Tag: cold

Tired Legs- Step 1

I finally pulled it off! My head cold may have set me back a bit but I woke up Monday with a plan. I decided I may as well make the most of this last week of vacation running wise. So I headed out for a long run in the afternoon.

I was still feeling a little yucky so I was planning on taking it slow and walking whenever I needed too. I wanted to run between 5-8 and then get the puppy and run/ jog with her for another 2-4. Ok, maybe I was overly ambitious but I was going to run loops around my neighborhood so if I needed to bail I could.

Great start to Tuesday's run before the storm came back- — Great start to Tuesday’s run before the storm came back-

It wasn’t exactly cold but it wasn’t warm either. We have been enjoying some lingering rain systems here which is great because we desperately need it but hard because it’s so not the norm. I figured I would be ok in shorts and I decided to test out the new long-sleeved top that I has picked up. I knew I had to make myself keep it on though. 🙂 I figured I would get hot soon and I did around mile 3. I kept an easy pace and took some walk breaks. I felt tired but pretty good. I have been running the same 5 mile route lately so I know where all the splits should be. I noticed that my Garmin was lagging a bit, guess it didn’t appreciate the cloud cover. The mileage geek in me had to re-map my route after my run since it seemed off. Oh, and while I may have felt warmer on top, my legs stayed a little cold. I had a minor chafing issue? What gives, it wasn’t 100º and that is usually the only time I have issues with my legs- ugh!

Puppies don't do selfies or pose very well — Puppies don’t do selfies or pose very well

It took me a little longer (1:15:58) to complete 7 miles than I thought so I had to hustle to get the puppy. My mom had her ready so I grabbed her and off we went. Due to the rain and setting sun we only managed a little over 3 miles. We were slower than the day before but that was all me and not the dog. 🙂 When we turned around to head back she looked sad that we weren’t going farther. 😦 But long run officially done!!

Tuesday was another rainy one- woo hoo! In keeping with my plan to get used to running on tired legs, I headed out for a run. I have never run the day after a longer run so I wasn’t too sure how it was going to go. My pace was actually better than I thought it would be but wow, my ankles were kind of tired. That was the only part of me that was really achy. There were clouds rolling in and ridiculous wind- I damn near lost my hat3x- so I called it at 5 instead of 6. I am kind of digging this 5 mile route. Too bad I am about to only get it on the weekends.

So 3 days in a row meant Wednesday was a rest day for me. I don’t want to push it too much. Plus that worked out well because my mother had her end of season tennis banquet and I help her a little with that. Oh and if we are counting- I have now watched 4 cheesy Christmas movies- love it!

How’s your weather? Do you like running in the wind?

Am I the only one watching an excess amount of holiday movies right now?

Happy Wednesday!

Every Other Day

With Monday being a day off for me and my team not making the volleyball playoffs, it was the perfect day for a run. However after running on Saturday and hiking on Sunday, that would be the third day on my feet. I haven’t run back to back days in months. Since cutting back a little I have been trying to run every other day. So I wasn’t too sure how it was going to go.

Get away from the zombies!! You run!! lol — Awe, Pinterest, you rock

It was kind of warm when I headed out but better than last Thursday. Once again I as running from Zombies. Actually I noticed that I have the chase feature disabled in the app so mostly I just listen to the story. Oops! Oh well, I will save that feature for when I feel up to speed work again. Sounds like it would be good for fartleks. My legs were tired and I was a little warm so I kept it to a short 3 miles. I clocked a low 11 mile for mile 2, woo hoo!

I admit that this week’s workout were planned around washing my hair. Is that pathetic? I have an all day work trip tomorrow, and getting up around 4:30 means I want to be ready as soon as possible which means no flat iron. I have to say that running every other day has helped my hair feel a little healthier. 🙂 But that’s not the point. A ~~lazy~~ quicker Thursday morning means no workout on Wednesday. Which in turn meant running on Tuesday. 4 days in a row? That was either going to be the worst run ever or not.

Sometimes the craziness of Tuesdays after a 3 day weekend makes me wish we had worked on Monday. I was late getting out of work and there was chatter of a storm coming in. By the time I got back to town the light was fading rapidly due to clouds and the wind had picked up. The river path runs adjacent to the street, so I figured I would try to squeeze in 3 miles. With my slower pace I wasn’t sure I would have the time and I also thought I might get cold since I hadn’t packed for a temperature drop. But bonus for packing a neon colored shirt! After walking a bit, I started running but still took walk breaks when needed. I thought I was going to have a problem breathing since the humidity was 63% but all was good. Maybe I finally figured out my inhaler? When I turned around and headed back it was pretty dark. I had the aid of a slight downhill section so I booked it. My lungs and stomach held and I ended up clocking a 9:47 in mile 3. Best mile I’ve run since August, woo hoo! I’m not sure if it was the weather or feeling rushed or if it’s because my stomach has been slightly better but I’ll take it. 🙂

Now it’s off to bed for me, I have a long drive in the morning and I do not like long drives. Let alone ones followed by a day long seminar. Any tips for staying awake? I slept through almost every college class, something about enclosed places and no air. I’ve already plotted the locations of McDonald’s along the way. 🙂 Not for the food but for the cheap Diet Soda. Caffeine is a must tomorrow.

How has your week been?

Run any awesome miles lately?

Tell me I’m not the only one who washes their hair every other day?

Seriously, tips for staying awake at a seminar? Oh that’s followed by an exam?

2014 Wine Country Half -Recap

Previously mentioned jitters aside, I knew going in that I was not feeling this race for some reason. I was tired, I’ve had a crazy few weeks and I just wasn’t looking forward to that last hill. I knew under 2 was a shot in the dark and was iffy about beating my previous PR of 2:05:57. I managed to get to sleep at a decent hour last night but I hated my alarm this morning. 🙂 I had everything laid out last night so getting ready was pretty easy. A plus about this race is that it had an 8AM start but I didn’t have to leave my house until after 7:20. And that was just so I could deal with parking. I hung out in my car until about 5 minutes to start time. Which was good because it was cold.

I look tired and I haven't even started running yet — I look tired and I haven’t even started running yet

I checked the weather yesterday and this morning and it said high 40’s to start, high 50’s at the end. I thought about not wearing my arm sleeves, but I put them on anyways. Which turned out to be a wise choice because the weather man lied!!! It never made it to the 50’s and the sun never came out. I never took my arm sleeves off; usually they feel too hot by mile 3. My legs were cold to the touch the entire race. When did I get so wimpy? People are running in snow and ice and I have issues with the 40’s? Sad, sad.

Took these the other day when it was sunny

Miles 1-3 felt pretty good, I tried to keep my pace around 9:00. I hit the first bigger hill around mile 2.5, it led with a down hill, so I picked up the pace down it. Mile 4 brought a slow down, I got stuck behind another runner and couldn’t pass due the line of cars driving by! There must have been 6 or 7. It was slower but I was still feeling pretty good. Miles 5, 6, and 7 were another story.

Partway into mile 5, I noticed a tightness in my lungs. Seriously again? I was a little wheezy at City to Sea in October and then February’s Super Fun Run 5K was so cold, I had troubles breathing. I don’t think I have used an inhaler since high school, I don’t even have one anymore. I hadn’t felt like I was pushing it and I felt like my breathing was under control but I slowed down anyways. By mile 8 I was feeling a little better. There was little out and back here that I swear felt longer than last year.

In mile 9, my Garmin went wonky. Every mile leading up to 9 I would pass the race mile marker and then my Garmin would beep about 1/10th of a mile later. Mile 9 beeped but I never saw the mile marker. They were on wine barrels so I didn’t think I had missed one. Quarter of a mile later, I found it. WTH- my pace was making sense for how I was feeling but nothing was lining up. I was getting tired and my arms were chafing and it was making me fussy. I wanted to take a walk break (or 2) but I had a feeling I was walking the hill at the end so I just kept running. There was a man running with his dog, a big dog, so I used that to distract me. The dog looked like he was out for a morning stroll, he was just trotting along in front of his owner, not even running.

Mile 12 and I hit the dreaded hill. I managed to run 1/3 of the way up before saying F* it and walking. Once at the top, I still needed to walk. After about a minute of that i told myself I was almost done and to get a move on. Mile 13 was the slowest over all at 10:44. The finish line was in sight. As I got closer, I could see my mom and Zoey at the finish line. When I ran passed them, I gave her a thumbs down sign to show how I felt. I crossed the line and received my medal, I then headed over to pick up my wine glass. Finishing time- 2:07:08. Not a PR or sub-2 but it was a 7 minute course best.

Want to know what happens when you finish a race that you are half happy about, partially disappointed and just tired? You hug random strangers at the finish line. And I am not a hugger. She wasn’t a complete stranger but now I feel like a total creeper. She was a newer work colleague from another location who I have had a few meetings with in the past few weeks. How’s that for a welcome to the team- here let me share my sweat with you. Like I said- creeper status.

While a part of me wishes I had done better, but the course was nothing to be sad about. I finished it and barring a few issues, I felt strong for at least 1/2 of it. 🙂 I beat last years time of 2:14 and according to my Garmin, the overall elevation gain for the race was 1,617 feet. How accurate are these things? I celebrated with a tri-tip sandwich, and another trip to the theater to see Divergent again. This time included movie popcorn, yum! Oh and the sun finally came out-

Now it’s off to bed for me and I get to sleep in tomorrow!!! I am taking a vacation day, which will hopefully be restful.. Except I have tons of laundry to do and I should work on a paper that is due soon. And apparently I need to make an appointment to get another inhaler.

How was everyone’s weekend?

Who else raced this weekend?

A Twitchy Slacker

The Slacker in me is a little confused right now. I decided to take it easy this week after the my painful race on Saturday. Was that really just a few days ago? Sunday was a puppy walk and Monday was an easy run. What I didn’t mention before is that after that somewhat stiff 4.5 mile run, I went for another puppy walk. Total miles for the day 7.5. Not exactly low key.

Tuesday I did take a rest day, which I won’t lie was pretty nice. By Wednesday I was itching to run. The weather outside looked marvelous and I couldn’t wait for work to be done for the day. I figured I could do an easy 3.5 miles in the 40ish minutes of daylight remaining. This time I was prepared with my belt and my Garmin. Just after starting my run I remembered what I had forgotten. Wednesday was a high wind advisory day. Holy crap, it turned a mild 58 into about 38. My ears were so cold!!!!

I felt like I was crawling. I was a little stiff and not loving that the route from work is pretty much all downhill and then uphill back. I didn’t make it to the the 1.75 mark before turning around because I realized that would put me halfway down the blind curve-hill so I turned around just before. Other than the wind, the weather was great and the views were awesome. I stopped a few times to take pictures. I stopped my Garmin around the 5k mark and walked the rest of the way back to my car. Checked my Garmin while stretching- 29:14. Big oops.

Like I said, a little confused. I felt slower than that. I made sure to stretch and foam roll really well last night. At least as well as I could. There’s something about the foam roller that makes me feel completely uncoordinated. 🙂 My leg feels mostly ok today. It doesn’t help that I have had a few meetings this week, so that has meant skirts and heels. And I haven’t taken my comfy boots to the repair shop yet. Even with a tall heel they felt like slippers.

Today was a rest day and tomorrow will be too. I admit to feeling lazy and its making me antsy. I know I need to rest a bit and it is annoying. Luckily or not, next week will be really busy at work as well, so I am thinking maybe another step back week. 😦 My training should still be on track even with that. My 2014 mileage goal is on track as well. I was over what I needed in January and I should be above in February as well. Now I just have to convince myself it’s not a bad thing to cut back next week.

Thanks for listening to my rambling twitchiness. I should be working on a paper but I am channeling my inner Slacker and marathoning Netflix instead. I’m on episode 4, I may have created a problem. 🙂

How have your week’s been?

Can you believe there are only 8 days left in February?!

Super Fun Run 5K- Recap

After Thursday’s recap, I took Friday as another rest day. Attempted Runner asked if I had thought about just doing the last 3ish that I needed to hit 80 on Friday. But I don’t generally like running the day before a race plus work turned into a longer day than planned. After work I had the very exciting Friday night plans of making a new playlist and picking out the clothes for today’s race. I probably should have done laundry. Then I tried to get to sleep earlier. That never seems to go according to plan. Instead it was spent tossing and turning.

The Super Fun Run is a small 5k /10k that raises money for the local Boys and Girls Club. I ran it last year with a few friends and it was my official 5k PR and the first time that I know of that I age group placed. I was 1st!!! So I was excited going into this race. I was torn between running the 5K or the 10K and I admit it was pride that made me choose the 5K.

My goals going in were-
A- beat official PR- 29:36
B- beat unofficial PR- 27:41 (during HOB 10K)
C- shot in the dark- sub 27

Apparently I can’t handle the cold. My alarm went off and after turning it off I checked the temp. Mid 20’s. Ugh, so I went with the pants. At the last minute I grabbed a headband to cover my ears. Even though the race was within in walking distance of my house, I still drove down. Why? It was freakin’ cold and I had to have somewhere to put the shirt and goody bag after bib pick up. I waited as long as I could in my car after getting my bib before heading to start line.

There were a few pre-race announcements, a count down and then it was go time. We ran across a baseball field and up a driveway before hitting pavement. From there it is an out and back course with a few turns to add mileage. Knowing the course and the small hill in the middle, I was aiming for a 3 mile sandwich- fast, medium, fast. My toes were so cold, I could not feel them. I felt like I was running awkwardly. I kept hoping they would warm up but they never did. 😦 3/4 of a mile in, I had a tightness in my chest and breathing sucked. It hurt to breath. A little past the mile 1 marker and halfway up the hill, I had to walk. Ugh!!! The downhill that followed was great, though.

Mile 1 was actually a great pace but I felt like I was in trouble. I kept pushing but had to take another walk break on the next incline. Meanwhile, 2 women come flying past on the return and I think crap! I wasn’t even halfway and they were already headed back. The turn around point was about 50 yards past the only water station so I grabbed some on the way back.

I cranked it up and flew down the downhill. However my lungs were so very angry and when I hit the return uphill there was no way I was running it. Another walk. After that it was mostly flat and I tried to push it but I just felt like I could not get enough air and that I was crawling. I didn’t even look at my Garmin the last 1.5 miles. My toes were still frozen, my chest hurt but my head was suddenly too hot. I ripped off my headband and kept going. I took 2 more walk breaks. I rounded the final corner and crossed the finish line. I stopped the Garmin at 27:56.

Now I realize that more than half the country and Canada are dealing with sub zero temperatures, crazy windchill and mountains of snow, so today’s 30 should have been no big deal. However, I would rather run in 115 weather than cold. I have no training with cold running. It is dark and cold when I leave for work, but then I get a nice warm car for the next 45 minutes. I am always cold, I have a space heater under my desk that I run every day at work. Seriously. This race kicked my ass. Overall I took 5 walk breaks and they weren’t just at the inclines.

I met my mom and Zoey after crossing the finish line. I drank some water and tried to catch my breath. She and the puppy left and I hung around to try and get some clue of the official standings. I couldn’t remember seeing that many people coming back before I hit the turn around, but I was kind of on my own planet.

Official Time- 27:54
8th finisher overall
3rd female finisher, 3rd female age group

I have no reason to feel down. I made my primary goal but missed B by 15 seconds. I am proud of what I accomplished but wish I could run the course again about 15 degrees warmer. It was 30 when we started and it was still 30 when I left the race. The website said that only 1st age group finishers received a medal so I ending up leaving early. I could not handle the cold anymore. And those 2 women who flew past me? They finished in 18 minutes. Hot damn! I wish I could be that fast!

I was supposed to run another 9 miles after the race to complete my long run for the week but I made it home and ended up sitting on the ground by the slider in the sun until I could feel my toes again. I’m so weird, I know. 🙂 My legs felt stiff all day so I decided to push my long run back to tomorrow.

The shirt this year was actually really cute and much better than last years. This was an actual dri-fit tee and last year’s was all cotton and not football themed at all. I did treat myself to some post race frozen yogurt- 9 hours later when I was warmer. 🙂

How was everyone’s Saturday?

Am I just a big baby when it comes to the cold?