8/13/2010

Ahhh, taper. The sweetest word. Only wondering when that may begin! MyKaren, as well as Lynn, Sharon, Rick E., Molly and Jill all went to Morgantown WV to participate in the Mountaineer tris. Molly did the Olympic, Rick E did his own aqua-velo and the rest of us fools did the 1/2 IM distance. Gotta say that it was the best 1/2 IM I've had. I had a nutrition plan, and stuck to it like glue and was amazed at how much better I felt! The swim was in the foggy Monogahalia (sp?) River, sooo foggy no one could see the few bouys they had out, I swam very zig-zaggy as a result, but still had a good swim for the first time in my wetsuit since IM last year! The bike was going to the be scary part, but they had to change the course to a 2 loop deal at the last second due to recent chip and oil on the back part of the course. Climbed up and over Mount Morris 4 times total, but it wasn't steep so it wasn't bad. Bike course ended up being 2 miles longer....oh well. The run was along the Mon as they call it, nice and flat and most of it on cinder surface so it was not too hard on the old legs and feet. I posted my best 1/2 marathon time in an 1/2 IM ever. Stunned to say the least, but very happy. I actually broke 7 hours! Barely, but I was thinking I would not be able to do that ever.

So, "taper" week means only one workout a day, but still a 4 hour ride tomorrow, and a 3600 meter swim, and a 1.5 hour run. Some taper.

July 30, 2010

Gosh, IM Canada is about a month off, and I've been too lazy to write anything. Of course, nothing has really happened that was worth recording. So, I thought I'd just do a little update on my attempt to do a race each month....7 months, 7 races so far:
January - Swinging Bridge 35K-trail
February - a 10K trail race in Pocahontas (small race, cannot remember the name)
March - Shamrock 1/2 Marathon
April - Crossover 15 K
May - Run Like A Girl 8K-trail
June - Corporate 4 miler
July - the 3 Cul-de-sac 5Ks

Of course, August is the big one, plus the Mountaineer 1/2 IM distance. I also did the Chris Green 2 Mile Cable Swim and got swum over worse than any IM event by the crazy fast swimmers. Plus, I did most of the Mountains of Misery 100 miler (well, around 72 miles of it) that was hard.

So, training has been good, ProK is a great coach, and I am very happy with the switch. As for my thoughts on the race, well who the heck knows! It will be a long day. I certainly get more race experience for the entry fee than most!

After Canada, who knows, but I need a race a month to accomplish this little task I've set myself up for! For sure there will a race report.

March 5, 2010

Gosh, getting sick has really taken me back in fitness. Not that I was all that fit to begin with, given the off season, but I am really struggling with everything now. Finally got back in the pool last week, and after 200 meters, my arms were dead tired. Sad. Running is sslloowww, and I mean slow. I swear I am barely shuffling along now. I had a 10k race last weekend, and I ran my version of hard for 5 miles, then fell apart....my time was 1:06....not a stellar time at all. Sure it was at Pocahontas but really? I cannot seem to get my lungs or legs to work. I am pretty discouraged.

On Sunday, I ran a little over 10.5 miles, took me forever, and I felt tired the whole time. I am running the Shamrock 1/2 and then the C'ville full, and pretty much feel like both are going to be awful slogs. Certainly not any PR,unless one can PR in the worst way. Ha! Oh well, I guess I'll just have to suck it up and do the best I can, even if my best keeps getting worse. Whine. Whine. I just wish I could improve in something. Maybe I will, it is after all, only March!

Snow, Drunk, Sick

Well, its been a bit since I last wrote. In that time, there's been more snow, I got really drunk, and then I got sick. Not necessarily in that order, oh wait, yes in that order! A couple of Saturday's ago, MyK and I went to a movie with some friends. Sounds fairly tame, right? Wrong. After the movie, came dinner, with drinks, and then someone got the crazy idea to go to a bar. And, I for once, said OK. As far as I can remember, I had a Cosmo, several glasses of wine, a couple of beers, and at least 4 shots. I may have been able to drink that much in my heyday, but not now. I was toast. I danced. I think we got home around 2 am, and when I stumbled out of bed at 8, I was still drunk. Needless to say, I didn't run that day, nor have I really run since. It took me two days to feel even half-way normal, and then I got this stupid cold thing that has put me on my butt. 9 days later, I am still coughing my lungs out, and my nose is all red and sore from blowing and wiping. Fun times. Meanwhile, the snow has come again, and again. Kind of neat, since we don't get much snow here in the south, but kind of ready for green lawns.

1/30/2010

Snowing, snowing, snowing. Great googly moogly....the weather people have been correct 2 times this winter! Its a miracle! Ok, even though I have decided NOT to do the 50 K, I somehow still found myself out in the beautiful snow....as it fell....with wind....for over 3 hours, running, already today, and it is not yet 1pm. MyKaren, BeB,Twila, and Jenny met at Reedy Creek for a little run as the snow fell this morning, and we were not the only crazies out. I ran a little over 3 hours, MyK and BeB ran close to 4. It was nice, and pretty, and cold, and windy and wet, and hard. We ran east on the fire road to Belle Island, the Lost trail, the fire road, up around the top of Belle Island, the canal walk to its end, over the Mayo Bridge, the floodwall, and the fire road back. Crossing the river was freakin cold, my right ear was completely frozen! Running as it snows is nice, but very cold. I kept getting ice crystals on my eyelashes, across the front of my legs and chest, and my whole head was white. The ice crystals on my eyelashes actually began to impact my vision, so I had to clear them away, which made my fingers cold. Oh, well what the heck do I think will happen when one runs in the snow?

I think in the hours that we ran, it snowed about 4 inches. It's defintely coming down pretty hard. Good thing we have enough milk, eggs, and toilet paper!

1/25/2010

So, winter training is coming to a close this week at the new place. Not sure if I feel ready for real training to begin, but don't feel completely out of shape either. Next week will bring a new training regime and group to train with, and I am looking forward to it...at least for now. I can't even fathom IM training right now, 2 hours on the bike seems long as does an hour of swim lessons, but at least I've run some long runs.

I am considering, not sure how seriously, doing or attempting, the Holiday Lake 50K, but I have not yet signed up. I am not sure how this happens, but I keep signing up for things I had no intent on trying...first half IM, then IM, and now, perhaps the 50 K. What is going on! I think I have just lost my freakin mind.

Somehow, unless something physically prevents me, I see myself on the start line, in the dark, with other crazy people, attempting to run further than I have ever run, on a trail or otherwise in mid-February. Or, maybe not.

Swinging Bridge 35K Report

So, after the crappy weather training for the 35K, the day dawned beautiful, not hot, not too cold, not raining! ProK, MyK and our dogs all drove to the wonderful cabin at Bear Creek on Friday afternoon, and we relaxed and cooked my favorite pre-race meal as we waited for the remainder of the race crew and family members to arrive. They did so, but we had eaten already and we fed them the ground beef/feta/mushroom/pasta dish that I love to eat pre-race, along with salad and garlic bread. The gang numbered 8 adults, 2 kids and 4 dogs. Thankfully, we were in 2 cabins so it wasn't crowded.

Trail races are very low key deals, sort of milling around, a few announcements about flagging and markings to look for to stay on the trail and then off we went. Running nearly 22 miles on trails takes some time...for me quite a bit of time, but it was a nice run nevertheless! I pretty much ran with Jill and Lynn, and was a bit surprised that the first aid station took us over an hour and a half to reach, we thought it was at mile 5, but it was more like mile 6. Shortly after the aid station, the front runners started showing up...Tyler was running 3rd overall, and Bryan looked strong. I was also surprised when ProK sped by, close on the heels of the front women, running 3rd at about mile 14 or so. On and on we ran, and finally reached the turn-around point, with some people who manned the aid station, they were very nice. The food was not quite IM standards, but still, with M&Ms, pretzels, coke, and animal crackers, it was better than most! I Gued my ass off, taking and eating all 5 of them that I brought with me. As we approached the last few miles, my freakin back started seizing up, and it was hard to run. I had hoped to finish in 5 hours, but didn't quite make that goal. MyKaren ran back up the trail and met me with a little less than a mile to go. I struggled to the finish, in 5:11. I was tired, but other than my back, I was not as beat up as I normally am after a long run like that.

Turns out its good to be old...I came in 1st in my 50-54 age group, of course there were only 2 of us. ProK came in 2nd, as did Tyler. MyKaren came in 4th of the women, and I am very proud of her!

Next up? I think its the Shamrock 1/2.

1/11/2010

Cold. Cold. Cold. That pretty much sums up this year so far! We had a wonderful New Year extravaganza with some crazy friends at the beach in NC! We got a road ride in on roads and areas of the Outer Banks that I had never visited, and also got a New Year's Day trail run (yes, a trail run on hilly terrain at the beach--who knew?). We also had some spirits, food and Wii competitions, and great company!

Since we are "training" for the Swinging Bridge 35K, MyK and I left on Saturday so we could run long on Sunday. The weather turned cold, and windy, which made it very cold. Sunday morning, it was 19 when we left our house for a 3+ hour run. MyK, ProK, Lynn, Sharon, BryanD, Jill and I braved the cold and actually showed up and ran. We made it about 3 1/2 hours. Running in the woods wasn't bad, the wind was cut enough to where it was cold, but not uncomfortable. Then we crossed the Nickle Bridge (Boulevard Bridge) and the wind screaming downstream across that bridge was freakin COLD. I actually got an ice cream headache from the wind freezing my sweaty head, and one side of our nostrils got frozen shut. Good stuff. The bad part was knowing we had to cross back under the Lee Bridge. The trip back was just as cold, the only difference was that the opposite side of our heads and nose got frozen. It was all OK, when we were done and eating breakfast with hot coffee!

My off season training continues to kick my butt, Mondays and Thursdays are especially hard, as I have 3 training things those days. Swimming is back so Monday I swim in the morning and then have spinning and weights in the evening. Thursdays is an am run, with the spin and weights in the evening. I am struggling with trying to get my training schedule figured out so that the sessions are evenly distrubuted. Its a work in progress. So, Tuesday is track, and ProK decides we will meet indoors. Sounds good, right? Wrong. Running the stairs at UR Robins Center is not easy. I almost puked or passed out, perhaps it was both. Can't wait for tomorrow....

This weekends run was a taper one, but just as cold. There were a bunch of us, along with the usual suspects, we some newbies. Somehow the run became quite an adventure, including some rock/cliff climbing and off trail explorations. Good stuff and it was fun to branch out a bit. Most ran about 2 hours, I only got in 1 1/2 but felt that was what I could do on that day. Next weekend is the 35K. I am worried about making the 5 hour cut-off. Oh, well, if I do, great. If I don't, I'll be fine. Right?