Brown Socks

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.

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.

Saturday- Journey

This weekend was to be an easy weekend of running- one easy hour on Saturday and that was it!

Running

On Saturday I got up early and headed to the Greenbelt for an easy hour run. The sky was looking pretty grey, and I knew it was going to rain and I was hoped that it would rain while I was out there. Three days last week I tried to go to run in the rain but each time, by the time I got to the trail, the rain had stopped. I knew I was it was going to rain that morning- and twenty minutes into my run it started to rain so I had a nice cool 40 minutes in the rain on the trails. I had a hard time turning around to go back to the car – I wanted to run in the rain longer…but I am following a schedule now which had a 45-60 minute easy run, so I turned around.

The Wheel in the Sky...whatever that is...

Later Saturday we hooked up with some friends and headed out for some drinks, then went to the Journey Sing Along at the Alamo (an eclectic group of movie theaters around town that have theme nights- and you can eat and drink beer). It was hysterical- I was already crying from laughing so hard at the cover band that opened the show (complete with trombone and violin) and then the awful Journey videos started. It was like a “Behind the Music” with videos edited in- and the audience (a full house) sang/screamed along with the videos (OK... I’ll admit I was right there with ‘em). The Alamo had also spliced in movie clips in which Journey songs were used. Folks pulled out the lighters (and cell phone lights? I'm so out of touch) when “Open Arms” came on- it was too much. I never thought that in 2006 I would ever be in a room full of a few hundred Journey fans…And when we left the 7:30 show there was a line around the block for the next show. I think we had the die-hards though; the late show folks looked too young to have been original Journey fans.  If you ever visit Austin- you have to check out the Alamo on a theme night- they never dissapoint.

The Plan

So with Sunmart training beginning in September, and not a single race on my calendar, what am I going to do now?  I plan to join the Sunmart group again in the Fall, but until then- what???

Well...I'm a woman with a plan!  Well, not a plan that I devised myself...a plan that was created to help me go into Sunmart training in September with a good base.  And I officially have a coach (!) to kick my butt and make sure that I actually follow the plan.  Thinking back on the past 6 months, as I've mentioned my "training" has been spotty. Yeah, I get out there for my runs 4-5 days a week, but many of those runs were crap runs- just getting the miles in.  As far as "quality" goes, well, not a lot of that going on up to this point. I have pushed myself distance-wise since I started running 2 1/2 years ago, but I have yet to really push myself speed-wise... I hate feeling like I can't breathe! But I really want this base training program to help me change that, among other things. This plan will have me pushing myself...a lot.

This plan has been something that has been in the works for a few weeks now, so I have had time to really think about how I want to tackle the next 3 months.  I want to do this right- I'm paying for this and there are 2 folks who are taking time out of their busy schedules to make this program for me.  I've got a plan and a coach now- I've got to get serious!  So, I figured out 2 of the things that I knew were going to have to change- my eating habits and my sleeping habits.

As far as eating goes- I eat pretty well most of the time.  I don't eat nearly enough fruits and vegetables, but most of my food choices are what I would consider healthy.  That is, except after long runs...I eat crap for 2 days- I'll eat whatever I want- desserts, chips, queso, chocolate, etc...and I feel junky. It screws with my energy level big time.  I'm not a "diet" person so by no means am I going to go on a diet.  Nor I am going to be obsessive what I eat- I did that it high school and college and I don't want to back to that place again (another story for another day).  I just need to make healthier choices so that I don't crash in the evening the way I have been.  So since Monday I have been staying away from those foods that make me feel crappy.

As far as sleeping goes- I have had a very hard time waking up in the morning since we moved into our house.  I used to get up early and go for a run or to the gym before work. I haven't done that in a loooong time. I hit snooze, hit snooze again, again....and get up when I absolutely have to.  The problem that this causes is that I have to do all of my workouts after work, and by the time I get home from the workout I have little time to hang out with Marcel before he has to go to bed.  So, this week I have been waking up early to get my body on an earlier schedule- so far I've been up at 5AM every day this week so far- not to workout, but just to get used to the schedule.  Next week I add a non-trail morning workout in.  And I'm planning on hitting the trails earlier on the weekends as well- haven't done that in months. 

Surprisingly, I figured that I would be dragging this week adjusting to getting up earlier. But since I haven't been eating any junky food and have been eating more fruits and vegetables- I actually feel like I have energy!  We will see how the rest of the week works out.

Looking ahead- the races on my list so far are:

• Rocky Trails Marathon
• Sunmart 50K

Beyond that I'd like to do a 50 Miler...but I have to see how this all works out. Last year balancing Sunmart training, traveling for work, and being a Mom was very, very hard. Hopefully this time around things will be different since I have learned how to juggle things better...So while a goal of mine is a 50 Miler, I want to make sure that I can handle the rest before committing to anything more. But, someday - definitely.

Pass the Salt

It's getting pretty darn warm here.  I rarely run in the morning anymore because of my commute, so most of my runs are done in the afternoon heat.  Being a native New Yorker, I still don't handle the heat well, even though I have lived in Texas for almost 10 years.  Or maybe I'm just a whiner...

Saturday Zack and I dropped Mar off and headed to the Greenbelt to do the Powerline loop and some of the main trail. Zack is working on some base mileage for Marathon to Marathon in October and wanted to do about 2 hours on the trails.  I wanted to get in 3 hours, so we ran together for the first 2 hours, then I went off on my own for the last hour. 

The first 15 minutes were difficult for me;  the air temperature was at 96 degrees and my body temperature immediately shot up as soon as we hit the first climb on the loop. I had a giant, heavy chunk of ice in my camelback that wasn't making the run any easier. Thankfully after about 30 minutes I was comfortable and no longer feeling like I was cooking in an oven. The next hour and a half were good- I had plenty of cold water in my camelback and good conversation to keep me going. 

The highlight of our run together was going down the hill of death.  I'm usually very cautious going down the hill (one more reason why I am a slower runner) or any hill for that matter.  But I decided that since I was with Zack  I would go for it- he could carry me back to the car if I hurt myself.  I have never run down a hill (trail) that fast in my life and it was awesome.  When I got to the bottom I could still feel the adrenaline rush

At about 2 hours we headed up the Hill of life to Zack's car where I downed some slushy Powerade and had a few crackers. I filled my Camelback with more water and ice and headed back to the trail.  Zack's plan was to go to Sonic and grab some slushes and meet me in an hour at the top of the hill.  I think I had too much to drink because when I ran back down the hill I felt like I had gained 5 pounds from all of the liquid in my belly- it was extremely uncomfortable.  I got down to the bottom of the hill and turned on to the main trail- and quickly faded.  I felt zapped and the heat was really bothering me again- I couldn't cool my body down even though I had some ice cubes in a bandanna with me.  I really wanted to turn around ...but I decided to stick it out.  I ran down the trail to Sculpture Falls, then up the Hill of Death, and ran the Powerline and turned around.  That was enough for me- and the whole thing took me an hour with walk breaks.

Zack met me at the top with a giant Cherry limeade slush.  I drank that then had 16 ounces of recovery drink, and about 4 giant glasses of water and still felt like shit.  I guess I can consider the run my first crappy heat run- and hopefully it will get easier in the next few weeks.

On Sunday I still felt drained but wanted to get a short 30 minute  "recovery" run in since I was feeling stiff.  I checked the temperature- 98 degrees- great.  I headed out and promptly overheated.  I ran back by the house to use the bathroom about 15 minutes into the run, and bitched to Zack about how much I hate running in the heat blah blah blah- and then headed back out for another 15 minutes. And surprisingly, it got better- I added another 10 minutes onto the run and felt pretty darn good.  Perhaps I am adjusting?  Or just a lucky day...I guess I will see.

Willpower

will·pow·er or will pow·er   n.  The strength of will to carry out one's decisions, wishes, or plans.

So, I am trying to loose a little weight.  I can't eat the way I did when I was training for Sunmart- but my body still wants a ton of food. Crappy food. I am trying to resist chocolate- which requires serious willpower. I am trying to moderate my chocolate intake.  Willpower kept me from coming home from Target with 4 snazzy "limited edition" candy bars- Double chocolate Reeses, White Chocolate Reeses big cup, Kit Kat Malt, Crunch bar with Peanuts... Had to fight that curiosity...it was tough. What does a malt flavored Kit Kat taste like? Had to stay strong and walk away.

I am trying to keep myself from snacking between meals. And from eating fast food. And buying ice cream and Amy's Apple Pies. Have you ever had an Amy's mini apple pie? Willpower...

I am trying to save money for a house down-payment. Which requires a great amount of willpower.  Not suggesting Margaritas and Mexican food for dinner tonight...willpower.  Not replacing my Garmin that I lost 2 weeks ago (yeah, I lost it- it has disappeared without a trace..."- willpower.  I was quite used to that thing.

And getting up off my butt to go out and run today - I really need the "strength of will" to carry out my plans.  Really.  I think I have met my willpower limit for the day. Procrastination is in full-force.

O.K. I just got up and put on the running clothes, but then I sat down to continue the post instead of heading out the door.  Clothes on- first step. Will there be a second step? Ugh. It is looking pretty dismal outside...But the dog needs exercise. Aggghh.....!

O.K., I am out of here!....After I check my email.....and a few more blogs.

The blues

I just couldn't wait to get through this training, run the race, and be done.  Right?

Now I am sad that it is over.  Really sad,  like I have suffered some big loss- the loss of my training group, goal, schedule...I'm really off right now.  It was such a huge goal for me, something I wasn't even sure that I could do. Finishing it was huge for me, now it is over. 

I know it will pass. It is hard not to start planning for the next one... Zack knows what it is like and tells me not to jump into planning something else right now to distract myself. He's right, I know, but it is hard not to pull out the calendar and schedule some hill repeats...

What do y'all do when your goal race is over and you can't run even if you wanted to because it HURTS and you know you NEED a break...?

Denial

Yes- I am in denial that I am actually running a 50K in nine days.  That is why I am not blogging about it...Zack keeps talking about it, and I keep walking away from him while he is talking...

Let the tapering begin!

Haha! The long training runs are officially over! Today marked the passage of the most difficult part of my training..with (about) 23 under my belt for yesterday and 15 more toady- I'm ready to have a normal weekend for a change. 

So how has it been? Well, at times not as painful as I thought it would be- and at other times more painful than I thought it would be. While my 20/10 back to back a few weeks ago was tolerable- my back to back this weekend was very painful. I did not cry as I thought I might- but I wasn't laughing either.  It's hard to know what will be difficult and what will be easy; every day is different.  This morning, I said to a runner "I don't know how long my legs are going to last me today", to which he responded- "they will last until the end".  Now his legs will last him a lot longer than mine since he frequently runs 100 milers, but I got what he was saying.  And I think that pretty much sums it up.

The next 3 weeks we will be knocking the mileage down significantly, with a 12 miler next week, and a 7 miler the following.  I will be running the Turkey Trot here on Thanksgiving (yay!)

So now tapering. My husband is a bit worried about this part...

Catching up...again

This training is making me very tired.  And hungry!

So, where did I leave off?  Oh yeah, the race... official results were posted last Friday:

This year- 2:54:34

Last year- 3:19:00

I never wrote up race report, and don't know if I will... I have so little time right now; between Marcel's birthday, my folks in town, Halloween, a new NEW DOG, conferences, interviewing job candidates, and OF COURSE, running, I barely had time to clean the house, let alone post on the blog. It bums me out, but I just can't find the time... in the past I could post during lunch or after work, but these days I am working through lunches and running most days.

So maybe, sometime I will write up a race report...but most likely the next time I write about the course will be my Sunmart race report.

So, let me see, where did I leave off?

2 weeks ago (38 miles):

After the race, we got right into it with a few easy runs and a 6 mile run on the greenbelt following Wednesday.

On Thursday I had 7 miles scheduled, but my folks were in town, so I attempted to cram the 7 mile workout in between work and dinner with the family.  After pulling out my running clothes to change for my run, I realized that I didn't have socks. I didn't have time to go home, so I decided to do the run without them.  Bad idea. About 2  miles into the run I felt a small rock against my heel inside my shoe. It eventually slipped down and I kept moving.  I decided to ignore the sore feeling left by the rock, but 2 miles later I decided to stop and check it out. I looked down to find the heel of my shoe covered in blood! Needless to say, I cut my run short.   

I took Friday off to spend time with my family at the Riverwalk in San Antonio, and then to visit Zack's workplace where they were having a huge Halloween celebration.

Saturday  I headed out for a nice easy 6 miles before  a busy day with Marcel's Kung Fu and Birthday Party.

Sunday, I met my running group in the morning for a hilly 18 miler. This was the same course I crashed and burned on in September, and thankfully I was able to keep a good pace throughout the entire run this time. 

Sunday was the day I brought Salado, our new dog, home.  So basically things have been a bit crazier since Sunday.

Last week (40 miles):

So my running now consists of running a mile or two early in the morning with the dog, and then my scheduled workout, kinda...  Last week, the first week of having the dog, was exhausting! So I trimmed down (SLACKED ON) a few of the workouts in the week because I was so freakin' sleepy! I did make it to my Wednesday quality workout though, which consisted of a 6 mile run in the dark at Bull Creek. The night run was surprisingly hard- it was very dark and my headlamp wasn't strong enough to light the trail as much as I needed. But a post-work day run in that dark on the trails with good company is a great way to end the day!

And then the first real back-to-back weekend runs...

My next major run was on Saturday- 20 miles at the greenbelt. Monica and I had planned to run the entire greenbelt and add the 6 mile powerline loop to make our run complete.  However, we got lost up in the maze of trails near the powerline and ended up running in circles for about an hour. We ended up in a completely foreign area, so we named the after ourselves- the Monica and Jennifer overlook. Unfortunately we would see the M &J overlook TWICE because we ran in a complete circle! We had had our Garmin working though, so we knew how far we ran in circles, so we adjusted the run accordingly. I downloaded the workout when I got home and the part where we got lost looks like a bunch of pretzels. But, despite that it was a great run! It was amazing to me that I felt as strong as I did at the end. We took our time and the whole thing (including stopping at the cars to re-fuel and wander around a bit when we realized we were lost) took a bit over 5 hours. Good conversation and beautiful scenery made the time fly...

On the original training schedule, Sunday originally was supposed to be 20 miles, but the total weekend mileage was trimmed down somewhere along the way.  So, on Sunday I went out and did 10 miles. Not having done a back-to-back before (Bandera didn't count because I did them in the same day and I hadn't had a chance to get "stiff" yet) I did not know what to expect.  And the first 2 miles were pretty darn painful. My legs were fine, but my FEET were killing.  It was like they were cramping up as I ran. I stopped to tie my shoe at one point and my foot felt like it was being twisted into a knot. At that point, I had no idea how I was going to get through next 8 miles- but I knew I had to do it to be ready for the 24/20 back-to-back that is planned week after next.  But, once my feet warmed up I began to feel better, and though I ran a bit slower than usual, I was able to stay consistent for the next 6 miles. At mile 8 I stopped to call my guys to make arrangements to meet them at the Race for the Cure starting area at 8:00- Marcel was running the kid's run.  After stopping to make the call, moving again was very difficult and I trudged along with pains in my hips and knees for the next 2 miles until I got to the race area.  I missed meeting up with the guys before the race (with 19,000+ people it's pretty hard!), but I caught them as the ran toward the finish line. Check out my little man in action!

So that's the report.  Tired, hungry, and ready for this training to be over!  Five more weeks...

Going out of town...again...

Tomorrow afternoon a handful of runners from my running group will be heading to Huntsville for the a 25K trail race in the park. I ran this race last year (my first trail run) and I am really excited about going back.  I'm a bit behind on reading blogs, so I hope to catch up when I return...

Good luck to everyone running this weekend!

Camping and Running- Part 2

OK- so Part 1 ended with me FREAKING OUT about running 20 miles on the trails in Bandera...

Here is the story: 

We start the first loop running slowly.  The ground was wet and sticky, so for the first few miles we accumulated dirt waffles on our shoes, making our shoes pretty heavy.  With each step, my legs felt like lead as I pulled my legs up from the sticky mud.  I wondered (worried) how I would manage these sticky trails for the next 5 hours...It was not encouraging, let's just put it that way.

Beside the stickiness, the trail was great- damp and cool, and very secluded. You felt like we were out in the wilderness...well, I guess we were... 

After a few miles the muddy trail turned to rocky trail (and pretty much stayed like that for the next 8 miles). And then the climbing began. I'm not sure what all of the climbs on this loop are called, but I think the first one is called "big nasty" and I know why.

A few miles in, we started to see the patches of  Sotol.  The Bandera website describes the cactus as such : "Another devil is the Texas Sotol. It is also a cactus plant and is impossible to avoid in some areas. It has a sharp point and serrated edges. It either sticks you directly or cuts you as you slide by."  Yup, I can attest to that.  Still have the cuts on my leg today...

The miles go by slowly and my legs are starting to feel good the trail is mostly rock now (big ones) and the ground is no longer sticky.  The footing is tricky; not only do you have to be careful where your feet land because of the large, odd shaped rocks- you also had to watch to make sure not to step in horse poo (check out the photo). Which was abundant, let me tell ya. I ran with Monica the entire time- we have very similar paces and do a lot of leap-frogging whenever we run together.  I fell a few times, but nothing too bad.

The loop brought us up over some hills and the view looking down at the top of the hill was just beautiful.  We headed along another trail that was made for the Bandera race, a very rocky climb.  The climb brought us up along a ledge that overlooked a canyon- I had to stop in my tracks and just and look over the ledge- it was awesome.

The rest of the loop was fairly runnable, with only one more rocky climb near the end.  As we rounded trail at "the saddle" I encountered large patches of Sotol bushes,  scraping against my legs on both sides of the trail.  There was no way to avoid those F$%kers!  I had cuts and poke marks all over my entire leg and they burned! But the pain was soon numbed when I looked to my right and saw the campsite- I was almost done with loop 1 and I was feeling good. The trail down to the campsite was all downhill and before I knew it, I was finished with my 1st loop. Two hours and 40 minutes.

I grabbed a bagel and some Powerade and headed back over to the trail head.  The coach let Monica and I know that we had the option to do a 7 mile loop in another area of the park instead of the 10 miler.  We decided to do the 7  miler instead (can you blame us?). But honestly, part of me was looking forward to running on different trails as well.  We headed back up to the saddle, then turned up a steep climb in the opposite direction of the 10 mile loop. Monica had her Garmin - so she was keeping track of just how far we had gone. She called out "1 mile" after what seemed like forever, and when I looked down at my watch it read 29 minutes.  It took 29 minutes to go 1 mile.  We realized that the 7 mile option may be shorter, but perhaps as tough as the 10 miler. Or tougher. We pictured the guys back at the camp (the coach and the Bandera RD) laughing at us for trying to "take the easy way out".  However the first few miles of this loop were beautiful- you could all of the hills in the area, and nothing else- no houses, no roads, nothing.

The 7 mile loop was a killer. We got confused at one point, following an course marker arrow (made of rocks) the wrong way. We realized that we had looped back to the same spot and had to do "the 3 sisters" section (a section with three hill climbs in a row). We weren't too happy.  At one point, after an hour of running/climbing and only going 3 miles, I felt like the loop was never going to end! Pretty darn discouraging. This loop had much more Sotol, and after running for 4 hours  I couldn't even try to avoid it anymore, I was too uncoordinated and just plowed through the cactus bushes.  The trail was so rocky I was just trying to stay upright. At one point I said to Monica - "Can you believe the 100K runners run this in the DARK?" It was unbelievable to me that people could navigate the trails in the broad daylight, let alone int he dark.

Finally, we approached the saddle and we knew we were almost back to camp. Finally- 2 hours and 20 minutes later, for a total of 5 hours of running! We headed down to camp and heard the cheers of our fellow (faster) runners. We were done for the day (or so I thought).

One of the runners was staying in the RV park 10 miles into town and let us know that for $3 we could shower at the RV lodge. Claire (my tent-mate and ride) took her up on her offer and headed into town for a shower and a late lunch.  At lunch I had a big sandwich and a giant margarita to reward myself for my successful run.  We headed back to camp to chill out. Most of the runners were in town watching the game so we got a chance to have some down time.

The crew got back to camp around sunset. We all headed to the gathering area to hang out and swap stories about the run. A bit after dark I start to hear some rumblings about a night run. I was intrigued, but I knew that I couldn't run again at night, then run again in the morning. I blew off the idea of the night run- after all, I already had some serious running under my belt, plus I had that giant margarita with my meal.  But.....it sounded pretty cool.  I decided to do it, and just see what happened. I changed into my other set of running clothes, grabbed my headlamp, water, and some gummy worms and joined up with everyone for the night run on the 7 mile loop.

It was awesome. I remembered the comment I had made to Monica about running the loop in dark- it seemed so impossible earlier in the day. It wasn't easy, but once we got into the groove, and positioned the headlamp appropriately- it wasn't so bad.  In fact, the air was cool and without the sun I had a ton of energy. My legs didn't hurt, it was so strange.  The worst part was going downhill. A few miles in I fell pretty hard and caught myself on a rock ledge, bruising the palms of my hands pretty badly.

We ran along the loop, this time we took the right turn and encountered the never-ending Ice Cream Hill climb. But since it was dark, you couldn't see how far up you were climbing, so it wasn't really that bad! Shows how much of it is psychological I guess.  The group was split into 3 groups by the middle of the run, and you could see the green and white  lights of the other runners spread along the course.  It was pretty darn cool.

The 7 mile loop, when going the correct way, is actually almost 8 miles.  We finished this loop quicker than the loop in the morning in 2 hours and 10 minutes or so. As soon as we got back to camp, I grabbed a beer and a bagel and sat my butt down. We went to bed about a half an hour later. We were off the hook for the run in the morning since we did the second run so we planned to sleep in.  I feel asleep absolutely amazed that I was able to run for that long and not feel like I was going to die. I felt a bit stiff, and the Sotol scratches burned like hell- but I didn't really feel that bad...? How strange.

We woke up the next morning and headed out mid-morning. I was so happy to leave (the porta potties were getting pretty darn ripe) and couldn't wait to get home for a shower.

A few days later, I miss Bandera already. I'm ready to go back... Luckily we have a run in San Antonio in a few weeks, and I think it will be similar terrain. Can't wait!

Camping and Running- Part 1

First off let me say this- I'm not a camper.  I've camped like 4 times in my life, once when I was a senior in college and the other times when I was following Phish around Texas with my brother back in '97... I'm trying to embrace this whole camping thing...

So, we head out of Austin mid day and start our journey to Bandera Texas, "Cowboy Capitol of the World".  I'm a bit nervous about the weekend as we drive, but I am trying to stay calm.  But it creeps back into my head- I  worried about not being able to eat a big bowl of pasta the night before the run; the rest of the folks were having Steve's (the coach's) campfire chili. I knew for me chili and running would not fly, so I brought bananas, fruit, and stuff to make PBJs.  I worried about not being able to sleep at night. I worried about running in BANDERA because it is one of the toughest courses around...

We arrive in Bandera and most of the group is already there, eating chili.  We pitch our tent and go over to join the group. I grab some chips, a banana, and have a half of a bowl of vegetarian soup that one of the runners has brought.  I have never any of these foods the night before a long run,  let alone the night before one of the hardest long runs I will do this year....ugh.

After dinner, I sneak off and make a PBJ because ,of course, I am still freaking out about not having enough dinner the night before my first Bandera run.  We then head over to the campfire where we sit and listen to a few folks sing and play the guitar. I am so nervous about run in the morning, I am not really allowing myself to relax and enjoy the outdoors.  The coach tells us what to expect: The course is hard. There are three nasty climbs that seem to go on forever. Fast people do the 10 mile loop in 2 hours. I'm thinking "SHIT! How the hell long is it going to take me! And I have to do 2 loops!". I try to prepare myself that I will be running for a least 5 hours straight, and I am freaked out even more now.

We head to bed around 10:00 with the intention of getting up around 6:00- a full 8 hours of sleep.  I fall asleep right away. I am sleeping on a pool floaty, and I am actually quite comfortable.  But.....I wake up around 11:45 with a feeling of fear.  "Why am I doing this?" I keep asking myself. "This is awful! I'm not going to make it tomorrow! I have never run a course this hard, or run for even 4 hours before."... I swear a few times to myself and pray that I don't get sick, lost, or attacked by a coyote or wild pig.

I get up and go to the bathroom. I go back to bed but I can't sleep. I watch the clock...it shows midnight, 1:00, 2:00....I think I drift of for a bit...but I am back up again at 3:00.  I listen to the coyotes in the distance, and the horses snoring (?) at the campsite next to us (we are camping in the equestrian area). I go to the restroom again (I had been hydrating the night before) and return to the tent...I try to sleep, but I am freaking out. I feel like a kid at Summer camp who wants to go home. I drift off for a bit, but wake up again. It is 4:00 and I have had about 2-3 hours of sleep at this point. Which freaks me out even more.  Now I know I won't make it 20 miles on a few hours sleep.

I get up and go to the bathroom again around 5:00. I think I was able to sleep for about 30 minutes before the alarm went off. 

I drag myself out of "bed" and make my way to the car to retrieve my breakfast and "shower" supplies. I fill up a little bucket of water with some shower gel and wash my face, my arms and legs. I brush my teeth by using bottle of Ozarka as a faucet. I do not feel clean.  I grab some gels, my Camelbak, and some gummy worms and head over to the trail head.  I have no idea what to expect and I am freaking out... I want to jump in the car and drive back to Austin...Except I didn't drive, so I can't... We get a map of the course and the instructions - follow the red markers at trail intersections (see photo below).  At 7:30- we head out for the first loop...

The Inferno- or part of it anyway...

Today's run was called the "Inferno", presumably because its resemblance to hell.

The warm-up for the run is a few miles on the trail, then onto the road for hills, hills, and more hills.  Once you hit the 5 mile mark you do a 4.5 mile loop, then repeat the loop a second time, then return to the start for a total of 19 miles, 15 of it hills. But....I was late and met  up with the group right where you turn from the trail to the road. I did a 1 mile (or so) warm-up while I was waiting, but I was going into the run minus a mile.

I was feeling pretty good until I got to the hilly first loop.  A few of the climbs are straight up (yesterday I drove the course and my car had a tough time getting up one of the hills...) and as I was running these hills, I started to feel a little "ping" where I had my stress fracture early this year.  Which of course freaked me out, so I decided to walk up the last 2 hills. A bit before mile 7, the coach saw me walking up the last major hill and asked what was wrong. I told him about the stress fracture and the "ping" , and he said I should be safe and only do one loop and head back. Since my car was parked 2 miles into the run, I would be heading back to my car with only 12 miles finished. Well, I didn't want to run another hilly loop and injure myself, but I really didn't want to cut the run short.  I needed this 19 miler under my belt for the 20/10 run in Bandera next week.  So, I asked him what he thought about me finishing the run on the softer trail instead. He said it was cool, so I headed back to the trail for the rest of the 19 miles.

With 12 miles completed, I still needed to run the 7 mile loop on the trail to make my 19. I went back to my car, got my music, and headed out for the loop. The trail was a nice change, and I did not feel my shin "ping" or any additional pain at all.

Now to this point in my running career, my longest run was 16 miles. And if you recall, during my last long run I had some stomach issues kick in around mile 14 and I had to walk most of the last 2 miles.  I had no idea what to expect with this 19 mile run- and thankfully my stomach and everything else held up very well - to the end. I am actually surprised that I felt so strong during those last 3 miles, I only stopped to unzip my handheld and retrieve a few gummy bears.

So, the run I was dreading, the "Inferno" is now over.  I didn't experience the entire "inferno", but I am happy with my run.

Tomorrow, rest...

Freaking out a bit

So, tomorrow will wrap up my 4th week of Sunmart training.  Providing I make it through my long run tomorrow, my mileage this week will be at 39 miles.  And then next week, the fun begins...

I don't write much about my specific training, but I though I would throw it  out there if anyone is interested. Also, if I don't post much around weeks 8-10 you will know why...

Week 5- weekend trip to Bandera; 20 on Saturday and 10 on Sunday. This includes bathing in the river for 2 days and having to use "chemical toilets" (as well as bushes, etc..) for 3 days.  Ugh. I'm not a camper...but I am looking forward to running in the park, I hear it is beautiful.

Week 6- Trip to Huntsville for 25K on Saturday, return back to Austin, run 10 on Sunday.

Week 7- taking it down a notch with a Saturday 6 miler on trails, Sunday 18 miler on the roads.

Week 8-  Staying in Austin because I can not bear another out of town running trip- 20 miles on Saturday, 20 on Sunday. Perhaps by myself.  There will be some crying involved on the Sunday run.  And some swearing. Total mileage this week will be 54-56 miles.

Week 9- only a 10 miler this weekend- but I leave for another conference in South Padre, so I will once again be out of town for most of the week.

Week 10- Head out to Bastrop, 20 miles on Saturday then head back to Austin, then head back out to Bastrop Sunday morning for another 20 miles. Total mileage this week will be 54-46 miles again.

And finally, weeks 11-13 are taper-time...

So, basically, if I make it through the next 6 weeks I think I will be pretty good for the race.

Let me say, once again, that my husband ROCKS for putting up with this maniac schedule of out of town running and working trips. ROCKS.

Treadmilling It

Not much to report.  Been traveling, attending a conference, and running on the treadmill.  Oh, and eating conference food, which  is anything but healthy, and lunch always includes a dessert.  Which I eat. And I'm ordering room service.  And coffee, man, I am drinking mad coffee here.  All of which is not great for running!

So, yesterday I dragged myself to the health club and set my personal treadmill record- 6 miles.  While watching CNN.  Snore... I tried to cut the workout short about 10 times, at 3 miles, at 3.5, at 3.75....you get it. But I finished it out at 6 miserable treadmill miles.  Never would I do that at the gym back home, but I don't my way around this city and no one seems to know where the trail is!  Tomorrow, I have to do mile repeats on the treadmill. I feel so sorry for the folks that will be in the health club with me when I do this. Hopefully they will be polite and pretend that they don't hear me gasping for air as I try not to fly off the treadmill. 

This is my first of many travel-for-work experiences.  I will be attending many out of town trainings and conferences in the coming months. I'm finding that it is surprisingly hard to get motivated to exercise in a hotel health club after sitting all day.  Sitting all day is exhausting!  I figured I would be full of energy at the end of the the day and just itching to run, but I actually feel quite drained.  I figure it has much to do with the foods that we are served, the coffee, but also the subject matter of the conference.  The conference focuses on some pretty intense stuff, emotionally taxing stories about people who have been hurt and people who hurt others.  It's hard to hit the treadmill after a day of that...

And forget trying to get up early before the conference starts- the 4 wonderfully mushy pillows I'm sleeping on don't allow me to wake up early.

That said, I love my new job and I am really enjoying the conference. What I am learning is that this week is much more about my work than my running.  Mentally, I am so much more focused on the reason I am here and learning so much is  really energizing my brain, but not my body! It's all very new for me: I have a new job, I am traveling now, and I am committed to run a much higher mileage than I have ever run in my life.  I'll get it all worked out, but right now I'm gonna turn on some Court TV and crash.

Trail Running Aniversary

To celebrate my one year anniversary of trail running, I am going to run the Rocky Raccoon 25K in a few weeks. That is actually the race that the picture above was taken at.   The race is part of our training plan- the 25K on Saturday and a 10 miler on Sunday, but I wasn't sure if I could make it- the drive to Huntsville on Friday evening takes a few hours and my schedule is crazy without the "field trips".  But, it is all working out and 3 or 4 of us will be heading down to run the race.

I'm so happy.  And for a change, I will actually KNOW PEOPLE at a race for a change.  Go training groups!

Make it stop!

No- not the pain, I can handle that. It's the heat!  It's still in the hundreds this week. There is supposed to be a cool front coming through tonight....PLEASE let it be true!

Half-week recap:

Monday, I took a day off after my Sunday long run, and I sooo needed it. I never run on the road, let alone 16 miles, so my legs were more than a bit SORE.  Achy actually, like my bones were aching.  Give me the trails.

Yesterday I got a run in before work  when it was cool (in the 80's) at 7AM.  I set my alarm for about 5:30 and dragged myself downstairs to eat breakfast and watch TV before heading out.  The guys were still sleeping so I tiptoed downstairs and turned on the dining room light and dimmed it low. I made my way into the kitchen, using the dining room light to locate my breakfast: Powerbar and water.  I fill up a glass with ice and water and proceed to grab my Powerbar to eat in the living room as I watched the news. But the Powerbar is sticking to the counter (yes, the wrapper was on). I pull at the the Powerbar and it is still sticking to the counter. Now, I am still sleepy and it is fairly dark and this makes no sense. Did the package rip open and the sticky bar "melt" through the wrapper and fuse to the counter? I'm baffled and I pull on the bar again, and it is still stuck.

Finally, I get the Powerbar off of the counter. Guess what I found. Three large pieces of duct tape were holding the Powerbar onto the counter.  Zack.  Very Funny.

Today was quality workout day. I checked the temperature before I left work to meet up with the training group- it was 105.  I can not run SLOWLY in the heat like that, let alone up a hill and fast.  We head over to the park, doing our warm up along the way. The warm up nearly made me barf and I hadn't even done the work-out yet.  GREAT.  The workout: 400 meters up a hill at a 10K pace, 200 meters jogging, and 600 meters at 5K pace. Whatever, all of my paces are the same.  Slow.  I just wanted to get the damn thing over with and now throw-up.

The first 2 were just terrible. I felt like I was breathing through a straw and the heat made my arms feel prickly. I didn't think I would make it around another time after the second one.  But, I did another one, and another one- dying the entire time- but staying consistent(ly slow).  For real- it was 105 degrees and I had NO business being out there running at any pace.

The one good thing being in Baltimore next week is at least it will be cooler! I won't know what to do with myself when I breathe in some cool crisp air...

The heat got me

Observed At: Austin, Texas Elevation: 620 ft / 189 m

105 °F / 41 °C Clear What happened to Fall? And why is that 105 burning sun smiling? It it so not funny. It is the end of September! I'm hoping that the the ACL festival goers, including RBF'er Alejandra, stay cool on this very hot day in the park. So now to the complaining/whining.... Well the heat would explain why the last 3 miles of my run were rotten.  Not that it was 105 at the time of my run, but warmer than usual anyway. After running 13 good, strong miles through a hilly shaded neighborhood, the return back to an unshaded road for the last few miles was pretty darn bad. I was running as much as I could, but mostly walking the last 2 miles because my stomach was not happy.  After some thought I figured that there were a few reasons why my last few miles sucked today (and why they didn't last week at the same distance and a slower pace, therefore more time on my feet)... 1) I'm used to the heat, but not the heat that radiates off the road, and the heat that comes from the cars on the busy streets, etc... The glare and the brightness of that last stretch was just yuck. 2) I drank waaaay too much water on the run and my stomach was sloshing for the last 2 miles as well.  I'm just not used to aid stations and had 3 cups of water at each, and filled my bottle up each time.  There were were 7 water stops on the course, I stopped at 6.  Need to chill on that. 3) I only took one gel for the entire run, and had gummies instead.  My energy level was fine, but perhaps I needed a bit more food in my tum. I had another gel with me, but it seemed so unappealing in the heat. The most disappointing thing about my death march back to the run start was the fact that my legs could handle the running. They felt strong and they weren't terribly fatigued. Sure, there was some pressure in my knees that I don't get on the trails, but for running my first 16 miles on the road, I was feeling pretty darn good.  But at the end there, every time I tried to run it just messed my stomach all up again and I had to walk to keep from feeling awful.  Well, I'll chalk it up to lessons learned in running on the road, lessons that I don't really need to know because I don't plan to race on the road at all this year.  But, it appears that the training group will be doing at least 3 more road runs (18 and 19) so I should take this crappy last few miles into consideration then. Hopefully, by then the weather will have cooled off- looking at the weather for the rest of the week shows it dropping to 92 then 87 throughout the week. This week - 35 miles total Next week- taking it back down to 32 (hopefully) as we have a lighter week. Also this week  I will manage my first major out of town trip while training... Anyone know any runners in Baltimore?

Owwwwww

Someone please remind me why I signed up for a ultramarathon training program that starts out at over 30 miles a week? Remind me why I didn't sign up for a marathon program instead? And why not a beginners marathon program at that? And did I mention that the schedule shows that I am scheduled to run a 20/10 back-to-back and then a 20/20 back- to-back a few weeks later? Perhaps I did not mention it because I was in denial. Yeah, at first I thought it was the 50-milers that were scheduled to do that, not the rest of us.  I was wrong. Ouch.

Tuesday I did my "easy" run, which turned into me trying to compete with other runners. Dumb, but it passed the time and got me moving.  Wednesday was the "quality workout" with the group- hill repeats on the hill of life. I have mentioned the hill of life before, as a way that I get too and from the greenbelt, not as a workout itself.  Well, Wednesday I was introduced to hill repeats on that damn hill.  The hill is about a 1/3 mile long and drops a few hundred feet. Going down isn't too tough if you can stay upright and not slip on the potato sized rocks.  Going up, that is another story- the incline is tough, but it is that rocks that really get you- you slip backwards as you try to get up the hill. The coach described it as a pile of rocks and that is exactly what it feels like after going up it a few times. You loose coordination and the goal becomes as simple as "not falling"; who cares about time!  The 50K'ers were scheduled to do 6-8 repeats. Fearing that I would not be able to walk on Thursday, I opted for the minimum and stopped after the 6th one.  Once again, another workout that I would have never pushed myself to do on my own. Having the training group out there with me was great- everyone was yelling encouragement and seeing people throughout the ascent and descent really broke the hill up into easier segments.

I was surprised to find that my legs felt OK on Thursday. I had 5 easy miles + strides on the schedule but I got caught up at the grocery store forever (because of the hurricane traffic and shopping) and missed the opportunity to get out for a run.

Friday I woke up and my legs were so sore, that awful second day soreness.  I was so grumpy from the pain that one of Marcel's teachers asked me if I was all right.  But I headed out to do 6 miles at the greenbelt and felt pretty good once my legs warmed up.

Today was a light treadmill day and I got to watch Wayne's World to distract me from the fact that I was running on a treadmill.  Eighteen miles down- 16 to go.

Tomorrow is a road day- a run along the "scenic" route.  It will be a nice change not to worry about getting lost in the woods.  And a nice change to have water available on the route- I get to give the Camelbak a rest.

Sniper

I was supposed to do an easy 4-6 mile run on a "trail" today. This means a rooty, rocky trail- but I headed down to Town Lake (not rooty, not rocky) for a run this morning intead. No way I was going out to the Greenbelt at the crack of dawn today.  About a mile into the run, I forgot that I was supposed to be doing an easy run, and found myself playing sniper.  Not that I can pick off too many people at my speed, but still...what was I thinking?  I guess I was just happy to be passing people for a change and got a bit carried away...

Bubbletoes

I just had the most wonderful afternoon nap, post long run and Rudy's BBQ lunch!  I fell asleep on the end of the bed looking out the sliding glass window at the giant pecan tree in our front yard, thinking about how much I am looking forward to Autumn in Austin (my favorite time of the year here)...  I rarely take naps on the weekend, but actually took one today and yesterday. This week was my highest mileage week ever- 32.5 miles- and my body is fighting it! Yawn...

This morning I woke at 4:45 to get ready to meet my running group at Runtex at 5:30.  The plan was to carpool out to Bastrop State Park for a 8 or 16 mile run on the Lost Pines Trail.  You may remember that I went to Bastrop State Park a few weeks ago and fell in love... Well, it's even more awesome when you are running the trails!

We got to the park in time for the sun to come up and headed out for the first loop.  We had the choice of one loop or two, and I had announced on Wednesday that I would be doing the full 16 so that I could not back out today. It was about 77 degrees at 7:00 am this morning and we knew that it was going to be a hot one- but I stuck with my original announcement.  I knew I would be one of the last ones back from the run, but I put aside those feelings of being slow, and stay focused on staying strong and finishing strong.

We spread out early and I found myself running alone 2 or 3 miles in.  The trail is marked with trail markers (posts in the ground) every quarter or half mile, and silver markers on the trees.  It is easy to go off the trail, since the trail is covered with pine needles and not very visible, and I was worried about missing a marker and running off into the forest.  Having to be rescued hours later when they realized I was missing would so not be cool.  So, I ran tentatively for the first loop, making sure that I was following the trail markers.  After the first loop, we went back to the cars, grabbed some cold water and Gatorade, and headed back out. This time I stayed with other runners for most of the loop.  Since I was familiar with the trail and had others to follow at points, it made the second loop more enjoyable because I was able to look around and enjoy the view since I wasn't concentrating on the markers as much. It was interesting that on the second loop I saw many things I had not seen on the first.  It was almost as if I was only looking at those silver and purple trail markers and nothing else!  It was also great to run with other runners on that second loop, especially near the end, because we pushed each other to keep going. It was pretty warm at the end there, and slowing down was tempting but we kept each other moving. However, for only being my 4th attempt at this distance (give or take a mile or half mile) I was very pleased with how strong my legs felt at the end.  The heat did start to get me down there a bit, but my legs felt good to the end.  I had the new experience of my legs going on "autopilot" around mile 13, and was pleasantly surprised that they felt comfortable during a part of the run in which I normally feel fatigue. I think the tough workouts are paying off.  I did get a few strange bubble blisters on my toes, hence the title of the post (also a Jack Johnson fan) - always something new with the feet...

A runner's picnic was awaiting us after the second loop, most people had brought some post-run munchies ( I brought homemade chocolate chip cookies). Folks were chillin' out by the cars in their foldy chairs, eating and drinking and exchanging stories, and yelling out words of support for the last runners in.   I officially love training with a group.  What more can you ask for- running, conversation, encouragement, and FOOD!  NO beer today post-run, but I did treat myself to one at Rudy's this afternoon!

Will run for beer

I 've been running for about 2 years now.  And up until Sunday, my running consisted of workouts that I created, using magazines, books, or the old "what the hell, I'll run 10 today" approach.  Nothing too structured really.

This week is my first experience with running with a "training group" with a structured schedule that includes "quality" workouts, easy runs, long runs, and foot drills.  Yesterday was my first quality workout. I had read the instructions ahead of time and was a bit intimidated by the work-out; it consisted of zig-zagging through a hilly neighborhood. The workout goes like this: You start running up a gentle hill, turn right onto a street (most of which had humps, some pretty steep) and run the cross street a bit slower than 10K pace, come to the next street and turn left up the hill, and then left onto the next street- continue. So basically we were to  zig-zagging up about 10 or 11 blocks, equaling  1/2 miles.  We were to do this up and down, then repeat for a total of 6 miles or so.

Great, I'm thinking.  Six freakin' miles of going up and down hills? I knew that this neighborhood did not have flat sections, it is either up or down.  I figured I would have to walk much of the last one.  So I started out, just hoping to keep up a steady pace as long as I could. It was hot, and I felt my quad muscles burning early into the first one, around the 5th block. But I kept going, up to the top, and would not let myself stop till I got there. Once at the top, the coach mentioned that some people were bothered by the heat, and we might just do 1 and a half times instead. The way back down was a bit easier because it was downhill , but the side streets were still hilly, so you only had temporary relief.  At this point I decided to tag along with two women that were running my pace. I figured I would stick with them because I knew they were serious about their training, and would probably push it.  At the bottom, with the heat and the soreness of my legs, I couldn't fathom doing the next 3 miles, but started back up again. At the top, the coach mentioned that some people were skipping every other street, some going straight down and cutting it short.  He advised us to do whatever we wanted to do, he knew the heat was bothering folks.  So I told him that I was sticking with the women that I was running with, and would do what they did. I figured that they would run the whole thing down and needed to run with them to keep myself from cutting it short. And so we did- we ran the whole course back down to the bottom.  Despite my worries at the start of the run, I ran the entire thing, with the exception of about 5 steps of walking a few block from the end.

So after running with a training group for only 2 days, I have realized how much I need a group and a coach to meet my goals. There is no way on earth I would have done that painful workout on my own.  I would have never pushed myself that hard.  On my own I am too tempted to walk when I am uncomfortable, too tempted to cut a run short if it is hot. And what is strange about the whole thing is that the second half was actually less painful than the first half, but it took me not quitting to see that I could push through it. 

After we got back to our starting point (Runtex), we got a quick lesson on foot drills and got to dip into the "trail runners" stash of beer.  And ya know what, beer and running go very well together.  I'm quite happy that part of my training includes drinking beer after our quality workout, it is something to look forward to as I drag myself along the course.

Day 2

Just a word on yesterday's run- if you don't know me personally you may have thought I was bummed on the run in the thunderstorm. With the exception of the very dramatic thunder cracking over my head as I  couldn't find the creek crossing,  I actually enjoyed myself very much.  Running down the power line, splashing through the water...it requires more concentration but seems very "freeing" and rebellious in a way. It's like going against the rules, getting dirty, splashing in puddles, running around in a thunderstorm. Doing this also makes me realize what a different person I am now- just a few years ago I would NEVER have tried anything like this for fear of getting lost, fear of looking like a fool, fear of being last,  fear of hurting myself, fear of being alone in the woods, etc...The run yesterday definitely reminded me of how much I have changed now that I actually take risks! And I have FUN!

Today is technically the "first" day of training, since yesterday was meant to be an EASY  social-get-to-know-each-other run, not actually a training day. It was actually a great bonding experience standing atop the hill, exchanging stories about falling, getting scratched, and "getting small" when the thunder struck.

And on the schedule for today- a rest day.  So I am going to rest.

And so it begins...

Let's just say today's run was...one for the books.  I experienced a few "firsts" today: running the Greenbelt without twisting my ankle, running under the power line during a thunderstorm (thunder and lightning weren't too far apart...), and running upstream through the creek, water above my calves.  No wait, that wasn't the creek, that was the TRAIL!

So, I got there early so I could meet some of my new Sunmart training peeps before we headed out.  Come to find out different people are training for different races- some White Rock and Bandera 50K, some Sunmart 50K.  Not sure if there are any 50 milers in the group yet... The group is only about 15 people right now, all different levels of experience and different paces.

We chatted and waited for the coach, then set on down the hill of life to do the power line loop. The loop in a nutshell- 6 miles or so, painful for the first half, fun for the second half, and the possibility of getting lost is great - and this of course is when the trail is dry.  I have run the loop only twice, and still don't know my way around the darn thing. By the time you get to the first climb, you aren't really warmed up yet and the climb really can do a number on your breathing (especially when recovering from a sinus infection).  It started to sprinkle as we made up way up the first climb, and it was so nice.  It was cool, and dark, and felt very adventurous, like we were in the jungle.  Because there were so few of us and we all run different paces, we spread out pretty quickly and I was alone pretty soon into the run.  I would catch a glimpse of a runner ahead here and there, so I felt pretty confident that I was on the right path.  One of the runners would stop and wait for me at tricky intersections to make sure I didn't make the wrong turn.  But, the ground was sticky and muddy at this point and I could see shoe prints in spots, signaling me that I was going the right way.

About 3 miles into the run it really started to rain. It was about this time that I started to worry about getting lost.  I could no longer see prints in the mud, the water was flowing down the trail now and had washed them away.  I could hear voices- good... but where were they? Ahead, behind? I started to walk to see if someone would catch up with me, and eventually the coach showed up behind me, making sure I knew where I was.  He went on ahead, and I followed the trail, hoping to make the right decision when I came upon an intersection.  At one point, about 4 miles into it, I really started to worry that I had gone the wrong way. The coach had said that some folks were close behind me, but I still hadn't seen them yet.  As I am wondering if I am going to end up in someones backyard in Travis Country, I see the "skulls", rocks that look like human skulls that line a small area of the loop. Phew, I am going the right way!

A bit farther along- at a bend in the trail, I expect to see the power line, but I don't, I freak out that I am going the wrong way, then I realize I am going the right way. Repeat....like 10 times.  Honestly, getting lost isn't that big of a deal at the greenbelt- I know how to find my way back, eventually. But, in that weather with thunder and lightning above your head, while you are out in the woods?  No thanks.

Finally,  I get to the power line- a completely flat section of the trail that follows along under a "power line",  that stretches about a mile.  It's like a rocky jeep road.  It is raining so hard that at points I am running in the jeep treads, and the water is over my shoes. Tiny rocks and trail debris have made their way into my shoes and I feel little pricks, like ant bites.  I am happy to be at the power line, but I know beyond the power line is the hill of death. Getting down the hill of death is difficult when it is dry, try sliding down it with water rushing down it! CRAAACCCKKK - more thunder.  Great. This is going to be interesting.

I make my way down the hill of alive, thanks to the tree branches that I cling to as I "surf" down the trail/creek.  I get to the bottom, and I am happy to be done with the loop. Now, all that is left is crossing the (usually dry) creek and heading back to the start on a pretty flat trail.  Smooth sailing, right?  Only problem is, I don't know if I am supposed to go right or left.  I chose right.  I head down a ways and get to an open area, where the creek is.  But I don't know if I am beyond the crossing, or not.  Shit, I think, who cares- I will cross here anyways. Bad idea, the giant rocks are so slippery I couldn't make it 2 feet across.  CRAAACCCKKK - more thunder.  I'm stumbling around these giant rocks, tripping on roots.  I am so happy no one saw me. I felt like I should be on Candid Camera, I truly looked ridiculous.

It is raining so hard I can hardly see in front of me, so I turn around and go back to the intersection where I turned right.  There I wait for runners, and hook up with a woman who knows the trail and follow her- get this- to the RIGHT.  I was going the right way! As we head back, I see where I made my mistake- I didn't go up far enough.  So, we make our way across Sculpture Falls, back to the main trail.  Now I know exactly where I am, this is where I run all the time.  Smooth  sailing now, right?

Well, not smooth- but sailing...that might describe it. The trail back to the hill of life was non-existent. It was a 6 foot wide creek. The water was up to the top of my calves.  I have run in the rain, I have run in a thunderstorm, but I have never run through water that high before. Man, it isn't easy dragging your feet through the water. I kept running though, eager to get to "higher land" atop the hill.  At some point in this section, due to the low visibility because of the downpour, I ran my cheek into a low hanging branch, and it scratched me right across my entire cheek.  But who gives a shit, get me out of this creek trail.

I get to the hill, get my ass up it,  and chill out with the others to wait for the rest of the group.  I squeeze a quart of water out of my braids. They let me know that the tree branch scratch is indeed visible. Lovely. I headed home and peeled my shoes and socks off to find dirt and sand inside of my socks.  Rock on.

So, that was my first day of my Sunmart training.  I can only imagine what comes next.   

Pass the nose spray

This week has been the week of the sinus infection that won't go away. Despite the fact that I have been taking antibiotics since Wednesday. The antibiotic is doing a number of my stomach though - I was in such a state yesterday morning, hugging the toilet,  that Marcel had to call Zack on my phone to have him call my work to let them know I would be late. The only words I could get out of my mouth were- call...daddy...please...

Not much running this week, Robitussin doesn't make the body conducive to walking, let alone running. Either does feeling like you are going to puke whenever you take an antibiotic.  Did get back out there yesterday to do an easy 3.  That's it until tomorrow...

Tomorrow- The 12 week Sunmart training starts.  I went to the info session on Wednesday to find out just what I am getting myself into with this training. I picked up the 50K schedule, but thought that it was the 50 MILE schedule at first. Running 5 days a week, up 45+ miles per week. Running back -to-back runs.  And "field trips" to Bastrop (X2), Bandera "The Cowboy Capitol of the World", and  Huntsville  (where Sunmart will be in December). And lastly, speed work! My speed work resembles other people's recovery jogs.  Shit, I just want to finish, I don't care how long it takes...

Did I mention that my new job requires me to travel? Hotel treadmills here I come...

I'd like to thank my family NOW for putting up with the upcoming Sunmart training schedule. 

Just gummy worms this time

After my snake experience last week, I decided to bring sour gummy worms along on my run yesterday to ward off any slithering animals. It worked...

So, after hearing that this weekend would be one of the hottest this summer I decided to get out there and run 15 miles! Not really- If I could have slacked this sweltering Texas weekend, I would have- but I have to get in a run of 13+ miles before Sunmart training starts in 2 weeks (a pre-requisite of joining the training program).  I didn't want to wait until next week, because waiting until the last minute never works out for me- every time I do that something comes up that prevents me from getting my long run in.

At 6:00 AM, the temperature was already 83 degrees. So I packed a cooler with a frozen bottle of watered down lemon/lime Gatorade, gummy worms, endurolytes, gels, cold water, banana, and some fruit bread and headed down to the 360 trail access. The 360 access is pretty much the mid point of the greenbelt and would be my "aid station". I packed my Camelbak with the things I would need for the first half, and filled it with cold water and ice.  My goal was to run the entire Greenbelt- from the midpoint to the top of the hill of life, back to 360 to get more cold water/snacks, then down to Zilker and back. The maps say that this is about 14 miles, not including the trip up the hill and back, and the trip to the car down to the trail and back (twice). So I figure about 15 miles.  But it felt like many more by the time I was done.

I was feeling strong as I made my way to the hill.  As I was running, I was thinking that this run may be my last long run by myself for the next few months until Sunmart.  I used to really enjoy running by myself last year while getting ready for my first half marathon and 25K, but now I enjoying running with other people.  However, I realized about 1 mile into the run that Saturday morning is a popular morning for running the Greenbelt, and though I didn't have anyone running with me, there were plenty of people around to wave to and chat with throughout my run.

I made it across the chain without falling (especially slippery yesterday) and made it through "snake alley" without seeing any snakes.  I was running so cautiously through this part because of my snake sighting experience last week- it is amazing how tiring it is to constantly be looking at your footing, especially if you are scoping out the entire area for snakes.  I continued on to the hill and made my way to the top, passing by folks on their way down, one guy yelled out some words of encouragement which was nice. At the top I tied my shoe, which I had somehow jarred loose, and headed back down to return to the car.  I cautiously made my way back through snake-less alley, back across the chain (despite the chain, this is my favorite stretch of the Greenbelt) and back to the car. With only one horsefly bite!

I encountered many friendly runners and bikers along the way, which was a nice and very encouraging. Running back to the car, I couldn't help think how I used to run around Town Lake week after week, rarely ever speaking to any of the other runners on the trail- though there were always hundreds of people out there on any given day. At the Greenbelt things are different- other runners ask how far you are running and offer words of encouragement,  mountain bikers say hi and thank you for yielding (or ask for directions if they are lost), folks walking their dogs smile and say hi, and apologize profusely if their dog gets anywhere near you.  And you never see or smell stinky dog poop on the trail- only wild animal poo.

I got back to car and poured a bunch of cold water on my neck, ate some gummy worms, re-tied my shoes, grabbed some the Gatorade (still frozen and slushy!) and headed  back, this time the other way.  I rarely run this part of the greenbelt, and had forgotten that the last 2 miles were pretty rocky.  It was in this section that I came across a mountain biker who, defeated and pushing his bike back to Zilker, asked me if this was the "advanced part of the Greenbelt".  It was also in this rocky section, that the trail is exposed to the sun, which zapped my energy completely. I headed to the end of the greenbelt, turned around and made my way back. It was here, about 12 miles into the run,  that I started to f a d e.  However, on the trip back to the car, there were plenty of things to keep me moving along- watching the rock climbers at the Guide Wall and Gus Fruh, trying to figure out why someone had left a roll of toilet paper on some giant rocks (not really a good place for pooping if you ask me), and chatting with a biker who wanted to know more about what I was training for.  Also, I encountered a child, perhaps 7 year or so, on his mountain bike riding along as his dad ran.  This was is in a rocky area, and I was thinking that this little kid rocked for navigating all of the rocks (especially after seeing that adult biker pushing his bike).  His dad yelled to for him to "watch her", meaning of course to watch out for me, but the kid took him literally and kept watching me as he rode- and he was riding straight toward me. I kept thinking that he was going to move to the side, but he kept riding toward me as his father called out for him to turn.  He turned right before running into me, and we both looked at each other and cracked up laughing.  He let out this wonderful nervous laugh that reminded me of Marcel's laugh.  It was very cute.

Shortly after that, I  could hear cars, and realized I was almost back to the car.  Yay! I was beat, the sun and heat had worn me out, and I had to drag myself the rest of the way. But, despite the heat, and my achy legs, I felt great.  I had run the entire greenbelt and I was done.

Tiny Recap

Well, I met my goal of 25 miles this week.  I ran 3 miles Tuesday, a bit more than 4 on Wednesday, 12 on Friday night, and 6 today.  Plus my 3 mile hike with Marcel yesterday as a nice way to get my legs moving after the run on Friday night.  Just a couple more weeks and Sunmart training begins, and who know what he has planned for us then...

Thankfully,  I brought my music with me- I don't think I would have finished the 6 miles today without it. It's hard to slack off while listening to Fischerspooner.

Midnight Radio

So on Friday I left work about an hour early to head out to Mart (near Waco)  to meet Marshall and friends to join them for a few hours of running on farm roads.  I stopped at the grocery store in Round Rock to get some snacks,  then then dealt with some pretty bad Friday rush hour traffic; it took over an hour to get out of Austin.

Once I got out of the traffic, I pretty much sailed there.  I printed out about half a dozen different maps to get me there because I'm not known for having the best navigational skills. However, using the maps and an email from Marshall, I actually found the meeting place/ "aid station" on the first try.  Yay me.

I ate  Powerbar before I arrived and was hoping that that and a gel and some Lifesavers would get me through the run.  This night running thing is all new to me, and I wasn't exactly sure how my body would respond to not having a big 'ol dinner.

When I arrived they were still out on the  first leg, so hung out at my car reading a magazine.  They arrived back at the cars a short time later to refuel, and I joined them for the second leg (12 miles).  The run was nice- 12 miles out and back on gravel farm roads, crossing a few wooden bridges.  We  ran alongside a herd of cows  and saw a few toads jump across the road.  I chatted with Marshall the whole time, about books, family, school...it was great to meet him in person finally, after Zack and I missed meeting him at Rocky Hill Ranch and Prickly Pear.  After reading his posts over the past 6 months I thought we would probably have a lot in common with Marshall, and after meeting him it seems that we do.  I think Zack and Marshall would get along very well, and hope we have a chance to get together when Zack is back in action. 

After about 10 miles,  I started to get uncomfortable because  I was so damn hungry!  My stomach was in knots, rebelling that it didn't get to eat real food for dinner.  I was dreaming of the quarter pounder I was going to get when I got back to Waco for the last 2 miles. 

I called it a night after the 12 mile leg- it was about 11:00 PM and I needed to get some food into my stomach.  I said my goodbyes and headed back down the farm roads to find my way back to Waco, fingers crossed that I wouldn't get lost of the dark roads.  Once in Waco, I stopped at the nearest McDonald's for some coffee and a Quarter Pounder (my favorite).  Now, I am usually in bed by this time so I have little (recent) experience getting late-night fast food. I ordered my items and went to the 2nd window to pick them up. A young guy opens up the window and says "senior coffee?" as he hands me my drink.  Senior coffee?  What is that all about?  Perhaps I looked a bit sweaty and tired, but a senior citizen?  He gives me my burger and then just looks at me, waiting for me to leave. "Umm, can I have some cream?" I asked him.  He proceeds to go hunting around for a minute or to, looking for cream as if it was some strange request.  He comes back with about 4 creamers (c'mon dude, who really drinks a small senior coffee with 4 creamers?) And then he hands me Splenda. Last time I knowingly had fake sugar when I was 14 years old, I drank a Diet Coke and got the worse migraine of my life complete with vision loss and major vomiting.  So no, I'm not taking the yellow packets. "Can I get some real sugar, please?" I ask him.  He goes back again, digs around and comes back with 4 sugars.  I mean, this is a McDonald's on a major highway, surely they get some late night coffee orders! And the burger was awful, they had given me a kid-size burger patty in my sandwich which was so dry it gave me hiccups for about 10 minutes after I ate it.

The car ride home was fun, I listened music and sang to keep myself awake.  I arrived home before 2AM to find Zack asleep on the couch, waiting for me.  Awww...Thank goodness he supports my adventures!  Sure, I could have done my long run in Austin on Sunday morning- but why not take a small road trip to meet a fellow blogger, run with the cows, try out a headlamp, eat some crappy fast food, and sing Hedwig songs at the top of my lungs on the way back home?

 

Sunset - Mart, Texas

I snapped this photo Friday evening after I arrived in Mart to meet up with Marshall and his running friends; all are training for the upcoming Heartland 100.  When I arrived, they were still out on the first leg of many- 100K total was the plan.  I met up with Marshall about 20 minutes after I arrived- and ran about 12 miles with them. I headed back to Austin after the run, arriving home somewhere before 2AM.

More details later- I've got to go take Marcel for a hike shortly.

Friday night long run

I almost forgot to mention that my long run this week will be an evening/night run near Waco with Marshall and some of his ultra friends.  I will be doing a quarter of the distance that they will be doing and will be asleep in bed back in Austin before they are anywhere near stopping!