Round Two

Dome intervals again tonight! Unfortunately, it's the only running I've gotten to do in a week. I had to work the weekend, and the extra snow and cold temps have kept me inside at spinning class. So, last week I said I felt faster already, and apparently I am. I did 2 more intervals (8) with 20-30 seconds less time in between. Drum roll please...they were about 5 seconds average faster than last week!

I've got wrestling fever. No, it's not something I caught as a result of Valentine's Day. My youngest brother is wrestling this weekend in team section tourneyment, and it's all I can think about. We're seeded #4 in state, and we have to get by the #1 seeded team to make it out of our section. I probably won't be able to talk on Monday. I'm a screamer. Updates later!

I Feel Faster Already

So this year... me, speed, trying to combine the two. It sounds easy but I assure you it's not. I am S-L-O-W, but last night, I felt a little faster. I decided to take advantage of a program held Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Metrodome (where the Twins and Vikes play). It's only a dollar, and you can run for up to 3 hours. Since my marathon training program will require me to start doing intervals, I figured I'd better get used to them. Minnesota sidewalks in February = tretcherous, so running inside sounded like a great idea.

The dome "track" measures approximately 630 meters per lap on the side that I was running, so my goal was to run 5 intervals at 7:30 pace with two minutes rest in between. I know 2 minutes is a long time, but I wanted to ease into them a little bit. I liked them so much, I did 6. I'm not even joking. The goal was to hit my laps at around 3 minutes, which would be just a little over 7:30 mile pace. (I do realize that this is slower than Steve's half marathon pace a week ago).

Splits:
3:06
3:02
2:57
2:56
2:58
2:54

I've got a lot of work to do before June, but I felt really strong the whole time, and I'm actually excited to go back next week. Maybe this speed stuff will be fun after all!

I Want My Belly Button Dimple Back! You Can Keep the Porno Boobs.

Well, It's winter, and I've put on my usual layer of Christmas cookie chub. The extra layer usually just makes me extra curvy, and it goes away in the spring. At least it usually does. But my metabolism isn't the same as it was a couple of years ago, and my activity level while I'm at work is basically nil since I'm on the computer so much. All of this plus no Ironman training have me a little worried that the chub may be a little harder to take off this year.

A couple of days ago, I noticed that my "second belly button" is getting smaller. It's an indent right above my regular belly button where the muscles come together. I've always been pretty proud of it, and I want it back! Here's a pic of my abs from a couple of years ago. The face has been removed because, well, let's just say we were in Mexico, I'd had a couple of frosty beverages, and the resultant expression in the pic was not flattering.

If you look close, you can see my second belly button.

It's always been one of my secret goals to get a 6 pack. I may have had one briefly in high school. Not really sure if it's possible, but I at least want my old abs back! My sister's boyfriend seems to think that 6 packs don't belong on girls. Anybody else got an opinion?

As you may have guessed from the title, the winter curviness has occurred everywhere. This may make Steve happy, but it's not too much fun to squeeze into a sports bra that was hard to breathe in in the first place. Those girls gotta go.

I'm super excited that my marathon training starts in 4 weeks! I'll talk more about the plan later. It's really going to focus on speed, and it only requires 3 days of running per week - perfect for triathletes. The last couple of years have been spent running for the sake of logging miles. I'm excited for my runs to have a purpose again. That means intervals, though. Ugh. I haven't done running intervals in years, and tonight I start at them again. Wish me luck!