Tag: movies

Run!, Training

Week 26- Goodbye June

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Upcoming Races-

  • Rock to the Pier 10K?
  • Salinas Valley Half Marathon

This week was odd.   I joked that I had to get all my stupid out before my boss left for vacation.  She’s gone the majority of July.   That and I was just freakishly tired last week for some reason.    I am cycling through new medications for my stupid stomach and I started a new diet which hit me harder than I expected on my first run of the week.

Monday- Rest  I normally run on Mondays but instead I went to the movies.  I saw Transformers.  Pretty good, the beginning jumped all over the place but it pulled it together.    Plus, my legs were achy so I figured rest would be good.

Tuesday- 12 miles bike I took my gear with the intention of running but those achy legs got worse in a bad way.  I ran across the street to get a soda and almost lost a shoe- my flats are slightly too big and I was trying to move faster than oncoming traffic and whatever it was it hurt.  What the hell? So instead I went home and got on the stationary bike.


Wednesday- 3.5 Straight up misery.  I felt good leading up to the run and had plans for 5 miles but once I tried to run, it was pure hell.  I could barely catch my breath and heart rate was through the roof.   Worse is that I was crawling.  I was having troubles maintaining even a 12:30 pace.  I could not get going, I was so tired and just not feeling it.   The only thing I could figure was that I actually hadn’t been eating enough with the new diet.   It hadn’t been intentional, I just hadn’t been hungry.  I also hadn’t had any meat but hadn’t supplemented it any way either.   Again, that hadn’t been intentional but I don’t think it helped matters.


Thursday- 3.5 miles  More food meant a better run that way but my legs were still pissed about something.  Everything ached from the knee down bordering on pain.  I also felt what seemed to be a giant blister forming on right heel.  I’ve never had a blister there so I kind of freaked out.  I called it after 3 laps of the lake path.  I foam rolled that night and slept in compression socks.   I couldn’t see a blister but my heel felt odd.   It was also my last run for June-


Friday- Rest I wore different shoes which made my legs happy, heel a little less cranky but made my toes feel pinched.  Oh come on!  So by the afternoon, if I was where customers and cameras could not see me, I was bare foot.  Luckily my boss just laughed.

With my legs being so damn odd all week, I went into the weekend knowing I was not running a long run.  I was splitting it in 2 instead.


Saturday- 5 miles  Why do I keep running in the afternoon in CA summer?  I need my head examined.  Once again, it was hot and I crawled.   It just felt so much harder than it should have, especially for the pace I was averaging.   I stopped at 4 miles and sat on the ground in a rare spot of shade just to cool down a bit.   Then I crawled the last mile home.   Ugh.


Sunday- 5 miles Every run has been rough lately so I expected more of the same. I slept in and headed out around 10.  The first mile was with my mother.  Once I split off from her I made sure to follow the 2:00 run/ :30 walk intervals on my watch to be nice to my legs.    Mile 2 clocked in as I was going up a hill and I laughed.  10:38. Ha, what?!  Was my watch broken? Yet, the miles kept coming in like that.  What was going on?  I was taking my walk breaks every time the watch buzzed.  I was trying to be smart after the odd week I’d had.   Yet somehow I pulled a speedy 5 miler for me these days.  Then Smash Run tried to bring me down by telling me it was still my 41st fastest 5 mile but whatever Fred,  I’m still counting it as a win.  😛

17.1 miles run
12 miles bike

5 days, 5 workouts, that’s not too shabby.  Especially considering how scatterbrained I was all week.   Dude- there were some serious blonde moments.  I even lost a dress in my closet at one point.     Now, let’s see what July brings.

How was your week?

How did June treat you?

Run!, Slacker, Training

Week 23- Vacation!

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Awww, the awesomeness of a stay-cation.  I planned this week to do nothing really.  I knew there were things I should do- like clean my car, overhaul my closet, switch out the winter running stuff for the summer, go to the dry cleaners, make an eye appointment- yadda yadda but I overall I wanted a really chill week.

After 3 half’s in 5 weeks and knowing that July will be a little crazy I figured a down week would be a good thing.    My boss is taking the majority of July off and we will be going through a system conversion.    My next scheduled race isn’t until Las Vegas- I know I will add more before then but right now I figured a chill week would be good.

I slept in.  I finished Eli Stone.  I caught up on some blog stuff.  I finally watched Beauty and the Beast– meh.  I went and saw Wonder Woman– great.  I did move some of the winter and summer stuff.   I had a doctor’s appointment.  I wasn’t completely useless.  😛

Monday- Rest  My legs hurt in the fun way that flat course make them ache.  I actually wanted to get in a short recovery run but I spent the majority of the day messing with my new phone- I had some technological issues.    My phone dying in the starting corral before the race was the final incentive to go upgrade my phone.  I’ve only been meaning to for the last 8 months.  😛   I moved up to the iPhone+  and I am loving it.


Tuesday- 3.1 miles Wow, this was slow.   Yeah it was 90 degrees but still.  Let’s just call it a recovery run.  My legs weren’t sore, I just couldn’t get them into gear.  Oh well.  And I discovered that my new phone does not fit in my running belt.  Oops.


Wednesday- 3.3 miles You have to run on Global Running Day, right?!   I headed out mid afternoon again but it was a good 15* cooler.  This was a better run than the day before but I may have worn the wrong shoes.  Lately whenever I wear the Brooks, I tend to feel a little broken after my runs.   My legs were pretty achy the rest of the day.

Thursday- 7.6 miles bike  My legs were still feeling pretty achy from the day before so I just decided to spend some time on the bike.   I felt like I was working up a decent sweat but according to my watch I could never get my heart rate out of the easy stage.   I can’t figure out if my heart rate monitor is working- on runs my heart rate is really high but I could not get it higher on the bike.     It was probably higher when my mother and I were sprinting to the movie theater that evening since we parked so far away.


Friday- 4 miles  Nice, easy-ish run over on the river path.   My legs were were feeling mostly better but still not quite right.  Hmm.   I am also over the crazy wind lately.  I know I’ll regret saying that when it’s 110 outside though.

Saturday- Rest  Everything I planned to do went out the window because well, ummm, I made a little purchase-


And it took up most of my day.  😛. Seriously- emptying my trunk was ridiculous- am I packing for a Ultra I forgot?

And there’s 2 bags on the ground 😳

Sunday- Rest  I planned to run but when it came right down to it, I just didn’t.    It was my last day before going back to work and I just felt like being lazy.    So I let it happen.

10.4 miles running
7.6 mile bike

It was a half lazy week and half quasi productive week.   Not bad for a vacation/ recovery week.   Really, who can complain about a week where you get a new phone and a new car?  And now it’s back to real life.  Working and running and NO more spending money!😛

How was your week?

 

 

 

Run!, Training

Week 18- Step Back

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Upcoming Races:

  • Destination Races Santa Barbara 13.1- May 13
  • Rock N Roll San Diego 13.1-June 4

The beginning of this week was full of late work meetings so with the lingering effects of SLO being felt, I figured it was a good reason to use the time to rest.  Otherwise I probably would have tried to run too soon.    My left ankle was very sore and achy so taking Monday through Wednesday off was probably the smartest thing to do.   But it was hard, I still packed running gear and took it to work every day.  😛

There was also the lack of sleep.  What I didn’t mention was that pre-SLO, I only slept for about an hour.  I generally sleep poorly before races but rarely that bad, I didn’t feel like it affected my race performance though.  I was looking forward to sleeping on Sunday night… except I couldn’t.  I managed less then 5 hours.   Grrr.  Monday night was more of the same as was Tuesday.  By Wednesday I was running on fumes but it didn’t really hit me until Thursday when I was driving home from work.  I started to get sleepy.    Like so sleepy I had to change my running plans because I wasn’t going to make the whole drive home.

That’s not to say it was a bad week, it wasn’t at all- it was a good week.   I just had some speed bumps.    I ate some super yummy food this week and that’s never a bad thing, right?   I did start a Random Friday post but dozed off part way through. Oops!

Monday- Rest  Day 1 of the planned 3 days.  I had a meeting after work so I knew running was very unlikely.  Which was good because damn my ankle was sore.

Tuesday- Rest Day 2 but like I said I carried my running gear with me every day.  Optimistic or in denial?  My ankle was still achy.  I stretched and foam rolled and planked that night.


Wednesday- Rest Day 3  Car show sponsor dinner.  I learned last year that this would be a late night so there was no way running would be happening.  But with an awesome dinner, who can complain?


Thursday- 3.5 miles  I ran!  But I damn near fell asleep on the drive there.  I planned on running in home time but halfway there I realized I wasn’t going to make it.  So I made an emergency right at the lake path and hoped the fresh air and a few miles would wake me up.     Thankfully it did.   As for the miles, I was sluggish and a little sore to start but once I got going things loosened up.  I still made sure to foam roll and stretch really well that night.  I also iced, just for GP.

Friday- Rest  I worked open to close so I knew it was going to a long day.  We were treated to breakfast which was yummy Acai bowls which almost turned bad.  I took a bite of mine and it tasted off.  I took another bite, nope- it still tastes wrong, tastes like nuts.  Turns out they messed up my order and gave me the wrong base, which wouldn’t be so bad except the 2 main ingredients were peanut butter and almond milk.  Umm, I’m allergic to nuts.   I was just going to say whatever and have a cookie because you don’t complain about free food but a coworker took it back and the store corrected it to my original order.  She’s awesome.  (I can’t leave- I swear I’m not just lazy 😛)


Saturday- 6.2 miles  My overall fatigue level for the week never really improved so I made the decision on Friday that I was not running long this weekend.  I was doing 2 6 milers and I was comfortable with that.  Rest is important too.  A cold front came in so I was able to sleep longer and head out for an afternoon run.   Running wise, it was awesome.  Smashrun says it was my fastest run in 6 months.    However it was freakin’ chaos- it was moments of running calmly interspersed with moments of running for my life along with some walking.    It started out normally but went weird soon.   I noticed that a tiny house I’d been watching had recently sold and the new owner had a dog.  I wondered if the dog was nice because dogs like to eat me.  1/2 mile later I was running past a couple of parked cars when 4 pit bulls tied in a truck bed decided I looked like a good snack.  I freaked out and jumped into the middle of the street.  The owner said nothing and just looked me.  Asshat.    2 miles later on my way back I stopped at an intersection because I realized I don’t really know a 6 mile route from my house and was wondering if my mileage was going to work out when I heard a loud BANG! It sounded like a gunshot and it was right near me.  What the hell?!   I know it wasn’t a gunshot because that is actually not an abnormal sound on my longer runs (rural area) but I bolted like a bat out of hell.     I’m running neighborhoods, what is going on?  Then is started raining on me.  Seriously, just get me home.

Sunday- 6 miles Rest  It was raining in the morning so I planned on running in the afternoon.  At least that was the plan.     I ended up super dizzy and nauseous in early afternoon and it lingered into the evening.     I kept trying to force myself to get out and run but I am clumsy on a good day, who knows what damage I could do to myself if I tried to run while dizzy?

9.7 miles for the week.  Perhaps more of a step back week then I planned post SLO but maybe my body was trying to tell me something.   With a race next week, I chose to listen for once.  Who knew?

I did go and see Guardians of the Galaxy 2- Freakin’ awesome!

Oh- who watched Breaking 2?   What did you think?  Kipchoge was so close!

How was your week?

What was the last movie you saw?

Run!, Training

Week 15- Ouch

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Upcoming Races:

  • Destination Races Santa Barbara 13.1- May 13
  • Rock N Roll San Diego 13.1-June 4

Ouch, ouch, ouch.  It hurts.  Cue panic.   I have a half in 2 weeks and Wine Country in 26 days.  Why?!?!

This week was tiring.  There wasn’t any real reason I can pinpoint it was just tiring.   I actually bought a few beers to help me relax a bit the last time I was at the store but to show how rarely I drink- when I went to have one I realized I didn’t have a bottle opener.   Well crap.  Who knew those multi purpose race medals would actually come in handy? 😛

After a good week of running last week I was looking forward to more of the same this week.   Ha!

Monday- Rest  I had planned on running after work but things ran a little later than I thought.  This is when the tiredness started.  I was also supposed to help my parents with their taxes so I decided there just wasn’t enough time.  I hate taxes.

Tuesday- Rest Hmmm, apparently this is the black hole day of the week.


Wednesday- 3.5 miles Where it all went to hell.  Ok, maybe that was a tad dramatic.   I headed to home town for what I thought was going to be a nice, easy 4-5 miler.  20 feet in I had a feeling it was going south.  My left knee hurt- like a sharp stabbing pain right under the knee cap.  Do I stop or is it going to work itself out if I run on? I ran on, slowly.   By mile 2ish, my knee was under control but now my left shin was throbbing.   My shin is always a hot point but never usually this bad.  What the hell! I had turned around before that point and was gimping my way back to my car.  Walking made my knee hurt but running aggravated my shin.  Both sucked.   Later that night I had shooting pains in my right leg… compensation maybe?

Thursday- Rest  My knee hurt at odd points throughout the day, I did the smart thing for once and just went home.   This was beginning to get irksome.

Friday- Rest  My knee felt 85% better but my shin was still twinge-y.  For only having hobbled my way through 3.5 miles during the week, I was stupid tired.  I took a nap on my lunch.


Saturday- 4 miles  I helped my mother move a bunch of rocks in the morning which may or may not have been the best idea.    I joked that I was just working on my squats and hip openers.    I headed out for a test run in the afternoon to see how things went.  One thing I changed was my shoes- Wednesday’s run was in the Sayonara’s and this was in the PureFlow’s.  I tried to keep things easy and walked anytime I felt any sort of twinge from my left leg.  All in all, it wasn’t a bad run at all.  If anything, my legs really wanted to run but I wouldn’t let them.


Sunday- 10 miles 2 less then my original planned long run but maybe more than I should have done.   A cool front and an incoming storm meant I could run in the afternoon again.  I helped my mother with more buckets of rocks and then got the run in before Easter dinner.   Can I count all the rock lifting as cross training this week?  I wasn’t sure how many miles I was going to get in but I figured I would give it a shot.     I ran the same route as last week and coming up on mile 4 I knew I had a choice- turn left and turn it into and 8 mile run with more hills or go straight across the bridge for a slighter flatter 10 miles.  I was feeling ok so I headed across the bridge.  Per usual, I picked up the pace running across the bridge and slowed it down after that.   The river path is super over grown right now so lately  I slow down, pause my music and keep an eye out for rattlesnakes.  😕    Coming back across the bridge my leg was starting to talk, not pain but not happy.  Ok, 8 miles would have been a better idea.    I slowed down and just kept moving forward.  I think I can, I think I can.  10 miles done.  Where’s my foam roller?

17.5 miles for the week.   Less then I wanted but more than I thought I would get considering how I felt on Wednesday.   I will be spending lots of time with my foam roller and stretching throughout the week to come.  Maybe this will be the kick in the pants to use the roller more consistently?   As for the pains, I think the knee may be a problem with my shoes.  If so, this is the quickest I’ve ever killed a pair of shoes- the Sayonara’s only have 174 miles on them.  I think I might know what triggered the shin so I am testing a theory this week.

Oh did I mention I tried to knock myself out on a tree branch?  😂😂

Last week had some shiny moments-  I made it to the movies to see Fate of the Furious.  Yeah it had it’s over the top moments but it was still awesome.

How was your week?

Happy Marathon Monday!!!!

Run!, Slacker, Training

Week 13- Free Pass

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Upcoming Races:

  • Destination Races Santa Barbara 13.1- May 13
  • Rock N Roll San Diego 13.1-June 4

With so much going on this week with the merger going through, having run Livermore and still not feeling 100% I decided to give myself a free pass this week.  If I wanted to run, yay, if all I wanted to was sleep then I would sleep.  The only thing I had to do was get through each work day- long as they were.   And damn they were long.  Plus my cough was in full force so customers occasionally looked at me like I had the plague.  😛  I needed running to be a stress reliever not to add to the stress that the week might bring.

Monday- Rest–  I sort of had a vacation day.    I say sort of because this was the week of all the conference calls and meetings so while I had the morning off, I had a meeting in the afternoon.  I luckily could go to a closer location than normal but it was rough going from comfy clothes to slacks, heels and a blazer.

Tuesday- Rest- Work started an hour and a half early.  Combine that with my commute and ouch that was an early morning.  I had to use my Knuckle Lights just to open my gate!     I also had a doctor’s appointment and something in the waiting room really aggravated my cough.  I would cough uncontrollably, excuse myself to go outside, feel fine, go back in and it would all start over again.  Finally after the fourth time, a nurse came and opened the door and something about that made the air in the room level out and I stopped coughing.    I was so tired after that though so I just went home.


Wednesday- 4 miles  This day was equally as long.  Work also started an hour and a half early again.   I was tired after work but I wanted to try and run.  Good lord that first mile was hard.  I was so sluggish and just tired.    I sat on a bench and regrouped and changed my run/ walk intervals from 3/1’s to 2/:30’s.   It helped.  I actually ended up pulling off 3 progressively faster paced miles after that.


Thursday- 3.5 miles  Thankfully, this day had a much more normal start time.  I was still tired and the first mile was still ugly.   The next 2 weren’t speedy but ended up being very consistent- like they were the exact same pace.  Don’t think I could do that again.  maybe I should try sometime?

Friday- Merger day!   Over an 11 hour day and I was toast.   And with that it’s official, after 9 years, 11 months and 20 days, I work for another company.

Saturday- Rest- I thought about my long run but that’s as far as it got.  I was so damn tired.   So instead I ran some errands and ended the evening by going to see Power Rangers.   I actually did a journalism project on Power Rangers way back in the day (8th grade!) so it was pretty much a given that I was seeing this in the theater.  😛


Sunday- 5 miles   I had planned on a 10 mile long run where I met my mom in the middle but when my alarm went off I just couldn’t.   I kept telling myself to get up but I was still so tired.  It finally got to the point that there was no way I could get up, get ready and run to the meeting point in time so I texted my mom and bailed.     Instead I headed out in the afternoon knowing it was likely going to be a rough ride.   It was over 80 so I wasn’t even going to attempt 10 but I was thinking about 8.   That thought last 1.5 miles.  I was hot, I was wearing shorts for the first time in 5 months and they kept trying to turn into underwear.   My stomach started to cramp and my knee was hurting.    I sat outside the elementary school just to take a breather.    I decided 5 was a good number.

12.5 miles for the week.  Not great but for merger week and still being sick at the beginning, I’ll take it!    I made it through the week so woo hoo!

Now, things should calm down a bit.   Work may be crazy but the hours should normalize… I hope.   I am hoping to bring the miles back up this week though.   The only thing I think I have planned is a dentist appointment and I need my tires rotated.   Those are easy, right?

How was your week?

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