Tag: Training

Award Season

Last week felt like the longest week, granted that was probably aggravated me trying to knock myself into next week. 🙂 Friday was stressful but I knew if I could get through I had a whole weekend ahead of me! I briefly thought about trying to get a few miles in after work but my head was still a little off and hearing my boss exclaim at how bruised my head was, I decided against it.

Saturday I was up earlier than I would have liked but that was ok because I spent the day shopping in SLO. The weather was great, there was a storm coming in but it didn’t get windy until we were leaving. The food was super yummy and I didn’t do too much damage to my bank account. 🙂 I managed to get in a few miles when I got back to town, but man they were rough. It was like my brain forgot how to work my legs. I managed to bring the pace down by the end but my body was rebelling. Even though it was harder than I would have liked, I loved that I was out and moving. Especially when I consider that I am now less than 28 days from my next half marathon- SLO!!!!!

Moving on- I call my blog Slacker Runner for a few reasons, one of which is that I am a huge procrastinator. If I can do it later, I will, usually at the last minute. I am the exact opposite at work, but in most other aspects of my life, I am a Slacker. I was recently nominated for some blog awards and I am just now following up. Sorry!!! So time to rectify that –

The Versatile Blogger Award-

Suzan over at Welcome to the Nuthouse sent me this shout out last week. Thanks!! She’s awesome and if you haven’t checked out her blog, you should go do so! And I found out that we both just completed our 6th half marathon last Sunday 🙂

Now, there are always rules-

1. Thank the person who nominated you for your new award, and be sure to include a link back to their site in your acceptance speech. DONE!
2. Share 7 random facts about yourself– hmmmmm
3. Pass on the award to 13 other versatile bloggers.—- that’s a big number

7 Random Facts–
1. My mind just went blank. it does that sometimes.
2.   I have a freaky memory for numbers and some things. Sometimes I can’t decide if coworkers and customers are impressed or scared.
3. The list of childhood movies and cartoons that I haven’t seen is pretty large.   Actually some popular movies too. I get a lot of shocked faces. Like The Sound of Music and A Christmas Story or any of the Matrix Movies. Never seen them.
4. I worked at a Taco Bell for 10 years.   Spent most of those years as Assistant Manager before I left.   Oh the stories.
5. I went stag to my Senior Prom. My dress was borrowed and in recollection was a little more scandalous than I thought.
6. I got through the City to Sea half marathon by listening to Hannah Montana songs. No not Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana.   And I am not ashamed.
7. I love owls. I have necklaces and ear rings and artwork and decorative pillows. My boss even bought me an LED one for station at work.

Now for the nominations-

Life-Everyone Has One

Close to 13 right?

Thanks again Suzan!!

So, with my slacker-ness, I make no guarantees that I will message any of you before you read this (if you read this 🙂 ) so consider this your notification and run with it! If you’ve been nominated before, congrats! Just take this as further confirmation of your awesomeness. If these awards just aren’t your thing, well that’s cool too. You’re still cool. Oh and another random fact- my lingo is still in the 90’s. 🙂

The other one is The Liebster Award by the lovely Jenni on the Run, but that will require some thought and deserves a post of its own.

How was everyone’s weekend?

Now, I’m off to order a new gear bag, any suggestions?

Rung my Bell

Monday, I was feeling a little sore from the hill’s on Sunday but I was coming around to my race time. 🙂 I took it easy all day, just caught up on some laundry and course work. I had skipped foam rolling on Sunday (Slacker!!) so I made sure to roll Monday evening. Holy crap, my right IT band was/ is angry with me. That’s what I get for putting it off.

A little foam rolling... — A little foam rolling…

I was looking forward to a ~~nice~~ sore, easy run at the lake Tuesday after work. Being 4 weeks out from the SLO half marathon, I knew I needed to get back to training. Particularly if I want to improve my time from my PR of 2:05:57. I knew Tuesday’s run was going to be slow and awkward but I just wanted to get my legs moving. I figured my week would look like this-

Monday– rest Tuesday-3 slow miles Wednesday– long work day Thursday 4-5 easy miles Friday-rest

I know that I have mentioned my gracefulness (or lack thereof) before but my proclivity for stupid accidents really reared it’s head. Tuesday morning I was a little tired, so I slept a few minutes longer. This prompted me to get ready in a hurry. Which led me slamming my head into my bathroom counter. Such skill!!!! After a few four letter words and hopping around, I moved on. While putting on makeup, I noticed a big welt forming above my brow bone, so nice. I only felt a little pain, so I finished getting ready and headed out to work. 3/4 of the way to work, I knew I had a problem. I made it to work, but it’s a little hazy. 😦

I spent the day completely nauseated, hating light and sound and trying to not move much. One of my coworkers tried to make me track his finger, not could I not do it, I almost lost my cookies. I managed to keep down some chips- my go to for nausea- and made it home after work. No running for me but lots of rest in a dark room. Today was slightly better, I manged to eat real food. My head feels tight and the nausea comes and goes, yay! I spent my lunch napping in the break room. I am hoping tomorrow will be little to no nausea. I would like to get in a run but that’s probably not likely. Which means my hope of hitting 75 miles this month is not too likely either.

So let’s just call this a true recovery week? That’s was happens when my innate grace comes out to play. Actually come to think of it, my entire family is talented at hurting themselves in weird and crazy ways. So while my posts may not include any actual running, I do have some gear reviews that I have been meaning to post and some blog awards I have been I’ve been slacking on (thank you!). And I will anxiously count the minutes until I run. 🙂

Happy hump day!!!

Anyone else have any hidden injury talent or is it just genetics?

Pre Race Jitters

Where did this week go? Seriously wasn’t it just Tuesday? Now it is Saturday evening, and I feel unprepared for tomorrow‘s race. I’ve picked up my bib, edited my playlist, and laid out my clothes. Since I decided that a PR is unlikely with that last hill, what do I have to be nervous about?

Taper week has been completed, probably a little too well. After Monday’s 10K, I headed back to the lake path on Tuesday, I ran a good 4.5 miles. Probably a little faster than I should have but they felt like good miles. After that the week seemed to pick up speed.

I had a meeting Wednesday morning but when that was completed I was done for the day, woo hoo!! Since I had to drive through SLO on the way home, I stopped by the Running Warehouse to exchange the handheld I had picked up on Saturday. That thing drove me batty; taking the sleeve off was a pain and I decided to just exchange it. Hopefully the Ultimate Direction handheld I chose will be better. I then headed home to change and go drive tomorrow’s race course. After getting home and changing, I checked Twitter and was ticked. Apparently Jordan Hasay stopped by the Running Warehouse like an hour after I left!!! Ugh!!!! So in the past 2 weeks, Benedict Cumberbatch comes to SLO and I miss it, Jordan Hasay shows up and I miss that too 😦 Oh and Lady Gaga was nearby a few weeks ago too. 😦

Thursday I had a business mixer after work, but the night ended fun! I met some friends for an early showing of Divergent!!! It was really good, they did a pretty good job converting it to a movie. I treated myself to In n Out before the movie, carb loading right? It was so yummy but apparently I was still hungry because 20 minutes into the movie my stomach growled. And it was loud. So awkward.

Friday I had briefly thought about getting in a 2 mile run after work but decided against it. Which turned out to be a good thing because I ended up working longer. The carb loading rationale struck again when I ate a bag of chips. 😦 Today I woke feeling a little under the weather, I have felt like that for a few days now but I am in denial. I keep telling myself that it is just nerves. I worked this morning so I didn’t get to packet pick up until later. It was quick and easy. They are using a new timing system this year so I won’t have to worry about them cutting the chip off as soon as I cross the finish line. 🙂 The shirt is cool too. This is the first time I have received a long sleeve tech tee. And I love gray.

I indulged with a little nap today too. 🙂 Then I went through the swag bag to see what was there-

Now I am in my comfy chair relaxing. Well trying too, I am still antsy for some reason… I have gone through the list a few times and I swear I have everything ready. I can’t shake the feeling that I forgot something. Guess I will find out tomorrow. now if I can just get to sleep at a decent hour tonight…

How was your Saturday?

Anyone else ever get that antsy feeling?

Wine Country Nostalgia

When I line up at the starting line this weekend, it will be for my 4th Wine Country 1/2 marathon and my 6th 1/2 overall. It has been making me feel a little nostalgic.

I ran my first 5K in the fall of 2010 and then turned lazy. I drove NikeC down to run the Surf City 1/2 in February 2011 and watching all the runners, I noticed that they didn’t look like the stereotypical runner. Sure, some of them did, but a lot of them looked like average joes; like me. I decided “I can do this”. So I started “training” and ran my first 1/2 marathon in April of 2011. It was only my second race. I say training lightly because according to an old training log, I only ran/ walked 12 times before that 1/2 marathon. Oops.

On race morning I had no idea what I was in for but that also gave me the benefit of not being that nervous. I broke so many running rules that day. I borrowed NikeC’s iFitness belt that I had never used before. I also ran in a cotton t-shirt and heavy tennis shorts. I really had no clue what I was doing.

My only goal for that day was to finish under 2:30:00. I paced my run by song intervals. Run 1 song, walk 1 song, and so on. I remember that C’s husband was running as well but I didn’t really know him that well then. He passed me at mile 5 and I never saw him again. This was also the point that I learned how the HOB Fun Run (my very 1st race) had spoiled me. As I was running, I felt a looming presence behind me. Sure enough, there was a semi truck coming up the road. Holy crap, the roads weren’t closed!!! To this day, HOB is the only race I have run with closed roads. Truthfully much of this race is a blur. I know that by mile 10, I was feeling pain in hip muscles that I didn’t know existed. My feet also felt so bruised and that feeling stayed for almost a week after. I think my interval plan had faded to run 1 song, walk 2 but I really don’t remember. The course is all rolling hills, and the one at the end was steeper and I was so tired. As I rounded the last turn to the finish line, a volunteer yelled out that I should run faster; that I only had a little way to go. Didn’t she know I couldn’t move any faster?! I didn’t meet my goal but I was proud of what I had accomplished. NikeC and my mom were waiting at the finish line for me.

Finish time- 2:37:50.

My running after that was hit and miss. I ran a few more races that year and then winter started. I returned to Slacker status. In 2012 I signed up for Wine Country again. I trained slightly better for this one, 26 runs before race day. 🙂 However they were all pretty short. Then 2 weeks to race day, I woke with the worst stomach flu I can remember. Like I was so sick I called in sick to work for 2.5 days. This was the first time in almost 5 years that I had called in. I managed 2 short runs over the next 2 weeks and still felt like crap. To make matters worse, that lovely time of the month (sorry boys!) started the day before the race. Race morning was wet and rainy and my ankle hurt. Maybe I should have DNS’d but I headed out with the goal of just beating the previous years time, even if by just 1 second.

They changed the course from a loop to and out back. I learned just how demoralizing out and backs could be. I was barely at mile 5 when the runners were already passing me on the way back. Waah. I pushed on but I was miserable. I had no idea what my pace or time was because my Nike+ app had malfunctioned and I didn’t realize until a mile and a half in. Adding insult to injury, the clean up crew was picking up the mile markers on the other side of the street while I was on the return portion of the race. Ouch. Then at mile 12, I think I scared a race volunteer. He was trying to be supportive and cheer us on, but he also said that it was 10:30. The race started at 8:00. There was no way I was running the last 1.1 miles in less than 7:50. I burst into tears, loud caterwauling sobs and visible tears. He had no idea what to do, I wish I could go back and apologize to him now. The last mile was partially on a dirt path leading to the finish line, I cried off and on the entire mile. Crossing the finish line, I realized that the race had started late and if I had pushed just the tiniest bit at the end, I would have hit my goal. They also switched from medals at the finish line to wine glasses this year.

Fall of 2012 is when I started to get serious. I broke :30 for a 5k and finally got under 2:30:00 for a 1/2 (City to the Sea). My goal for 2013 was to get under 2:15:00 in a 1/2. When I registered for Wine Country, I was glad to see that website said they were going back to the loop course of 2011. I also knew that with how hilly the course was 2:15 was unlikely so I was shooting for 2:20:ish. I lined up at the start line feeling nervous like usual. 5 minutes to start, they announced a course change. Instead of the little killer hill at the end, we would be going all the way down to another street and then up. This street was the little hill x10. My car doesn’t even like going up the street. WTH?! Not cool!

This race felt better than the previous ones. Even though work had cut into my training, (changing offices, longer hours) I felt more prepared. Nike+ worked fine this time and even though I went out faster than I should, I maintained for the first 8 miles. I slowed as the miles went on and I remember being jealous when the girl in front me had the energy to jump in the air for the photographer at mile 11. I managed a ~~smile~~ grimace. I hit the final hill and crawled up it. But at that point with what Nike+ was telling me, I knew I could walk and still get under 2:20. And walk I did. According to Nike, the elevation gain was 200+ feet in .15 miles. I am not sure how accurate it is. Maybe it wouldn’t have felt so rough if it wasn’t 12.5 miles into the race. I then walked a bit more at the top to get my heart rate back down. I was so pumped to cross the line this time.

Finish- 2:14:04- woo hoo!!!

I drove the course today, both to refresh my memory and take some pictures of the course. The beginning seems hillier than I recall and the middle stretch longer. With the last hill, I would have to hit mile 12 at 1:45 in order to break 2:00. While I would absolutely adore doing that, I am not going to injure myself to do it. I have another 1/2 in 4 weeks, so I have to keep that in mind as well. As of right now, there have been no course changes announced this year. The race did announce that half marathon finishers get a medal and a wine glass this year. Yay!!! It’s the little things right?

Anyone have nostalgia for a particular race?

Happy Wednesday!!!

Let the taper begin

Happy Monday!!

Saturday I was hoping to do an 8 mile dress rehearsal run. Last longish run before my race and I was planning to wear everything that I want to wear for the race. The perfect dress rehearsal would have been to run it in the morning but I had an early tire appointment and was still so tired from the week, that I slept as long as possible. It wasn’t enough. I was still dragging when I made it to the tire place. After 10 minutes of running around, they informed me that the tires I had ordered never arrived and no one bothered to call me.

I have been told by family, friends, coworkers and former employees that I have a “resting bitch face” and sometimes I can make them feel like a bug that I am about to squash. Yeah, those were their exact words. 😦 I have worked hard on improving my expressions over the years, especially since I work management in customer service. I feel I’ve done a decent job, but Saturday I was tired and cranky and this was not the first time this tire place had messed up. I think the bug squashing face came back because I left there with 4 new tires for the price I had been quoted (2nd quote because they lost the 1st one) for the 2 tires I had ordered.

Saturday's work view — Saturday’s work view

I fit in a few errands and lunch with my mom before I had to head out for a work function. With drive time and the function itself, it filled up my afternoon. It was good getting to see everyone and put faces to names and voices on the phone. However put a few hundred people in the foyer of performing arts center and the acoustics make the din just shy of unbearable. The headache I had for a week came back with a vengeance. The auditorium itself was much quieter. 🙂 It was a good afternoon. Plus on the way down I was able to swing by the Running Warehouse and pick up a few supplies-

I made it back home by 5, changed and ran out the door to get in my 8 miles. I knew I was tired so I was aiming for a steady pace. My legs felt horrible; it was hotter than I would have liked and I was just so tired. I lost track of how many walk breaks I took. I have no pictures of the run because I was afraid if I stopped, I wouldn’t get started again. A former coworker drove past me and I thought about flagging her down for a ride home. I should have just done 6 and called it a day but I am not the smartest and pushed to the full 8. 8 miles with an average pace of 10:22. Which for a long slow run is ok but I was just beat. I tested the new handheld on my run too. So not a fan, I wanted to throw it. I am going to try again just to make sure that’s it wasn’t just user error. 🙂

I rewarded myself for completing my run by watching the new Veronica Mars movie. Cue the inner nerd girl squeal! Sunday I slept in, yay!!!! I thought about taking the puppy for a walk but I ended up helping my mother move rocks. She is redoing their landscaping. Let’s call that cross-training. Lots of squats and bending and lifting. Plus chasing errant rocks down the driveway before they went into traffic. The backs of my legs ache in interesting ways today, haha.

They made the music for tonight's run — They made the music for tonight’s run

Today marks the beginning of taper week. After work I headed to the lake to get in a few miles. I was torn between 4 and 6. I figured I would just start running and see how I felt. My legs were stiff from yesterday plus breaking in the new boots I picked up over the weekend didn’t help. I also made this my “uncomfortable” pre-race run. Brand new shirt and shorter than normal shorts. I like to try to prepare myself for wardrobe malfunctions on race day. 🙂 My shorts were actually from Abercrombie’s new “active” line (haha) and I just figured they would be cute summer shorts but not actually good to run in. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. They were light weight and airy and they never moved, never rode up. Wow, I have never had a pair of shorts do that, I may have to try running in them again.

I started off a little stiff and told myself during mile 2 that I was just doing 4 miles. Around mile 3.5 I finally started to loosen up, so I kept going. Mile 4 was a little looser, mile 5 felt pretty good and 6 felt better. I finished out a full 10K and walked back to the bars that I like to stretch on. I knew I was looser and quicker towards the end but I didn’t know how much until I looked at my Garmin splits. Negative split? Sweet! Or should I call that a good progression run?

What makes me laugh about this Garmin data is that I ran the opposite direction on the path tonight. I usually go clockwise but tonight I decided to go counter-clockwise. It felt soooo much harder. I tried telling myself that maybe the elevation was slightly different the other way. Who am I kidding? The average elevation gain was 6 feet. 6 FEET!!!!! Seriously, I must be a big baby.

This should have been up earlier, but the nerd girl in me again was yelling at the tv while watching Teen Wolf.

How was everyone’s Monday?

Who else has “crazy” elevation?