Tag: smoke

Ambassador, BibRave, Race Day

The Unexpected- Monterey Bay Half Marathon

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Disclaimer: I received an entry to Oakland Running Festival 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!

When I last left you, I had just received the email that had changed the course of my weekend.

If you are unaware- California is currently on fire, North and South of me; the largest of the fires currently being the Camp Fire and the Woolsey Fire.  Thoughts and prayers to all the victims and first responders.   I knew Woolsey was sending smoke our way but I admit I am bad about geography or maybe I was just naively hopeful when it came to the Camp Fire and Monterey Bay.    

When the wind shifts, it shifts, which is what happened on Saturday.   As a person with asthma who has been known to do stupid things (you’ve read about them here) I appreciate BSIM Events making the tough and smart decision for the safety of not only the runners but the volunteers and everyone else involved on race day. 

Within an hour, I had more emails regarding the race cancellation.  For those doing race day bib pick up, runners could still do so for their shirts and bibs at the predetermined location.  Medals would be given out to runners at the finish line festival starting at 7 if runners in the area wanted to come pick them up.  The beer tent was already up so it would start serving beer at 8AM.    You couldn’t run, but you could have a little fun.

I live 2+ hours away and one of the reasons I was doing race day pickup was because I was going to have the dog with me.   My mom was going to hang with her during the race but I wasn’t going to drag either of them 4+ hours just to pick up a shirt.  I felt a little weird picking up a medal for miles that I hadn’t put in but I appreciated the offer.

Then I got an email this week with more post race information.  I have to say that I am really impressed with how BSIM Events is handling this cancellation-

Deferral options???


And it got better-

They donated the food!

I loved this race before for the views, the organization and the on course support but the organizers themselves are class acts- I’ve run Monterey Bay, the Big Sur Marathon and Salinas Valley Half and loved them all.  

Race day may not have gone according to anyone’s plan but I will be back one day.  I waited 3 years, I can wait a little longer, it’s worth it. 

Ever had your race canceled?

Run!, Training

Week 50- Behind

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Barely running and I still can’t get these recaps up on time lately.  Oops.   End of the year ennui, maybe?  Embracing the inner Slacker? Hmmm.

Maybe I can blame the darkness?  Even though I actually did run more miles in November this year compared to last.  Fingers crossed that pattern holds for December!  Though considering I had the flu from hell last year, that’s a low bar.

Last week saw me starting PT, so you’d think my body would be feeling better.  And it kind of did… on Monday.     And mostly Tuesday.  Too bad I didn’t run those days.  🤔  Instead I deliberately rested since I had run Saturday and Sunday and then had PT.    I completed my PT exercises 3 days last week and would have twice more but my stomach was being a total asshat.   Kind of hard to focus on moves that rely on your core when your stomach is behaving like a demon.   Grrrrr. As for the other 2 days, well that was just me being a Slacker.

So what did happen?

Monday-  Physical Therapy  Why is my right side such a problem child???  And I’m so glad I had the forethought to change into running pants first.  Some of those exercises were awkward enough in pants- what would have happened if I had left my skirt on???  I also experienced a TENS device for the first time.  Kind of odd.

Thursday- 8 miles bike I had planned on running.  Took all of my gear to work with that intention but then the day just ran me down.  Work ran over and I was exhausted and my right leg was oddly sore/ numb.  My head was hurting but I told myself to suck it up and run so I changed into my running clothes and headed for home. Where I somehow put my shoes on the wrong damn feet.  Ok, universe, message received.    I went home and rode the bike instead.

Saturday – 6 miles 6 was always the plan but I underestimated how much smoke was in the air.  Again.  I also may have overestimated what my back was willing to do.  That or it just isn’t used to carrying water with my pack again.  It has been a while.  😛  I felt like I was huffing and puffing more than I would like.  My leg felt tight.  Everything felt rough.  Then my headphones died.  Grrrr.   Of course as I headed towards home, my leg loosened up.   When I looked at my splits later I may have been running a tiny faster than I should have especially considering the air quality.

Sunday- missed run Planned on Christmas shopping and running.  Failed at both.  Went shopping- ALL day but bought nothing and missed my run.

So, 6 miles run and 8 miles bike.  Blah.    Here’s hoping this week is a little better.

Except I already know I have issues.  How is it less than 7 days to Christmas?  I still need to finish shopping.  I haven’t made cookies.  Oh and my replacement bed is coming this week.     Ok, I will gladly miss a run for the bed if the new one is less of a brick compared to the rock I’ve been sleeping on for the last 3 months.  😛

How was your week?

Are you done shopping?

Run!, Training

Week 49- Of Christmas Lights and Colds

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Last week was a little wobbly.

I ended up feeling like crap for most of the week.  I felt like I was fighting something and I had an odd migraine from Tuesday on.   I actually even went home early one day which is something I rarely do but my head was just so damn fuzzy I wanted to be off the hill before it got dark.

In one way, being sick wasn’t a bad thing- combine with the rest from last week, it kept me off my left leg for 8 days.   Had I not been sick, that would not have happened.  I probably would have run on Tuesday or Wednesday.  Instead by Thursday I was mostly pain free and outside of 2 truly gnarly charlie horses overnight, Friday was pain free.

I also admitted defeat and returned to the bed store.  The brick is going back.  I tried for almost 90 days to break in this new bed and no luck.  My whole body hurts.  Fingers crossed the replacement is epic-ally better because I used up my one return.

In bad news, the Thomas fire is out of control, it’s now pushed into Santa Barbara county.  The smoke has inundated our county.  We’ve had closer fires but not seen smoke like this.  They’re saying the Santa Ana winds are likely partially to blame.   Let me be clear that the fire is still over 100 miles away.

Saturday- 3.1 miles I ran!!  Some parts were so damn slow and other parts were probably way too fast but I ran!  I started off nice and easy and walked the first 10 minutes.   From then on I alternated walking and running.  I’m using a cool new running app and I’m hoping to improve my cadence so I have to say the running parts felt pretty dang good.  In fact, I hauled a** up a hill like I never have before.  It was awesome.  Until my lungs reminded me that I had been fighting a cold all week and I bent over wheezing at the top, haha.

My legs probably also didn’t appreciate the annual visit to Vine St but it’s tradition!

Sunday- 3.1 miles.  I had hoped for more miles but underestimated how much smoke was in the air.    I was wheezing 1/2 mile in.   I stuck it out for the same route as the day before but I took a more than a few breaks as I was wheezing more than normal.  Considering how visible the smoke was I just slowed down and headed for home.

6.23 miles for week.  It’s going up!  Baby steps! Baby steps!

How was your week?

Do anything fun this weekend?

Run!, Training

Adieu August

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Recovery month, baby!


I admit I was hoping for more miles but it is what is, right?  Plus, considering I was afraid I would come off the marathon and never want to run again, I should count this as a win right?

I managed to pull off one 10 miler- double digits!!!- and one speed work session.   I had some decent weeks and a very small, little 4 miler week.     Considering the amount of smoke in the air from all the fires close by, my mileage was pretty consistent.

I ran zero races.  Which made me super envious of all the cool pictures and recaps I saw online.  😛.  So I compensated by taking lots of scenery pictures.


Work got a little crazy but I think I need to realize that it always will be.    That said, this week kicked my ass.   2 rooms flooded and we’ve been working with industrial blower fans running all day, every day.   I think the constant noise is making my brain liquefy.    I really wanted to hit at least 50 miles for the month but after an abbreviated run on Monday- hello blisters- my last chance to fit in miles was Wednesday.   By the end of the day, I felt fried, even the idea of changing into my running gear was exhausting.    In the end I decided hitting an arbitrary number wasn’t worth it, all I wanted to do was hide in a dark and quiet corner.   So I did and 44.14 was it for August.

Which brings us to September.   I am partially excited and partially in denial.   Excited because I haves races coming up!   First one isn’t until the end of September but it’s one of my favorite races and I am looking forward to it.  That being said, how the hell is it September?!?!?!    That is just ridiculous.  Seriously, wasn’t it just March?  Why is time moving so fast?  I can’t keep up!  Then today, my Instagram feed was full of Pumpkin Spice Lattes- slow your roll people!

How was your August?

Any plans for September?

What are you looking forward to ?

 

Run!, Training

Wobbly Wednesday

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

That was hard.

With having so many halves close together, I have big hopes for one of them.  The marathon gave me a little (giant) kick in the ass.   With that being said, I need to get said ass in gear and that means training.  Training means speed work.  So I busted out my Nike’s and waded into the shallow end tonight.

I headed to the lake path after work, I can’t even remember the last time I ran there.  I know I am still feeling a little sluggish and with mountains of smoke in the air, I knew it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.   I still have all my Hanson’s workouts saved in my watch so I figured I would just use the one for 400 repeats.  I knew there was no way I was doing 12 of them like programmed but that’s what the lap button’s for right?    I was hoping for between 4-8 repeats.


It was my first time wearing my Nike’s since May, I stopped doing speed work once my shins went to hell.   I kept my warm up of 1.25 miles nice and easy, plenty of walking.  😛   Now, I haven’t raced a 5K since September 2015 so I have no idea what an accurate pace should be so I was optimistically aiming for an 8:45 average for the repeats.


#1- woah, this awkward, my legs are confused.   How do you run this fast?  How the hell long is 400m anyways?  Oh good, the watch buzzed.  Recovery time.

Full disclosure- I walked all the recoveries.   My lungs were a little pissed I was making them work this hard with all the smoke in the air.    My watch buzzed for my next run and wait what?  It said cool down mile and repeated 12 times.  WTH?  So I stopped my watch and started a new run.  From there on I ran by watching my watch and trying not to fall on my face at the same time.

#2- all right, feeling pretty good, maybe I can do 8

#3- Ok, this is getting harder, that last thought was a pipe dream.  Can I quit now?

#4- Yeah, smoke sucks.  Damn my legs are tired, how long is 400m again?  This is my last one.  Let’s not go crazy right?

All in all, 3.76 miles.    And the intervals?

Distance Elapsed Time Average Pace
.25 2:04 8:23
.25 2:10 8:48
.25 2:01 8:01
.25 2:03 8:07

I think I am more surprised that I kept the last 3 intervals at .25.  How did I do that?  And the intervals are too fast which might explain why I was huffing and puffing so much.   Also, I don’t get the variance in pace between interval 1 and 4.  They are only 1 second different.  Is my watch crazy?

It wasn’t a lot but it felt pretty good.   Now hopefully I can move on Thursday.  😛


And the county is on fire, the air is full of smoke, the lake is almost dry and yet I rounded a curve to see more green than I have in months.  What gives?

Is my watch crazy?

How is your weather?