Tag: friends

Forget-me-what?

Now, I normally pride myself on freakish memory. Particularly for numbers and things like that, sometimes I scare people. This week though, my memory has checked out. On Tuesday I was all set to run after work. I felt like I needed a run, the morning had been a little odd. I often take my clothes into work to change but leave my shoes in the car. This sometimes means I walk to my car in running clothes and flats or heels. I changed and walked to my car. When I went to throw my gym bag on the floor of the passenger seat, I notice something missing.

I forgot my damn shoes. Seriously. As I drove back to town, I was irritated and debating what to do. I could go home and get my shoes but I knew that once I was home, I was less likely to get back and run. I keep a box of shoes in my trunk with a pair of flip-flops, some flats, a pair of heels and 2 old pairs of running shoes. I like to be prepared. 🙂 So I decided to try running in one of those pairs. I put on my old Wave Riders and set out. I kept it slow and easy because I wasn’t sure how the shoes were going to feel. No lies, my feet were angry, it’s time to retire those shoes completely, they cannot be run anymore. I took a complete break at mile 3 to try to calm my feet down. Once again, I looked up and NikeC was coming my way. We chatted for a bit before I ran on and back to my car. If it wasn’t for my shoes making my feet angry, I would say that it was a pretty good run. Instead of passing each other, NikeC and I decided to just run together tonight. I made sure to pack my shoes; in fact, I packed both my current Wave Riders and Sayonaras. 🙂 But I forgot my Garmin and a decent sports bra. Ugh!!! I had one in my bag as a backup but I wasn’t sure how it would be for 5 miles. We ran one of her usual routes. Right away I just felt tired. I was having troubles catching my breath- stupid humidity! I felt bad, we would run and then I would have to take a walking break. Granted, neither of us are used to running and talking so that was probably hindering us as well. 🙂 It may have been slower than planned but it was still a good run. Plus being able to watch the sun set from different angles was cool. My Nike+ app has been crashing but it said that we did 4.87 miles while hers was closer to 5. I choose to go with the 5. 🙂 I missed my Garmin.As of right now, I am signed up for the 10K on Sunday. This may well be my last chance to run a 10K until next year. 10K’s are sparse around here. I hoping that one will pop up around Thanksgiving but no luck yet- all 5K’s and half marathons. When it comes to the 5K- well I am also signed up for that. I have yet to decide if I am running it. I will figure that out as it gets closer. Actually right now I am more concerned about chafing. I am wearing a team tank for the first time on race day, yikes! I can’t test it out because I won’t even get it until Saturday. My arms are very particular about what kind shirts they lake. Which is why I have the same tank in 11 different colors. Fingers crossed!

Happy Friday!!

Ever forget your shoes? Or something else equally important?

Who is racing this weekend?

How is Fall treating you so far?

On the Brightside

Happy Tuesday! Congrats on surviving Monday! At least that’s how it felt to me. 🙂

Even though I had used my one rest day on Thursday for the mixer, Sunday was less of a real workout and more of catching up on things. I worked up quite a sweat cleaning my car. I don’t know if that’s more indicative of how hard I worked or how dirty it really was. I spent over an hour on just the inside. It is now so very clean. Well, the windows are still streaky but that’s because I have zero talent at washing car windows. Seriously, it’s bad. This may be a cop-out but I called that my workout for the day. 🙂

All were in my car, I think I have a problem

Other than that little blip, I’ve been doing really good with my no excuses plan so far. I have had plenty of reasons to skip a workout but I wouldn’t let myself. First the two weeks of little to no sleep; that at least finally getting a little better. No lie, there have been more than a few naps. Then it’s like since I made a comment that I may as well get used to my stomach never being perfect, it decided to pick a fight with me. And it is still fighting with me, so yeah, June’s been a little rough. But I’ve kept trucking. And running, even if they haven’t been the best workouts. I am currently on track for one of my best month’s mileage wise, knock on wood. Pace, however has taken a big hit. So, I am trying to think optimistically and call this a base reinforcing month.

I came to this lovely epiphany while running yesterday. My mother wanted to try the new path again without Zoey and asked if I would run it while she walked it. We figured we would pass each other a time or two. I needed to do 5 miles but again my stomach was hating me so I was wondering if I could even complete 2. I walked most of the first mile with my mom before attempting to pick up the pace. I focused on my breathing and tried to keep a steady pace and just kept going. I made it to the top of the street, turned around and headed back. I passed my mother but we just waved and kept moving. I felt a little rough but at the same time this felt like the best run I have had all month. I knew I wouldn’t hit 5 unless I deviated from the path, so I went right onto one street and looped back around into the housing complex before then turning off onto the trail section for the last bit. I finished up my 5 just as my mom was completing her walk. There were some rough moments but I just kept breathing and this turned into the best run of June so far.

While running, I was thinking about my stupid stomach and how this time last year I would have just said screw it and not run, even if that meant a month off. And yes, that’s happened before. But, realistically, these flares happen, so better to deal with it than ignore it. So with that being said, I have decided that my last ~~few~~ month of runs haven’t been that bad, all complaining aside. This flare will pass and I will reintroduce speed work into my work outs. I actually kind of miss it. 🙂 And if that doesn’t work, I have an appointment to see my gastro doc in August. I’m not sure where this sudden shiny outlook is coming from, normally I’m rain clouds and cynicism. Who spiked my Diet Coke?!

After yesterday’s great run, I kind of really wanted to run today. However I had made dinner plans to catch up with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. Since the schedule was gonna be tight, I decided to make today my rest day. I also used that as a reason to finally get the blood work that I have been putting off. So far, no bruising, woo hoo! Dinner was good and I got the perfect fortune in my cookie-

It’s almost Hump day! Almost at the half way point now!

Ever get any good fortunes?
How about a running epiphany?

Run or Dye 2014

Back in January, it hit Facebook that our little neck of the woods was getting a Run or Dye race. I swear my Facebook feed lit up like a Christmas tree. C and I had always said that we wanted to do a fun, less based on pace race, and the fact that we didn’t have to drive far for this was perfect. I had also promised her that I would run in a tutu. When sign up time came around, there were so many locals signing up that the website actually crashed. I probably should have taken that as indicator of how may people were attending this shindig. But, Team Slacker (discount!) was able to register fairly quickly so I put it out of my mind.

When I picked up my packet, I found out that 8000 people registered. What?! That didn’t even seem possible. Friday night before the race, I was texting C back and forth about where we were going to meet up, texting NikeC about what time I was picking her up and texting ME- ok, every time I type that I feel narcissistic, so from now on ME will be ML- about where we could meet up with her group as well. The race was taking place in a park/ golf course across from a community college. Parking was in a few a of the college lots. It wasn’t enough.

After picking up NikeC nice and early in the morning, I decided to take the back way there. It’s the same rural highway I drive to work everyday, actually. I had mentioned it to ML the night before and she thought it would be slower, plus everyone seems to hate this highway. Not me! Halfway there, ML starts texting me about traffic and C is calling tell me that the left hand turn lane is backed up for literally miles. Another plus about the back way- I got to make a right hand turn onto campus with no traffic! Woo hoo!! We were directed to a lot where we parked. Then it was the walk to the actually event. If you add in the walk to and from the park, we probably did 5 miles overall that morning 🙂

The crowds were ridiculous. The highway patrol was out directing traffic so everyone could cross the highway safely. I had hoped that the majority of people would still need to check in and get packets but judging by the sea of white shirts in front me, most everyone picked up early. We finally tracked down C and her husband, from now on called C-Hub, R and T. We could not find ML and her crew. We were looking for them when we were just absorbed into the crowd and wound up at the starting line; which turned into a mini dance party and the first throwing of dye. Part of packet pickup included a packet of dye, which everyone opened and started to throw around.

That stuff is cold! I don’t know what I was expecting but it felt cold when it hit you. There was a countdown and we were off! Well kind of, even with a wave start it was crowded. There was never really a time when there wasn’t a crowd on the course. That was partially aided by the course being in a golf course, so we running the path. A very incline-y path at that. We did a lot of walking with some sprinting in between for the whole course. Let’s call it fartlek training! We lost R and T fairly quickly, so then it was just the four of us. The first dye station was pink and not too bad. Ran through it and continued on. The stations after that were more aggressive. One purple station was so cloudy, I couldn’t see the ground or my feet.

I love running with C and her husband. They crack me up, plus C-Hub has great drill sergeant moments. 🙂 Then we hit a blue station. They were hardcore! It seriously all went right down my bra, blech! It was starting to get a little sweaty too. About a mile in, I was also feeling pretty stinky. Which is weird because my mother insists that I don’t smell even after my half marathons. I mentioned it to NikeC and she felt the same way. Maybe it was something about the way the corn starch reacted with your skin? Who knows? All I know is that C mentioned it later too.

We kept trucking along, it really was great getting to run with everyone. I got in some sprinting while trying to run away for C Hub, he didn’t think there was enough dye in my hair yet. 🙂 Walking up a little hill we saw turkeys!!!! Don’t know why they were there but we had to try and get pictures of them. I had my phone in a plastic bag so please enjoy the filter de plastic 🙂 It works pretty well, just kind of blurry sometimes.

By the time we went through the later dye zones, I was walking like a mummy, hehe. My arms were at my sides, eyes closed and mouth squeezed shut. It was fun and all but I had kind of had enough corn starch. 🙂 The last pink station was so backed up that we came to a stop while waiting to get through it. C thought about skipping it, but C Hub wouldn’t let her.

There was one last color station after that and then we were running through a campground to get to the finish. It ended up being after a single track stretch of trail and a little wooden bridge. We also met back up with T and R right before the finish line. The finish line was seriously anticlimactic. We crossed the bridge and that was it. No one was cheering as you came across and people were just milling about. There was the color party going on in the middle of the field and some booths selling stuff to the right. That was kind of a bummer. 😦 NikeC and I stayed on the outskirts of the party while the others waded their way into the middle. They had the crowd pleasing moment of everyone throwing their remaining dye packs in the air. I tried to get a pic but was a little late-

Then it was photo time!!!

I texted ML, wondering where they were at on the course but they had already left 😦 We started the long trek back to the cars thinking about lunch. I couldn’t handle the blue boobs anymore so I took off my white tank. I was wearing tanks which might be why I was so warm but I took that white one off while we were walking and shoved it down my bra. So classy, right? But I felt so much better after that. The shirt actually worked pretty well at cleaning myself off as we walked back to the college. NikeC and I managed to get pretty clean by the time we made it to lunch. 🙂

It was around 10:30 when we were walking out and we could see about 1000 or more people still coming as well as a long line of cars still trying to park. The pre-race info has said that the last wave was at 11:00 so I hope all those people had the chance to run. I don’t think they were adequately prepared for the amount of people who signed up. Another beef- strollers. There were so many parents with the kids and babies in strollers going through the course. Not only was the path not that wide, did you really want your poor kid breathing all that in and getting it in their faces?

Lunch was awesome. We hit Firestone in SLO because they have outdoor seating. Yeah we were not the only people from Run or Dye to think of that. It was packed! The food was amazing though. We had to laugh because we notice that us girls all ordered burgers and both guys were eating giant salads. 🙂 Then we all headed home where we were met with the task of trying to get clean. It actually came out of my hair fairly easily which I had been worried about. It did not come off skin quite so easily. C and I texted each other later that our underarms still had a blue tinge no matter how hard we scrubbed.

Overall it was a good run. It needed to be in a bigger location and a little better organized but it was the chance to run with everyone that made it great. Would I do it again? Ask me again when I am sure that there’s no lingering dye anywhere. 🙂