No names for the honor roll since the last posting, alas. Click here to go to my Fred's Team webpage if you would like to become one of my sponsors and join the amazing Honor Roll of people who can imagine a world without cancer, and are working towards that goal.
It's been one of those weeks, you know. Between school and training and prepping for rehearsal (I'm rehearsing CORPSE for the Cape Playhouse) there hasn't been a free moment. Well, I lie a little, there has been a few free moments, and I've been spending them sleeping. I guess I am at that point in my training where I absolutely must get at least 8 hours of sleep a night if I am to be any good the next day. For example, Tuesday. After what I thought was a decent amount of sleep the night before (7 hours,) I got home from school at 3:00, sat down on the couch and started planning out how I was going to spend the afternoon until it was time for the Fred's Team workout, "Okay, I'm going to put in the laundry, make these phone calls, do this paper -- zzzzz." Out like a light. And if you take a look at the previous post, the view out of my window isn't any better. When you can nap through demolition, you can nap through anything.
And while I'm on the subject of being remiss in posting, apologies in advance -- for the next two weeks, because I'm rehearsing during the day, I'm switching to night school (just for the two weeks) and that means that the training sessions I miss because of school and work I'll need to get in either ass-early in the AM, or after 9pm. I'll do my best to blog, but there won't be many hours left in the day. More power to people who can do things like this on a long-term basis -- balance a job, a family and school (or some other time-demanding equivalent, like marathon training.) Heck, my brother went to law school at night while balancing a full-time job, a family with two children under 3, and being orthodox on top of that, which means even more obligations than your average non-observant person. With all that, he just graduated summa cum laude. At least someone got the brains in the family. I would say if he can do it, I can do it, but you know, for two weeks I can do it, not much more. I'm too old and bitter.
So if you've been wondering why my training log hasn't been updated, they're back. I wasn't shirking, I promise, I was trying to update them on the school computers, and they wouldn't let me enter new workouts. That Buckeye Outdoors site is something else, a great way to log any kind of sports activities. Click here to check out their site for yourself, and you can view my whole training log there, too.
Tuesday was a speed workout at Riverbank State Park, up on 145th St. It's a beautiful area of town -- I meant to bring my camera, but I plum forgot. It's got a park, lots of great waterfront a la Riverside Park, a rink, a gym, a cafe, and a football field with a padded track around the perimeter. Almost makes you forget you're sitting on top of an active sewage treatment plant. Next time we're up there I'll take some photos, so you'll see what I mean. The only problem with the park is that during the summer and fall the football field is turned over to soccer, and there are at least 5-6 games of varying levels of organization and competence happening at the same time. So in addition to dodging walkers and small children on the track, we're also avoiding errant soccer balls. And no, you don't win anything or get to go home early if you get hit.
It was a good speed workout, if a little muggy. A one-mile warm-up followed by four miles of one fast lap, one slow lap. I tried to stay comsistent, and was glad to see that my fast times were all under 2 minutes (best time 1:52,) which is about 10 seconds faster than my pace this time last year. I varied the water breaks so that I sometimes took them every set (fast/slow) and sometimes every two sets. I didn't rest any longer than a minute, and it's funny, I notice that I ran a faster fast lap after a break, yet I feel bad about breaking. I guess I need to figure out how to balance the need for a break to refresh vs. the need to push when tired. I think I need the push. But that's me.
This past Thursday was our last Belvedere step workout for a while, next week we will shift to the stairs near Riverside Park, where we trained last year after they closed the Belvedere steps for renovation. It's about the same amount of steps, but there's also a hill component, too -- at the top of the steps there's a hill that you can go down instead. Last year we did all sorts of variations of up the steps/down the hill, up the hill/down the steps, etc. etc. Can't wait to see what this year has in store. It's actually more fun than the Belvedere steps, don't know why. Maybe because the area is a little more "park-y."
Friday, instead of some mileage, I had a pilates core workout at Longevity Health. I told you, that place is your one-stop shopping center for all things wellness. Click here, you won't regret it. Anyway, Dr. Margolin thought it would be a good idea to strengthen my core more than I have been doing at the gym, he says it will help keep my hips more in place and support my back. And it is part of the chiropractic package (I'm telling you, people, check them out!) I thought it would be gentle stretching and some ab and hip work, which it was, but boy was I sore afterwards. Lots of similarities to what I was doing in PT a couple of years ago, but more focused on the core than on the back. Rick the trainer was very patient and helpful (I've met him before at Broadway Bares -- he was a performer last year, and this year he was part of the Longevity gang that comes and gives the performers and crew free massages, chiro treatments, foot massages and acupuncture during the dinner break) and I think that it could really help me if I stick with it and do the exercises correctly.
And today -- Saturday -- what a freakin' day. I had to get up at 5am and out the door by 6:15am for a 15 miler. I needed to start early, because I was seeing the BEEHIVE runthrough in the rehearsal hall (the Cape show that's about to travel up to Mass. and begin performances) then I was going to help Dan (the other SM) pack out the rehearsal room and tape down the floor for my show. You can see my general thoughts on the sidebar. I deliberately went slower today so I wouldn't crash as hard as I did last week, which did work, this run was not nearly as much of a struggle. It got very humid and I started fading around mile 12, but I think I was holding back because I was able to sprint across the street at the light after the run, I'm usually completely spent. Unfortunately the pace meant no post-run rest at all -- I showered, downed some Endurox, then headed over to the rehearsal hall with a laundry cart's worth of stuff, then stayed there until 6:00pm dealing with CORPSE stuff. Because foolish me -- I forgot that I'm not taping one set down -- it's TWO sets (it's a big show with two complete sets.) Plus there's all of my stuff, and Dan's stuff, to sort through so I can see where I'm at. I was going to hit the Kinko's for a round of Xeroxing (why I didn't do it three weeks ago is beyond me) but I could barely see straight. And now here I am, writing to you.
So I've got to get up early tomorrow and drag myself to the rehearsal hall and see if I can get in and finish up. Ah, well, maybe tomorrow there will be time for a ... nap!
PS: I haven't done the drawing for the gift certificate yet, I will get to it soon, I promise!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment