Tag: Running

Escape Day 1- Bright Angel

Ever feel like you need to run away?

That’s kind of how I have been feeling for a while now. I had PTO to use, so I packed up the car, made a fairly last minute reservation and ran away. Ok… I drove away. And yes, I packed plenty of hand sanitizer, masks and clorox wipes.

I headed for Arizona. And some dirt.

On Wednesday morning, I was up early and prepared for an adventure. I headed to the Grand Canyon. And the Bright Angel trail.

As soon as I knew I was heading to the Grand Canyon, I checked out a couple of posts over at Running to Travel-very helpful. I also poured over the NPS site for the Grand Canyon. I didn’t have a lot of time and I knew I was super out of shape so I knew I couldn’t be too crazy.

I got there early but not too early as I knew November could mean ice on the trail. I loaded my pack, laced up my shoes and hit the trail. Even with my research, I fell within less than 1/4 mile. I hit ice and slipped but pulled out out before falling. Only to fully fall less than 4 feet later. I landed on my butt and kind of slid across the trail. I was more startled than hurt and bounced up fairly quickly. I then continued my trek.

The Bright Angel trail continues for miles down the side of the canyon- down to the River rest house and back would be arround 15 miles. Luckily, I am not that stupid and I turned around at the 3 mile rest house. There was also an option to turn around at the 1.5 mile rest house but I wanted to push further than that. As much as I love a good downhill on a trail, this had some steep moments and my left knee was none too pleased. Someone help me with trail shoes, please?

I laughed at the sign at the 3 mile rest house- Going down is optional but going up is mandatory. And it was time to go up.

My mom was also with me and she was starting to have some issues. She occasionally has hip issues and it was acting up in a very bad way. In some ways the climb back up was easier to me than going down as there was less ice to worry about. Also for some reason, my body likes a good trail climb. My brain turns off and my legs take over and they just go.

Which sounds ok until I realize I have way outpaced my injured mother. Oops. And that’s not to say I was moving speedily up the mountain side- the Canyon is a beast. Which I knew going in but I don’t think I fully realized it.

Even as I was huffing and puffing my way up the trail, the amazing-ness of the view was too much to ignore. I think I took a few hundred pictures. No joke. I am having a hard time choosing which ones to post here.

There were other hikers out so I masked up anytime another person was near. I was kind of surprised at the some of the things people were wearing on the trail though. I saw sandals, jeans, Vans and even a woman carrying her purse. It made me wonder how far they were going- how did they not slip on the ice?? Was I really that out of shape or were they going to have serious regrets later?

Dude, the Bright Angel trail is hard. After 6ish miles and lots of elevation loss/ gain -I was whipped. Yes, I am out of shape, but still. How was I going to a do a few more days of slightly adventurous things?

Rambling on ???

I could look up the number but nah…

I have planned on writing all last week but a headache rolled in hard on Monday and seemed to want to hang around. I’m didn’t win.

It’s only 5 errr, 9 days into November but I’ve already watched more than a few cheesy Christmas movies. Maybe too many? Or not enough. Either way, there are so many more to go.

I have been eating such crap lately. It’s like the beginning of lockdown all over again. Even pizza doesn’t taste as good. I feel like I just need weeks of greens and colorful things. My wonky GI system wouldn’t appreciate that but the rest of me would.

And speaking of systems, I finally made the doctor’s appointment I have been putting off for almost a year. Which netted me an EKG, tons of labs, a referral to an ENT and a referral to a dermatologist. Yay? Actually I am looking forward to the ENT- I am tired of having a half working nose. Except they won’t call me back and make an appointment. Boo.

Oh, and I finally ordered new glasses. Have I ever mentioned how blind I am? I mostly get by with contacts but use my glasses for nighttime and first thing in the morning. And that enabled me to be super lazy and my prescription is like 6 years out of date. And while one eye stayed the same, the other did not. I finally caved after realizing my right eye was basically useless in my glasses. Except now I feel kind of drunk when I wear them.

I have been running… kind of. I also have some ambitious plans for the next week or so, so wish me luck.

I’ve also signed up for a few more virtual races. Some I should tell you about. All that I still need to run. Oops?

I complained about the late season warm weather and asked for fall. Someone delivered- maybe a little too much. Sub 30 anyone?? Means something different when it’s the temp and not a 5k race time.🤣

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MCM 10K (virtual) Recap

A good chunk of runners will say that their dream race is Boston.

Mine is Marine Corps Marathon. Or Leadville but that’s another story.

2020 being what it is, I decided to register for the virtual version of the MCM 10K.

Race weekend dawned and oops, I’d been super lazy. Hadn’t run in almost 2 weeks. Longest run previously was the Giants 10k over Labor Day weekend. Oh, I was totally ready for a 6 mile run. Yep. I really wanted to run it on the actual, original race weekend so I sucked it up.

Thankfully, the weather gods gifted us with some almost fall weather so I was even able to be lazy and sleep in on race morning. Yay!

I headed out in the early afternoon and told myself that I would run/walk 3 miles and walk 3 miles. I could walk as much as I wanted but I could never stop. No breaks. Those are my new “race” rules.

I headed for the river path and what used to be my long run route- in other words, an uphill start but a downhill finish. Woo hoo!

I knew that being out of shape, I would tire quickly so instead of running the first half and struggling to finish the last half, I walked the first 3 miles. So, does that mean I walked the part of the route that was uphill and ran the downhill? Yep!

I even found some crowd support!

Not gonna lie, I was feeling tired towards the end but that was really no surprise. And my shoe was coming untied but I refused to stop. Good thing I didn’t fall on that last half mile. That would have been classic.

I finished and stopped to stretch. Oh, I was going to be feeling that later.

Finish- 1:28:34

Hey, and somehow I was faster than I was for the Giants 10K! On a much hillier course. Gotta take those wins where you can find them right?

This was not the MCM of my running dreams but it did help me prove to myself that not all is lost. I just need to get out of my own way.

Awkward

I started running about 10 years ago.

At that time I was very self conscious about what I looked like when running. Do I sound like an elephant? Is my face red and puffy? Do I look like I am dying out here? In fact, there were times I would stop running and pretend to admire the flowers if a car was coming. Ha!

Then a customer mentioned one day while I was at work that they had seen me out running. Wait, what? I used to run directly after work from work as I knew I would not follow through if I went home first. Side note, still true. Side effect of a small town was that I was always running or walking near someone’s home. I started asking where they lived and from then on would always make sure I was running when I went by their houses- even if it was up a hill. Constant motivation, right?

That quasi shame holds true today. I hate being caught walking while out running by anyone I know. Even though I know full well there is nothing wrong with walking. It still irritates me. Unless it’s like 105* outside, it makes me cranky when someone says they saw me walking.

Cue Monday.

With a day off work, I headed out for an afternoon run. Except I was ridiculously sore from the previous days few track miles. It was 92* and my blisters were screaming. I thought I had taped them up enough but I was wrong. So I was walking. Which again I know is fine.

Then I hear “is that Fallon?”. Oh hell. Seriously?!

I was almost done with my run turned walk and was finishing it down on the river path which rarely has anyone on it. Yet, there was someone I know from work. What are the odds??

Well the town only has 30,000 people so I guess the odds aren’t that high but still. I still felt super awkward. (also did I get that odds statement backwards?)

So, yeah even after 10 years, I still feel like a newbie out there. And I still have hang ups.

Hard Reset

I’ve been thinking about time lately. Both present and past.

I started this blog in 2013 after I had been running consistently since 2010. Ok, more like 2012. I loved the community I found both through this blog and other social media. I have made real friends that I would have never met otherwise. Hell, I flew to Vegas to run a race with someone I’d never met IRL and shared my hotel room with someone else who I’d only met at another race. If you all knew me, you would know how much a big deal that was- I’m a very comfort zone kind of person. I haven’t seen either of them in a year and that is sad.

Then as the years went on, I was running more…or less. I was blogging but I’d become set in a pattern. I used to blog whenever the mood struck at whatever time about whatever popped into my head on the run. I miss those days. But I got myself mired into following some of the things the big time bloggers did. Weekly recaps? Why not? But then I was shoving a whole week’s worth of running into one post. If I was my usually verbose self, that post would get damn long. So, I started editing. That’s stupid.

Then 2020 happened. I started the year by running my 40th half marathon. Then lockdown and a crazy world. I will be lucky if I clear 350 miles this year. I am legitimately starting over with running.

So instead of being pissed at how I wandered so far off the path I was on, I am treating it like a hard reset.

So, in that spirit, I took to the track on Sunday. It’s been years since I ran at the track and it used to be my happy place. Although I don’t think I will ever run a 10 miler on the track again, that was cuckoo.

So I put on new running shoes (which have been in my closet since February) and headed for the track to get back to basics. It was hot but that was not the reason I struggled. I really am that out of shape. I may have avoided the COVID 20 but I lost any muscle mass I had and all endurance between that and all the smoke the past few months. And while I didn’t gain any COVID weight, I also didn’t the lose the extra 40ish pounds from the previous 2 years. Ha!

So, yes, my 3 miles were hard. Even with the couch to 5k app I downloaded. What didn’t help was the blister that formed due to the new shoes either. I really am starting over! There was a lot of walking involved- due to both the heat and the blisters. I also tried out the Track Run feature on my Coros watch. I think it was a little confused. Or I did it wrong.

Struggle aside, I needed that hardness. It was the reality of where I am at and it’s a starting point to build on. I actually enjoyed my struggle run. Well, until a dad and his kids showed and parked themselves and stroller in my lane. Seriously??? What happened to track etiquette?

Anyways…Will you join me as I chase down fitness??