Brown Socks

Is is Sunday Already?

Whoa- that week went by fast! Haven't had time to update my blog or comment on others, but I have been reading new posts from everyone in between running around.  Zack's out of town, so it's just Mar and I this weekend- doesn't leave much time for blogging, or reading other blogs so I'm quite behind.

So, where was I?

Enchanted Rock

Last Sunday we went to Enchanted Rock for the day. We packed a cooler of pasta salad, lime jello, chips and salsa, and tons of water and headed out mid-morning.  Driving to the Hill Country for me, is a great way to get away from the anxiety of Austin. On a normal day I spend a total hour and a half in traffic driving through Austin from my house... which isn't really that far from work. On a bad day, I've spent over 2 hours in traffic...I could head South and get to San Antonio faster than I can get to the other side of Austin. So, driving 80 miles to the Enchanted Rock seems like a normal day of driving.  I'd rather be driving 90 minutes at 65mph on open roads,  than 45 minutes of start-stop-start-stop (3 mph) traffic on I35 any day.  I'm used to the drive now, but it wears on me by the end of the week.

I'm driving along looking at the sights singing with Marcel and Zack when I notice that a police car is behind me with his lights on. We were just out of Fredericksburg with about 15 miles to go on the curvy, rural road that brings you to the Enchanted Rock.  I was so busy looking around at all the hills, thinking about running up them, that I didn't know how long he had been behind me. Turns out, I was going 50 in a 40 at the outskirts of town, before the speed limit went to 50- not something you would usually get stopped for. But I'm thinking that the reason that he pulled me over was because I was looking at the landscape and weaving a bit... I think he thought he had a drunk on his hands.  He realized that we were just goofy Austinites...he checked out my info and gave me a warning.  The next day at school,  at "circle time" Marcel shared the story of "My mom got caught by the police" with his class. He failed to mention his great hike at Enchanted Rock...or that he took two bad spills running down enchanted rock...or that we were surrounded by angry wasps in our picnic shelter...Nope- he told them the cops got Mommy.

So it was a great day.  As soon as we got out of the car we knew it was going to be a hot hike up the rock...but we had no idea that the temperature would reach 104 that day!  You'd think that the place would be abandoned with heat like that on a completely exposed area- but now, tons of families with small children, campers, and climbers were all over the park. It felt hot, but not that hot....I guess by now, our bodies are used to it.  But, it's always amazing to me to be out in heat like that and see people without a drop of sweat on their body and small children unfazed by the heat. I will forever look like a New Yorker in Texas when I am out in the heat.

Grr...I lost the rest of the post that I just wrote- so I'll re-write the rest later...

Over the funk...

So it has been a week since my "tears on the trails" incident.  One week later it looks like my black cloud has finally passed, but not without a few more aches and pains.

So my workout and run at the gym were good. But, not without pain for the following 2 days. It's been a long time since I have been that sore after a workout...ugh.

Still learning ...

On Thursday I went to the greenbelt for a run, but it was crappy once again.  Halfway down the hill of life my stomach started to turn. I figured I could run through it, but it didn't go away. I made it halfway to the dam (which isn't very far) and turned around to go back to the car. It was too hot and my stomach felt too sick to try to push through it. But then, as I turned around to go back to the car I started to feel better. So I headed down the main trail in the opposite direction, thinking that the issues had passed. But then a mile down the trail, my stomach started turning again.  So, once again I turned around to go back. I'm starting to feel very discouraged at this point...I just wanted to have a good freakin' run! So, I headed back to the HOL and wouldn't you know, halfway up I started to feel better. I actually felt strong going up the hill, so I decided to veer off on the side trail that we took on the Belt course. I went along that for a while, and the stomach issues came back.  I was done playing this game, so I went back to the car and went home.

This whole stomach thing was frustrating me. I hadn't eating anything too crazy for lunch and I felt like I was well hydrated...yet I felt like I had eaten large amounts of roughage, if you know what I mean.  And then I realized that just like last time I had this issue on the trail,  I ate a large bowl of cereal in the morning... Dairy was the culprit! I've read that it can cause GI issues, but hadn't really thought about it...Problem solved, thankfully.

Higher likelihood of injury: 1) trail-running, or 2) running the puppy around the block?

The answer is 2. The puppy cut me off on our run yesterday morning (he's still learning how to run on the leash), twisting my ankle and sending me flying forward (in the middle of the street no less) to land on my right knee. Did I mention that it was in the middle of the street... while half the neighborhood was heading to work?

The fall really did a number on my ankles- I twisted the one, and somehow screwed up the other one that is still healing from my tumble down the hill of death a few weeks ago.  Ouch- another disappointing run...

Friday Hike

 

Can you even see Marcel in this picture in his camouflage?

So yesterday afternoon Marcel and I decided to go somewhere new, and we agreed on the Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve . I've seen the entrance to the preserve many times while driving back and forth on 360, but never gave it much thought. When we were talking about finding a new place to go, it popped into my head.  I'm glad we checked it out- it ended up being a perfect hike- not too far (about 2 miles) and not too flat (you know how Marcel likes the climbs).  I swear this child is going to be kicking my butt on the trail runs soon enough- he was running up the hills like they were flat- not a drop of sweat. Marcel thought the hike was a little short, so I promised him we could go on a hike on Sunday morning while Zack ran.  I figured we would go down to the greenbelt, but he asked to go to Enchanted Rock because he wanted to hike the steep rock spaceship looking thing. He doesn't realize that Enchanted Rock is 80 miles away. I almost said "no, not this weekend", but the more I thought about it, the more I thought a little day trip would be a perfect way to spend our Sunday.  Zack agreed, and Marcel got his way- he will finally get his steep hill this weekend.

Finally, the cloud has passed

On my schedule this week is "recovery".  Recovery from my non existent long run last week. My first inclination was to try to make up for my bad run this weekend, but I decided to keep to the schedule...the next 2 weeks are considered "hard" weeks with two consecutive days of quality workouts and weekend long runs. So I went out this morning to run as long as I could before I needed to be home to go to Marcel's Kung Fu (rumor was that he was to test to his blue-stripe today, but he didn't). I planned to do the Powerline loop, then add on as much as I could before turning around. I ran the loop until the bottom of the hill of death, then decided to continue on the same side and over the hump instead of crossing the creek. I got back to the main trail and ran a bit more, and realized I needed to turn around. I finished my run happy (!) and satisfied that I was over my funk.  My ankles were a bit weak from the puppy incident, and I had to go down the hills a bit slower, but it was all good.

So, tomorrow we are off for a mini day trip which I am looking forward to. Heading to the Hill Country always a great way to get away from our hectic Austin life.  I'm hoping to stop in Fredericksburg to get some fresh bread at the bakery as well.  And maybe some homemade fudge too... mmm.

Random Stuff

Random stuff on my mind…

• On Tuesday I went to the gym for the first time in weeks and did a upper body/abs workout and then ran on the treadmill. I’m finding it very hard to get to the gym these days, I just want to be outside! Luckily, I had told Zack I would meet him at the gym so I couldn't really skip the workout. I did my workout using the same weights and reps as I was doing the last time I went to the gym (about a month ago)….I found out today that that was a bad idea… As I was working on something at my desk I noticed that my elbow was bothering me. It felt bruised, and I tried to remember if I had smashed my elbow into a door or something. But, it wasn't an external bruise- It was pain radiating in to my elbow from all of the sore muscles in my arm.  And this evening, while making dinner, it HURT to slice a pepper. Ugh, I need to get to the gym more…

• My grandmother started radiation for breast cancer this week and I have been thinking about her quite a bit. She doesn’t read this blog- but I want to put some good vibes out there for her…My Grandma and Grandpa play a big part in my love for the trails and the forest.  Growing up, I spent many summers with them out in their land near Watertown New York while they cut trees for firewood. My brother and I would play for hours while the grown-ups downed trees and split the wood.  My grandparents also have “camp” near the Adirondacks, where we spent many days fishing and exploring the woods. I wrote about camp in my race report for my first trail race- when I arrived at the park (Huntsville) where the race was being held, I felt like I was at camp. I knew that trail running was what I wanted to do- before I ever ran a step of that race.  I felt like I was “home”. The picture below is of the lake at camp- one of my favorite places.  Sending out good vibes to Grandma...

 

• Zack and I have a wedding anniversary coming up- 7 years! To celebrate our anniversary we have asked our friends to watch Marcel while we check out this place.  I saw an ad for it in one of the local magazines so I checked it out.  I really liked how the place came to be, they wanted to share the beauty of their land without having to change it so they put in zip-lines instead of trails- a different way to enjoy the scenery...

• I found this photo the other day when I was collecting pictures to scan for my friend Kristen in San Diego. I was going through all of my old photos from when Kristen and I used to hang out in Syracuse (and a brief stint in Sandusky Ohio) about 10 years ago. It was hysterical to look at some of the photos- and a great trip down memory lane. In every picture I was smoking or drinking, or both. It is such a contrast to my life right now! But despite the damage I was doing to my body at the time and my total disregard for the future (an empty savings account and major credit card debt)... I have to agree with Kristen when she said that they were the best times.  I look like I am having a great time don't I? I really was, that's what makes me laugh about the picture, just like the after race photo that Zack took where I looked pissed. Anyways, thankfully, Kristen and I will get to hang out again in the fall when I take my first trip “out west” to visit her in San Diego. We get to hang out again as “grown ups”…how surreal will that be?  Love ya Kristen- can't wait to visit!

• And lastly, if you haven’t checked out Ginger Breadman’s blog today- go on over and check out the very cool pictures of the Cairns, and the interesting post to go with them. I’ve been teaching Marcel about cairns on our greenbelt hikes- small piles of stacked rocks mark the trails here and help us not to get lost when we go off on the side trails. He calls them “Tikis” and made a few “artsy” ones off to the side and included a few sticks in the mix. When Marcel was 4 Zack brought him to an Andy Goldsworthy show during his Christmas break. Then they watched Rivers and Tides and Marcel was able to see how Goldsworthy created his art. Since then, Marcel sees art in sticks, leaves and stones- so “tikis” aren’t just functional things, they are art as well...like GB’s photos.  Check 'em out.

That's all for now...

Shout-outs, Good Times, Tears...

First off,  some shout-outs...

* Thanks for all the great comments about my 50K vs 50M goals- it's great to have y'all out there! It helps to get feedback from people who really get it!

* Wishing Angie a quick recovery from her surgery ! I know most of y'all know Angie, but if not, check out her blog- she is an inspiring woman with a truly amazing story! Get well soon Angie and eat some fries for me!

* Also- Wishing TJ good luck on his 50+ mile goal at his 12 hour night race this eve! Can't wait to hear about it. 

Running- Wednesday, Thursday

My schedule was a little off this week due to moving my long run to Monday, so I decided to do my hill workout on Wednesday, and my "steady" run on Thursday.

As I left work on Wednesday to head to my hill run, I couldn't decide where I wanted to run. My inclination was to go to the Hill of Life and find some hills in that area to run, but I really wasn't feeling running down big loose rocks. I wanted to find a place where I could focus on going up and down the hills without having to focus on staying upright as well...Not that I don't enjoy running on rocky hills (I really do!) but I wanted to concentrate on keeping a steady speed up and down the hills.  I decided on Barton Hills (road run) but at last minute I decided to go to the greenbelt and check out the trails by the 360 access. I figured I could find dirt trail loop that I could run in the "Toy (store) loop" area.  I scouted out a few of the trails and found a way to connect a few trails to make a short loop that was perfect for my hill running ability (which is lacking).  I did the loop (and various combinations of the many trails) for about 45 minutes and headed back.  I'm learning to like these hill workouts... Good Run.

Thursday was my "steady" pace run, also at the greenbelt.  Last week I wandered off the trail a bit, and Thursday was more of the same, just not as much wandering. I came home with about 25 mosquito bites and and my ankles scraped up from bushwhacking over in the grotto area.  I just hope that I didn't get into any poison ivy... Good Run.

Hiking Friday

Friday was a hike with Marcel- our new thing is hiking and talking on Fridays after school.

We had a great hike- but we were out on the trails much longer than I expected.  We just kept going, and going, and going... I told Marcel about the different places that we could check out, and he wanted to see them all. We finally headed back to the car after a few hours of wandering around.  Marcel was complaining that his legs were dying, but then he kicked my butt going up the Hill of Life.  For real. 

Crying Saturday

And that brings me to today.  Today, I had one of the worst runs I've had in a long time, perhaps ever.  I made it 2 hours out of the 3 1/2 that I planned.  The low point was when I decided that I wanted to go cry on a rock and couldn't find a place to sit that wasn't swarmed with horseflies  (or bees)- it was miserable.  My heart wasn't in my run today, and I don't know if I wanted to cry because I wasn't able to complete what I started out to do, or because I was missing being home with my family on a Saturday morning, or what... I have no idea, but it is the first time this has ever happened to me. I usually don't break down mentally like that- even in tougher, longer runs . I was struggling with the decision whether to continue or to go back to the car for about an hour. I think the struggle may have upset me more- as tough as I wanted to be, I cut my run short because I just wasn't enjoying myself.  It was definitely one of those moments where I asked myself "why do I do this?". 

I know there were a few things that contributed to my crappy run- the horseflies were terrorizing me and it was damp and dreary- and very humid.  I  also heard something large fall from above near the Gus Fruh rock climbing wall. I couldn't see any people climbing, so I assumed it was a large rock. It freaked me that the sound was near the place that I had just run through. It really spooked me and it took me a few miles to shake that feeling. I'm thinking that the combination of all that stuff combined with the mental struggle of "being tough while running vs. being happy while running" put me over the edge, causing some tears to be shed. 

We had a good laugh when I got home and told Zack that I couldn't find a place to sit and cry- It seems so silly now, but I really was a mess at the time.  I'm over it, and ready to have another good run tomorrow.  I think I will stick to Town Lake or the neighborhood tomorrow to give my body a break from the mosquito and horse fly bites. 

Indecision

We got back from Dallas on Sunday night- it was an overwhelming whirlwind visit! Needless to say, I was ready for a long run after sitting in a car on Saturday and Sunday, and due to the nature of the visit (sick relative). Thankfully Zack and I had taken Monday off- so we were both able to get long runs in. I opted for the main trails of the greenbelt out and back to make 15 miles or so. I wanted to run on the main trails to see how I was doing speed-wise on flat trail terrain- most of my long runs in the past few months have been both hilly and technical (and sometimes muddy, hilly and technical), except for RHR which wasn't too technical and a bit hilly- but that was another yucky story.

So I headed out around 8AM after dropping Marcel off at school. I usually park in the middle of the greenbelt, head one way and turn around to come back for cold water/powerade then go the other way. On this day I decided that I would suck it up and drink the lukewarm water from my camelbak the entire time, and not make the pit stop. So I started out at the hill of life (one end)and headed toward Zilker (the other end). I made it to Zilker feeling good- and my pace was quicker than the last time I ran the whole greenbelt. But it was getting hotter (especially on that end of the trail) and I wondered if I could keep up the pace on the way back without having heat issues (and I forgot endurolytes). In the summer I usually use the “pit stop” in the middle of my run to cool myself down and grab some cold powerade to bring along. But, luckily it didn’t get as hot as I thought it would- it was definitely manageable. I was able to make it back from Zilker in almost the exact same time it took me to get there. After months of feeling like I was at a stand-still, it finally looks like my “training” is paying off.  My pace ended up being almost the same as my 25K race time last year, despite the fact that I stopped to stretch out my IT band twice and adjust my laces twice (trying to get used to the new ones)... and I didn't feel like I was "pushing" it. The one downside of the run- I wore my camelbak with a sports bra...and the friction caused some camelbak burn on my back.

One of the things that I thought about on the trail was the 50 miler at Sunmart. At the time, out there on the trail I had practically committed to it. I figured out the speed that I would need to maintain to avoid the cutoffs, and it seemed reasonable. I went home and talked to the guys about it, and they were very supportive of it. Surprisingly, neither one acted like I was making some crazy decision, they were very matter-of-fact about the whole thing. But since Monday, I have flip-flopped a few times and I am not sure that I want to do it yet. Why? Well, part of what I am doing right now is working to see if I can cut some time off from my 50K (and other races leading up to Sunmart) and not finish in as much pain as I did in December. If I jump to the 50 Miler, it will be all about just finishing again, and being in a lot of pain again… Of course, I could do a 50K in October to see how my progress is, but that most likely will be my son’s birthday weekend- so probably that won’t work…

Obviously I’m not really sure of what my next goal is right now…With the 50 M I would be making distance progress, with the 50K I can try to make speed progress. Both are fine- I just don’t know which one I want to do…and when.  Being so new to running, part of me wants to work to become a better runner right now, without pushing the distance limits.  But, I definitely want to do a 50 mile race- there is no doubt about that…I’m just not sure if I want to do it this year, or next…

There’s always this one in February – the mini, of course.

Hmm….this will probably be the theme of many posts to come.

Friday Hike...Saturday Fall

Friday Hike

Marcel and I went to the greenbelt yesterday to do some hiking and talking.  Marcel's Great Grandma is sick in the hospital and we are going to visit her today,  so I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about sickness and hospitals while we were out on the hike. This will be his first experience being in a hospital (other then being born) and his first time to see someone who is very ill.  I figured that we could talk about life while we were out in nature... It worked- we were able to have a nice talk about what it means to be sick and what to expect while in the hospital- while walking along in a peaceful place.  Oh, and Marcel informed me that the "steep hill" that I found for him to hike up... wasn't steep.

I remembered to put the battery in my camera and took some photos along the hike. They are posted over in the right sidebar under "Greenbelt" if you are interested in taking a look.  They mostly have pictures of my son in them, but if you would like to check out the "greenbelt" that a few of us talk about on our blogs- the pictures show many different points on the trails taken over the past year and a half.  The new ones from yesterday are at the bottom, the ones on the top are from last year when the creek actually had water all the way down to Gus Fruh.

Falling

I headed out to the greenbelt early this morning to get an hour run in before we head out of town to see Zack's Grandmother.  I did the same route that I always do but today was able to go about 1/3 of a mile further before turning around! It seems as if finally I am getting a little faster- a few weeks of hill and fartlek workouts apparently makes a difference!  Also, something that has changed in the past few weeks- falling. Whereas I rarely fall while running (and it the worst fall wasn't even on the trail it was on flat Lake Austin Blvd), the past few weeks I have fallen in nearly every run, usually while running down rocky hills.  Today I fell coming down the hill of death, right at a steep sharp turn.  I sliced my knee up in two places and did a number on my ankle.  I better put a first aid kit in the car- this seems to be a regular thing now.

I'll be out of the loop for a few days... hope everyone has a great weekend and if I'm not back by the holiday- Happy 4th of July!