Hill, Schmill

On Sunday Dave and I drove to one of our state parks for our 8 mile long run.  We had mapped out a 4 mile loop that we would run twice.  Map My Run said that there was a Cat5 hill (which was new to me).  Apparently, of all the hills that are big enough to be rated (those are the key words) a Cat5 is the easiest and Cat1 is the hardest.  What they don't make clear to you is that "big enough to be rated" means you will absolutely cry like a baby when you run (read: hobble) up it.  I tried to capture the elevation change as we ran by the bottom of the hill but the picture just doesn't do it justice.

We were headed to the top of that line of trees but you just can't see the pain in the picture.  It was a little over 0.3 mile STRAIGHT UP.  We were cruising at about an 11:00 pace until we hit the hill (between mile 2 and 3) and then we dropped to around a 16:00 pace.  And it was so hard to keep running up it that it was mentally crushing too.  Dave was being the cheerleader (a role reversal) and we somehow managed to run the whole thing even though I so badly wanted to take a walk break.  The top of the hill felt grand until I remembered 2 seconds later that we were doing the loop twice...so between miles 6 and 7 when we were really beat down we would have to do that hill AGAIN!

We made it to the hill the second time and this time I had to be the cheerleader because Dave was beat down.  I stopped for about 3.5 seconds to walk and then mentally kicked myself in the butt and started running (clomping. hobbling.) again.  We made it to the top and celebrated that we wouldn't have to do that again.  At least not unless we're stupid enough to do a long run there again!

After we survived and made it back to the car we felt pretty awesome-tacular:

Nope, don't know why I look so weird.  I blame the tireds.  Yes, tireds is a noun.

The Stats: 8 miles in 1:34:39 (11:50 average pace)

Mile 1 - 11:35

Mile 2 - 11:35

Mile 3 - 12:41
Mile 4 - 11:24
Mile 5 - 11:38
Mile 6 - 12:08
Mile 7 - 12:16

Mile 8 - 11:25

A morning date with the hubs. An evening date with the Biebs.

Yesterday the hubs and I actually paid for a babysitter (*gasp*) so we could do our long run together.  We went back to our favorite paved trail on a terrible frigid morning.  Now, last week it was cold, but sunny and we eventually warmed up even though we were wearing short sleeves.  This week it was cold and cloudy so we opted for long sleeves, but we totally underdressed.  I never warmed up!!

We tried some new fuel (still in experimentation mode).  Dave had the Black Cherry Shot Bloks.  He said they were great for his energy level but the taste was less than desirable.  He did recommend them for people who like Dr. Pepper and really strong whiskey....which is obviously not him given the face he made while eating them.  I so wish I'd had the camera!

I had the Blueberry Pomegranate GU Chomps.  The taste and texture were great, but I didn't get the same kick that I experienced with last week's Clif Shot.  In fact I was totally dragging the last half of our run.  Last week's run felt good, this week's felt a little less good.  They can't all be rainbows and sunshine I suppose.

Despite my lack of mojo we did make it our full 7 miles in 1:19:29, average pace 11:22.*

And then we went to Longhorn Steakhouse and stuffed our gizzards!  Followed by White Chocolate Mochas at Starbucks since we were feeling smart for having a gift card to Longhorn!

We picked up the girls and made them take much needed naps, and then minus the hubs, we had a girls night out.  We went to see Justin Bieber: Never Say Never 3D.  Because I have little girls.  And little girls have Bieber Fever.  It was cute and not nearly as painful as I'd imagined.  The home videos of him as a little boy were really cute and I was pleasantly surprised to see how hard he actually worked for his career.  He wasn't quite the overnight sensation I had imagined.  Cute movie.

The girls wanted their picture with the Biebs:

*Split times, for those who want to know:

Mile 1 - 11:00
Mile 2 - 11:43
Mile 3 - 11:36
Mile 4 - 11:25
Mile 5 - 11:38
Mile 6 - 11:33
Mile 7 - 10:36

Must.  Get.  Faster.

The Same, But Different

Today we watched a home movie from when T. was a baby.  She was getting burped, and after she obliged I said "Good Girl!!!" (insert baby talk here) and she jumped a MILE.  On the video, I crack up and even snort.  In real life while watching, I cracked up and even snorted.  It was like surround sound all of a sudden because I sounded exactly like I did six years ago.  It was weird, especially since I feel like I've changed so very much in those six years!

Yesterday, the hubby and I got a babysitter so we could go run together, kid-free.  We set out to run 6 miles on a gorgeous, sunny, COLD day.  It was 34 degrees and Dave normally won't run in that weather but he did it anyway and it was great!  We ran 6 miles on some stellar paved trails in the next town over.  The scenery was gorgeous and runners were out all over the place. 

Dave wanted to start out slowly (he's only resumed running within the last couple weeks) so we were aiming for 12:00 miles to begin with.  We stopped at 3 miles to get a drink, chew some energy and turn around to come back.  Dave ate some Shot Bloks, I took a strawberry Clif Shot w/caffeine.  And I nearly gagged on the taste and texture (it was my first time).  I have weird issues with texture anyway to be fair, but man that thing was nasty.  But with that said, I did get a kick and we busted out some major negative splits for the last 3 miles.

Mile 1: 12:00 (hit it exactly, I should totally be a pacer)
Mile 2: 12:12
Mile 3: 12:17
Mile 4: 11:29
Mile 5: 11:24
Mile 6: 10:25

Total time: 1:09:49, average pace 11:39. 

We both felt good, and I for one have no soreness today (Tiger Tail baby!!).  I've been running 6 miles for a while now on Saturdays and I wanted to keep doing that until it felt good before I started growing the distance.  I finally think I'm ready to move up, so next week we've decided to tackle 7 miles!

A couple miles today will finally accomplish my much sought after 4 day running week!

Lazy Friday Night

I'm having a fun, happening Friday night...how about y'all?  Sitting in my AE fleecy pants with a heating pad on my hip, catching up on last night's Grey's.  Actually, it's heavenly!!

We did manage to drag ourselves out to get some dinner.  Hubby hates when I take pictures of him eating.  Bahahaha!!!!!

I may have eaten copious amounts of bacon cheese fries and ranch dressing.  Pre-long run fuel baby!

Excuse the poor quality of the iPhone pictures.  Oops.

Tomorrow morning the hubs and I are running 6 miles.  I hope the cheese fries don't come back to haunt me.  No porta's on this route!

After the run we're meeting up with Dave's sister and her husband to try out a new Mexican place.  I love going out to eat after a long run.  The hungrier you are the more yummy food you can sample :)

Happy weekend!

Dogs That Bite and Other Tales of Woe

As a runner you learn quickly how your best laid plans can go by the wayside.  Doubly so if you also work, or are a parent, or both.  Last week was supposed to be my first 4 day running week.  In reality, it was only a 3 day running week AND I didn't even hit double digit mileage.

Thursday night T. got sick and she stayed that way until this morning.  She still has a cough, but thankfully the fever has broken and her spirit has returned.  That has meant 4 sleepless nights and I was way too tired to run my 6 miles Saturday.  Originally I thought I might squeeze in 2 or 3 miles Saturday and push my long run to Sunday.  What happened instead is that I ran 0 miles Saturday. 

Sunday afternoon I set out to run 6 or 7 miles, so that I could at least maintain my double digits for the week.  It was gorgeous outside!  Sunny, blue skies, and 59 degrees.  3 days earlier it was only 3 degrees outside and yesterday was 59!!  It felt fabulous.  And then at 0.3 miles in I was attacked by a dog!  Don't be too alarmed, it was just a little bichon frise...but it ran straight out of it's yard, barking and biting at my ankles, without an owner anywhere in sight.  He didn't get my skin, but he sure did bite my shoe and pants.  For some reason my brain thought an appropriate response was "Hey!  Hey!  Calm down now!  You just calm down!".  He did go back to his yard for some reason (which I doubt had anything to do with my attempt to reason with him) and I did NOT run back past that yard.  Yes, I know it was a little dog but I bet it would have hurt if he had gotten my skin!

Anyway, I continue tooling along until about a mile in where my calves begin to hurt.  Again.  Not really the back of my leg where the bulk of the muscle is, but down the inside of my leg.  I start to picture stress fractures and my legs splintering apart in mid-step and other horrid things.  And when I get back to my car at the 2.5 mile mark for a water stop, I just decide I can't keep going.  My legs were hurting so bad!  And they continued to hurt the rest of the night.  This has been going on a couple weeks now and I'm starting to wonder if maybe it's time to go to the doctor, just to make sure there's nothing really serious going on.

I am going to set out to run 2-3 miles tonight and see how the calves/legs do.  Just a few short weeks ago I could run 6 miles at a time without pain, and now I can hardly walk the rest of the night after running 2.5.  Today I'm feeling discouraged about my chances for a PR in May...boo!

Does your long run give you a headache?

Today is the day my Tiger Tail is supposed to arrive!  I’m super excited!  I can’t wait to run tonight just so I can use the Tiger Tail afterwards.  I hope it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me J

Sunday I managed to run 2 miles in 20:32 (10:16 pace, obv), making my weekly total 11.1!  Finally a double digit running week.  New goal for this week: run 4 days instead of only 3.  I want to try and be mindful of the 10% rule and all, so I’m shooting for 3 days of just 2 miles/day and then my regular 6 mile run on Saturday.  Four days, 12 miles, good times.

I need some help on my long run days because I am obviously doing something wrong.  I get a migraine every Saturday after my long runs.  Right now my long run is only 6 miles, but as it increases the severity of the headaches will increase as well.  I get up in the morning, usually eat about half a banana, try to remember to take some Advil pre-run, and then I go run.  It always feels like a pretty hard effort, I don’t do my long runs at a 1-2 minutes slower pace than my easy runs, as so many magazines prescribe.  Then I come home and definitely take Advil if I haven’t already, stretch, chow down on lots of food, get tired, then get a headache.  

I’m already dreading this Saturday’s run because of the headache that tends to follow.  Last Saturday’s headache was a nightmare and I don’t want a repeat.

Am I doing something wrong?

The 5K That Wasn't

We are having some seriously crazy weather in the midwest this winter.  Tuesday and Wednesday we had what forecasters were calling a "blizzard".  I hardly think it was that bad, but we did get some nasty ice with a few inches of snow on top.  Then Friday we had a heat wave.  It got up to 37 degrees and the sun was shining so all the snow melted.  I was thinking my 5K Saturday would be a go for sure, no more snow!  So I wake up Saturday morning, eat my banana, get appropriately bundled up for a 30 degree day.  Then I peek out the window to remote start my car and find another blizzard.  We had a few inches of snow back on the ground and so much snow falling you could hardly see through it.  Ridiculous!

Well I couldn't see paying $25 for a race to set my Personal Worst.  Ever tried to run fast in the snow?  It's a recipe for disaster.  I also couldn't bring myself to do my long run on the treadmill since I was already appropriately dressed for a cold outside run.  So I dug the car out so I could head out to my regular run spot.

I climb in the car, turn on the wipers, and nothing on the drivers side.  My passenger side windshield is cleared, but in front of me: all snow, all the time.  I get out in the snow to inspect and find my wiper is definitely broken.  My ingenious husband somehow jams it back together long enough to get to the auto parts store a couple blocks away, where they replace my wiper blade for free and upgrade it to a better model-score!

It was a crazy morning but I did manage to get my long run in.  I did a 2.5 mile loop (that I designed in my head while running it or I might have picked a longer distance) then came back to my car for a drink and a snack.  Then I set out on my loop again but extended it this time.  My second loop was 3.5 miles, for a total of 6. 

The first loop I ran with my glasses in my hand because the snow was coating them until I couldn't see.  I smartly left them in the car for the second loop.  Here's a picture of the snow on my first loop, which unfortunately doesn't do justice to the amount of snow that's actually falling at that exact moment:

I was so glad when the run was done so I could get inside and get warmed up.  It took me 1:12:15 for 6 miles in the snow, for an average pace of 12:03. 

My last 6 mile run not in the snow was in 1:03:29 so the snow slowed me down quite a bit but honestly, I expected it to slow me down more so I'm happy.

After that the hubby took us to Five Guys for lunch.  Ever been there?  It was our first time and I wasn't nearly as impressed as I had hoped to be from all the rave reviews.  It was okay, just not great. 

Today I have a 2-3 mile easy run scheduled.  I'm playing it by ear, depending on how the old bum knee feels.  Either way it will officially put me in double digits for the week, which will be the first time this training season that I've hit double digits!!  I'm excited!

Cinnamon Sixes Anyone?

Saturday was supposed to be my long run but alas, it was not to be. We had 6 inches of fresh snow which is akin to running on sand. It was one degree outside which by itself wouldn't be a problem but combined with the snow gave me a perfect excuse to stay indoors.  My best laid plans were to run on the treadmill somewhere between breakfast and lunch.  We made "homemade" mini cinnamon rolls for breakfast, which involves cheating by using refrigerator biscuits.  But the filling and icing were the real deal:

They sort of came out mini cinnamon sixes instead of cinnamon rolls.  But the taste was right, and of course we made sure the girls knew they were the best we'd ever had!

We've been preparing to put our house on the market and planned to have a realtor over during the weekend so we were trying to get the house show ready.  That ended up taking much, much longer than we expected.  Interpret: me and the treadmill missed our date on Saturday.

Sunday was church followed by finishing touches on the house and the actual realtor appointment, and somehow the day disappeared without running again.  I didn't stress about it much because I developed some knee and hip pain after my Thursday night run and subsequent Friday workout session.  Oh yeah, did I mention Friday?

I had the day off work Friday and decided to take advantage of the time off.  I started off with 35 minutes of Spine Awakening Yoga.  Ouch!  Then I popped in our latest Netflix movie (Why Did I Get Married Too?) and put in a lovely 30 minutes on the spin bike.  At this point, the movie was really just getting going and I really didn't want to switch to the family room TV and try to figure out how to scene select to where I left off.  There's no place to sit down in the workout room, except on the spin bike so relaxing in there wasn't an option.  Plus, I figured I might as well get some more activity in, so I hopped on the treadmill just to walk.  I ended up walking for 50 minutes on a hill workout.  I felt pretty good initially, but later my knee and hip started to bug me.

So fast forward back to Sunday night and I figured a couple days rest was in order, since my number one racing goal this year is don't get injured.  Then Monday comes and lo and behold, I wake up with a sore throat, A. wakes up with a fever, and the winter flu season has arrived in our house.  Suffice it to say that the last two days have also not included any running.  They have included copious amounts of liquids, Gilmore Girls, and ice cream (hey...the cold stuff really soothes a sore throat.  Try it.).  I'm looking forward to getting a run in tomorrow.  I'm not so much looking forward to returning to work but it had to happen sometime.

Also, did anyone else feel really angry at the end of Why Did I Get Married Too?  I mean, where's the happy ending?

Long Run Saturday

Yesterday morning I woke up early...6:00...on a Saturday.  This is highly unusual for me since I usually set the alarm and snooze until the last possible moment.  For some reason I have woken up at a time with a 6: in front for the last 3 or 4 Saturdays.  This particular Saturday I woke up feeling pretty blah.  I was having some major tummy troubles.  I thought maybe I was just being a wuss and would feel better after my run was out of the way (fyi, I was wrong).  I skipped breakfast (unusual) and headed out to meet the running group.  I tend to hang on their heels for the first mile or so and then drop off the back and finish by myself.  I had my iphone in my pocket and my earbuds strapped on my jacket (aka hanging from my zipper) so that I wouldn't be lacking motivation or distraction after I ended up by myself.  They ended up being an unnecessary nuisance since one of my old running buds (who has since sped up and took off at a new pace without me) is dealing with some hip issues and decided to hang back with me yesterday.  It was nice to have some company for the entire run.  Unfortunately there were a few times she had to circle back and pick me up because I was struggling!

She slowed her pace to stay with me, but I had to speed mine to keep up with her.  It was good for me, because I know I'm capable of faster than what I've been doing on my long runs but I have a hard time pushing myself to an uncomfortable pace by myself.  But I know that if all my long runs are comfortable I'm not going to get to a point of growth.  So, although I wanted to puke and thought I might be dead on my feet around mile 4, after the run was over it all felt worth it.  Doesn't it always feel worth it when you finish and the run becomes a memory?

We did 6 miles in 1:03:29, or a 10:34 pace!  I felt happy and speedy, she felt no hip pain and enjoyed a run where she could keep a conversational pace.  Or she was just saying that to make me feel better :)

We followed it up by meeting up with another of our speedier running buddies for some breakfast.  Bacon, eggs, hash browns, and buttered toast taste so good after a hard run.  And bless the waitress...she kept the water coming!

On a related note, I woke up this morning alarm free at 7:00.  Why can I not wake up early when I actually have somewhere to be?

Neither Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor Snow...

Today was my scheduled long run. I really didn't want to go. Usually that's because I cant get out of bed in time. Today I woke up at 6:45 for some unknown reason so that wasn't the problem. What was giving me the bug to stay home this time was the snow. We only got about an inch, and normally running in the snow doesn't bother me in the least but I just couldn't get motivated. Nevertheless I dragged myself out the door and did my run. I ran an hour and only made it 5.16 miles thanks to the slippery roads. But it was one of my favorite runs in a long time because it was so quiet and peaceful with the rest of the world still in bed.

The sun was just coming up and the snow looked really beautiful in the sunshine.  Just as important, I got my long run done so I didn't have to spend the rest of the day scheming how to fit it in!

Afterwards, I came home and took my first ever ice bath.  I have a LOT of trouble with my knees and hips as my mileage increases.  I have read about the benefits of ice baths over and over again, but I am VERY sensitive to the cold so I've always hesitated to actually try one.  But I decided to take the plunge today.

It was cold!!  That first point of entry was the coldest and I wasn't sure I was going to make it.  But it actually felt good on my muscles so I soldiered on.  After the first 2 minutes I was ready to throw in the towel, but I figured less than the minimum prescribed 10 minutes wouldn't really give me any benefit and then the 2 minutes I had already invested would have been a total waste.  So I stuck it out for a full 10 minutes.  It actually got better about 4 minutes in, when I went totally numb.  I haven't decided yet if I'll try the ice bath again, but I must say that so far I haven't had any knee or hip pain today which is unusual after my long run.  Maybe there is something to it...

Creepy Encounters of the Long Run Kind

Yesterday I went for my weekly long run.  Wait…let me back the train up.  3 weeks ago I went on my weekly long run, came home and promptly caught some kind of Cold From Hades, did lots of sleeping and drinking of fluids and absolutely no running for 3 weeks.  The cold finally leaves my chestal area, I give it a couple more days of rest just to be sure and then Saturday hop on the treadmill for a 30 minute run.  So I decide Sunday that I’m good to go for my long run, I scale it back some but decide I can handle a 50 minute run.  And I did, but that’s not the point of this story.

About 20 minutes in, I’m feeling good, and then I see a guy in a hoodie walking down my side of the street toward me.  Now I have a decision to make.  Do I cross the street and show my judgment (which can also be perceived as fear)?  Do I stand my ground and show my “I’m not afraid of you face”?  Do I take a side street thus avoiding an encounter, but take a chance that he will follow and now I will be in a less populated area?  Do I ponder how a man out running wouldn’t have to think through all of these scenarios?

In the end, I stand my ground and stay on my side of the street so as not to seem intimidated, but I give him a wide berth.  Far enough away that he would have to move faster than me to grab hold, but close enough that I can still see his creepy glass eye and hear him say “You lookin’ good”. 

(An aside here: When I hear people yell/cat call/whistle at me while I'm running I am so flabbergasted.  I want to stop and yell back "Really?  I've been running for an hour, my hair is a giant frizz ball, I'm sweating in places I didn't even know I had, and there's a strong possibility that I sharted during that last mile...but really?  I'm looking good to you?"  But I digress.) 

I pass people on the road all the time.  I’ve had all manner of things yelled at me out car windows.  But this guy here, he Freaked. Me. Out.  I had a bad case of the heebie-jeebies and it stayed with me the rest of the way.  I varied my route back trying to keep the right mix of population with “not likely to run into that guy again”.  In fact, I kind of carried around a violated feeling the rest of the night.  You feel like you live in a safe place, you’re out and about on a populated street during daylight hours, but then you get a little reminder of what kind of place the world can be and might be.