March 30, 2009 - recovery day

i am amazed at how good i felt today considering i ran 42.2k yesterday. i ran 1k today in a time of 5.20 (fairly fast pace compared to most of my runs as of late). the knees were noticably sore, but not bad enough that i couldn't have continued on if i wanted to. it will be interesting to see how i feel tomorrow. i will likely give the knees a substantial test as this will give me an idea of how my recovery times are. ideally, i want to take the charlottesville run slow enough to ensure that i save more than enough to get thru boston at an equal or faster pace.

will plan to get over to the pool for some longer swims later in the week to keep up the endurance work.

Jenn

very satisfying dress rehearsal 42.2k run!

well, i decided very early on that today's run would be a dress rehersal 42.2k run. i treated it like it was a race.. i went at the fastest pace that i felt i could sustain for 42.2k and my estimate turned out to be bang on. this was my first 42k run in 9 weeks and my health and fitness levels appear to have declined since then, but i decided to go at a slightly faster pace, given my restful week.

the run went very well. i slowed down a bit in the 3rd quarter but felt re-energized after 2 bottles of boost at the 29k mark, and i actually ran the 4th quarter as strong as the first two! i finished up at 4.19.08, with quarter split times of 62, 64, 69, and 64 minutes. this was 14 minutes faster than my run 9 weeks ago, a run i did when i was 6 pounds lighter.

most importantly, i felt great all the way thru and continued to feel great into my afternoon recovery. i have no doubt in my mind that i could go out there again in 48 hours and run another one at the same time.. (which is exactly what i will be doing next month in official races!)

adjusting to life after testosterone has certainly been challenging, as i have lost energy and gained weight. but after a series of med dosage changes, and the surgery, things have finally stabled off and i can start to get a sense of normalcy, which will allow me to start benchmarking and setting goals.. i have no doubt that i will lose off the weight this spring that i gained over the fall and winter; and no doubt that i will be running at a level that could be considered female equivalent to where i was last summer. the ultimate benchmark is the BQ time, and it is going to be a goal of mine to run at least one marathon this year in 3.45.59 or better.

after what has been a steady decline in fitness for 6 months due to surgery and hormone treatments, things appear to be finally looking up!

Jennifer

March 28, 2009 - you go girl! (slowly)

the fans were out to cheer me on in the infamous Get Lucky 5K road run to raise money for arthritis research. it was a slow 24.00 5K for me, which represented the absolute best effort that i could muster this morning. definitely a far cry from the 19.37 i ran last year on the same course. but heck, it's to be expected with the loss of testosterone, the weight gain due to estrogen therapy, etc.. overall, it was a very consistent run that gave me confidence that i am in tune with exactly where my fitness levels are at as i go into 3 weeks of wind-down as the final prep for my massive undertaking in april.

i ran again later in the day to feed the duckies and to get over to the pool, giving me 11.1k run and 2k in the pool today. felt very good throughout the day. this rest week (only 38.3k of running) has certainly proved to be helpful as the knees are feeling MUCH better than they were last week. it's gonna be three more easy weeks (probably in the 50k range) combined with what i hope to be an increase of swimming.

traditional marathon training programs call for a rather aggressive long run 3 weeks before race day, so i may go out and give it a good go tomorrow. probably a semi long run that will be supplemented with a long swim.

Jennifer

March 26, 2009 - slushy run

well, the snow finally stopped and the temp started to climb above freezing. combine that with one of the world's worst municipal government snow clearing programs in world history, and you have what amounts to very slushy and nearly unrunnable sidewalks. but that wasn't enough to stop me. i plowed my way through 7k of slush to ensure that i got a decent work out today. i missed out on my evening swim on account of a social event. it's been a restful week physically but a very emotionally draining one too. the energy levels aren't too bad. the reduced workload of runs and swims has helped the legs, specifically the knees, with healing.

i am going to plan to race in a 5k event this saturday so that should be an interesting test to see where i am at in terms of speed capabilities..

friday will likely be a rest day too. with perhaps 1-2k of running.

Jennifer

March 25, 2009 - lunchhour workout

well, with another snow storm in the works tonight, i decided to get my workout at lunch with a 5k run and a 2.75k swim. the entire work out felt great. the swim was really strong all the way thru and i was even doing some sprint laps towards the end. probably the best swim i have had in a long long time.

gonna be a hectic couple of days as i clue up some things at work and do some last-minute networking. the more people that know i am looking for work, the better. i applied to 15 Government of Ontario jobs today, and will be applying to many more tomorrow in Ontario and BC. I wish there were more jobs here in NL to apply to. Oh well....

Jennifer

March 24, 2009 - speeding!

well, i found myself behind schedule this morning and literally had to sprint 4k to get myself to a dr appt on time. i was surprised to cover 4k in just 18 minutes, a very respectable time given my decline in fitness.. i ran another 6k later in the day at a slower pace. the knees are feeling better after a couple of rest days..

rough day overall, including a job interview that didn't go very well. the spotlight continued to shine on me in the evening as i delivered a presentation to the Dept of Justice, who are conducting a review of the Human Rights Code. i gave a spirited presentation that on the concept of adding 'gender identity' and 'gender expression' to the code under ground of discrimination. i gave a series of real-life practical examples of discrimination i face on a regular basis from both individuals and society as a whole. i also took the opportunity to network and let people know that i am being let go by my employer and am hence looking for work. the media took note of everything i had to say and i could be given the opportunity to speak with them further to tell my story.. definitely something that will have pros and cons..

another mega snow storm is apparently on the way in st. john's so i am not sure what sort of running i will get in on wednesday. i haven't been over to the pool since sunday so i am hopeful to have a nice long swim.

Jennifer

March 23, 2009 - rest day

well, just a measly 1.6k token run today to say that i ran. my knees are appreciative of the rest. busy day for me as i plan for a job interview, and a series of other networking and consultations tomorrow.