Category: Slacker

Hello Off Season

I took 5 days off after Big Sur. 5 days in a row of intentionally not running. Say what? I figured a week would let all of my little aches and pains and funkiness heal. I don’t know if anything was actually leading towards an injury but I figured a little intentional rest wouldn’t hurt. Intentional rest is odd. Normally if I have 3-4 days off in a row, I start to feel like a lazy, guilty sloth-like creature. And I usually whine about it here. 😃

I wanted to run a few times but I told myself a week and I was sticking to it. It was kind of weird going straight home after work every day. Coworkers asked is if I was changing to run and I said no. How odd. A week turned into a work week- 5 days counts right? I headed out for a short, easy run on Saturday. To make sure I wasn’t tempted to go crazy, I took the puppy with me. It’s been a long time since I stole her for a puppy jog so I figured why not? She did really well. The only time I was concerned is when we were swarmed by vultures. But, really I was concerned about both of us too. Seriously creepy. I may not run by that house again for a while. 😞 They were still there the next day!

So that 3 miles run plus a 7 mile bike ride on Monday trying to shake out the achiness from Big Sur was all the exercise I got in last week. Oops. Failure at the first week of the #holidaysweat. Hmmm, that timing didn’t work out so well. I wanted to run on Sunday but woke upp feeling like I was getting a chest cold. Breathing is still uncomfortable. Grrr. But I would rather feel crappy this week when I have multiple commitments after work which conflict with the gym. Then hopefully, I will feel great next week when I can run whenever I want because I’m on vacation!!!! Woo hoo!

Making Big Sur my last race was not my original plan. I had planned on running a 25k trail race at Montana de Oro to cap off the year but realistically I was not prepared in any way shape or form for that. Luckily I hadn’t registered yet; I knew it might be a long shot after Big Sur. Also it ended up raining that morning so bonus! I’d really be sick if I had run in that. I ran 13 races this year, 7 were 13.1 or longer. I’m good with that. 😄 That said, I may throw in a turkey trot on Thanksgiving because, well, it’s a turkey trot.

As for off season, I am still reading books and plans and looking for a better way to train that I know I can sustain. All these weird, crazy thoughts are in my head right now, so I am taking the time to sift through them. I am also currently reading Ultra Marathon Man by Dean Karnazes. It is not helping to temper the crazy thoughts at all. I need to figure out something soonish though as I am leaning towards running Surf City again and that is the first Sunday in February.

And this week? I have social plans! Holy crap, who am I? I am meeting friends on Tuesday and Friday. Wednesday?! I have tickets to Riverdance!!!! Total nerd moment but I am so excited. Even better- I won the tickets! Woo hoo!

Oh and I randomly decided to quit soda today. Sort of.*

How was your weekend?

Thoughts on Riverdance?

Bets on how long til I cave with the soda? *Disclaimer- I am allowing myself to have it if I eat out- but no more soda at work.

Big Sur Goals?

You know that quote?

It’s better to be 10% under trained than 1% over trained when you step up to the starting line.

Whelp, how about 30% under trained? Actually that may be pretty generous. I had big plans for the weeks in between City to the Sea and Big Sur but we’ve already discussed the sloppiness of October so let’s move on. 😉😉

So what is the under trained slacker with an aching ankle thinking about for this weekend?

Big Sur is supposed to be gorgeous- If it takes me longer to run it, well then I get longer to enjoy the view.

Start will be in the low 40’s- I haven’t quite adjusted to that but at least it won’t be too hot.

Bib 3118- Corral D…out of A-L. What the hell am I doing up there? Maybe inertia will push me forward and I will run faster?

This is half marathon #6 of 2015, first time I’ve run that many 13.1’s in a year. Sweet!

Elites- Kara Goucher and Sara Kiptoo- Seriously. I will be running the same course as elites at the same time-holy crap! Actually, now that I think about it, part of the course is an out and back…I may need to keep my phone handy. 😆

Ummmm- this- I need it-

Road trip! Seriously I never went anywhere before I started running.

Monterey- Home of the aquarium. We may try and go. But, man those tickets are stupid expensive.

Community- I’m going to be surrounded by thousands of other people like me. Those who think that lining up on a cold morning to run 13.1 miles sounds like fun. 😄

Monday- Did I mention I have Monday off?

This could be my last race of the year, at least I chose a good one. I’ve been having some odd ankle pain, hello denial, can I move in?

The view- Seriously, the pictures I’ve seen make this worthy of 2 mentions. I’ve actually considered carrying my little digital camera during the run. Either that or I need a strap for my iPhone.

So instead of goals, I have only one hope. I want to cross the start line and the finish line smiling. No head games, no berating myself, just running with a few thousand strangers like me. Runner’s are crazy right?

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend! Molly, Allison, Rae, Kate, those running Revel Canyon or Wine and Dine, and everyone else I am missing!!

That otter is awesome, right?

Weekly Recap- Over October

Happy November!!! Seriously I am looking so forward to November. Which is rare for me. 😃 But before we get into the October recap, let’s talk about last week.

Monday- Rest – Still dealing with the remnants of the weekend’s migraine.

Tuesday- 2.25 Miles- I sacrificed mileage to enjoy a few last evening runs outside. This is pretty typical for the last 2 weeks before the time change though. Totally worth it to me. Unfortunately my commute makes for pretty short runs.

Wednesday- Rest– I had a training seminar a few towns south of work, so I knew getting in a run after work was unlikely. I headed home to discover some pretty sweet mail. A while back Dana over at Slow and Steady(ish) was hosting a giveaway and I was the lucky winner. Yay! 😃 Seriously I never win anything. I can’t wait to try them all.

Thursday- 2.25 miles– Goodnight lake, I’ll miss you. Also, I made a mistake. I ran this short run in my last pair of Wave Rider 17’s. They only have 100 miles on them and I wanted to give them another shot. Not the best idea. I had some aches and twinges.

Friday- Rest- Also, I lost the cookie battle again.

Saturday- Rest- The number hungry person in me wanted to get in a run just to add to my October mileage but I knew I was aiming for a 10 miler on Sunday so I refrained. Plus it was still in the high 80’s. Grrr. And my knee was now hurting.

Sunday- 7 miles– I was out the door running by 9AM- which is huge for me- but it still got warm. I don’t think I had ever really processed the correlation between the temp and the time change before. 9 meant the 10AM temps, grrr. Between the warm morning, and the persistent ache in my knee down into my left shin, I called it at 7 miles. The run was erratic at best, I could not get my pace under control- not even close. There were times I was running a sub 9:30 and then walking a 15:00 minute pace. If I didn’t have a race in 6 days, I may have toughed it out but I decided it wasn’t worth it. I have learned my lesson though- the Wave Rider’s and I are never getting back together. Insert Taylor Swift gif.

All in all a much better week than the previous 2. Which leads me to-

October Recap!

I am so over October. Seriously. September and October were hands down my busiest months of the year, I’m done. Unfortunately that “done-ness” showed in my mileage. Something had to give and it was running. So let’s look at the numbers-

Miles run- 42.9

Races- City to the Sea 13.1– 2:12:40

So yeah, October was a sloppy mess. That mileage number kind pisses me off but makes sense considering I had a 5 mile week and a 6 mile week in the middle. I did get sick and if I am sick enough to leave work, I am too sick to run but that only accounts for a few days, not the month. October was supposed to be the month of me getting out of my own way, instead I dug a ditch. I need to take a note from Elvis with a little less conversation and a lot more action. In line with that, I have decided a little positive peer pressure is in order. So I will joining the #chasethebird challenge with Oiselle and sweating pink with the Holiday Sweat Challenge. This should be interesting. 😉

So what am I looking forward to? November potentially has 3 races but I am rethinking one of those. Another awesome thing about November? Vacation!!!!! I don’t usually like vacations, I dread them. But I am so ready for this one. I am actually counting the days until November 21. Then I have the next 2 weeks off! 😄 Now I will probably be going stir crazy by day 4 but 2 weeks is what work requires so 2 weeks it will be! 19 days, 19 days.

Oh and 6 days to to Big Sur!!!!!! Now if the knee pain could go away. And the foot…

How was your October?

What are you looking forward to in November?

Goodnight Lake

Tonight’s run was brief and a little melancholic. The day that evening runners like me dread is near. Sunday- the end of daylight savings time. Waah! I am not one to run in the dark, I don’t like it. I like seeing where I am going and you never know what may be lurking in the shadows. 😃 My rule of thumb is that if it is too dark to see with my sunglasses on, then it’s dark for me to run outside. So with that in mind, I headed to the lake path tonight for a little “see you later” run. My last run outside after work this year. It was slow and short and reminiscent of a favorite children’s book.

Goodnight dry lake bed.
Goodnight nice stretching equipment.

Goodnight bridge.

Goodnight interesting shaped tree branch.

Goodnight random goats- happy eating.

Goodnight lake cat- (please be here in a few months)

Lights are on, it’s time to go.

Goodnight lake, see you next year.

Do you dread the end of daylight savings as much as I do?

Have any running routes you have to miss according to the seasons?

Favorite bedtime story?

Week Ummm Recap

You know, I am not sure how to title these anymore. Training for City to the Sea may be over but Big Sur is now less than 2 weeks away. The goal was to keep my fitness steady before Big Sur and before I carry out a new training style after that. Well, hmmm.

Monday- Last Harvest Marathon meeting. Race day was less than 7 days away and there was a lot to be done. Again, not that I was doing much- I just upped my media posting for the race.

Tuesday– Had an evening meet up with the some other people from work. There was a point in time when everyone in my position knew each other no matter which city we were in but the company has doubled in size in the last year or so and we can no longer say that. Someone suggested that we try to meet up outside of work. I figured why not?

Wednesday- 3.5 miles It felt good to get out running. I had only taken 3 days off from running but I was feeling twitchy. I went to the lake and just kept it nice and easy. It was a good run. As I ran back towards the parking lot for my second lap, I noticed a group of people all clustered together just staring at the sky. Umm, what did I miss? Turns out there was a giant hawk hanging out in the trees.

Thursday- Kettle bell workout. I had planned on running again but my stomach had other plans. I tried reintroducing some foods I have been missing during my paleo attempts and it didn’t go so well. I figured the dvd would still be a good work out and I could quit easily if I needed to since I was at home. I completed the workout, and felt wrecked. Man I need to strength train more. 😂

Friday– Oh mama, it hurt to walk. I think the weighted squats broke me. Let’s not even talk about sitting and standing.

Saturday– 3.1 miles. I woke up with a niggling headache but ignored it. I originally had a shower to attend but things had changed so I headed out for a short run before I needed to head to volunteer at the registration/ pick up tent for the Harvest Marathon. Seriously my legs felt broken, I ran so slowly. They finally loosened up a bit when I hit my driveway. Figures. 😌 I then went to registration. The temp being in the mid-80’s with high humidity was not helping my headache any. I worked the pick up tent for a few hours before heading to the school to find out where I was stationed the next day. I was assigned to be the course monitor for my mother’s water station so score. My head was pounding so I headed home after that. Slept with an ice pack in an effort to try to head off a migraine.

Sunday– Harvest Marathon!! So early. It was dark but not cold when I got up. My head was so rough, I headed to McDonald’s for a coffee and a soda before the volunteer meet up. Yes, soda, even though it wasn’t even 6:15 yet. I was hoping the caffeine would help my head. Picked up some of the kids and headed out to our little corner. Thing about the Harvest Marathon? It is a benefit for Paso Robles School Athletics- all the aid stations are staffed and run by the high school sports teams. This station was the tennis team- hi mom! We set up and we were ready! We were at mile 8.5, so the first runners would be coming through around the hour mark. The kids had water and Fluid and were cheering on the runners. They all looked strong but you could also tell the hills were harder than they had hoped. Another thing about Paso? There is no such thing as flat. One guy was hilarious. He had a thick Texas drawl and he comes running up saying- “Well, I had been running a 9 minute pace, but that last hill put me at 11!”. He got water and rounded the corner- up another hill. We could hear him saying “and now I’m at 13!”.

My head was really throbbing and I was feeling super nauseous so at one point I went and sat in my car for 20 minutes. I could no longer deny the migraine. Grrr. The last of the runners went by and after waiting longer we all headed out. My mom had planned breakfast with her team after and I went along. My head hurt so bad, I just sat there. Once home, I took a super long nap. I really wanted to get in a 10 miler but I had troubles getting to the bathroom so that did not happen. Grrrr. I usually average one migraine a month so hopefully it will be cooler when the next one hits. This weekend was pretty warm and humid. Cooler than the 90’s but still pretty warm.

So it was a week filled with running related events just not as much running as I had hoped. I’m rolling with that though and it just leaves room for improvement this week. Truthfully getting through this weekend was a big check on my to-do list. I feel so much less stressed now, so yay!

How was your weekend?

Ever work a water station for a race?

Migraine tips? Mine usually need ice, dark rooms and lots of food.