Tag: Rain

Weekly Recap 1-Rain and Mudslides Oh My

Why is that short work weeks seem so long?  Maybe it’s because we try to cram 5 days work into 4?     Maybe it’s just one of those questions that will never be answered.  😛

Last week saw a better training week which is surprising considering the skies are dumping water on us and I have a fierce desire to avoid the gym the first few weeks of the year.   Seriously, I know that CA is in a severe drought and that we desperately need water but we are not equipped to handle this much water at one time.   Downed trees, power outages,  highways are flooded, in fact as I type this I have no idea how I am getting to work on Monday.  My main way to work has been closed since Friday evening due to a massive landslide.  Considering I drove past 2 pretty large slides already last week and they didn’t shut the road for those, the fact that the road has been closed for 2+ days is kind of alarming.

But enough about mudslides- let’s get to the running!


Monday- 3 ish miles.  That ish makes me a little crazy.  My Garmin decided to go a little crazy and lose satellite for the first part of my run.  Like most runners, I know the first mile from my house very, very well.  My watch always beeps at one particular street sign.    It didn’t.  Grrr.  It took another 2 blocks.    It’s not like I was setting any speed records, I was feeling overly sluggish but the drop in data really aggravates the type A data nerd in me.

Tuesday/ Wednesday– Work was busy and the rain came.   I carried my running gear around with me just in case there was a break in the rain.

Thursday- 2.6 miles  There was a break in the rain so I changed after work and headed back home for a nice evening run.    One bonus about running in the dark is that I feel zero need to push the pace.  It’s one of the few times I can run easy and have it actually be easy both in feel and pace.     Throw in dodging puddles and piles of dirt and debris and it really keeps things easy.   The break in the rain was nice but dang that temp dropped fast.  Make up your mind weather!   I kept it short because my stomach chose to be an asshat on Thursday but I wouldn’t let it completely win.

Friday- Rest What else?  Luckily I worked the early shift at work because the mountain decided to come down about 30 minutes after I drove through.  Yikes!

Saturday- Rest  I celebrated a little too early about the no more Saturday work days.  It was off to work.  Closer location and only for a couple of hours but it was kind of funny how quickly it came about.    It was pouring rain outside all day, my stomach was still an asshat so I pushed my long run back a day.


Sunday- 7.1 miles There was a break in the rain mid-morning so I made a run for it.  I layered up in preparation of the rain in case I was caught in it.  I was overheating by mile 2.    The Buff came off in mile 3.  I used the wait at a traffic light during mile 4 to peel off my jacket.   The weird thing was the damn wind.  It was so windy it was pushing me backwards at times.  The wind tried to take my hat off more than once.   Damn near lost it when I was running over the freeway–never getting it back from there!     It was extremely windy but it was a warm wind.   My pace was a little erratic thanks to hills and the wind but overall it wasn’t that bad.   My 3/1’s kind of fell apart thanks to some of the hills though.  I need to work on that.    Not bad for my longest run in months but man I feel out of shape.

12.7 miles for the week.  Moving in the right direction at least!   Slowly.  😛   As for this week, the rain is still here so I am not sure how my week day runs may go.  Like I said, I’m not even sure how I’m getting to work.    As for the weekend, I am debating how crazy or stubborn I am but more on that later.

How was your week?

How is your weather?

 

 

 

 

Week 52- Christmas

Is anyone else loving the Apple commercials with Frankenstein’s monster as much as I am?  Random, I know, but I can’t help but smile but when I watch them.

While last week seemed to be prolific in writing- I wrote 4 posts!- it was less so in running.  No lies, I did nothing that even remotely resembled exercise.  I meant to but it just never happened.   Oh well.    I made through a full week of work, that counts for something right? 😛

I caught up on everything I missed while I was gone from work for 2 weeks.  I don’t really know anything more than I did before in regards to the merger but I am choosing to remain as optimistic and open about it as I can.    I did some last minute Christmas shopping.   I tried to help my mom with some last minute Christmas shopping.  It kind of failed.   We tried, though right?

Friday, I kind of felt like my day turned into a bad country song.  It’s not even that the day was bad, it was just a rough start to the morning.  Then I was delivering chocolates and cards to a few of our customers and realized that my old boots really need to be retired.  That same puddle I parked in rewarded me with wet feet for the rest of the day.  Then the end of the work day turned classic.   You know those scenes in movies when cars drive by and drench the person and you think that doesn’t happen in real life?  It so does!  One lingering employee caught the action and we just stared at each other in disbelief.  Well, she was in her nice dry car laughing and I was in a new puddle by my car.😔


Christmas eve dawned and it was freaking cold!  I was hoping to get in a short run before Christmas Eve dinner and movie but instead I helped my brother do some very last minute Christmas shopping.    Family had a very low key Christmas, comfy clothes, yummy food and movies for the weekend.   This year’s viewing choices were Sully, Star Trek Beyond and a Netflix series called Travelers.  Just the way we like it.   It’s been a sad year family wise, so it was kind of an odd Christmas too but that happens sometimes too right?

How was your Christmas?  or weekend?

Did you run? 

Best gift?

 

Week 47 Un-training Recap

Training for-

…..Nope, still nothing!

Another week of taking it easy.  I don’t think I realized how run down I was feeling until I stopped moving.  Granted, part of that could also be due to me deciding to cut back on caffeine, sugar and calories.  All at the same time.  Oh and throw in some new migraine medication we’re trying and it just seemed like a good idea to take things easy.  But I wasn’t totally lazy.

Monday- 2 miles  A short but sweet night run.  Baby steps while I work my way into this night running thing.   Baby steps.  😛😛


Tuesday- 15 minutes yoga  I’m so awkward and inflexible!   Then the video I was using crashed partway through so I had to start another one.  Grr.

Wednesday- 4.47 miles  It’s been so long since I ran a short run from my house I forgot what distance my routes were!    I had an odd doctor’s appointment with a radiologist and a speech therapist of all things so I was able to get the whole run in before dark.   Which was sweet but damn it was cold!  We went from 80 to 50 with 20 mph wind overnight.  I was wearing so many layers.   And I wanted more.


Thursday- Rest  Migraine from hell.   This was the worst headache in weeks so I figured I would try the second new medication.   Holy crap people, I couldn’t add 2 +2.   The pill took about an 1.5 hours to ease the pain but for about 4 hours I was mired in a serious fog, I could barely function.  It was ridiculous.

Friday- Rest  That migraine usually lingers 2 days but I wasn’t taking another pill.   So instead I got a big Diet Coke and a big coffee on my way into work, lesser of 2 evils right?

Saturday- Rest  I worked in the morning and planned on running in the afternoon.    Work ran super late and I was just exhausted.   I watched a couple of cheesy Christmas movies instead.

Sunday- Rest  It rained all day.  I still have unhealed marks on my chest from the chafe of the Harvest Marathon.  After 2 races in the rain, I think I am little leery of running in the rain right now.  It may be a while before it happens again.  I realize that makes me a big baby but that’s ok.   I did a bit of shopping though and picked up a reflective vest for more running in the dark.

It passed the flash test!

6 miles is way better than last week so I’m calling it a win.  I’m realizing that I need a little more time off than I thought.   That being said, I will not be turkey trotting this week.  Boo.  But the only trot available to me is a 10K and I don’t think I have a 10K in me right now.   Plus, this will also be the first time in 4 years that I am working the week of Thanksgiving so that’s going to be odd.

How was your week?

Are you running a turkey trot?

What are your plans this week?

Harvest Half Recap

Disclaimer: I received an entry into the Harvest Marathon half to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro  (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

This race has been a long time coming for me so I was excited that I was finally going to run it.   I’ve wanted to run it for the last 4 years but always ended up working an aid station during the marathon instead.    Which was great but it wasn’t the same as running it.   When the opportunity to run it with BibRave came up I was tempted but I had plans on race day.  But I made it work!  Woo hoo!

The race is a fundraiser for local schools and it has great potential.  This was the first year without the marathon as it was canceled due to a few issues.  😢 Packet pick up was Saturday and went smoothly.   You can read all the little details in my BibRave review. I admit I was nervous wearing BibRave orange in Bearcat Country (high school arch rival is the Greyhounds- orange!) but I had nothing to be worried about.  My Bearcat coaching mother disagrees.  😛

The race is a big loop through back country roads.  It takes you past numerous vineyards and farms and is very scenic.     I drove it the day before and loved the sights.  I was less enthusiastic about the hills.   But it’s Paso and Paso doesn’t do flat.    It is a quiet race- there is very little crowd support outside of aid stations and the finish line.   Also the roads are not fully closed so it is entirely likely that vehicles will drive past you a few times or sometimes fly by doing 50ish.   All of my early half marathons were similar so I am used to this but it can be alarming if you aren’t prepared.

Race morning-

I slept surprisingly well considering my recent insomnia struggles and usual race nerves but woke an hour before my alarm feeling freaky nauseous.   I laid there and hoped it would pass.  It did but I felt like I had been run over by a truck. Uh oh.   I was suddenly thankful of the late start of 8:30.  Once at the start I debated arm sleeves or a windbreaker.  The skies looked ominous but the weather app said that rain was hours away if at all.  The high school cross country coach said no rain was coming and it wasn’t cold so I decided to just go with my tank.   We all lined up and it was go time!


Miles 1-3 9:43, 9:50, 10:17

The plan with Coach Jenny called for an easy first 8 before bringing the last 5 miles in at goal half marathon pace.  Sounded good to me.   I was trying not to look at my watch and run by feel but I was winded 1/2 mile in.  I felt like I was working too hard so I checked my watching expecting to see something in the 8:30 range.  Nope.  9:45.  Crap, that shouldn’t feel this hard!  My calves were also doing their lovely tight thing and the first 3 miles are flatter than I would have liked.   Boo.    I was running in the dirt on the side of the road any chance I got.  Then, 2.5 miles in the skies opened up.  Seriously?!  It didn’t take long before I was soaked.  It wasn’t pouring by any means but you got wet fast.   And I was getting slower.  I pretty much slammed into the wall at mile 3.5.  Well crap.


Miles 4-7 10:50, 9:59, 11:16, 10:49

And the walk breaks started.  Mile 4 was one of my toughest miles and I don’t know why.   I ran past the second aid station and tried to pick it up but I failed.  Why faster for this station?  It was manned by my mother and her tennis team.  😛   Mile 5 was a long slow downhill and my legs were finally starting to loosen up.  Second wind maybe?  Nope.  Mile 6 starts an out and back to add a little distance.  I hate out and backs.  And this one was all rollers as far as the eye could see.  Plus whatever downhill you had on the way out was a climb on the way back.   But I’m weird and even though my lungs hate hills, my legs don’t and mile 7 was almost 30 seconds faster than mile 6.   Third wind???


Miles 8-9 11:05, 10:30

Haha, just kidding.  My lungs were not happy with the constant cloud cover and rain.    I knew the road to mile 8 was really pretty and I had been looking forward to it.   For some reason, I remembered exactly where every mile marker was and it gave me something to look forward to.  Mile 8 was in front of Graveyard Vineyards where I had just learned that there is a literal graveyard in the front of the vineyard.  Mile 9 gave us a decent downhill and I tried to pick up the pace as I knew what was coming.

Mile 10 12:26

It’s the climb!!!! I knew from the drive yesterday that there was a long climb.  Yeah, mile 9 to mile 10.2 was all up.  It started slowly and then just kept increasing in slope as well.   I was toast.  It was still raining and I was starting to realize that I was having a giant chafing problem with my sports bra.  I could feel it with every step.   Stupid rain!  I rounded a corner only to find more climb.  Oh come on!

Miles 11-13 10:48, 11:39, 10:43

Yay!  The crawl was over, I knew there was only a 5K left and the rain stopped!  Let’s do this!  Except that enthusiasm lasted about .25 of a mile.   I didn’t feel overly tired but I had nothing.  I don’t even know how many times I walked in those last 3 miles.  A lot.  I was actually passing people but I was still irritated with myself.  I had just picked up the pace a little past mile 12 when I passed my mom and her team again, apparently they had moved stations and were now traffic control.   With a mile left I told myself to run it in and I would at least be faster than City to the Sea.  Haha.  I am glad for small races because my proclivity for cursing like a sailor was in full force as I berated myself…out loud.   Finally the finish line was in sight and I could be done.

Finish- 2:21:06


That did not go like I had hoped.  At all.  The course was awesome.  It really had a great amount of up and down for me but it wasn’t my day.  I don’t know how much of it was the rain (very rare here) and my lungs.   If it was the weird nausea in the morning ( I did actually get sick and miss some work) or if I am just burnt out from a crazy year.    I also don’t want to make excuses though, for whatever reasons I was not all there on race day and my race effort shows it.

The rain screwed with a lot of us.  I have never chafed this bad in my life, clothing hurts.   I wasn’t the only one either.  I saw more than few blood stains on shirts.   We’re in a drought, what is this water stuff??   I can count on one hand how many times I’ve run in the rain and that includes this race.

I initially delayed writing this recap because I needed some time to think about the race.  Then I actually did get sick and missed some work which delayed this post even more but I think the extra time helped me accept the race for what it was.    I think I can finally admit that speed is not my biggest adversary, my head is.   Half the battle is knowing who you’re fighting right?

This was my kind of race though and I will be back.  Redemption in 2017?

 

Week 42 Training Recap

Training for-

  • Paso Harvest Marathon 13.1
  • Golden Gate Half

I am not sure what happened last week.  I am not sure if it was the lack of sleep catching up with me and I kind of felt like I was fighting some bug.  I was feeling down but whatever it was, I fell off the motivation train.    I kind of just wanted to hide in a dark hole and sleep.    But life goes on right?

Monday- Rest  Rest day!!  And a day off, man that was nice.   I was feeling a little sore form Sunday’s race so taking it easy was fine be me.  Plus I had to take my dad to an appointment so I killed time in the best way-


Tuesday- 7 miles bike.  I felt crappy all day, just sluggish and worn down.  Sleep was rough which didn’t help.  I had packed my running gear as my coach had me scheduled for 30-45 minute recovery run.   By the end of work, I knew it wasn’t happening.  I headed home and did a slow 7 miles on the bike instead.

Wednesday- 6 miles Rest Yeah, I can’t really pinpoint what happened here.  I felt better but not 100%; I was tired but what else is new?  My family invited me to dinner and the tri tip was calling?  Whatever it was, it won and I did not run.


Thursday- 5 miles  The plan was to run 3 miles a little faster than goal half marathon pace plus warm up and cool down.   I was still in a funk and had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen.  I did try though.  I worked a partial day and headed to the river path to attempt it.   Yeah, it went about as well as I expected.  I could not get my legs into gear.   My splits for the speed work were 9:43, 10:35, 9:32.  Ha!  Not even close to a sub 9.   But I ran though, right?

Friday- Rest  Pretty typical Friday.  Work was work and I admit I caved and picked up a pizza on the way home.  Well, I ordered one but Domino’s messed it up so they gave me 2.  2?!  That doesn’t help the waistline.  🍕😛

Saturday- Rest I worked in the morning and enjoyed a white knuckle drive home as everyone in CA forgot how to drive in the rain.   It didn’t help that the fog was so dense, you could barely see a car length in front of you.  Throw in the steep drop on both sides of the highway and that was fun.  I meant to be productive in the afternoon but beyond laundry and posting my Bibrave review of City to the Sea, I really wasn’t.


Sunday- 8.1 miles– I wanted 10.  I could not make myself get out bed any sooner.  The day called for rain and I wanted to run in the only dry part of the morning.   I love the rain but figured if I was still fighting something, running in the rain wasn’t going to help.  I also had to run in the morning as my family had plans in the afternoon- my little brother turned 30!!!  Man, I feel old.


Anyways, back to the run.  It was kind of all over the place.  Kind of like the weather.  First it was cold, then it was super windy, then it turned unbelievably muggy and hot before starting all over again.  Every half mile was a new adventure.  Kind of like my pace.   Mile 4 was a 9:30- oops!   There were times when I felt like I was running tall, had awesome form and could go forever.  Then there times when I felt hunched over and tired, panting like a dog.    Can I blame the weather changes?    Whatever it was, I was glad to be done.

So to recap- 13 miles run and 7 biked.   I did get a long-ish run in so that’s a plus.  I’ve done some thinking about how how my next races will be run but I will save that for another post.   My hope is get in a solid week of training going forward.  And to sleep more.  Oh- I did receive my essential oils- after a battle, the post office lost them- so I have been trying those and will share thoughts soon.  It’s only been a few days so I am still on the fence.   😛

How was your week?

Would the lure of food keep your from running?

How’s your weather? Has fall really arrived?