Haven't had a lot to say recently- busy, it's winter, training has been waaay less than ideal.. yada yada. I guess we all go through these funks some time, and I can assure you that I'm about 90% happy, it's just that the extra 10% is talking loudly right now. Also, have found myself wasting far too much time on bebo and facebook and neglecting my blog- so pointless, yet so addictive. Tsk tsk!
I spent two days working in Sydney last week, which was great, but has left me a bit drained, especially since it was too bloody windy to land in Welly last night, so we detoured to Auckland, where I stayed "overnight" (does 2-6am count as overnight?) before flying back home on the first flight out. No biggie, but still a pain. Luckily the job I was doing over there wasn't too stressful, or else I'd be wiped.
Anyway, Sydney was my first o/seas business trip as well as my first solo international trip (that realisation surprised me- was sure I'd done it before). I found the first day a bit stressful, getting from airport to hotel to work and back into town, when I basically had no idea where I was. I managed to find the pub to have a drink with fellow blogger Ellie- my first ever official blog-meet (seeing Mike after Rotorua doesn't count, as I'm such a woos I didn't say hi). A glass of wine with a friendly face was exactly what the doctor ordered!
After that I felt a lot more comfortable, and made my way back to the hotel easily (no mean feat- my sense of direction is appalling!). After some room service and a late swim in the gorgeous 15m (so they said, I'm thinking 10, or else I've grown gills...), I went to sleep feeling much more positive about the day ahead.
Unfortunately, I slept in, which started things off not quite on the right foot, but decided "b*gger it, I want a run!" I knew I wouldn't really have time for the 9k route suggested by the hotel (awesome jogging map!), which incorporated some of Ellie's tips, and to top it off, couldn't find my watch, but decided I'd sneak out, explore the waterfront and see what happened. The city was beautiful (though I wish I hadn't missed the sunrise), and I would love to go back to explore properly- my 40ish minute run around the Opera House and through part of the gardens wasn't quite enough! Got ready and checked out in record time, and decided to walk across the bridge to work. Cool! I was a complete nerd and took pics on both the run and the walk- have mislaid camera, so can't post them. Maybe later (but really, they just go "bridge, opera house, bridge, opera house, opera house, bridge, tree, bridge...") After work, I wandered down to catch the ferry back into town- ended up being a bit of a mad rush (had my check in time wrong), but the ferry ride was nice, exploring the North Sydney area a bit was great, and I made it to the airport *in time*.
In training news, the 10k "A" race is tomorrow, but it's been demoted to a "C", or maybe a "B-"! My training has been haphazard for the past few weeks, and although I might scrape a PB (and have programmed a fast n fun playlist), tomorrow's not feeling fast! Still, it should be a fun day, and am having brunch with Speedy A afterwards- her second mary and she's out for a big-PB and hopefully sub-3:40. So, send the vibes to her, not me!
Actually, send them to Jodi (and Susan) at Ironman CdA! Jodi is amazing, and a complete inspiration. She managed to keep up with her training while finishing her thesis and becoming Doctor JT, and seeing how strong she was through stressful times has really reminded me that we can keep working, training and living when maintaining that balance gets tougher. Have an amazing day Jodi!!
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Of trials and tribulations...
Well, it's finally here.
The training is over- from the base phase (easing into it), through the build (with the increase in faster-paced, higher stress days) and then into the high volume stuff (where I learnt just to keep going, regardless of how tired or bored I was).
The lead up races are out of the way- the skirmishes, the mini-competitions, the warm-up rounds.
I am now in taper mode. The preparation is by no means over, there's still heaps to be done, but the focus has shifted from the "go Go GO" of the previous two weeks. What's done is done- we have to trust our training and preparation, and being in good shape on D-day is more important that squeezing that last hour of work in. So I had a full rest day yesterday, and I'm taking this evening easy.
Yes indeedy folks- I am heading into my second "A" event of the year. The first marathon of my legal career- it's my first ever trial (yup, with like witnesses and everything!)
In my area, although we spend a bit of time in Court, we don't get to trial that much. This is mostly because our cases are big, and take years of prep. They also tend to take weeks of court time, so actually getting a fixture is as much work as the fixture itself! You can spend years in lit working only on interlocutories (where the evidence is generally all on paper and the decisions are only on discrete issues), and never get to the *real thing.*
So it's exciting, but it's been tiring, as you're all aware. Obviously, I can't say much about it, so I won't tell you how we're feeling the night before it starts, and I won't really be able to tell you how I feel after it's over. But wow- it's been an experience. I think the marathon analogy is apt, and am amazed I didn't think of it until I realised I'd written the second sentence of this post. So, to continue the analogy, what I can say is that I feel like I've gone from a 5k to a marathon over the last few weeks, and although there have been some bumps in the road, I'm ready for the big day. Bring it on.
The training is over- from the base phase (easing into it), through the build (with the increase in faster-paced, higher stress days) and then into the high volume stuff (where I learnt just to keep going, regardless of how tired or bored I was).
The lead up races are out of the way- the skirmishes, the mini-competitions, the warm-up rounds.
I am now in taper mode. The preparation is by no means over, there's still heaps to be done, but the focus has shifted from the "go Go GO" of the previous two weeks. What's done is done- we have to trust our training and preparation, and being in good shape on D-day is more important that squeezing that last hour of work in. So I had a full rest day yesterday, and I'm taking this evening easy.
Yes indeedy folks- I am heading into my second "A" event of the year. The first marathon of my legal career- it's my first ever trial (yup, with like witnesses and everything!)
In my area, although we spend a bit of time in Court, we don't get to trial that much. This is mostly because our cases are big, and take years of prep. They also tend to take weeks of court time, so actually getting a fixture is as much work as the fixture itself! You can spend years in lit working only on interlocutories (where the evidence is generally all on paper and the decisions are only on discrete issues), and never get to the *real thing.*
So it's exciting, but it's been tiring, as you're all aware. Obviously, I can't say much about it, so I won't tell you how we're feeling the night before it starts, and I won't really be able to tell you how I feel after it's over. But wow- it's been an experience. I think the marathon analogy is apt, and am amazed I didn't think of it until I realised I'd written the second sentence of this post. So, to continue the analogy, what I can say is that I feel like I've gone from a 5k to a marathon over the last few weeks, and although there have been some bumps in the road, I'm ready for the big day. Bring it on.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
A little bit AWOL
I can't believe I haven't posted since my last long run!
It has been another tiring week- travelling and big deadlines for work, slow and exhausting runs and heaps of time spent getting ready for our good friends' wedding today!
Today was a different story- sort of. I felt like rubbish when I started my 12mi run. Not a good sign for holding 9:29 pace, given my sloow long run last week and my abysmal "tempo" run on Monday (awful! my pace for the 8mi was over 9:00s- I can't even remember by how much!). But it was a great day, and somehow my legs and my music got me through. I thought I was going well, so I freaked a little when I got to what I thought was the 6 mile mark in 58:34. WTF? But I've just got home and looked at the map again, and the landmark was for 7, not 6! That's 8:20s! I was meeting P at 9 miles (over a big hill), and was stoked to get there in 1:19 (8:46 pace). I lost some pace running with P- it was getting hotter, and we chatted. But we still got home (the last 15 minutes is uphill, yuck) in 1:50, which is about 9:15. I'm not quite sure why we lost so much pace, but I know I could have held the pace I had been doing despite the heat, and would have expected to still come in under 9:00, even with the hill. Oh well. I think I am getting sick, which is not surprising, given the last couple of weeks. Quite congested and my ears were all blocked and horrible when I got home.
So, I think I've kinda made up for the bad tempo run on Monday- I did 8mi at the suggested tempo pace (slower than usual "tempo") today.
My other run for the week was 400s. I felt pretty tired, and was really p*ssed that I couldn't get under 1:45. The distance was definitely not short though, and when I tried a different approximately 200m there and back interval I was coming in under 1:40. I think maybe the first was sliiightly long and I'm positive the second one was a bit short! (I was using map my run and running on a slightly undulating and kinda windy stretch by the beach) So once I looked at my pace charts and re-checked the map I felt a bit better.
I have been trying to just focus on my key runs this week, so other workouts have just been a swim and a trainer ride. Both were pretty good, especially the ride. We did an hour of spinervals base building, and for once my cadence was at the right level without me having to cheat!
It has been another tiring week- travelling and big deadlines for work, slow and exhausting runs and heaps of time spent getting ready for our good friends' wedding today!
Today was a different story- sort of. I felt like rubbish when I started my 12mi run. Not a good sign for holding 9:29 pace, given my sloow long run last week and my abysmal "tempo" run on Monday (awful! my pace for the 8mi was over 9:00s- I can't even remember by how much!). But it was a great day, and somehow my legs and my music got me through. I thought I was going well, so I freaked a little when I got to what I thought was the 6 mile mark in 58:34. WTF? But I've just got home and looked at the map again, and the landmark was for 7, not 6! That's 8:20s! I was meeting P at 9 miles (over a big hill), and was stoked to get there in 1:19 (8:46 pace). I lost some pace running with P- it was getting hotter, and we chatted. But we still got home (the last 15 minutes is uphill, yuck) in 1:50, which is about 9:15. I'm not quite sure why we lost so much pace, but I know I could have held the pace I had been doing despite the heat, and would have expected to still come in under 9:00, even with the hill. Oh well. I think I am getting sick, which is not surprising, given the last couple of weeks. Quite congested and my ears were all blocked and horrible when I got home.
So, I think I've kinda made up for the bad tempo run on Monday- I did 8mi at the suggested tempo pace (slower than usual "tempo") today.
My other run for the week was 400s. I felt pretty tired, and was really p*ssed that I couldn't get under 1:45. The distance was definitely not short though, and when I tried a different approximately 200m there and back interval I was coming in under 1:40. I think maybe the first was sliiightly long and I'm positive the second one was a bit short! (I was using map my run and running on a slightly undulating and kinda windy stretch by the beach) So once I looked at my pace charts and re-checked the map I felt a bit better.
I have been trying to just focus on my key runs this week, so other workouts have just been a swim and a trainer ride. Both were pretty good, especially the ride. We did an hour of spinervals base building, and for once my cadence was at the right level without me having to cheat!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Eye on the prize
This week has gone downhill since Monday's fanTAStic run.
Tuesday I was travelling for work, so took a rest day. My meeting finished early and I had great ideas of wandering round town or switching to an early flight. Unfortunately, my feet, my high heels and my boss had other plans, and I ended up going to a late meeting and getting home at about 9:30pm.
Our 800s on Wednesday were a disaster- my goal pace was 3:38 (for a 7:15 pace), but using the Macmillan pace calculator, I was planning to aim for 3:24-3:33, and my splits were 3:36, 3:45 (headwind, but still!), 3:38 and 3:31. OK, it's not so bad, but I wasn't feeling it. I felt slow, uncomfortable. I was irritable, I snapped at P. Also, 4 * 800 is not a workout! I got home feeling fat, tired and grouchy.
I looked forward to going to Masters on Wednesday night, especially as I missed Sunday and will not be able to go this Sunday. I don't want to lose the habit already! However, I had work to catch up on, and new stuff coming from the day before, and I didn't finish work til 10. This is sometimes the norm, and I get used to it- but MAN it was a shock to the system to this new, balanced lifestyle, Kate!
To top it all off, P unexpectedly had to go away for TWO nights! I didn't even get to say goodbye properly :-(
So I missed another workout. Yuck. I had a swim with C planned this morning, but I slept in and was late. I grumbled away to myself "stupid work. stupid pool. stupid kate." It was much better when I got to the pool, but I wasn't really feeling it, and was relieved to get out and get coffee after about 1500m! Can you say SLACKER!?!
Tonight I can't work out, as I am doing 14 hilly miles starting at 4:45 tomorrow, and don't want to do those on tired legs. Also I have chores galore to catch up on.
But sometime during all this, I remembered that I have to keep my eye on the prize. Although in the triathlon world, I am a big slackbum, in the real, normal people world* I am someone with a tendency to overdo things. The prize at the moment is not building swimming endurance or improving my speed in the pool. It's not losing 10lb (though my goodness I need to lose some of that!) or looking good in jeans. It's not totalling up my workouts and seeing a number over 10, or even a number over 7. No- it's a marathon. My marathon. So who cares if I missed some workouts? I didn't miss my key runs, and I'm going to be well-rested for my big run tomorrow. Who cares if I've put on a bit of pudge? It'll go, but I know the best thing for me is to keep away from counting calories until after April 28- even if that is 10 weeks away! So although I still feel fat and slow and lazy, I have some perspective. Phew.
I got an email from C the other day saying "I'm so dreading my long run this weekend. I feel so much better and so much less nervous about them when I run with you." Hmm. How bad do I feel? I have 99% decided to run Rotorua for me, but this makes me feel awful. We have only run long together twice, and she decided to do the race before I did (waaay before), but still.
Anyway- I can't wait for my run tomorrow. I have 2:15 to do my 14miles, but the route is quite hilly, so I could be cutting it quite fine!
*I saw a survey today where 56% of city dwellers in NZ claimed to workout 5 times or more a week! Uh.. Yeah right!! I know maybe ONE person outside the running/tri/cycling community who comes close. Maybe if walking 20 minutes to work counts, but still...
Tuesday I was travelling for work, so took a rest day. My meeting finished early and I had great ideas of wandering round town or switching to an early flight. Unfortunately, my feet, my high heels and my boss had other plans, and I ended up going to a late meeting and getting home at about 9:30pm.
Our 800s on Wednesday were a disaster- my goal pace was 3:38 (for a 7:15 pace), but using the Macmillan pace calculator, I was planning to aim for 3:24-3:33, and my splits were 3:36, 3:45 (headwind, but still!), 3:38 and 3:31. OK, it's not so bad, but I wasn't feeling it. I felt slow, uncomfortable. I was irritable, I snapped at P. Also, 4 * 800 is not a workout! I got home feeling fat, tired and grouchy.
I looked forward to going to Masters on Wednesday night, especially as I missed Sunday and will not be able to go this Sunday. I don't want to lose the habit already! However, I had work to catch up on, and new stuff coming from the day before, and I didn't finish work til 10. This is sometimes the norm, and I get used to it- but MAN it was a shock to the system to this new, balanced lifestyle, Kate!
To top it all off, P unexpectedly had to go away for TWO nights! I didn't even get to say goodbye properly :-(
So I missed another workout. Yuck. I had a swim with C planned this morning, but I slept in and was late. I grumbled away to myself "stupid work. stupid pool. stupid kate." It was much better when I got to the pool, but I wasn't really feeling it, and was relieved to get out and get coffee after about 1500m! Can you say SLACKER!?!
Tonight I can't work out, as I am doing 14 hilly miles starting at 4:45 tomorrow, and don't want to do those on tired legs. Also I have chores galore to catch up on.
But sometime during all this, I remembered that I have to keep my eye on the prize. Although in the triathlon world, I am a big slackbum, in the real, normal people world* I am someone with a tendency to overdo things. The prize at the moment is not building swimming endurance or improving my speed in the pool. It's not losing 10lb (though my goodness I need to lose some of that!) or looking good in jeans. It's not totalling up my workouts and seeing a number over 10, or even a number over 7. No- it's a marathon. My marathon. So who cares if I missed some workouts? I didn't miss my key runs, and I'm going to be well-rested for my big run tomorrow. Who cares if I've put on a bit of pudge? It'll go, but I know the best thing for me is to keep away from counting calories until after April 28- even if that is 10 weeks away! So although I still feel fat and slow and lazy, I have some perspective. Phew.
I got an email from C the other day saying "I'm so dreading my long run this weekend. I feel so much better and so much less nervous about them when I run with you." Hmm. How bad do I feel? I have 99% decided to run Rotorua for me, but this makes me feel awful. We have only run long together twice, and she decided to do the race before I did (waaay before), but still.
Anyway- I can't wait for my run tomorrow. I have 2:15 to do my 14miles, but the route is quite hilly, so I could be cutting it quite fine!
*I saw a survey today where 56% of city dwellers in NZ claimed to workout 5 times or more a week! Uh.. Yeah right!! I know maybe ONE person outside the running/tri/cycling community who comes close. Maybe if walking 20 minutes to work counts, but still...
Monday, December 18, 2006
Since my last post...
Good things:
Appearing in court on my own for the first time (seriously small potatoes stuff, but fun)
Swimming in an outdoor pool at 6:30am
Finishing my 2500 endurance swim at a faster pace than my 1k "time trial" the other week
Getting unexpected and excellent work-related news last Thursday
Buying my Christmas presents to me (bike jersey, swimsuit, compression tights)
Finishing most of my present-buying
Choosing and trimming our tree with my sisters and my sister's boyfriend
Kicking Christmas off with a carol concert/singalong at the Town Hall
The warm feeling in my stomach when we started "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
Going for a run around the waterfront after work tonight
Wearing my cute dress to the firm function and being asked over and over where I got it (the answer- local department store, $47.99)
Staying on my strappy heels until 2am (not exactly a HUUUUGE night out, but me + strappy sandals....)
Summer food
Bad things:
Only having time for 35 minutes after work
Watching people swimming in the sea with jealousy dripping off me like sweat
HR training
The beginnings of pre-Christmas stress starting to get to me
Housework (in particular, making our "spare" room-- which is now known as the sport room and should be known as the tip-- inhabitable)
All in all, a happy few days :-) I love this time of year!
Appearing in court on my own for the first time (seriously small potatoes stuff, but fun)
Swimming in an outdoor pool at 6:30am
Finishing my 2500 endurance swim at a faster pace than my 1k "time trial" the other week
Getting unexpected and excellent work-related news last Thursday
Buying my Christmas presents to me (bike jersey, swimsuit, compression tights)
Finishing most of my present-buying
Choosing and trimming our tree with my sisters and my sister's boyfriend
Kicking Christmas off with a carol concert/singalong at the Town Hall
The warm feeling in my stomach when we started "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
Going for a run around the waterfront after work tonight
Wearing my cute dress to the firm function and being asked over and over where I got it (the answer- local department store, $47.99)
Staying on my strappy heels until 2am (not exactly a HUUUUGE night out, but me + strappy sandals....)
Summer food
Bad things:
Only having time for 35 minutes after work
Watching people swimming in the sea with jealousy dripping off me like sweat
HR training
The beginnings of pre-Christmas stress starting to get to me
Housework (in particular, making our "spare" room-- which is now known as the sport room and should be known as the tip-- inhabitable)
All in all, a happy few days :-) I love this time of year!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)