Category: Slacker

Kettle Bell Ouch

I just didn’t feel like riding 8 miles on the bike on Monday but the nagging part of me said I should do some form of cross training. Or something. So I decided to work in a bit of strength training with a kettle bell work out. It was short but intense and I felt like I had done something productive. At least until Tuesday morning.

Oh crap, it hurt to move. My thighs were in pain, hehe. I spent the day trying not walk like a duck and wearing heals was not helping. Needless to say, Tuesday night’s run was a little rough. I completed my 3.5 miles but my legs were so stiff and sore. I think I hurt less after my last half marathon. How sad is that? Each lap around the park just seemed slower and slower. In reality there was only a 13 second gap between mile 1 pace and mile 3, but let’s be honest, they started out slow. Wednesday was a much needed Slacker day.

Which brought me to Thursday, my long day. After work, I planned to run there before heading out to class. My legs still hurt; seriously?! I left work, running the same route as last week, however this time I didn’t get lost. I figured I would base my distance on my pace. If I was still dragging and feeling lame, I would turn around at the service road, the 1.75 mile mark. If I was feeling ok, I would push on to the 2 mile mark then turn around.

The day was bright and sunny, so opposite of last week’s heavy fog, same temperature thankfully. I enjoyed the scenery along the way; it was pretty in the sunlight. I felt good, so I pushed on to the natural history museum before turning around. I knew I was going to slow down a bit on the way back as it was mostly uphill, but I pushed on. Last week I took 2 brief walk breaks and this week I just powered through.

Got to my car and was pretty pumped, figured I at least beat last weeks’ time. So I checked my Nike+; and nope. I was slower by 28 seconds. Ugh.

I feel like I am in a running funk. I just feel frustrated with the workouts I have completed the last week or so. Maybe if I didn’t have 2 big races coming up, I wouldn’t care. But I do and right now I feel like I am getting slower not quicker. I realize that any run is better than no run but I had finally started to see progress these last 6 months. I still have a 6 miler that I need to do this weekend, maybe I should just do that as an easy run?

On the upside, we got out of class early, which means I made it home before 10 last night. And I got to see this view on the way to work this morning:

Then I ended up in the natural history museum…

Wednesday was a late day at work, so that turned into another rest day. Oh well, I just considered it a way to distance myself from Monday’s frustration. I have class on Thursdays but there are two hours in between school and work that I need to fill. This week I decided to try running.

So I have worked in this town for 8 almost 9 months, but run there once, and it was race on the beach so it doesn’t count. I mapped out a route that I was going to take and then had to change it because everyone I work with said I would be hit by a car on that particular road. Awww, so confidence inspiring. So they helped me make another route. Since this was the first time running before class, I figured 3.5 miles was a good goal. It would give me a good run and some time to stretch out before class and maybe study a little.

I set off with a goal of turning around 2 streets past a major street in town. According to Google maps that is. So I pass the main street at about 1 mile, thinking ok a little a farther than I turn around. By then I was in the state park. The first street is right inside the state park, so I knew I was still on track, so I ran on. The park had towering eucalyptus trees lining the ocean on one side and a golf course on the other so I was enjoying the view. It was heavily overcast but it was still pretty. I was running and looking for the road on the left when suddenly was I was in the natural history museum. Umm what? That was the 2 mile mark, not 1.25. How did I miss the street? Pulled my phone out and checked the GPS, yep, 1.95 miles. Crap! So I turned around and starting running back.

The route to the museum had been all downhill. So now I was on a time crunch, farther away from my car than planned with just shy of 2 miles uphill to go. Passed a dirt track on the way back that was the service trail for golf courts, was that what Google maps showed as a street? That is not a street!!!

I pushed all the way back, only having to take a walk break once up the worst hill. Got back to my car and was at 3.95 miles, figured what the heck, I am already late, I might as well hit 4 exactly and went around the block another time. 🙂 So Thursday’s easy run turned into a tempo by necessity. It felt good though. I think I like running in overcast chilled weather. I live in the wrong town, hehe.

Which brings us to Sunday’s long run. I set out with a plan for 8.5 miles. I planned on running to the track. Same route as my previous long run with an additional loop, so I only would have to do 3 miles on the track. Turns out the loop only added .5 mile not a full one. So that meant 3.5 miles on the track. I started out before 9 and it was already hot. It gets hot here and I know that, but it’s a dry heat, I can handle that. However these last three days haven’t been a dry heat, it has been so muggy. Yuck! 😦

I woke up tired Sunday morning but knew I had to get going. I finished all 8.5 miles with another .5 mile cooldown, but they were some slow, hot, tired miles. It was so steamy; I had a salt problem for the first time ever, or lack of. I was sweating salt. I had water and Gatorade, too. That has never happened to me before, hopefully it doesn’t again. Maybe I need to try something else. If the weather stays like this I may run my next long run in the gym on a treadmill. I don’t think I can do 10 miles in that humidity. But that’s 2 weeks from now, so the weather should break by then. Fingers crossed.

On the upside, I spent Saturday car shopping and managed to get rid of the clunker!!! Woo hoo!!!!!! Moving on from gas guzzling crap to (hopefully) sleek, heavy mileage friendly. My SUV sure looked pretty but it stranded me the day after I bought it, made it 3 years but commuting 35 miles one way 2x a day was killing me. I am so looking forward to the drive this week!!!!

Now onto to a relaxing Monday off! With some cross training stationary bike later.

Hope everyone had an amazing weekend!

The long run…

After Wednesday’s hot run, I went out Thursday with the goal of doing an easy 3 miles. We had another triple digit week last week, so I told myself that if it was hot, I would stop after 2 laps, so almost 2.5 miles. First lap out wasn’t bad, kind of hot but there was more shade than I recalled 🙂 Yeah!! Of course, I forgot my water bottle again. The good thing about running laps around the park? You pass your car again! I was able to get my water bottle after the first lap.

With the shade and a little breeze that picked up, I was able to finish 3 laps, so just shy of 3.5 miles. I had planned to do speed work but the temperature turned it into just a steady run. I was ok with that. When I run at the lake, I don’t have access to my lovely stretching wall, but there are workout stations around the path. I love this one for stretching at the end of the run-

I took Friday and Saturday off. I feel like I have been running nonstop for the last few months and unfortunately I don’t mean the good kind 😦 I know that I have a crazy week coming up as well, so I was so close to saying screw it, I am doing absolutely nothing this weekend, like the Slacker I am. Not even real running. I could get a long run in next weekend right? I would still ok with my training. Then I remembered that I have race next Saturday and a company picnic all day Sunday. The race is only a 5K, so unless I pull a 2-a-day, I wouldn’t be able to get the mileage in. So much for a lazy weekend.

So my mother wanted to meet at the track to get some miles in, but I so did not want to do 7 miles on the track. I have done up to 10 on the track before, but it gets rather monotonous. So I decided to run to the track (4 miles) and then do another 3 there. I left my house with plenty of time to run the 4 miles and meet up with my mother. Apparently my memory is faulty. I had run the route there before but somehow forgot that it is 5 miles not 4. Ummm, oops 🙂 It took me a little longer to get there than planned. But on the upside, that just meant less miles on the track! 🙂

Too bad it doesn't show the track loops. — Too bad it doesn’t show the track loops.

Along the way, I tested out some new fuel. Not too bad, but not cola tasting either, hehe. I miss my candy corns though.

So all in all, 7.5 miles done. Kind of slow, but I didn’t care about the pace today just the distance. It is also the first time I have run that far in a pair of shorts. Usually for long runs and races, I wear capris. I think I may be able to get used to it, not sure yet. On a side note, I went and bought actual running underwear? Um, did I miss the memo that said you needed a girdle to run? Could they go any higher? Awkward, but hey, if I ever have to wear a tight dress, I have something to put under it now 🙂

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Anyone have a good race or run?

Too much sun = Ouch

Apparently I can run 13 miles in the sun and be fine, but a few hours at the beach paddle boarding? That really kicked my ass. By Sunday night, I had a splitting headache, I even tried sleeping with an icepack. Woke up Monday still feeling crappy but dragged myself to work. I only made it half way through the day though. 😦 One crappy thing about a commute is that once you leave work sick, you still have to drive all the way home!

I did make it home, showered and crawled into bed with a blanket. You know it’s bad when you’re sleeping in the middle of the day with a blanket. Particularly when it’s almost 100 outside. So much for Monday’s planned run. I still felt poorly on Tuesday so I took another rest day. Slacker! On the upside, two days off gave the burned tops of my feet a little more time to heal. 🙂

I planned to do an easy 2.5 miles on Wednesday, just 2 laps around the park. However my friend was unable to make it. My mother had been texting me that she wanted to walk while I ran, so I said ok. Downside of not stopping halfway like planned? An extra 10 degrees. When I parked my car, the internal thermometer read a nice toasty 100. Oh boy! But I was gonna take it easy right? So I changed, grabbed water and was out the door.

Even the trees look hot :( — Even the trees look hot 😦

Had to fix a shoelace, so I bent over to tighten it. A little over half a mile later, I realized I was missing something. I had never picked my water bottle back up! Seriously where was my head? But I pushed on cursing the hills and missing the nice flat lake path. Finished 3.5 miles, some very slow miles. I am telling myself that any forward motion is a good thing, right?

Now I just have to work out when to get in a 6.5-7 mile long run before Sunday and I will be on track. Plus I have a 5k next week to look forward to!!

Anyone have any races to be excited about in the future?

Cinnamon rolls, new clothes and paddle boarding!

So, amazing customers struck again on Friday and a local diner brought us a little treat, fresh made cinnamon rolls. Of course, I ate one or more, just don’t ask how many! So even though it was Friday and a long day, I felt like I had to do a couple miles when I got home. Just to try and compensate for the yummy cinnamon rolls. So I met up with my mother and we did 4.5 miles. It was an easy run but it felt pretty good. Probably needed another 10 miles to make up for the cinnamon rolls but oh well.

Saturday involved a little shopping with a yummy lunch. I should not be allowed near a sporting goods store with a credit card. However, considering I was at Sports Authority, The Running Warehouse, and Dick’s, I think I restrained myself pretty well 🙂 Can’t wait to test out the new shirt.

I ended the day with a good 3.5 miles at the track with a decent pace. But it was the track and that is my happy place. I did not complete any ladders, I was tired. I came home with the intention of posting this update but fell asleep in the comfy chair instead. What a slacker!

Awhile back at work, there was a competition between all the branches. The winning branch received a $500.00 gift card to have a branch party. We won!!!! So then we had to decide what to do. My new branch has an adventurous nature and instead of old stand byes of bowling or the melodrama, we went with Stand Up Paddle boarding!!! Well, some chose kayaking.

I had never even been kayaking so I very nervous about Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP). I am not the biggest fan of the ocean, sharks and all, you know. Driving there this morning, I passed so many people out for a morning run; driving up the road to the paddle board shop, I had to have passed at least 10. It was making me feel lazy!

So the morning’s adventure started with a lovely lecture by the paddleboard people. Don’t go around the pier, don’t wander too far and if the wind starts to take you, sit your butt on the board and try to grab on to something, like a boat or a buoy or a kelp bed. Apparently they have had to rescue a few people this last week. Yikes!

After that confidence inspiring moment, we were off! You start on your knees before standing up. Standing up in open water is not so easy, but I did it! The weather was perfect, lots of sun and little wind. Of course I got myself stuck in a kelp bed right off the bat but I managed to pull myself out. Our group had 4 paddle boarders and 6 people in double kayaks. We went around the harbor, under the pier and over to a little cove below the lighthouse. Along the way, there were pelicans and seagulls, otters and seals! I had my phone in my running belt, inside plastic bags. I really wanted pictures so I chanced it. Unfortunately, the pictures didn’t turn out so well 😦 We were so close to the otters and seals. One seal followed us for a while. So cute!!!!

At the light house, we pulled up on shore and walked up to look at the view. There was a sea lion floundering at the shore line, he didn’t look well. We called the marine mammal rescue for him, so I am hoping that they were able to help him.

After we paddled back, we had a nice picnic lunch on the beach before doing some more paddling. After all that paddling, I no longer feel guilty about not running. That was a total core workout! I am wondering if I will be sore tomorrow.

I do know that I got way too much sun!!! Came home and crashed. And I burned the tops of my feet; that should make running fun!

Ahhh, the runner's tan :) — Ahhh, the runner’s tan 🙂

Anyone else have any adventures this weekend?