Tag: funk

Goodbye July- Recap

July didn’t exactly go according to plan. It started great but that didn’t hold for very long. So with that being said, bring on the recap-

Races-

Wild Run 5K– 27:47 New PR- Sweet

Rock’n Around the Pier 13.1– 2:20:21- Mother of Ouch

After my rough half, I was feeling a little disenchanted with running. I like to think that everyone has those moments. Right? I played with the idea of taking a whole week off after the half because I was so irritated with myself. That resolve lasted 2 days; I was running again by Tuesday. I decided to let my feet do whatever they wanted to do and the rest of me was just along for the ride. That was supposed to last for a week but I let it linger all July. Why? Because I loved running again. If I am honest, I have been a little disappointed in how I’ve been running since April and that all came to a head in that half. I probably could have done a little better but I just gave up. Not a good reason.

I figured that this month was going to be my lowest mileage month of the year so far and I was ok with that. Running and I were getting reacquainted. I met up with my mom for a bunch of runs, and I discovered the wonder of the warm up. #littlelatetothegame I did my yoga DVD and tried a Barre DVD. I walked around the fair and ate fair food. I tested out a new pair of Wave Riders and met up with NikeC for gym nights. And I ran. With no real plans or goals, just to run. And it was awesome. I hit some average paces that I haven’t seen in months. I somehow also pulled this off-

I know that part of June and July’s issues were my current GI issues. I would like to say July was better than June but it wasn’t. I went home sick from work once and managed to wear pants only 2 out 31 days. I hate pants. Going forward into August, I will get this figured out. My appointment is now just weeks away, and the doctor is going to hear a lot from me. 🙂

How I uses to reward myself after speed work... oh and brown hair — How I used to reward myself after speed work… oh and brown hair

Running free was great for July but for August, I do need to get back into training. Long runs need to come back and I would like speed work to come back into play. I’m throwing out the other training plans. I loosely followed a Nike one for SLO and a Higdon one for Pier. All they succeeded in doing was stress me out. I hit my current PR of 2:05:57 last year by doing my own thing. I am a Slacker who is slightly dedicated and I should listen to myself a little more. When I set the goal to break 2 hours this year, I let the doubts creep in. Lot’s of thinking that other people were faster and with all these plans floating around, maybe I should follow those instead. It worked for them right? Except I am not them and should not measure myself by others (but it’s so hard not to!). I am a little odd, a little nerdy, my brain works in weird and random ways, a little lazy and a little rebellious. I am a Slacker who doesn’t like being told to run or that Monday should be 5 at goal pace with a Thursday 6 mile tempo, and extra stretching and strengthening on Tuesdays.

Now that my tantrum is over, it’s time to embrace my inner Slacker. I have another half in 5 weeks and a goal 10K (gulp-NikeC!!) in 8. Time to see what going off book can do. Fingers crossed, wish me luck!

Thank you for listening to my rambling, slightly whiny words here…If you made it this far. 🙂

How was your July? Are you ready for August?

Do you use other training plans or make your own?

Letting My Feet Do the Talking

It’s almost Friday!

I was kind of disappointed with my showing at the race on Saturday. I was so irritated that I contemplated taking a week off from running. I always treat the day after a half as a rest day, so I used that as a testing ground. I spent the day shopping and even with my lower back being sore from the race, I felt kind of lazy having a rest day on a Sunday. This was the first time I’ve run a half marathon on a Saturday. I kind of splurged and treated myself to a new laptop on Sunday- my old one is a 6 year old beast that has had issues from day one. And it weighs like 25 pounds. I had Monday off from work and thought about running but trying to get things moved over gave me a great excuse to not run. And even now, I am still having troubles moving iTunes. Ugh.

I packed my gear for Tuesday after work but I was still feeling very anti-run. The horror! But I was a good little runner and changed after work before heading to meet my mom at the path we have been running. I think I will call it the river path from now on just for ease of typing. We started like usual with a walk and I was still fussy. I still had my slow pace alert on my Garmin from the race and it kept buzzing. I tried to turn it off but all I succeeded in doing was pushing the lap button multiple times so my splits look a little funny. I gave up worrying about it because I figured I was going to be a little sluggish. I walked with my mom until the concrete ends and then run ahead. My first mile came in under 13. Hmmm, that’s odd. Usually walking the first .6-.75 of it makes it pretty slow. I decided to let my feet do whatever they wanted to do and not over think it and just kept running. I hit the turn around and once again, there was a headwind going down, where does that come from?! If it hadn’t been for a horrible stomach cramp at mile 2.6ish that stopped me dead in my tracks for a moment, this probably would have been a nice little progression run. 🙂 Instead I will call it a nice little, unexpected tempo. 12:42-9:41-9:55-8:50-4:12 (1/2 mile)- then another 1/2 mile cool down walk.

Wednesday I tried out my new Barre dvd. The instructors are a little interesting. At first, I was thinking that there is no way this will count as a work out. 10 minutes later, my legs were shaking. It felt like I was getting a good workout during but I recovered really quickly after, so I am not sure how well it worked. I will have to try it a few more times before I really decide.

Tonight my running plans fell through. I had planned on catching up with an old friend from out of town, but we weren’t able to make it work. 😦 I was torn about where to run. Work town looked amazing outside and it had been awhile, so I decided to run there. The route that I run there is around 4 miles, part of it in a state park on a narrow road with no shoulder. I had been told there was a little dirt path near the road but I was never able to see it. I decided to look for it on the way back this time. I made it through the sketchy part on the way down and stopped for some pics.

Once by the water I was able to find the path and I was followed it back out of the park. I had to walk part of it because I almost fell on my ass twice. There was a section of super loose dirt, covered in fallen Eucalyptus leaves- it was like a giant slip and slide. 🙂 The route is downhill for the first 2 miles and uphill back. I always go out too fast and slow down on the way back. But once again, I decided to let my feet do whatever they wanted to do. It was a great run actually, other than it was hot!!! Work town is not supposed to be in the high 70’s at 6:00PM!

Both runs this week went better than I had anticipated. I needed that to get over my crankiness. My left shin is a little sore, so I will probably only run once more this week and take it easy before getting back into training for the Ventura half. That’s ok it gives me more time to figure out this computer thing. And hopefully not want to punch it thanks to iTunes. I’m only missing around 3000 songs, no big deal right? Ugh.

In other news, the fair is here! I live fairly close so I last night I was able to hear the Zac Brown Band cover Metallica. Ummm, what? Tonight, it’s Kid Rock. I am looking forward to spending Saturday bumming around the fair and eating some yummy fair food. It only comes once a year right? Plus I walk there, so there’s a little calorie burn. 🙂

Anyone taken time off after a disappointing race?

Who’s racing this weekend?

What’s your favorite fair food?

Someone Kick Me

I had good intentions about getting in some really good runs over the long weekend. You know what that saying about good intentions? Yeah. I had hoped to run a few miles Sunday evening after the hike but it didn’t happen. There was some drama with the mother’s puppy and that made a perfect excuse. Monday was a day off from work, perfect opportunity to get in some miles, but nope, saw Godzilla instead. May has been a pretty off month for me; I am kind of nervous for my race on Saturday. I feel completely unprepared and it’s just the 10K. I am so glad I didn’t sign up for the half this time around.

I did get in a few miles after work on Tuesday. But honestly, starting in 96º was not the best idea. 4 miles turned into a 5K, a slow, hot 5K. I ran at the lake so I am still walking the construction section and I was so thankful for those walk breaks. I even tried to take a picture to show how hot I was. I felt like I was panting like a dog, ugh.

Speaking of dogs, my mom had a banquet thing for tennis, so I hung out with the puppy for a bit after my run. She got hurt on Sunday trying to protect her yard and had to go back to the vet Tuesday. She does not like her medicine. Plus she is sad that she can’t play with her toys for a few weeks. 😦 We just chilled on the patio. She would doze off next to me, then wake up to see if I was still there. It was kind of cute. 🙂

I once again hit the path for a few miles tonight. 4.5 sluggish miles. The goal was a nice, easy pace of 10:00. Pace met, but it didn’t feel easy. I don’t know why running feels so hard lately. I haven’t even run over 6 miles since my last half marathon. Apparently May is synonymous with Slacker. I was very happy to see the walking sections tonight as well. But sooner rather than later, they will finish the construction and I will no longer be able to rationalize the walking so easily. Wah Wah. I really need to kick this- whatever this is.

Ok, it no longer be called a lake — Ok, it can no longer be called a lake

Tomorrow I hope to get to packet pickup for the race on Saturday. It’ll be tight with work but I think I can make it. Less stress for race morning then. 🙂 Is it too much to hope that this race will be the kick in the pants I need? And a cookie counts as carb loading right? Now if I can just hold myself to 1.

How has your week been?

Anyone else have a rough month or so of training?

What are your weekend plans?

April Recap

April was a busy month. Not just for me but most people I think. I mean taxes and Boston in the same month, right? Or in my case, the SLO Marathon weekend. So my month brought me this-

Miles- 70.4
Races-2 – Firehouse 5K & SLO 1/2 Marathon
Money spent- quite a bit
Toenails- 1 almost gone 🙂

I actually felt pretty good after Sunday’s race even with all the hills. I took Monday off, both from running and work, planning to return to both on Tuesday. Work went great on Tuesday and I was looking forward to my run. What I did not account for was the freak heat wave we have had lately. Even work town was friggin’ hot and it rarely gets above 70 there.

I went to the lake after work hoping for an easy 4 miles. I was warm, not hot but uncomfortably warm. It was 88º when I set out. I called it after 5K and just walked back to the car. I didn’t see a need to push it. It was a bummer because my legs felt good but I need to acclimate to the coming summer heat a little better.

For some reason, I thought Wednesday was Thursday all day long. Not cool. I had planned on running after work but for the first time ever, this Slacker forgot her running shoes. How does one even do that? I do have a spare pair in my car (and socks, shorts, shirt and sports bra) but it was hot again, so I decided on another rest day. I did just run 13.1 right? Sadly it meant that my monthly mileage stalled at 70.4 and I had really wanted to get to 75. But I am still on track for my yearly goal, so yay!

Thursday, well yeah. I felt like Thursday turned into a mayday, and not the fun dancing around the May pole kind. Work bordered on insane and the town was crazy. My original plan was to run 3-4 miles in work town before heading to SLO for packet pick up for tomorrow’s race. But there is a huge car show in town this weekend and people were pouring in so I just got the heck out of dodge. I was halfway to SLO when it occurred to me that I had lost $200.00. I could not remember what I had done with it but I did not have it. That was the final straw and I burst into tears while driving down the highway. 😦 Once I made it to packet pick up (Sports Authority), I was texting all of my co-workers in a panic. No one could remember seeing it. There was nothing more that I could do about it then, so I dried my eyes as best as I could and went to get the packets. I figured I would be in and out and hardly anyone would see me, so the red eyes wouldn’t be so bad.

Wrong. This pick up was for Run or Dye. The line was wrapped around the interior of the building. I was in line for over 30 minutes. Seriously?! I am still on the fence about this race as it is. Then when I was picking up my bib and for 4 friends, the Run or Dye staff told me 8000 people registered. I’m sorry what? How do you fit that many people in a smaller park and where do they all park? I was still super cranky so I think I may have given the poor guy the look of death at that news. Sorry!

I was still so frustrated that I was torn between getting a pizza on the way home and eating it all or trying to run it out. I chose the healthy choice and took the freeway exit to run town. I was running behind on time so I was thinking 2 laps of the lake would be good. Apparently there was some function at the pavilion because I had to circle around a few times and ended up parking on the backside of the lake. Which was weird but I jumped out, walked a quick warm up and then just ran. 2 miles later, time had run out but I was feeling a little better.

I am something of a clean freak about certain things, so I am really not sure how I will handle people throwing colored dye at me as we leisurely ramble through the course tomorrow. Plus, I am wearing a tutu. I had always promised C that we run a race in tutu’s. Why, I am not sure, I always feel awkward in costumes or outfits. I am still just getting used to running in shorts. But, I did buy a bright pink tutu and I will be rocking it tomorrow. Along with all black. 🙂 I’m picking NikeC up early so we can hopefully get a good parking spot. Then it is time for a Team Slacker meetup! On the upside, I think we have a group of 10 or more running tomorrow! Plus no pre-race jitters. 🙂

And the lost money? Found today, I have awesome co-workers. 🙂

How was your week?

Ever done a Run or Dye or Color Run? Any advice?

Good luck to anyone at Wildflower this weekend!

The Week that Was

You know that quote?

Yeah that’s the one. This week definitely ran me. While Tuesday was a planned rest day, it turned decidedly less so shortly after my last post. Food poisoning, yippy!!!! I was up most of the night feeling horrid. I hated the sound of my alarm more than usual on Wednesday morning. I drug myself out of bed and made myself presentable. Well, I tried to, I realized on the way to work that I had forgotten mascara. I have never even run without mascara. Luckily I had one stashed at work. I don’t wear a lot to begin with but I felt naked without mascara. 🙂

Thankfully, Wednesday was the last day of our inspection. I put on a smiley face and mustered on. Not gonna lie, it took 2 Diet cokes (big ones) and a cup of coffee to do it. I had a hot flash before the exit interview and one after. It could have been due to the stress or the lingering sickness from the night before. I really wanted to run after; I had my clothes and everything, but I was completely whipped. Just the thought of having to change my clothes sounded exhausting. I left my running gear at work for the next day and just headed home. Which turned out to be the smart choice because I was sick again. 😦

Thursday I was still super tired, but everything else felt better. Work was so nice without Mr. inspector looming around. Plus my replacement Fuelband finally arrived!!! 3 in 13 months but more on that later. 🙂 I have a busy Saturday this week, so I was shooting for getting in my long run after work that night. I figured I could get 8 miles in around the lake before twilight set in. Work was done, I changed, hit the car and headed for the lake. Then the phone rang.

My mother had Zoey spayed on Wednesday and she (the puppy) was having a rough go. My mother was out of town for a tennis match so the pup was with my pops. He wasn’t dealing so well with an under the weather puppy and kept calling my mom telling her the dog was “freaking out”. She wanted to know if I could go to the pet store and find one of those cone things for Zoey and then go check on her. Ok, no more long run. 😦 I figured I could at least get in 3 laps of the lake.

I hurried there and set out running. Halfway through mile 1, I decided that if I couldn’t run long, then I would run hard. I mean hard (hard for me), I was aiming for race pace. I figured my last 5K race was 27:54, I wanted to hit that. The weather was good, the park was full of people. Actually very full, apparently Thursdays are popular. I kept pushing; I was breaking one of my own rules, I was huffing and puffing on a training run. But it felt good, really good. End result – 3.1 miles -26:35. Hell yeah!!!!

Under 27, I was pumped!!!!! I walked a cool down and then went to stretch. My usual stretching bar was occupied so I used the railing around the observation part of the path. I also attempted a selfie or 2. I should just give up, they never turn out. The only reason I am smiling in this one is because I had just realized that behind where I was stretching and taking crappy pictures was a class full of people line dancing. Oops! Cue embarrassed laughter.

I went to Petco and picked up a cone and some new toys for the pup and then headed that way. She ran right up to me when I got there. She had been hanging with my pops in the garage. He again expressed the opinion that she was going psycho but I don’t think she was that bad. I wrestled the cone onto her head and we played with her new toys until my mom got home.

Today was pretty good but I wish I had managed to get a run in. This week has turned into an accidental taper. It’s leaving me a little stumped about how to proceed next week during actual taper time. Plus I drank too much soda, ate too much sugar and too many chips getting through it. Stress bites. I am getting new tires on my car tomorrow and I have a work thing in the afternoon, so I am trying to figure when to fit in an 8 miler. Hmmm, can this Slacker pull it off?

How have your week’s been?

Anyone racing this weekend?