Category: Run!

Week 49 Recap- Double Digits!

Ok, for the week but we’re getting somewhere right?? 🙂

Last week was weird and long and rough and short -all wrapped up into 7 days. My boss said it best- when you wake up Monday thinking it’s Friday, you know it’s going to be a long week. While I wasn’t quite that bad, I was pretty close. Part of my issue was vacation brain. I was trying to get everything done that I had to do before I left. I wanted to try and leave nothing behind when I left for 2 weeks. It didn’t help that open enrollment for our health insurance fell during the 2 weeks I am gone. Well, that’s not good timing. Grrr. But as of 6:30 Friday I am on vacation! Ask me again in 3 days if I am still liking this vacation thing. 😛

Monday- Rest Hmmm, I can’t remember anything particularly special about Monday

Tuesday- Rest Same as above

Wednesday- 3.1 miles Another night run. Farthest one yet! I was bundled up and in reflective gear. Or at least I hope it was reflective. It’s not like I stopped a car and asked and I received no helpful cat calls this time. On the plus side, Christmas lights are going up and every light helps to run to! Then I went and did some shopping for the Toy Bank and that was nerve wracking. When did toys get so expensive?? If you follow me on Twitter, you know I was asking for help. 😛

Thursday- Rest I’m giving my lungs a chance to adjust to the 4o’s and only running at night once a week and I just couldn’t force myself to go to the gym just yet.

Friday- Last day of work! Also, my mom’s birthday. I made poor food choices throughout the day. Oops.

Saturday- 4.7 miles Farthest and fastest run in a month! Which is awesome and kind of sad all at the same time. I set out in the middle of the afternoon and I quickly realized how over dressed I was. The plan had been to run to the high school where my mother was having tennis practice then we’d run some errands. I was hoping to run 5 miles but unfortunately all of my sugary, carby food choices made over the last few days came back to haunt me while I was running across the bridge. The fact that that was also my fastest mile in well over a month and a half probably didn’t help either. I spent that last .7 just trying not to be sick. That put me right at the high school and I figured that was good enough for the day.

Oh, and for the first time in the 30+ years I’ve lived in this town, I went to the Christmas Parade! We froze- 70 floats?!!- but it was super cute. The announcers on the other hand- they needed help. They either thought they were funny or were a little deeper in their cups then they should have been.

Sunday- 3 miles Ooof. I had a headache in the morning and a dinner plans with the family in the evening so I headed in the early afternoon. Maybe I should have skipped it. My Garmin died 1/2 mile in. My lungs never got on board the run train. I took a ton of walk breaks. Near as I can tell, I completed 3 miles around a 13:00 pace. Say what? 3 miles is 3 miles right? My legs felt fine, my lungs and head had other plans. It is what it is, right? I brushed it off before joining the family for dinner at Olive Garden. Breadsticks, anyone?

Just barely over double digits for the week, woo hoo! Food choices on the other hand got a little screwy by the end of the week. With work having donuts on Thursday, a celebratory lunch on Friday, my mom’s birthday Friday and my dad’s birthday Sunday, I’m feeling a little fluffy and bogged down. I didn’t even feel like this after Thanksgiving.

How was your week?

Any vacation tips?

Meandering Musings

Happy Friday!!!

By the time you read this, I will be one shift away from 16 days off. 16, people. 16. Ordinarily I would say I was afraid I was going to lose my mind but it’s been a long year. This may be a vacation I can handle. I know I need a few days with no alarms or deadlines.

It may only be December 2 but I have been watching non stop Christmas movies for weeks. I can’t stop!! They are so cheesy and I love it! Now if only I could figure out what to do on the Christmas gift front.

Does anyone else get cold feet? I mean literally. My toes are frozen all the time! I need thicker socks!

I made it out for my second night run! Made it 3 miles this time. It ended up being a very slow progression. 😛 Man our sidewalks are uneven. I was bundled up in tights, tank, long sleeves, my Buff®, a beanie, gloves, reflective vest, and a flashlight. A woman passed me at one point; she was wearing shorts and a dark sweatshirt. One of these things is not like the other.

Starting next year, work won’t be open on Saturdays anymore, well for the most part. While kind of awesome, it’s also odd. Don’t get me wrong, I may miss the occasional odd half day but I won’t miss working Saturdays. Or the trek to that location.

Speaking of that night run, sorry to everyone I blinded with the strobe light on my flash light. Apparently this blonde can’t operate a flashlight properly. 😛

Also, WordPress has recently dumped a lot of the blogs I follow so I’m hunting you all down again. So if you get another follow from me again, hi!

16 days. I keep coming back to that. How long until the boredom posts start coming?

Share something random with me!

In the Buff

Disclaimer: I received a Merino Wool Buff® to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

I admit I never quite understood how awesome a Buff® was until I had one, now I want more! Can I have all the pretty colors? Also, if you’re like me, the extent of your knowledge of Buff® was what you observed on Survivor over the years. #facepalm

Ok, so a little knowledge from the website- the Original Buff® is a tubular, multi functional piece of head wear. The Merino Wool version I received is a wind-resistant and lightweight layer made with 100% merino wool, it also has natural moisture management and odor control properties. It can be worn so many ways!! Full disclosure- I’ve only mastered 2. 😛

Ok, my thoughts. How have I run through winters without a Buff®? My ears are kicking me! My ears get so cranky in the cold! I’ve never been able to keep them warm enough before and not cut off the circulation to my brain. When I am not using it around my head to cover my ears, I love it around my neck. I don’t think I would have made it across the Golden Gate Bridge without breathing through my Buff® during my last half. I’ve become rather attached to it, it comes with me everywhere. I realized it’s in my purse every day! I’m looking forward to trying it at the gym. I am hoping it solves my dilemma between a headband and a towel that I inevitably always forget. 😛

The only drawback I’ve encountered is that I must be overly sensitive. I think it could be a little softer but I also find that’s something I am adjusting to the more I wear it. From what I’ve read, this opinion seems to be isolated to just me. Definitely not going to stop me from wearing it all winter long. I think it’s going take the place of my trucker and keep my ears covered, nice and warm.

How do you stay warm on the run?

What is cold for you?

Week 48 Um Ouch Recap

After the last week, I am so glad I don’t have anything to put under the “Training For” label. I had such high hopes for getting back to running but life was like yeah no. 😛

Monday– I packed all my stuff for an evening run and I was looking forward to testing out my new reflective vest and tights. My back started to feel sore bordering on painful towards the end of the day which I thought was odd but other than that didn’t think much of it. Since I was also waiting for a new shoe delivery I used it as a reason to rest. I figured I had the rest of the week to run, right?

Haha! Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday- Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch

My alarm went off on Tuesday and I damn near screamed when I went to turn it off. Whatever had been wrong with my back the day before was nothing compared to this, I could barely move without crying. Getting dressed was one of the most painful things I’ve done and I have a pretty decent pain tolerance. Every movement hurt. And kept hurting. I could have used a sling, I basically kept my left arm at a right angle and glued to my side for 3 days. Instead of screaming or cursing, I would only whimper with the occasional moan.

Problem was I realized just how left hand dominant I am. I am right handed so I write and eat with my right hand but I do damn near everything else with my left hand and arm. I felt like I forgot how to do everything. I kept losing the computer mouse at work, I’m not used to having it on the right side! Grrrrr. Anyways, I was about as active as a lump on a log those days. A moany lump on a log.

There were Shiny moments though- I saw Fantastic Beasts and it was awesome! Movie theater seats were not a good idea but the movie was great! Thanksgiving was a very low key, chill day with family, just the way I like it. I’m also not a huge fan of traditional fare so it’s the one day a year I have no worries of overeating. 😛😛 I was feeling a little better on Friday, so with slooooow, deliberate movements, a coworker and I decorated the building for Christmas. I guess that was pretty active, I hung lights around 9 windows. 🙂

Saturday was crazy rainy but I was feeling a little better so I took advantage of a break in the rain and headed out to attempt a short run. I made it 3 miles and kept it super slow both due to my back and the now 3 weeks off. I feel like I am starting over! That said, it was a pretty good run, it helped that I had zero expectations about this run. I was pretty happy that I was even able to get a sports bra on.

Sunday was spent doing some Christmas shopping. I also returned the Hoka’s. They just weren’t working. My toes felt bruised every time I wore them and I still have that odd spongy feeling in my left arch every now and then. It never existed until the Hoka’s. I hate returning shoes but I also can’t afford to just eat the cost on $130 pair of shoes either. I exchanged them for another pair of Nike’s. That is the only pair of shoes that hasn’t caused me any issues other than I can only wear them up to 8 miles. But it’s not like I will be hitting the double digits any time soon so these should get me through. Also, fingers crossed that the Hail Mary Sayonara’s that arrived on Monday will work for longer runs.

My back is still sore but drastically better then it was during the week. I feel a knot or something but I’m still going to take it easy until it is back to normal. This has happened once before, years ago. I remember rolling over to get out of bed, feeling and hearing something pop before the pain hit and I couldn’t get up. I also remember yelling for help for 40 minutes before someone in the house heard me. That may be why I forced myself to try to work through the pain this week. That or I am stupid. My boss tried to get me to go to a chiropractor but 1- they scare me, 2-by the time I jump through the insurance hoops it will be next year. 😞

How was your week?

How was your Thanksgiving? Did you run a Turkey Trot?

Ever break yourself while sleeping?😛

Racing Ahead

As rough as 2016 has been, I am still in denial that Thanksgiving is this week, more like tomorrow. How is that possible? It just can’t be! That being said, I am looking forward to one part of 2017…

My race plans!!!!

I would say schedule but considering they’ve already hit a drastic snag due to well…life. I had originally planned on running Surf City again on Super Bowl Sunday. 3rd try’s the charm right? Plus running it 3 years in a row qualifies you for Legacy status, it’s the little things right? But like I said 2016 has been rough and I will be attending a family memorial that weekend.

So with the need for something to look forward to, I took to the internet. Man, there are a lot of cool races out there! However, I am limited to those within driving distance. 😛 So, tentatively, I am looking at an early 2017 that might look something like this-

January- Carlsbad Half Marathon

This one is coming up fast, I won’t lie. I’m not registered for it yet. It won’t be a race race but more of a super awesome long run with thousands of other people along for the ride. The course looks amazing and I think it would be an awesome start to the year. I want to see how the first few weeks of December running go first before I register. I have a discount code for it and I would rather pay a little more than lose it all, you know?

February– Buzz Half Marathon

Keeping it local…and small. So small, the race doesn’t even have a logo 😛 This race takes place entirely on a nearby army base and it always been in the back of my mind to run but Surf City is usually the week before, so this year is looking good!

March– Wine Country Half … or Livermore

More than likely Wine Country. It’s small, it’s local and it’s one of my favorite races. I’ve run it 5 times. I broke my streak last year, boo, so I am looking forward to getting back out there. I know this course extremely well and love it. Even with the hill of death at mile 12.3.

May– Destination Races Santa Barbara

I get to run this race with BibRave and I am so excited. I have never heard a bad thing about any of the Destination Races. Plus running near vineyards is kind of my jam and one of my favorite things to do. I’ve also wanted to run a race in Santa Barbara but never been able to make it work. Plus with the start in Santa Ynez and the finish in Solvang, it makes me feel nostalgic. My grandparents lived in Santa Ynez when I was growing up and it brings back memories of many family trips. I am also thinking that May is perfect timing for a challenge race. That G word is still a 4 letter word in my book but I am liking the idea of a challenge for 2017. But more on that later.

Now that’s all to say I don’t do something crazy in April. I won’t lie, I am having crazy thoughts about April but we’re going to let those percolate a little more. 😛

Do you have any plans for 2017 yet?

How far out do you plan races? Register?