Category: Slacker

Recap · Run! · Slacker

2021… Meh

Fallon @ Slacker Runner4 Comments

2021 was…. Yeah.

I don’t think anyone got what they were expecting this year nor the number of curve balls thrown.

So, 2021 in bullets

  • Started the year with big goals- 50k. 😂😂😂
  • Broke the big toe on left foot running trails in January. Devil shoes.
  • Learned that I did not know how to swallow and went to speech therapy for 14ish weeks to relearn.
  • Went to Yosemite for the first time, when can I go back???
  • It was determined I do not in fact, have asthma. Who knew? Granted Paradoxical vocal cord dys-yadda yadda is much harder to say. Again, a benefit of speech therapy.
  • Diagnosed with multiple melanomas. All removed with clean margins but those are some very scary words. Think I’ve have a biopsy or excision every couple of months this year. Boo. Wear your sunblock!
  • Drove to Idaho/ Washington for first road race since March 2020. Coeur d’Alene is gorgeous. I’m jealous of that running path. Not of Spokane though, ha!
  • Turned a milestone birthday and still not sure how I feel about it or what I have to show for that many years. 🤨
  • Ran another live race in Santa Rosa that felt surprisingly great until it didn’t.
  • Ran one of my favorite trail races again and still smiled even when I wanted to fall down and cry, I was so tired. I’ll be back.
  • I ran more trails in my area but still have so many more to run. 2 of those pics are above.
  • Work is good, stressful but good. Not gonna lie, being customer facing 2 years into a pandemic has shown me a new level of stress.
  • I had a couple more trips planned for the year but well, life.
  • Broke the 2 little toes on my right foot in the beginning of December. Oops. I live up to my nickname of destructo girl, I really do.
  • I ran way less miles in 2021 than planned but any miles are good miles, right?

So yeah, 2021 was yeah. I’m not holding 2022 to anything.

Run! · Slacker

September- Catchup Style

Fallon @ Slacker Runner1 Comment

And I disappeared again.

I was feeling ok post Santa Rosa and looking forward to running but I also knew I pushed it more than normal so I chose to the take the week after the race off. I headed out for a few miles on Labor Day which were slow and already hot but that was ok; I was stilling feeling the running buzz.

Then, I started to go downhill. A migraine was rolling in on Wednesday evening. I tried fighting it off on Thursday but lost the battle. I ended up spending all of Friday in bed, on Saturday I moved to the chair. I managed to go out on Sunday to get the essentials for the week but then it was home for a 3 hour nap on the floor. You know how you say you just want a day or 2 to lounge away and watch stupid TV? It’s not as cool as it sounds. I did watch a ridiculous amount of stupid movies though. So many. So very many. And the cat never left me.

A new week has begun, well is almost over, oops. I still haven’t run but I think I am on the upswing. Fingers crossed.

And I’ve cross trained!!! 3 times! I figured I wasn’t well enough to run yet but I could try at least some sort of exercise. Oh my god, squats, it hurt to walk for 2 days. Also, oddly my cat decides she has to be near me when I am swinging around weights. Why?

Then I tried to break my elbow on my front gate so that was fun. Still hurts. Then the next morning, I stumbled on the rocks and fell off the curb trying to open the gate. Seriously, just call me Calamity.

Also, my Timehop has reminded me that I apparently have a similar migraine every September. So what is it about September???

Run! · Slacker

Breathe

Fallon @ Slacker Runner3 Comments

Ahhh, Friday.

This week felt like it ran me over with a truck by Wednesday then on Thursday it backed up for another round. This was all work and it left me so drained. And a little cranky. I may have decompressed by laying on the ground watching the ceiling fan spin. 🤣🤣 Its surprisingly effective.

I’ve run next to nothing and I almost didn’t post but that felt odd for some reason. So, here’s a short “hey” and a beach shot from Sunday’s “long” run.

Happy Friday!!!

Run! · Slacker

Processing…

Fallon @ Slacker Runner5 Comments

My brain is like those last three dots.

Or you know when you ask your computer to do too much and you get the spinning blue wheel of useless?

The week started out good before Wednesday served up a left hook that I still haven’t fully processed. I’ve been a little overly emotional, napped a lot, ate more carbs than I should have and watched lots of repetitive TV. I do love Ridiculousness. Still don’t know how to deal though.

Back to Monday. With the day off work, of course I wanted to get in some miles. However, 15 minutes into my run, I knew it was a bad idea. I was too tired from all the miles over the weekend and my body was protesting… hard. So I called it with a short loop and headed for home. 1.67 miles for the day.

On Wednesday besides the sucker punch, I had an appointment with a speech therapist (long story) and after I needed a hard run. I was planning on running the lake path but when I pulled into the lot, there were just too many people. I was not feeling people. I was feeling like a hard, fast run with loud music blaring in my ears. Except I’m overweight, out of shape and forgot my headphones. Made it 3 miles.

By the time the weekend came, I was fried. I was torn between wanting to get lost (on purpose this time), eat a ton of food or sleep a lot. Napping and Lego’s won of all things.

I know this was a little all over the place and a little vague but that blue circle is still spinning…

Run! · Slacker

Peace Out 2020

Fallon @ Slacker Runner3 Comments

I really shouldn’t have said so many bad things about 2019. 2020 was just cackling in the background.

However, instead of digging into the dumpster fire that it was, lets talk about something else.
So, yes, last year went according to no plan but there were some things that didn’t suck.

I ran 2 IRL races. One local 8 miler in January with no medals or bibs or shirts so I kind of feel like I have nothing to show for it. Oh wait- a blog post here!

I ran half marathon #40 on March 1 in Napa. Yeah, not what I had hoped for half #40 but maybe indicative of the shi**storm that was coming. If you missed the sh*tshow- here’s a post!

Then the world went, well you know and my motivation took a huge nosedive. My first canceled race was in mid- March and it went downhill from there.

But moving on.

Work went cuckoo in April and then I received news that I was transferring offices in May. 3 times the size of my current one, so I guess I’m doing something right? I feel like I hit the ground running and haven’t stopped since.

Most of my canceled races transitioned to virtual, very few deferred or postponed. I also signed up for a few virtual challenges. However it took months for any semblance of motivation to come back. I’m still not sure it’s back but I am getting there. Maybe. That’s another post.

So…. yearly mileage. Yeah. I saw a number I haven’t seen since the first year or 2 when I was running. I ran 327 miles in 2020. Yay??

No, it’s not great but it is better than it could have been. When I say I was lazy outside of work- I was lazy. I am only now beginning to realize my stress level and my coping are not where they should be.

For a year with no miles, I may have the biggest medal haul yet-

Not sure how I feel about that. And some are not in this picture as I don’t feel I earned them. Something for 2021 right??

Oh- I did escape to the Grand Canyon and Sedona in the fall. First time as an adult and now I can’t wait to get back there.

Also, I have either optimistically or naively signed up for real race in 2021. Fingers crossed!