Take 2!!

Yep, I did it.  I'm doing a "take 2" on the full marathon journey. 

This morning I signed myself up for a full in 2012. 

As my aunt said this morning on FB "Some people register for distance running events in Hawaii...or along the gorgeous coast of California. So far I've done Little Rock, Des Moines and in 2012....Fargo!!!!!"

Substitute Lincoln, NE in place of Little Rock......and it could have been me speaking instead!!!

As I'm still trying to figure out the pains in my legs....signing up for another full is a bit daunting, to say the least.  I'm going to have to train over the winter...but my long runs won't hit until next spring.  (the idea of running 16, 18, 20 miles on frozen ice and snow DOES kinda sound ridiculously absurd fun, in a straight-jacket frozen eyelashes and water bottles sort of way)


:-)


(PS...has anyone else noticed that Blogger spell check thinks Des Moines is spelled incorrectly?)

08/30/11: Cut short.....

I got up this morning to run. The back deck was wet, so I could tell it either had rain, or was sprinkling....but I love running in the rain.

I was going to run on the Keystone Trail, parking at Peak Performance....but was running a little late, so decided to start on Fort street instead.

My legs were good...and bad. The usual pain (the one I've been seeing the PT about) wasn't there....but that strange (and horrible) pain I get just on the top of my foot, where my foot and leg make an "L" was bad. I can't lift my toes, I can barely lift my feet. My running is loud and sloppy (which isn't good on wet sidewalks) - I end up soaked to my knees from the splashing.

I stop to stretch it out a little, and am unable to stand on my heels alone.

Oh well....it goes away after three miles....so it's no wonder I can't get motivated for these shorter mid-week runs. They are all 3-4 miles in length.

About 3/4 of a mile into my run...the lightning starts. Oh boy does it!

Out loud I say to the sky "fine, fine!!! I'm going home!"

This is the part of my run where I'm glad I run in the morning with no one around. (hehehe)

I turn around immediately and head back to the car.

The lightning gets worse. The thunder gets louder. The rain get heavier. It would have been perfect, had it not been for that darn lightning.

I've got to work late tonight, so 1.5 miles is all I'm going to get today. It's better than nothing I suppose. :-)
___________________________________________

1.65 miles, 20:09, 12:02 overall average pace (argh!!!), 176 Max HR, 160 Avg HR, 186 calories

08/28/11: I would walk five hundred miles....

OK....we didn't go 500 miles today....but I love that song....and my 7 mile run today felt like 500.

No, it's not that it was horrible...or never ending. It's just that I haven't been able to run 7 miles at a time since this spring.

It's amazing!!!

The love I had for running is returning.

No, it's not pain free. But, that's never going to happen.

It's that I could actually finish 7 miles, and not want to cut my legs off below the knees.

Amazing!!

This injury, for the time being, is behaving.....it's wonderful!!!!!

Sis and I met at Lake Zorinsky. (They've been draining it for the last couple of years....to kill off zebra mussels, or some such thing.....and the drained lake stinks. We call it Lake Stinky.)

Anyway, this summer, they've started letting it fill back up....slowly...so the smell isn't there much at all....and we can stand to run around it again. Yay!

We met on the boat ramp side of the lake....only to find about 100 or so other people in the parking lot.

Last week we ran downtown, and the Omaha Corporate Cycling Challenge was going on......this weekend we pick a lake hosting a Huntington's Disease Medical Research fun run/walk fundraiser.

If you'd like to run in the busiest part of Omaha....go where Nej and Inny go...apparently! :-)

The first three miles were brutal. My legs were doing that thing were I can't pick up my feet. It's the strangest feeling, I swear! But, after 3 miles, it went away, and the second half of the run was great!!

It's so much fun running with Inny. We both know that we can stop when we need...go faster when we need...go slower when we need. We both know that any time a cat is on the path, we have to stop and pet it. We both smile and wave at the other people on the trail.

We're sisters, we "get" each other.

The clouds rolled in the last mile or so....and by the time we left, it was sprinkling. We were both hoping it would start while we were running....but no such luck.

:-)



___________________________________________

7.01 miles, 1:27:41, 12:30 overall average pace (doing her 1:1 intervals), Max HR 185, Avg HR 169, 777 calories, 8:00 start - 67 degrees (19C)

08/26/11: It's finally Friday....

....I'm free again.
I got my motor running for a wild weekend.
It's finally Friday, I'm outta control
Forget the working blues and let the good times roll.
George Jones

I'm not a country music fan. I mean, I don't want to gouge my eardrums out when I hear it, but you definitely won't find me listening to it in my car....or at home....or at the gym.....or going to a concert. (hehehehehe) But when I googled "Friday quotes or lyrics", this one seemed appropriate. :-)

I donned my running gear, grabbed my water bottle, head lamp, pepper spray, car keys, and out the door I went.

Because of my failed....no, not failed. Unpleasant - yes, that's the word. Because of my unpleasant hillier run on Tuesday, today was back to the flat flat flat city trails.

(Better than a treadmill any day!!!)

Darkness is creepy. It's just the way it is. Things that seem completely harmless during the day, take on an eery quality when it's dark out.

Like, for instance, this bench......



It's actually pretty cool in the daylight. I think the Omaha Cycling Club (or some such group) had it put along the city trail. Each of the riders has a "name" that shows the camaraderie and dynamic of the group. "Friend" "Athlete" "Role Model" "Jokester"

But when it's pitch black, and the only light is a street lamp behind it.....the bench is outright unnerving. The light from the lamp across the street makes their eyes GLOW! I came around the corner, knowing the bench was there. But it still had me nearly skidding to a stop.

I had to use the flash on my phone so you could see the bench at all....but if I could have gotten a picture of what it looked like with the street light coming through those eyes....you'd have nightmares for weeks. I promise!

OK.....so maybe I was a little on edge because running on a city trail with no one else around at 5:00 in the morning is spooky. And the raccoons, cats and bats that cross in front of me might get my heart beating a little faster than usual.

And that guy on his bike.....without lights.

And the runner with ninja quiet footsteps....that you don't see until your headlamp hits the reflective vest he's wearing.

Yeah, my heart gets an extra cardiovascular workout when I run on the trail in the morning!

(giggle)

It was a good run. I stuck to my 2:1 intervals, and ran at a decent pace. I'm not anywhere NEAR the pace I was running last year....but that's to be expected. I'll get back to it eventually, I hope.

If not, then I don't. I'm not out to win anything, except health and happiness! :-)

The good news, though, is that my legs didn't hurt on the flat trail. It's just those darn hills that make them scream in pain and send me hobbling home.
________________________________________________

3.51 miles, 39:49, 11:20 overall average, Max HR 188, Avg HR 170

08/25/11: Yoga for Runners - Week 5

The 5th and final week of the yoga for runners workshop is over. It was a great class, as always. We did some of the normal stuff....and we did a crap load of new things as well.

One of the main new poses introduced was the Crow Pose.


** image from above link

I was close....oh so close.

You bet I'll be working on that one on my own. :-)

Because it was the final class, the talking and explanation portion normally at the beginning of each session was pretty much non-existent last night. It was mostly a "let's put it all together, and throw in some new stuff to shake things up" kind of class.

Fun!! Although I'm sure my arms, legs and abs will be feeling it all in the morning.

Next step, getting onto her website and checking out her regular classes. Pretty sure I'll be joining in on at least one of them a week.

I can already see a difference in my flexibility. Imagine what it would be if I was as dedicated to doing it 2-3 times a week, like I'm supposed to. (giggle)

If you're a runner in Omaha, I highly recommend this workshop!!!!! Mandy is awesome!!!
______________________________________________________

(This is an unsolicited recommendation. I was not reimbursed in any way.)

08/23/11: Not my finest......

I'd love to say that my Tuesday run went as well as my Sunday run.

But I'd be lying.

The temperature was nice. It was another humid morning, but there was at least a nice cool breeze.

It was still dark, staying darker later and later now. Fall is coming!

Within the first mile, I stepped on a grey rock on the road (it was a piece of the road itself, and blended in, I couldn't see it even with my headlamp), and turned my ankle.

For some, that would mean a stop to the running right then and there. But, because my ankles are so ridiculously flexible (the reason I'm having trouble with my legs actually), there was no pain. I actually felt my outside ankle bone hit the concrete...but it did nothing more than make me wobble for one step.

I walked for a couple more, to make sure there wasn't anything seriously injured.....then was back on my merry way.

:-)

I wanted to change things up a bit, so took one of my regular routes and ran it the opposite direction I normally do.

I now know why should continue running it the original direction. The highway I have to run along for a 1 mile stretch is a little perilous when going north instead of south. There are trees almost right up to the edge of the road, and quite a few blind corners.

To say I was hyper alert to my surroundings would be an understatement.

:-)

Eventually, I was able to turn west into a neighborhood with streetlights and onto some sidewalks.

(I actually prefer running in the road....it's usually smoother, and there are less trees and mailboxes to duck and run around - but running on the "safety" of sidewalks for a little while was nice.)

A block or two into the neighborhood I see a very large black object running to the street, from behind one of the houses.

I knew right away it was a dog. But the size of the dog was amazing. Not intimidating mind you, I love big dogs!!!



The biggest female solid-black Great Dane came running straight at me.....and then INTO me!!

(I grew up with a St. Bernard, so knew how to brace for the impact.)

After petting her a little, I took a look at her tags and found her name to be Lila.

What an awesome animal!!!!!!

After getting petted, she decided she was going to be my running companion.

I eventually told her that if she came with me one more block, we were going to have to stop so I could get the phone number of her parents. There wasn't an address on her tags, so I don't know if she belonged in that neighborhood or not.

It was almost as though she understood me, because just then she decided to part ways.

Beautiful AND smart.

:-)

I ended my run with some really sore legs, the scent of strange dog (my black lab was less than pleased) on my hands, and a scraped up left ankle bone.

Not one of my finest running moments.
______________________________________

3 miles, 39:12, 13:03 overall average pace (including my encounter with the dog, and stops along the highway to get off the road), 331 calories, Max HR 177, Avg HR 158

08/21/11: Hot town. Summer in the city.....

....back of my neck getting dirt and gritty.

Because I'm finally back to running....and my sister is training for the same event...we decided to get together Sunday morning to do our "long" run.

We met in downtown Omaha, along the river. The plan was to run across the new pedestrian bridge, and along the trails on the Iowa side of the river.


A view, from the parking lot we met in, of the sun coming up over the river.




I think the bottom of the bridge looks like a roll of film. :-)

Our warm up consisted of us walking the .25 miles from our car to the bridge.


And maybe a little photographic break here and there along the way. :-)


Because of the flooding Missouri River, the water table is extremely high. And, because of this, storm sewer systems in downtown Omaha have....well...they've not been functioning the best they could.

Anyway, this is the city's only way to cope. They put a series of pipes above ground, that run to a new spillway, and then directly to the river.

And, because of the location of these new pipes, they had to pour new sidewalks so the trail could go up and over them.


Take a close look. Those statues just to the right of the building with the red roof. Yeah, those usually aren't in the water at all. Not even close.



A little bike rack art along the way.


I think this looks like a smiling pumpkin. My sister thinks I'm nuts! :-)

So, we finally made it to the bridge, and started off on our 6 mile run.


The Missouri River serves at the border between Nebraska and Iowa.

Just as we got to the beginning of the bridge, we see a sign that says the trail on the Iowa side is closed.

Well duh! I knew that....but we'd forgotten. This flood has been going on for so long, we're all getting kinda used to it.

(You should see the pictures of the interstate, as the flood waters are receding! They won't be functioning for at least a year, if not more. The power of the river is amazing!!!)


This is usually dry ground.


If you click on this picture to make it bigger....you will see the top of a stack of concrete tubes. (the are in the reflection of the buildings in the water)

They are not usually under water.

The scale of this flood is grand.

So....because the trail was closed on the other side.....we ran across the bridge to the end, then back into Nebraska.

From there, we just ran through the streets of downtown Omaha.












There are bronze statues all over down town...so we had to stop here and there for pics.


"You're such a good doggy. How about a scratch behind the ears??"

Then, we finished our run by going across the bridge and back one final time.




She really wasn't as exhausted as she looks in this pic.

I said "look tired". She then said something that got me laughing...but I forget what.

The run was great!!! My legs didn't hurt at all. Not one little bit. It was really nice! Plus, running through the streets of Omaha, early on a Sunday morning, was fun. Less traffic, fewer people. The temperature was great.

We'll be doing 7 miles this coming weekend. Can't wait to see where we end up this time!!! :-)
______________________________________

6 miles, 1:16:05, 12:40 overall average pace (running her 1:1 intervals), 687 calories, Max HR 184, Avg HR 164

08/18/11: Yoga for Runners, week 4

Hips and Hamstrings.

Finally!! A session of yoga where I was excelling.

OK...maybe not excelling...but I wasn't failing miserably...which is a plus in my book!

My hamstrings are tight. Yup.

But as I looked around the room, mine were definitely not the tightest in class.

And my hips...... turns out they are flexible. Who knew??

It was fun doing the poses as they should be done...without modifications. Without the extra support of blankets or blocks.

Fun, fun fun!!!!



On the way home, a good ol' Nebraska storm came rip roaring through town. Our gutters were instantly filled with leaves knocked down by the golf ball sized hail that covered our deck.

Covered!!!

Then the wind and rain hit.

The newly felled leaves completely clogged the gutters...which made the 3.5 inches (in under an hour) rain overflow them....running down the side of the house...and directly into the basement.

To add insult to injury, the power went out....so our wet/dry vac was useless.

Every towel we own in is the laundry.

Yuck!

After creating the towel dams to keep water from spreading further...I got into the camping gear. Got my running headlamp and the Jetboil. Mot and I then sat on the enclosed front porch, heating up leftovers on the camp stove....while watching the storm pass through.

Our power came back on about midnight....and the back of our house is dimpled like a golf ball from the hail. But that was the worst of it, so we can't complain too much.

08/16/11: The hills are alive.....

....with the sounds my footsteps.

I know, I know...the doc said no hills. But he said that over a month ago. And at no time did he say when I could start working them back in.

So, I decided to make today that day.

I had a short, 3 mile run on the schedule this morning....and I didn't feel like getting into my car and driving to the gym to use the treadmill....or driving to the flat trail that runs through town.

Nope, I donned my running gear and walked right out my front door.

It's been ages since I've been able to run in the neighborhoods near my house. The same neighborhoods I used to run in every morning last year.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous about it though. The last attempt didn't go so well.

I took it slow.....really, really slow. I stuck with my 2:1 intervals as much as I could....but did walk up quite a few of the hillier sections.

I could feel the fatigue in my legs right off the bat. I used to run these every morning, and here I was having trouble just making it up the first one I came to.

It's strange, how much I feel as though I've taken a time machine back in time. Last spring, I was running the same distances. Excited when my long run hit a whoppin' 5 miles! Excited when I could make it up those hills I was trying to run again this morning.

But, I walked in the door to my house, at the end of my run, with a very small limp. Nothing like what I've been experiencing in the past.

Baby steps. I'm getting there again!
_______________________________________

37:25, 3 miles, 12:28 overall average pace, 336 calories, Max HR 182, Avg HR 161

08/14/11: Summer Colds S*ck.....

I caught myself a good old fashioned summer cold on Friday. By Saturday, it was in full swing. By the time Sunday rolled around, I was ready for it to leave.

So, I did what any (crazy) runner would do....I employed the "I'm going to sweat it out" theory.

My body had chosen to rid itself of the virus by pushing it out, via my nose, in buckets of snot.

So, I chose to help rid my body on contaminants by also forcing them out via sweat.

That's right, I went for a run.

The longest run I've had in months actually, 5 whole miles!!!

If it wasn't for the fact that my sinuses were going to explode through my cheekbones, and the fact that breathing through my nose was nearly impossible....it would have been a good run.

We were in North Platte visiting Mot's side of the family (Wine Barrel Bar-B-Q competition time), and I always try to get in at least one run along the lake.

Because of my cold, I'd slept in longer than planned....so it was warmer than I'd wanted...but it was still gorgeous. Blue skies, and no wind until the last couple of miles.

Traffic was nearly non-existent, and I passed (and was passed) by quite a few other runners out enjoying the quiet.

I took my camera along with me, to get some nice shots of the lake along my run.....but pretty much forgot I had it with me until the end.


(sitting on their back patio....gasping for breathe and emptying a box of kleenex)

I'd pretty much zoned out everything. I was ignoring my cold, I was ignoring the fact my legs didn't hurt at all, I was ignoring the wind, ignoring the sun beating down on me, ignoring the group of triathletes passing me not once, but twice.

I thought some about the upcoming half marathons I have on my schedule and wondered if I'd be ready. I thought about my life in general, and how lucky I am. Life's little things have been stressing me out quite a bit lately.....and I needed a reboot.

I have a job that pays the bills, and isn't (in all honesty) THAT stressing. Sure, it has it's ups and downs...but it's not that bad.

I have a hubby that loves me completely, and puts up with my crap. And I his. No matter what, our fights are over quickly, they never last long. And they are usually over the silliest of little things.

Outside of this current cold, I'm healthy. I'm active, and getting back into shape. I'm getting out there to do the things I love......and wish I had more time. (We haven't had our kayaks out once yet this year.)

I'm surrounded by the best friends a person could ask for. We laugh, we hang out, we have fun, we provide ears to each other for venting, shoulders to each other for crying.....

My run pace was horrible, I just couldn't breathe. But, I got out there and did it. My legs carried me the whole way with little to no complaining whatsoever.

What more could I ask for?
__________________________________

59:03, 11:48 overall average pace, 559 calories, Max HR 193, Avg HR 175

Mile 1, 10:55 ("this isn't too bad")
Mile 2, 11:36 ("oh crap, I didn't bring any kleenex with me")
Mile 3, 12:27 ("why am I doing this again?")
Mile 4, 12:14 ("I could be in bed right now")
Mile 5, 11:48 ("almost done...thank gawd!")

08/11/11: Yoga for Runners, week 3 - back bends

Nothing like a good yoga class to remind you of how weak you really are. :-)

Specifically, my upper body.

For the longest time, I was nervous about my shoulder. I had reconstructive surgery on it about 5 years ago, and it's now solid as a rock. But, it was bad for 18 years, and I've had a hard time getting to where I trust it.

I do trust it now, completely.....but it's very weak. Actually, they BOTH are very weak.

And, after the rough couple of weeks I'd had, I think I hit my emotional breaking point in the middle of class.

I mean, I was near tears.....for no real reason. Sure, I was frustrated....but that's not a big deal. It apparently, though, was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back.

Mot knows when I've hit this point.

I get uber quiet. I don't want to talk, I don't want to be talked to. I just need to process things out in my head a little, then move on to the next step.

Getting mad.

This is usually where the tears show up, to be honest.

Then, I get over it, and move on with life.

I talked to the instructor after class. We talked about my surgery a little, then she gave me suggestions on ways to modify the poses I was having trouble with, until the strength is built back up.

I'm taking this class to get stronger, to regain some flexibility that running has hindered, and the stress relief aspects are the cherry on top.
___________________________________________________

1:31:02, 481 calories, Max HR 158, Avg HR 101

08/11/11: Child of the 60's....

OK....I'm not actually a child of the 60's. I was born the year the $2 bill was released, the year Howard Hughes died, the year Apple was founded, the year VHS was released, the year One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Rocky were out in theaters.

But.....I still consider myself a child of the 60's.

Why?

Because this morning, when I finished my run, I noticed my phone said it was 64 degrees (18C)...with a wind chill of 64 degrees.

Yep....60's!!!! And instead of saying it heat index, it said wind chill.

Hallelujah!

Yes, I know it's still August, and I know there are still plenty of hot days to come.....but just those words alone were music to my ears.

My run today was a mixture of good and bad.

*but what run isn't, right?*

First off, it's dark at 5:15 in the morning, and I forgot my headlamp.

I really don't need it on the Keystone Trail section I was going to run. But....running certain stretches without a light on my head makes me nervous. Specifically where the trail goes under the roads above, and for 50 feet or so, you're in a cave, or sorts.

Something kinda like this....just with a pitch black morning sky.


image from

My pepper spray was at the ready on every one.

Second off, my legs hurt....not as bad as they have some days, but still pretty darned bad.

The rest of my body, on the other hand, felt great! My lungs were amazing! It was one of those days, that had I not been told to really control how far I run, I'd still be out running now.

My breathing was relaxed. Heck, all of me (except my legs of course) was relaxed. I wasn't counting down the seconds of my 2 minute run intervals. I wasn't groaning when my 1 minute walk interval was up.

I threw my 2:1 ratio out the window on the return trip to my car. I tried to time my walks with the small inclines (where the trail goes under the roadways)....to keep in compliance with my "no running hills" orders. :-)

I wonder how long I have to avoid them exactly?

So...all in all, it was a really good run.
______________________________________

3.52 miles, 11:18 overall average pace, 416 calories, Max HR 183, Avg HR 162

08/10/11: Sweaty elbows.....

I think I have sweaty elbows. For real. I mean, where else does all of that sweat come from? It drips off of my Polar watch and down to the floor in spin class. It's not running down my arm from my shoulder, I'd feel that.

Maybe it's not my elbows? Maybe it's just that I have sweaty forearms??

Either way, it's kinda funny! :-)

Anyway, today was my Wednesday morning spin class.

MY class? (giggle) Well, I'm officially a regular now. Every week she asks if anyone is new, and this week she said "I don't need to ask today. I recognize you all."

I'm not enough of a regular, though, that she calls out my name while we're going...as she does with some of the others.

"Great job Steve!"
"Keep it up Becca!"
"I see you pushing it Bill!"

Oh well...maybe someday. :-)
_________________________________________

1:02:50, 611 calories, Max HR 177, Avg HR 149

08/09/11: Mental Toughness....

If you're used to running outside: where the scenery changes constantly....yet you suddenly find yourself stuck running inside on a treadmill, with nothing but the images on a TV screen in front of you (a channel you didn't get to pick), the man who wears his spandex swim trucks on the stairmaster in front of you, or the gaggle of women on the Arc trainers one row over who are talking so loudly you have to turn up the sound on your iPod to an eardrum-shattering level just so you can hear the people talking on the TV in front of you (a channel you didn't get to pick).

Mental toughness to the rescue.

If you're used to running outside: where lilac bushes, bar-b-q grills and freshly mown grass fill your sinuses....yet you suddenly find yourself stuck inside running on a treadmill, with nothing but the smells of farts from the dude on the elliptical to your left, body odor from the person to your right (who I swear works out every day and hasn't showered in 17 years), and the 14 different perfumes and hair products in the locker room (none of which smell like lilac, bar-b-q or grass).

Mental toughness to the rescue.

3 miles....30 minutes.....it doesn't seem like a very long time.

But once I get on that machine, it seems like a lifetime.

A long, smelly, annoying lifetime.

:-)
_________________________________________

45:34 (5 min warm up, 8 min cool down), 502 calories, Max HR 196, Avg HR 156

08/08/11: Becomming one with the yoga...

08/08/11
I think I'm really going to get into this whole yoga thing.

I've always been intrigued by it. I've always enjoyed it, in the class I would take once a twice a year, here and there, at the gym. But now that I'm going (somewhat) regularly, I'm really starting to like it. Really like it.

The class on Monday morning starts at 5:30. At 5:25 I was the only one there. I was secretly hoping that no one else would show...free private lesson! But 4 others trickled in right at the 5:30. Darn. :-)

It's not, technically, a "hot yoga" class....but she does turn the heat up to around 80F (27C) or so. Plenty warm enough for me. (hehehe)

I'm a pretty flexible person. Well...most of me.

My hamstrings, not so much. But hopefully these classes will help a little with that.

One can only hope, right?!?!?!

Last time I took the class, I grabs hand weights (the class is called yoga strength, she incorporates weights with the poses) that were a slight bit too heavy for my still weak right shoulder. This week I grabbed weights that were much too light.

Next week...jjjuuuussssst right. :-)

The sweat was rolling, the muscles were burning....felt great!
_______________________________________

58:57, 483 calories, Max HR 166, Avg HR 133


***I found this image on another blog...not sure of the original source of the picture.

08/07/11: Checking in quick....

Keystone Trail North. Flat, no hills.

Legs hurt...bad.

Frustration level...defcon 2.
_____________________________

3 miles, overall average pace 11:41, 346 calories

08/05/11: Dehydration anyone??

Holy smokes!!!!

My legs were still pretty sore from my attempt at a run (on the treadmill Tuesday morning), so instead of running again on Thursday, I waited another day.

(yes, I can learn!)

I sent Mot a text Friday afternoon and told him that I wanted to go run a little at Standing Bear Lake. He could take Sam for a swim while I was out running. So, when I got home, both him and Sam were ready to go.

Sam's a sucker for a good swim in the lake, makes her little black lab heart go pitter patter.....and Mot loves to see all the time he's spent training and working her come to life.

We drove into the parking lot...picked a spot that wasn't too steep down to the lake. Mot is still recovering from multiple stress fractures to his spine - an injury he suffered at work (he's a fireman/paramedic). They took off with throwing dummies in hand, while I took off down the trail.

Things actually felt good for a little while, probably the first mile. The second mile was brutal. My legs were screaming....but whether I was walking or running, it didn't change much....and I was 1.5 miles from the truck....so I had to keep going.

After two miles, the legs actually started to quiet down a little....but really, it was only because my lower abs were screaming louder. I'm not quite sure how to describe the "sensation" without scaring off all the dudes reading this.

Oh heck, we all know the human body is the most annoying machine around...right?

By the time I was .25 miles from the Jeep, I had to actually stop running, stop walking, and sit on the trail.

Sit. Right there in the middle of the trail.

Holy cow!!!

I had this hit me a couple of times last summer as well, so I wasn't as freaked out this time around. Dehydration cramps. They actually, at least to me, feel like monthly cramps. No lie.

How completely uncool is that????

Well anyway, I eventually stood back up and just muscled through it back to the car. What else could I do? :-)

On the way home I hit a whole new stage of this whole "recovering from a running injury" journey I'm on. I've done depression, I've done the tears....now I'm mad.

Really, really mad.

No, not about the dehydration. I mean, yes, I was mad at myself for not drinking as much as I should be, but that's easily fixable.

Nope, on the way home I got to thinking about how much my legs hurt. I've done everything I've been told. I've seen all kinds of professionals. And a three mile run had my legs throbbing.

I ran a half marathon this spring, and got a PR. Yet now, anything more than 3 miles seems like the impossible dream.

I can hear the people I've talked to over the last year. The ones that say "why do you keep doing it? why don't you just stop? maybe you should try something else. maybe running isn't for you."

I have a 10K in Sept, a half in Sept and a half (that was supposed to be a full) in October.

I think, if I miss those, I won't be able to keep the "I think I can, I think I can" attitude going.

That idea, more than anything, is what scares me most.
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3 miles, 11:42 overall average pace (including sitting on the trail), 342 calories

08/04/11: Yoga for Runners, week 2

Class was great...again!

A few of the high points....
1) It wasn't my first time trying to find the place, so I was on time. (for those of you who don't know me, 5 minutes early is late for me....so being 10 minutes late was a little frustrating)
2) Since I wasn't late, I was able to set up in the back of the class.....and the instructor called me on it. "Ah-ha...on time today so you can sit in the back." Another reason I really like her, her sense of humor fits perfectly with mine!
3) Yoga, while sometimes makes those muscles burn, and gets the heart a pumpin'....feels great! It really does. There are no judgements. If you need to bend your legs in downward dog, bend 'em. Etc, etc....

A few low (no, not low - just not high) points....
1) I'm still, 5 years after my shoulder reconstructive surgery, terrified of doing things like side planks, that require all of your body weight to be placed on the fixed shoulder. But....I did them. The whole time....without stopping. Woohoo!!
2) Mental note: do NOT wear my compression running capris to yoga. Can we all say horrendous muffin top??
3) While there are no judgements made by others in the class....there WAS judgement coming from myself. Yes, I'm fairly flexible, in some regards. But when it comes to hamstrings - ha! Mine are about 7 miles shorter than everyone else, I swear! :-)

So, this weeks' topic...the core.

I have so much work to do.

When we lived in MV, I used to keep a core ball beside the bed....I'd do situps every night. We've lived here for 4 years now....and my core is sad! She added to our "homework" assignment for the week. We're still to do 4 each of Sun Salutation A and B....but now we're to add sets of modified boat pose situps.

Ugh! :-)

Not a huge calorie burn (433), but 90 minutes of information and relaxation...mixed in with the brutalness yoga is good at delivering....win/win!

08/03/11: You spin me right round, baby, right round.....

My alarm went off this morning at 4:30 this morning.

4:30 am

On purpose.

I must have been deep in sleep, because at first I couldn't find my alarm clock (the one right there beside the bed) to shut it off.

I got up, let the dogs out, brushed my teeth, stared blankly at my workout clothes sitting on the shelf in the bathroom, turned the light off, and went back to bed.

I laid there for maybe a minute or two, tops...before my inner guilt trip started yelling at me!

"What are you doing? You're already awake! All of your clothes are laid out, your gym bag is packed, your water bottle is filled. Get UUUUPPPPPPP"

(she really bugs the crap out of me sometimes!)

I get BACK out of bed, stumble back to the bathroom, change into my spin clothes, and head out the door.

"Who schedules these things for 5:15 in the morning anyway?"

I'm actually getting quite fond of the classes though, I have to admit. My heart rate is up....my breathing is labored....and the sweat rolls off of me.

There was an actual puddle of sweat on the floor around my bike today.



It takes a certain person to think that a puddle of sweat is awesome...and not disgusting.

Don't get me wrong, the idea of it gross...but knowing it's yours and knowing how hard you worked to get it...that's the awesome part.
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1:03:20 time, 705 calories burned, Max HR 180, Avg HR 156

08/02/11: Still sweating.....

I went to the gym this morning. My heart wasn't into it. Neither was my head.

Or my legs.

After 1 stinkin' mile on the treadmill, I didn't want to push it any more. My calves were screaming. Not the normal place in my legs...now the backs.

I think they were still sleeping too. :-)

So, in order to keep any new injury at bay (shoot me now if that were to happen), I jumped on the elliptical for the remainder of my time.


Those of you who know me, know that the elliptical if FAR from my favorite piece of gym equipment. Especially THIS one. Mot uses it all the time and seems to love it....so I've done my best to put my elliptical feelings behind me, and use it when necessary.

At 6:45 I stopped and went to the locker room to get ready for work.

I showered, washed my hair, shaved my legs....all the normal stuff.

But it was so humid in there today that at 11:05 am, I feel as though I might still be sweating.

OK, maybe not still sweating...but I do feel like the smelly kid in school.

Do you ever feel as though the shower you just took was a silly waste of time??? That's what I feel like today. :-)~

This hot and muggy summer is about to do me in.

I laid down in bed to read last night at 8:00 pm...the weather app on my phone said it was still in the upper 90's...NOT counting the heat index.

This is nuts! I swear I start sweating just by looking at the window. :-)
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36:19, 381 calories....only 381 in 40 minutes? really???? (high calorie counts burned during running, oh how I want you back - now!!!), Max HR 171, Avg HR 152