Garden in Silverleaf Since I skipped my interval training yesterday, I went out running this morning around the […]
How to have fun with Speedplay intervals

Speedplay intervals are fun. It makes for a hard but not-so-hard session. The sprints are hard but short. The recovery is moderate but longer. I ran speedplay on the treadmill yesterday. Whether I run outdoors or on the treadmill, I consistently wear a visor and carry my music. Water-bottle is optional for outdoor running (depends […]
Adrenaline rush makes hard running easy

For the first time in my life, I actually felt an adrenaline rush because I was angry. I don’t understand human psychology or physiology. I don’t understand how adrenaline works. I don’t know much about the fight or flight response. What I do know now from personal experience is that anger results in an adrenaline […]
Cooling down in September

Today is another New York Marathon training Tuesday; another day of fartleks on the treadmill at The Village. The gym was crowded today with a few random teenage girls parading in their fancy Lululemon gear going from equipment to equipment every 5 minutes in small herds. It was all very peculiar. Anyway, I got on […]
Speedplay intervals on the treadmill

Intervals are some of the toughest training sessions. Today was speedplay day. In speedplay, I run short bursts of high speed (sprints) and then slow down to right around race pace. Apparently this helps with fastwitch muscles react for strong finishes during races. After warminng up for 15 minutes that included 3 x 30 second […]