http://320dreamorreality.blogspot.com/

That is my new blog ....  I won't be posting here anymore so you might want to change my blog on your blog list etc.

Still no running

My heel is greatly improved but still feels sore. Good thing is that it is not anymore painful when I get up after sleeping than it is during the day when I walk around so I'm guessing the inflammation is still cooling off.  I think I will tape it and try a short run either tomorrow or Thurs and see how that goes with aggressive icing after I am done.  I will be passing on the track workouts that start next week and taking the shortest options on the long runs for a while too.  I hope that with a drastic cut back back in the work load  and aggressive at home treatment, it will resolve in short order.

Oh,no!!

My left heel has given me a little trouble here and there but nothing much so I ignored it.  Today, I felt great until about mile 10 or so and then I could feel it during the run.  That is a first.  So, I sucked it up for 5 more miles.  Iced it at Rogue and went home for a nap.  Now it is screaming and hurts like crap if I step on it.  Guess all there is to do is keep icing it, take some anti-inflammatories and STOP running.  If it isn't a lot better by Monday, I'll go to my trusty podiatrist.

Why did this happen???  Hmmm, maybe it was starting some track work outs a few weeks ago, maybe it was being on track for 50 miles this week.  Nothing else is bothering me in the slightest so I find this heel thing quite annoying.

Oh well, no running until I get it sorted out.

New diet

OK - so I had my appointment with Meredith and have been faithfully following it. I have not strayed and eaten trash except one bacon/egg and cheese sandwich at the horse show. I ran 6 miles at a moderate pace on Monday and felt a little like I ran out of gas at mile 5. I was dizzy and nauseous as I took my cool down shower and it took me about 30 min to get rid of that. A little juice was all it took. I lost 5lbs in 6 miles - it was really humid if not all that hot and I don't carry water for short runs. I will attribute feeling so bad after that run to dehydration and low blood sugar. I need to figure out how much to add to my diet after I run to make sure I'm eating enough. I don't think a pizza all to myself is the solution thought. Both pizza's looked good though!

Tuesday, I met Jim Gelb at the Manor track and planned to do 3 - 2000m at 1/2 M pace. OK until 1200m of third one and my legs said no more so I stopped before I injured myself. I ran 8:55 for the first 2 and 4:55 for the last 1200. Felt OK after the last one - just some left foot pain. I need a massage and to ice it.

Got to work and found out we saved the life of some old guy at the jail last night when we sent him to the ER for no BP or peripheral pulses. Yay!! That stuff makes my less than ideal job worthwhile.

Plan to try and do 10miles easy in the morning.

Fun Times

OK - I'm with Mike.  NBC Sucks.  While I did enjoy the good and bad times on the Olympic track, I missed seeing Canada win team Silver and individual Gold in Show Jumping.  Pretty sure it wasn't on NBC and I don't have time to hunt around the internet for sites that cover everything.  I thought it was pretty cool that Norway got Bronze in Team Show jumping. 

I have logged the big zero as far as running goes this week.  Why??  Because I am at a horse show and having a blast.  I took Riley and since he really hasn't got a clue, he is doing the beginner horse classes and he's doing OK.  I am riding a friend's horse in the jumpers and having a blast.  This is one amazing horse and he has a ton of heart.   He won one class today and got second in the other.  Yay!!  I have just 2 classes tomorrow morning and then I will come home for a major nap before going to work on Sunday night.

On Monday morning I will resume running and will be cutting back on the riding for the winter.  It has been a great summer vacation and I have enjoyed relaxing and running for fun with no specific goal in mind...that is all over!  Bring on AT&T!!

Some surprising olympic results

In case you didn't know, I'm from Canada. I kind of casually keep an eye on how Canada's doing in the Olympics. So far 10 medals....most notably some medals in rowing, silver in team show jumping and silver in men's triathalon. One of the members of the show jumping team, Ian Miller, has been to 9 olympics. The silver medal is his first Olympic medal ever...yay!! I'll bet he won't be tossing that in the closet anytime soon.
No run on Monday - kind of humid out and Riley is sound. I rode him for the first time in weeks and he was full of energy but behaved pretty well. My priority this week is getting him ready for the horse show on the weekend so running will be on the back burner.
Just a few weeks left of my running vacation...once I start the AT&T training, I will start a new blog so keep an eye out for it!

Actually able to run in the afternoon

It would have been even nicer to run this morning but after a tough night at the jail, I went to bed instead.  It was 85 degrees this afternoon and overcast.  Ran a good 7 miles - felt pretty good - ran out of gas a little on a long gradual climb in the middle but got right back in the groove at the top.  I still have a sore left heel, annoyed achilles - mostly on the right but my right knee is all better.  I am tired now and would prefer to watch a couple hours of the Olympics and go to bed then go to work but I guess I gotta pay the bills.  Looking forward to taking advantage of the next few cooler days - I don't even care if it's pouring.

Snapped out of the haze

Maybe I was inspired by Michael Phelps or Dara Torres but I woke up and had no trouble getting out of bed at 4:15 today.  Thursday, the best I could do was send an email to Leslie at 4:30 am telling her I was not coming to our usual run and Friday I just could not get up at 6am.  I'm still on my running vacation for a few weeks so I'll cut myself a break.

Ran 16 today - Bruce was nice enough to invite me to join the team Rogue run so Jim Gelb and I tagged along.  Started out a little faster than I normally would have but felt good. Ended up slowing up a little for Jim as he hasn't done anything longer than 5 or 6 miles since Boston.  Ran strong for the last mile or so.  Over all feeling strong.  What a great group, it was fun to have a pack to run with for the first 6 miles or so.

Jim and I stopped for breakfast afterwards at Trudy's and now I'm getting ready for a shower and nap.

Blew a wad of cash at the tax free Rogue sale and got my self a new pair of shoes to race the distance challenge in..always good that they were on sale!

Sending out a little rain dance...please, please rain.  Did I see a high of 89 one day next week??

Diamond in the Rough...continued

You wouldn't associate a really nice athletic facility with Manor, TX would you?  I wouldn't.  Jim Gelb and I met at the Manor New Tech School track tonight for an informal workout.  The track surface is perfect.  Nice restrooms, no graffiti, no trash on the track, a gorgeous football field and plenty of local families participating in cheerleading and soccer practice and some walking and jogging on the track.  A nice wholesome environment.  Definately nicer than Austin High (I'm not touching the East side track!).

We ran 200-400-800-1600-800-400-200 with appropriate recovery between with a 2 mile warm up and 1 mile cool down.  We did not do any drills - will next week.  I attempted to run at 6:30 mile pace - OK until the mile - Jim tried to pace me but my legs were screaming by 8oom.  I was about 40 sec slow.  Everything else was OK and we did finish up with a fast 200m.  It was a little hot - we went a 6:30 pm.  All in all, I feel a nice sense of fatigue.

Diamond in the Rough

View my page on Keep Austin Running

Continuation...

So, after being at work for 10 hours on Monday night, I went to the gym, ran 5 miles around Hyde Park (I felt really good), took a shower, grabbed a muffin and drink and headed to court. I parked by a parking meter near the court house and as I fed it a bunch of change, it suddenly said "fail". So I called the # on the meter (turned out to be 311) since I really didn't feel like getting a ticket. Met with my supervisor who said he had a message on his office phone saying I needed to be in court at about 1pm. He called the people back and said "unacceptable" and lied a little saying that if I went at 1pm I wouldn't get enough sleep to be fit to come to work and so then there would be no nurse in CB. They suggested I go home and come back and he lied a little again and said I lived in Bastrop (almost but not quite) but that they could get me a nice hotel room and that would work. Anyway, they caved and I gave my 3 min. of testimony at 9:30 am. Surprisingly the defense attorney had no questions for me. Got home and crashed at about 10:30am and ended up with about 6.5 hrs of sleep - not enough but OK. I am going to leave at 4am...take a power nap, get up at 8 am and take care of Riley and maybe do a short run and then go back to bed.
I see for everyone except the Tahoe folks, the run in GT is 10 miles. Seems crazy to drive that far for 10 miles so as long as I feel good on Sat I'll do at least 16 miles. Hopefully there will be someone slowish doing the 16 mile run.
My weekend starts on Wed. Yeah!!!

Tired and likely to get more tired

I haven't run since last Thursday. Last night my allergies were really bad so when I got home I took 1 Benadryl, 1 Zyrtec and some nasal spray and crashed. At about 1pm the County attorney's office called and asked if I would be court tomorrow. I said no. When they asked why, I said because I didn't get a subpeona or 10 working days notice and if they had a problem with that they could call my supervisor. I fell back asleep only to be woken up an hour later by my supervisor asking me to go to court. I told him I had gotten 2 subpeonas for next week via inter office mail - they are supposed to be hand delivered. Went back to sleep. Got up at 5:30 to take care of the horses and eat. I still feel a Benadryl hang over and my eyes are dry.
Since I supposedly have to be in court at 9am and I get off work at 6:45, I brought my running stuff to work and will try to get 5 miles in - if they are lucky, I will take a shower and change before I roll into court. Of course, I have no idea what I am being called to court for and have no idea what court it is in.
This is how I forsee it will work...I will show up at 9am and they will say..."sorry, it's been postponed until 1:30pm" (this has happened before). If that happens, I am not going to be back in court because I'll be sleeping....I really don't like my sleep being messed with.
I got a nice email from Betty Sport letting me know that they are having everything in Rogue at 20% discount and it is the tax free weekend. I have my nice little $100 gift cert. from Rogue..woo, hoo!! I will be there at 10 am to get some good stuff!

Weekly wrap up

Low mileage week - about 20 miles.  Spent the majority of the weekend at the horse show and I have to admit I'm whipped.  I did get to ride a few jumper classes on a friends horse and that was a blast.  He is a super talented horse and just goes out and does his job.

I took Riley to the vet and while he does have a sore foot, so far they haven't found anything worse than a bruise causing the lameness.  They checked his back leg which had a severe joint injury years ago and it was perfect and the xrays of his sore foot showed perfect bone structure for his age.  So that is all good.  He is resting for 10 days with antiinflammatories and ten will get a good hard ride and we will see what happens.

The jail has the Olympics on for the inmmates to watch and so far they seem to be quieter than usual...they are actually watching the TV instead of fighting.  They need to record it and play it all year long!

I hear a lot of people saying that Equestrian sports have no part in the Olympics because it is boring.  Well...I challenge any of those people to get on a 1200 pound animal and try to get it to do a complex dressage test, jump 5+ft high jumps or gallop around a 4-5 mile course jumping 4+ft obstacles that don't fall down.  And this would be on an animal that has a mind of it's own!

I think Geezer would agree that it is harder and scarier than it looks!

Summer Sunstroke Stampede Wrap Up

Tonight was the awards banquet for the series.  12 5K races at either Brushy Creek or Town Lake Trail.  The temperature was over 95 at every race except one and over 100 at several.  I don't tolerate hot brain very well so it was a challenge.  But a worthwhile one...I won overall women masters (1 cool trophy, 1 gift cert. from Rogue EQ for $100, 1 gift cert. from Performance Wellness and a Rogue hat) and was one of only 12 people to run all 12 races - we probably really needed a gift certificate for a local psychiatrist but instead got a cool trophy.  Running at least 8 races also netted you a nice tech shirt.  For $10 a race it seems like a great deal.  Chip timing too!

Also scoring big was Nancy Dasso - overall women, Leslie Barclay 1st place 40-44F and Jim Gelb 1st place 45-49M.

New Title for Blog coming up....

After reading Geezer's blog today obviously I'm going to have to come up with a new title for my blog in September.   Hmmm....should it be...."Watch out Geezer, you're about to be passed by a Skirt"??  If you have any good ideas post them in the comments.

Geezer talked about joining a real training group and if that means Team Rogue then sorry, ain't gonna happen.  I'm not making excuses, this is just the plain ol' facts.  While you guys are running, I'm at work tending to the criminals in Austin.  Nope, I'm in Duane's group and I think that will be just fine.  The extended break over the summer has done me good, I feel stronger than ever and am looking forward to training for a fast AT&T.   Yeah, I sandbagged those 2 marathons this year but my priority is AT&T this season and I'm gonna go for it.  For me taking it easy has gotten me further than just hammering all the time.  (Hmmm 3:33 vs 3:50 some - and don't even start about the blister Geezer)!!

This one's for you Geezer

So my work hours got a little shuffled tonight and I won't be out of work until 9am tomorrow. So I went for a 5 mile interval workout tonight. I had a workout I downloaded off ITunes that gives you a warm up and then 4 min hard/4 min easy x 4 and then a cool down. I ran each hard section progressively faster going from MGP to sub 5K pace. The interesting thing was that I would end the 4 min hard section thinking, "there is no way I can do that again" and after the 4 min recovery I would ramp it back up to even faster with no problem. Overall, I felt great during the run. No heel pain at all anymore.
There was a brief sprinkle of rain during my warm up that felt great. It was a bit humid after the rain stopped but at least it wasn't hot. I just can't deal with the overheated brain feeling. It was good to run the intervals in my neighborhood which had minor ups and downs on the route I took. Will make the track work in September seem easier. Thank you Geezer for getting after me last summer...that is always in the back of my mind and helps me push just a little harder.
It also helped that I had been up and on my feet for 4 hours before the run. I had ridden one horse and tended to Riley.
Riley, unfortunately, is no better so will be going to the vet this week to see if they can figure out what is making him lame. I have done everything I can to get him better with no luck. His lameness is odd too...sound when he trots in one arena and dead lame in another.
Going to shoot for the mid 30's to 40 miles this week depending on how busy I am with helping at the horse show this week.

New Plan in Action

Despite an overwhelming desire to go home and go to bed after work this morning.  I put my running stuff on and ran out the back door of the jail.  Ran six miles with most of it on the trail.  By the time I got out there, all of the serious runners were showered and at work.  When I was out there there were 2 prissy poodles with their prissy male owner whom I'm sure was making sure they didn't get a spot of dirt on them.  Lots of walkers and shufflers.  I did stop at the tennis courts for a bathroom break and there were a lot of anorexic looking xc highschool runners getting ready for a workout.  Anyway, I felt great.  I am going to ease into this afterwork running thing so I don't get sick of it and quit...been there.  I am a little extra tired now even though I got 8 hrs sleep today.  My heel seems generally better as well.  I month until AT&T starts.  I feel exceptionally well prepared this year.

Telekinetic connection to MikeW

I read Mike's post about Staurdays long run and I did exactly what he read about. I ran easy for the first 5 miles or so. Pushed through the hills and for the last 5 miles pushed a bit faster. Averaged 8:00-8:20 for the last 5miles. I felt great.
I made an effort to eat properly on Friday - I was tired when my alarm when off on Friday so I chose not to run. Slept in 'til 9am. Made an extra effort to really hydrate well. Took a little longer than usual to fall asleep but got around 41/2 hours sleep on Fri night.
Got up at 4am...took a shower, fed the dog, ate 1 waffle with pear butter and had a glass of Cranenergy drink. Had gotten a bunch of Sport beans that were 50% off at a Linen's and Things that was closing so figured I'd try those on the run. Took the 11 mile map and the 16 mile map. Ended up doing the 16miles and could have easily done 18 or 20.
I felt really strong on the run. It's a good sign when I have to tell myself to ease up every now and then. Ran with Julia for a bit and Diane after that. I got a little disoriented in the last few miles and kept worrying that I was going the wrong way on Shoal Creek...eventually got to the park and all was fine. My heel didn't hurt a bit and the Sport Beans worked just fine.
Got home and hit the scale - lost close to 6 pounds!! Yikes...I'm not surprised because my clothes were just dripping at the end of the run. I drank 3-4 small cups of water at every water stop. Interestingly when I woke up I noticed I was a few pounds heavier than when I went to bed. I assume that is water hooking up with the carbs I ate for lunch and dinner.
Had a good breakfast, a shower and then went and rode a horse. Went out for lunch and had a burger and fries. Major 6 hour nap on Sat afternoon - preparing for work! My legs do not feel like I ran at all - I didn't bother with an ice bath.

Whine, whine, whine....

It's too hot, my heel is sore, Riley still has a sore foot too...honestly I can't wait until it's a little cooler so I can run when I feel like, not when it's reasonable out.  While it seems like most people I know like getting up early in the morning, I don't.  Didn't this morning so therefore there was no run.  Got in 9 yesterday but my legs felt strangely dead.  By mile 7 they came alive but still weren't great.  I'm liking the hydration coach Geezer mentioned on his post...I usually don't have a problem getting enough water in but occasionally the day will get away from me and at dinner time I realize I'm a liter or 2 behind.  

As far as the horse thing goes, the lady that owns the barn where Riley lives, owns a really nice young horse she doesn't have time to ride enough.  It's the kind of horse I can't afford to buy.  Anyway I get to ride her now and once Riley is better, I will make the time to continue riding her...she is that nice.  Not fancy looking but nicely bred and the riding skills she needs to learn are easy for her.  Very comfie trot too.  I am going to ride Riley at the walk on the grass until he is sound.  Can't see how that will hurt given that he walks around outside all day and he isn't limping at the walk.

I'm going to soak my left foot with cold water and epsom salts tonight and hope for the best tomorrow.  My foot seems slightly better today after not running.  I'm sure it will be worse tomorrow but we shall see.

Good news...I fixed the flat on my bike and am pleased to see I can still change a flat in under a minute.  Might try and ride the bike more as it seems to be less nasty to ride than run when it is really hot.

Off to walk Riley around.....

Foot prints on my butt!!

Thank goodness...today was the last Sunstroke Stampede 5k.  I ran a 3.75 mile wu and felt like crap in the 5k.  Leslie kicked my butt good to win the overall...way to go Leslie.  She looked super strong and smooth for the short amount of time I saw her.   No excuses for me...I could come up with a million but I won't.  We ran a couple miles to cool down and I totaled 8.66 miles in 1:22:00.  Jim Gelb won the male masters - all right!!  I achieved my goal...I stuck out the whole series...only 11 or 12 people did.

FYI - be prepared to have dorky paper chips on your shoes for most races in Austin with over 1000 runners (3M, Run for the Water for sure).  Even if you have a personal chip, you will have to use the paper chip.  Reason is that people were losing their plastic chip between picking it up and getting to the race and they don't have to collect the paper chips - they are disposable.  I think more people are going to lose the paper chips!!  They are working at making them smaller.

Mike W - I apologize - I tossed mine tonight before it occurred to me to take a picture of it to post.

I'm thinking of getting some nutrition help from Meredith - I don't have any race/long run issues and know the things I eat that I shouldn't but I'm hoping she can give me some ideas of fast easy things I can eat when pressed for time instead of junk.

Will do 10-12 tomorrow...I will!!

Mental energy

Riley is still lame....I like to ride so not being able to is kinda like not been able to run.  I am tired of my horse activities being limited to tending to his feet, brushing him and trying to figure out what the problem is.

One last Sunstoke Stampede run tonight...thank goodness.  I am going to try and run 10 miles tonight with the "race" being 3 miles of it.  I will not be running fast...it's too hot.

One month until AT&T training starts.  Unlikely that it will be much cooler in September so I think I had better practice running after work.  Will do what I did last year...run from the jail, after work, before I get in the car and drive home.

Need to go get some water and start hydrating.

Yes Geezer, I am a slacker!

OK - I ran a whooping 17.5 miles this week. Yesterday was 8 miles of hell in 95+ degrees in my neighborhood - I felt like I was struggling the last 3 miles. I even had fluids with me. I think I was underhydrated to start with. I spent yesterday and today sitting on my butt announcing horses/riders at the horse show and forgot to drink.
Will be back to business next week.

Overwhelming tiredness

I didn't get to bed on Wednesday as early as I should have so didn't bother to get up at 5:30 on Thursday morning to run.  Tried to ride my bike from my place to the expo center -  would have been about 7 miles or so but because I was feeling lazy and didn't want to ride on the big hills on 973 I went on 969 where I got a flat between Don's BBQ and Decker Rd.  Did I have a spare tube and pump?  O course not.  I live in denial that flats happen.  It was raining pretty hard.  Thankfully I had my cell with me so I called a friend who was also going to be setting fences and she came and picked soaking wet me up.  Spent about 4 hours building up jumps.  Cross training.  Went home to do laundry and then went to get groceries.  Took naps at the red lights on the way there and back.  Got home and went to check on Riley's foot.  It's making slow but steady improvement.  Went back to the house and crashed at 8pm (I had thought about doing a run).  I have not been that tired in a very, very long time.  Set my alarm for 5am...thought about a short run and decided another hour of sleep would be better.  Spent the day at the expo center announcing riders and results.  Relaxing and kinda fun.   Came home and checked on Riley again...seems much better.  I am optimistic that he will be good to go within the next week.  Now as I type this, I am planning my run today.  Is 5:30pm an ideal time to start a 10 mile run?  No but I'll take what I can get.  I am not going to the Rogue run tomorrow so need to do something NOW.  It will be another early start at the show in the morning but I'll leave by one and get in a nap before work.

Finally...used good strategy in 5K from hell

After 4 hours of sleep in 24 hrs I guess I was tired enough to just relax and run a smart race.  In the first mile I just let people go and ran my own pace.  I had my garmin which actually helped me pace myself.  In mile 2 I picked up the pace but relaxed a little as we headed down the hill at brushy Creek.  Came around the turn around fast and grabbed water from the table and with my usual efficient water drinking on the go passed Leslie.  Again stayed relaxed and tried to pay attention to my form.  Leslie was right on my heels as we crossed the little bridge and headed back up the hill.  A chic in the 35-39 age group was just ahead.  I bided my time and put down a little hammer on the hill.  See you later Leslie (OK she was not that far behind for the rest of the race), watch out young chic!  On the bridge we had a good tailwind so I just found a rythym I thought I could hold and pulled that youngster up.  Passed her smoothly.  There was a 20 some chic ahead but I didn't think it was worth breaking a smooth stride to try and catch her...I was reeling her in and I felt good with that.  Ended up with a slow time of 23:16 or so and Overall Masters winner.

My new Mizunos feel good.  No knee pain, minimal heel pain.  A little big toe soreness but that is not shoe related.

Went for pizza with Jim.  One more race!!!

Time for a shower and bed and up at 5:30 to run - shooting for 12 tomorrow.  Got in 9 today.

Low mileage week too.

I was going to get up and run at 5pm today but instead got up at 2:30 to wait for the farrier so she could check Riley's feet. He was perfectly happy to come into the barn and get out of the sun for his lunch. However, his feet were hurting so much he did not want to walk to the gate like he usually does. Seems a lot worse than yesterday but in fact that's good. It means it is pretty likely he has an abcess in his left front hoof. They are easy but time consuming to treat and resolve pretty fast. He was sore on his left hoof when the farrier squeezed on his hoof with her special hoof testers so I'm soaking his feet twice aday with warm water and epsom salts.

So you might be wondering how on earth you get a horse to comply with hoof soaking. Well there are a variety of ways but the easiest for me is to put his feet into 1 gallon storage bags (you fill these with the water/epsom salt mixture) and then into a pair of protective hoof boots he has and then give him some food. He is pretty happy just to stand in the stall and eat. Hopefully this will cause the abcess to drain and he will be a happy camper in a few days.

So needless to say, after losing 1 1/2 hrs of sleep time this afternoon, I decided to sleep from 4pm to 6 instead of running. Maybe on Tuesday although I'm not counting on it. Have to get up early on Wednesday and go to a new employee hiring board. I complained that they never let the night shift nurses do this so when they asked if I could do it this week I couldn't really say no. Hopefully by the time I get to Brushy Creek for the weekly 5k run from hell, I will have enough energy to run my 9 miles. I will be jogging the 5k again this week. Thursday, I will run on my own in the morning to maximize the amount of sleep I get on Wed. night. I will then go and get some cross training in setting up jumps for the show I won't be going to now. Then on Friday I will get up early (hopefully) and run 10 miles, work at the show all day and try to get adequate sleep on Fri. so I can do a long run with Rogue on Sat. before going back to the show for the rest of the day. Then I get to go back to work Sat. night. I will scale back any runs necessary if I get too tired.

The one glitch that might occur with all of this is that if Riley is not considerably better by Wed. PM, I will have to squeeze in a trip to the vet!! I hope not.

Athlete Injury

You know what a hassle it is when you get an injury running, you're not sure exactly what the problem is but you know for sure where the problem is. You treat it at home and if it doesn't get better you go to the doctor, get told not to ever run again, ignore their advise and go for a ten mile run. Either the problem gets better or worse. OK so now trying to do that with a horse. The number one problem is that they can't tell you exactly where they are hurting and you have to start guessing. Especially when there is no obvious external sign - swelling, heat, holding the leg in the air or a cut!

That's where Riley is. Jogs around on the longe perfectly sound, acts perfectly normal out in his pasture yet when I try to ride him, starts out fine and suddenely, out of the blue, for no obvious reason is dead lame. This is an extension of the problem he had last week, he seemed to be better and has been off the anti-inflammatories. The obvious problem area would be his feet since I am in the process of getting him out of shoes and going barefoot - a perfectly normal, natural situation for a horse. There are a variety of things that can make the transition difficult. The thing with Riley is that he was doing really well until he escaped from his pasture. So he is not going to the horse show next weekend. He is going to the vet to make sure he hasn't fractured a bone in one of his feet or that I have overlooked something unrelated to his feet.

Normally if it was the feet you would soak them in hot water and epsom salts, but I am reluctent to do this because all the water softens their feet and makes their soles more prone to bruising. Oh well, the hoof trimmer is coming tomorrow to have a look and I will follow her advise for treatment. It is a very frustrating process and it seems to me that it's never the same from one horse to another and the solution for one is not the solution for the other. Constant trial and error - makes the healing process take forever.

I will try and get a run in tomorrow in the late afternoon furnace.

Better start carrying a bottle

I saw a piece in the Statesman yesterday about how Runtex is cutting back the number of papercups they will be supplying at the water coolers on the trail. They want people to carry a refillable bottle. They also want you to bring a refillable bottle to races to use at the end.

Crestview

I haven't run the Crestview loop in quite sometime.  I just ran 12 miles as that put me at 42 for the week and I don't want to ramp up too quickly.

Mike W suggested I should be running with them today...NOT.  A 7:53 pace would have completely shut me down and I would have needed a ride home from the halfway point.  I forgot my garmin so according to another runners watch I averaged 9:20ish today...must have included the water stops because we were going a lot faster than that.  I felt pretty good - sore right knee for the last 1 or 2 miles but that's nothing new.  Got some new shoes.  I'm going to try the Mizuno Wave Inspire - the Nikes are causing some heel pain and I'll see if these make it better or worse.

Went to visit a good friend of mine - an older lady who would put many people 1/2 her age to shame and she made a wonderful lunch of homemade soup, salad and apple cranberry pie.

Now time for a nap some I can be full of energy for work tonight!

By the way it is really great to be back with the Rogue group...looks like business is booming.  The crowd today looked reminisent of AT&T fall training!!  Store looked busy afterwards too.

A Poll

On Thursday while Diana, Leslie and I were running we wondered what motivates someone to honk at runners.  So our question is...if you honk at female runners, do you honk when there is one runner, 2 runners or 3+ runners?

Since Riley (my horse) is resting from his sore feet, I rode a friend's horse in our jumping lesson last night.  He is bred to jump so since his owner doesn't tend to jump very big jumps she asked that we let him jump around some bigger stuff.  He is really fun and is so powerful that he just floats over the jumps with no effort.  His only problem is that he tends to drift to the right and it is really hard to correct.  We ended up doing a 3'6" spread fence which in the world of jumping is tiny but to me is a decent size.  Put in perspective, male 100m hurdlers clear 3'6" hurdles.  Unbelievable - I can't imagine.

Ran 10miles today and while my legs felt a little tired today at the end it went fine - I went out on the Decker loop so it was fairly hilly.  I must have hit the snooze button 10 times this morning - even the dog didn't want to get out of  the bed!  Enjoyed an ice bath with 20lbs of ice and some whole wheat blueberry pancakes.  Lost 3 lbs on the run but I didn't carry any water with me so I'm not surprised.   Looking to do 12 miles tomorrow which should put me at 42 for the week.  12 seems so short but I don't want to increase my milage too quickly.  It will end up being about 7 miles more than last week.

Lost motivation.

I have lost all motivation for running fast 5ks on the trail.  Yesterdays Suntroke 5k on TLT was full of very good masters runners....Cindy Salazar, Nancy Dasso and some others.  I knew that by the 3/4 mile mark last week was not a fluke so I slowed down and just ran kind of easy.  The longer, easier paced runs feel just fine.  My body is just not interested in running fast.  I also think the adjustment in my schedule isn't helping (working Tuesday nights now so I can be off Friday).  Am doing much, much better on my diet and my weight is slowly drifting down.  Consistantly in the 140-142 lb range in stead of 144-145 range.

I have decided to do Dwayne's DC focused AT&T Rogue group in the fall.

My poor horse has sore feet from his trek outside his pasture the other night but today looks much better than yesterday.  I am hopeful he will be all better by next weekend for the horse show.

Up at 4:40 this AM to run with Leslie and Diana - very easy paced 6miles but it felt good despite being a little humid today.  Plan 8-10 miles tomorrow and at least 12 on Saturday with Rogue.

Bored horse too!

Apparently my horse was bored last night too.  He managed to get through the fencing and cruised around the back pastureland all night.  When the girl that feeds in the morning went to feed him, he was no where to be found.  They found him standing by an unused gate yelling for his breakfast.  Fortunately he is no worse for it and I really hope that he won't make it a habit.

I'm hungry (and bored).

OK it's 4:10 am at the jail and it's a pretty slow Sunday night. These days I bring one main meal and 2 snacks to get me through the night and eat them at the exact same time every night. Has improved the grazing on junk situation. However, I do spend a fair amount of time watching the clock waiting for my next meal time. Today I brought an EAS lite bar and had that with a diet coke at 9pm, had a salad and veggie burger with 2 slices of wheat bread and 1 slice of cheese at 1am and am awaiting my 5 am snack of cherrios, blueberries and kefir at 5am as I type. In between I drink water and chew gum to keep my mouth busy!
My biggest task tonight has been answering the phone (new employee working in the upstairs in the jail) every 5 minutes and answering the same question over and over. Right now there is a lady outside my office arrested for DWI denying she had anything to drink tonight...yeah...right!! Hear that all the time.
Plan tonight to run 5 miles at 6pm no matter how hot it is. My legs are feeling surprisingly good (read no pain or stiffness) after my long run on Sat. Those ice baths really work well. I did have some pain in my left heel on Sat. night but that was gone by the time I got up on Sun. afternoon.
I think it is time for some new shoes.

Diet and electrolytes

I was reading the most recent issue of Inside Texas Running and there were 2 articles of interest. One was looking at the diets of 4 runners and the other was an article about electrolyte replacement by Paul Carmona.

The one about diet was kind of wierd...it was amazing how much junk and how little vegetables these folks ate. The article was by a dietition and while the junk issue was mildly addressed, the veggie issue was not.

The electrolyte article was worthwhile though because I suspect a lot of people who take or plan to take supplemental electrolytes don't have a plan. The most interesting part was about what happens if you take too much electrolytes...bloating, stomach cramps to a shut down of sweating.

Thankfully loss of electrolytes doesn't seem to be a problem for me although I did have some quad and hamstring cramping and a lot of salt on my face at Boston this year...perhaps a little additional electrolytes may have helped.

I conquered Mt Bonnell

OK...I haven't done any hilly runs since Boston and I haven't done a run with Rogue since Boston either.  Today I met up with the 6am group of runners leaving from Barton Springs.  I chatted briefly with Ed and Bruce but it was dark so I didn't see a whole lot of other people I recognized.  I felt a little sluggish on the trail section but that's not unsual for me...takes 4-5 miles for me to loosen up.  Once we got to Lake Austin Blvd, my legs kind of clicked into gear and I had to work not to run too fast.  At this point I was pretty much running on my own.  At the water stop with Amy I asked where the turn around was for the 10 mile run and she said it was at the bottom of the Scenic hill so I figured if I was going to have to run up that, I might as well run all the way to the top of Mount Bonnell.  I had done a 12 mile run a couple of weeks ago so 14 wasn't that big of a stretch.  I was slow on Mt Bonnell but no problem...I know I am very slow on that sort of hill and I wasn't about to blow a gasket trying to prove something.  Had a couple of Shot Bloks at the turn around (thanks to Karen) and headed back.  It was great running down the hill high 5'ing all the people I had run with last summer who were running up (I suspect they were doing the 18mile version).  At this point I met up with a couple of people training for Chicago and San Antonio and the three of us ran the rest of the way back together.  It was fun to share stories and hear the excitement of someone preparing for his first marathon.  I did suggest he run the long runs a little slower (he was shooting for a 4 hr marathon and at this point we were averaging around 8:3o) but he seemed determined and to be enjoying himself so I'll bet he'll achieve his goal.  I felt surprisingly good today and still quite fresh at the end.  It is so great to be back with the group.

Passed on soaking at Barton Springs and hopped in to a 2 bag ice bath after a bowl of Cherrios and blueberries.  Off now for a pedicure!

Computer seems all better.

After a few days of no internet access, I took it to Mac Alliance and they did a diagnostic, cleaned up some corrupted files and all seems well again.

I am learning alot from reading Geezer, Wiley, and Scott's blogs.  I weighed myself before and after todays easy 6 miler and it seemed like I lost close to 4 pounds.  It was very humid.  I am also backing off the Wed 5K races as my heart, head and legs are no longer in it.  I hate running fast on the crushed granite surface and don't want to burn my self out.  I ran a 5K warm up, a pathetic 5K race (it was hot and I went out a bit fast), and another 5K cool down total 9.3miles.  Felt great in the warm up and cool down and lousy on the fast stuff.  Next week, I'm taking the dog so I have to run the race part slowly.  My legs felt a little heavy on the run today and my hip flexors are really tight.  Had a massage with Rachel and hopefully will be better by tomorrow.

My plan is to slowly ramp up my milege.  Starting to do that by running with Rogue on Saturday AM.  No more races until the IBM 10K.

Wonderful rainy run!!

After hearing the rain a few times during my sleep today and opening my front door to find that it was pleasant out, I decided to break with my usual schedule and go for a run. I was ready to go at 5pm after doing 150 assorted crunches when the skys opened and it was pouring...I figured I'd give it 30 min and then just suck it up.
By 5:20 it was raining lightly and I headed out. Ran a moderate paced 6 miles with the last half considerably faster than the first. I felt pretty good actually and the light rain made it even better.
Stopped by the barn on my way home and gave a IV shot to one of the boarders horses - she was stunned at how easy I made it look since the vet had a difficult time the last time he did it. When you stick needles in people all the time, a horse's jugular vein is like a garden hose in comparison so it's easy.
If it's cool tomorrow, I may do another run. We will just have to see.

Happy 4th of July!!

Ran the Freedom 5000 this AM.  Did not want to get up at 5:50 and hit the snooze button a few times.  Felt generally bad but went anyway.  Warmed up a couple of miles, did drills and strides with Leslie and prepared to do the best I could.  

The course ended up being short...heard 2.9, 2.99,3miles.  Whatever, it was an excellent course and it was fun doing 2 laps.  I ran the first mile in 6:24...likely a mile PR for me, 2 miles in 13:18 definately a 2 mile PR and the full course in 20:20.  Even if I added on the short piece that was missing, I feel like I would have run a PR.  Ended up 5th woman overall, first in Masters.  Got my hat...that was the goal (top 10 got hats).  Ran a relaxed 2+ mile cool down and went for breakfast at Kerbey Lane with Jim.  Feel much better now.

Rest of the day...one load of laundry, quality time with the horse and dog and a big nap!  Can't beat that...only downside is that I have to go to work tonight.

Happy 4th...be safe!!

This is getting really irritating.

We'll start with my dissatisfaction with computers and the internet.  This morning I was able to read Scott's blog at 4:50am.  Get home from the run at 7:15 and I can no longer access anyone's blog or my runners world log.  I have no problem with the local news, Rogue, or Runtex.  What is the deal???  Anyway, at least I can do new posts.

Last night was number 8 of the Sunstroke Stampede....it was probably the coolest.  Since I am planning to do the Freedom 5000 this Friday, I ran a 4 mile warm up, ran an easy effort in the race and then 2 more miles afterwards.  I didn't feel great - 3 hrs sleep in 24hrs, and  ate lunch too late so the easy effort was appreciated.  Total of 9 miles.  I was disappointed that I couldn't run fast yesterday since it was so cool out but hopefully the temps on Friday AM will be reasonable.  I told Leslie this morning that I will be very unhappy if I don't break 22min on Friday...I don't expect a PR since I have done no speed work this summer but please...sub 22:00.

Got up at 4:40 this AM...this is getting easier...I am NOT a morning person but it seems normal now.  Ran a very easy 6 miles this morning with Leslie and Diana and we complained about the quality of the work force these days (not including ourselves, of course!).  The trails off Metric are really nice, beautifully maintained and with neat little lights along the side so if it's dark you can see where you are going.  There were some ducks hanging out by the pond and they seem oblivious to us as we run by.  Several community pools...we may have to try the post run dip some time...I'm sure the community association will send Leslie and Diana reams of letters that we were in the pool with our shorts on and that we didn't take showers!!

So now, while I'm typing, I see a nice message in red type that says "could not contact Blogger.com.  Saving and publishing may fail.  Retrying..."  WTF!!!  Gonna try and publish...

Computer Hassles

For some weird reason, I am having the hardest time with the internet these days.  I can get onto News 8 Austin, but try to access anyone's blogs....ain't happening.  My work schedule is all over the place so I am just running a few miles before the race tonight, running the race easy and then 2 more miles afterwards.  Haven't run since last Friday and I feel like I have gained 10lbs...had a bad sugar binge last night!  I was going to get back to the long runs with Rogue this weekend but unfortunately my lovely work place has me working overtime on Friday.  Might try a run on Sat evening since I told them I wouldn't be there on Sat until 11pm instead of 9pm.  I'll shoot for a Rogue long run the following week.

Going back to Boston

After several weeks of thought, I told my friend and one time training partner Alix, that I would go to Boston with her in 2009.  She finally qualified at Eugene this year after several attempts and is shooting for a PR at Houston 2009.  Alix and I met through Rogue in 2006 when we were both in Stephanie Terrell's beginner AT&T Marathon group.  Even though the end result was different for us and she has since graduated from UT and moved on to bigger and better things, we have remained firm friends.  We both have kind of agreed that we will be taking it sort of easy at Boston next year...but we all know how that goes.

Dragged myself out of bed at 5am today...wasn't hungry so skipped breakfast and headed off to Barton Springs.  Had a few sips of water on the way.  Didn't have a specific plan as to where I was going to run so headed off on the trail.  Ended up on Lamar headed north and then cut over to Lavaca on 12th.  Definately feeling the hills today.  Ran through campus and on my way back was feeling a little brain dead.  I ended up at 38th street and almost continued north until I realized that one block east was Duval which is where I had intended to start heading back south.  Needed a drink at that point and thankfully there was a coffee shop...JP's Java (I think)...where I drank a couple of cups of water and continued on.  Not quite as enthusiastic at San Jac this week but was doing OK.  Stopped at the first street bridge for Runtex water and tried not to drink too much...I hate sloshing!  Ran a lap around the Zilker soccer fields and ended up at Barton Springs again for exactly 12 miles.  Drank 1 liter of NUUN while I took a quick soak...nothing feels better than that cold water!  Grabbed an OJ and breakfast taco to go on my way to the Chiropractor...had a 30 min massage and adjustment.  Weekly total...34.1.  Will start doing the Saturday long runs with Rogue next weekend!  It will be great to have water provided!  Next week will be a little easier.  Plan to run the Sunstroke 5K at an easier pace than usual and add some extra miles before it.  I will do the usual easy miles on Thurs AM.  Friday will be the Freedom 5000 with some miles tacked onto the end.

Adding on to my Thursday runs

Ran just over 6 miles with Leslie and Diana this AM.  Very humid but the wind helped with temperature control.  Did the moderately hilly loop today.  Left Leslie at her place and did an additional 3 miles for a total of 9.3 miles.  We ran a comfortable pace as a group and I picked it up for the final 3.  Shooting for 12 tomorrow for my first week over 30miles in months.  I am feeling good, legs aren't hurting like they were before Boston and I am enjoying the runs.

One more week until I am off on Friday nights...can't wait to start some sort of Sat group run.

Ice Cream...the ultimate pre race snack

Tueday....ran 5.7 miles and averaged about 8:48.  Legs were a little tight but not bad.

Wednesday....easy ride on the horse in the morning (he seemed better today), then salad, 3 oz tuna, 1 litre water, grapes and some almonds for lunch.  Went to Central Market to get food for dinner.  Unfortunately they have that great Gelato stand right before checkout...so I got some.  This is after I swore off eating  after noon on Wednesdays when I have the dreaded 5K race at 7pm.

Lazed around at home for the afternoon and headed out to Brushy Creek at 5:30.  Ran my usual 2 mile warm up and felt OK...saw Nancy Dasso so gave up before I started.  She tells me she did a triathalon on Sunday so was going to take it easy...right!  We ran together for the first mile and then I had to let her go.  Ended up finishing 3rd women (1st was some 20 some chic) and didn't feel too bad at all.  Best of all was first in line for the free massages.  My legs actually feel good tonight.  No need for an ice bath.

The novelty of the Sunstroke Stampede has worn off...only 5 more to go.  However, I'm going to stick it out and go to ever race.  I'm going to do the Freedom 5000 next friday as well.  I have enjoyed meeting a new group of runners and have a new running partner for thursday mornings.

It's 10:45 pm...why am I still awake??  Got to get up at 4:45 at the latest tomorrow.

Woo,hoo...it's my days off again!!

Haven't posted since last Wed.  Here is a general summary...

Thursday - got up at 4:30am and put in a solid 60min recovery run with Leslie.  Took a slightly hillier route than usual and it felt pretty good.  Then we did 4 strides which felt really good.  Legs a little tight so did a cool bath with what little ice I had in the freezer and epsom salts.  Went to my favorite Mexican place in Manor and had some chicken tortilla soup.   Otherwise a generally unpproductive day except for the nap I took in the afternoon.

Friday - got up at 5:30 and got to Barton Springs at 6:30.  Ran 10 miles (1/2 on the trail, 1/2 downtown) and felt great.  Nothing for the record books - solid 9 min/mile pace.  Sometimes I think I am too slow but when I look at y'alls posts, I think I'm doing OK.  I'm still focusing on a gradual build up so I still feel fresh come fall.  Had a wonderful 30 min soak in Barton Springs.  We are so lucky to have such a great post run in Austin!  Treated my self to breakfast at Magnolia Cafe, blew off my errands and went home and took a nap.  Two unproductive days in a row!  Oh well.

Sat through Monday - no running just rode my horse a couple of times.

Read everyone's posts.  Interesting stuff about the diets.  I think my biggest problem is that I don't eat enough at my main meals so an hour or so later I'm hungry and the snacking begins.  If I'm at home I snack on fruit and other good things.  If I'm at work...well let's just say I don't make the best choices.  So I need to come up with something to eat at around 1 -2 am that will fill me up and be satisfied.  Has to be fast because often I eat between inmates.  Also, my only means of cooking is a microwave and half ass toaster.  Any suggestions out there??

My horse seemed a little unenthusiastic when I rode today so I cut the ride short.  Hard to tell if he has a sore hind leg, feels bad from a weeks worth of antibiotics or the usual...needs to poop but won't go while I ride him.  I can usually identify what my problem is when I am dragging...hard to tell with the horse since he can't talk and isn't limping!

Looking at doing my fartlek run again tonight, not going to kill myself at the Wednesday night race, easy run on Thurs and plan for 12 on Friday AM.

Anyone notice it's HOT?

After not running since last Thursday, I went out on Tuesday night.  Did a one mile warm up and then did 4 minutes slightly slower than MGP, 4 min recovery, 4 min at MGP, 4 min recovery, 4 min between 1/2MGP and MGP, 4 min recovery and then 4 min at about 10K pace.  Then I jogged home for a cool down.  I was a little stiff at the start but loosened up pretty quickly.  I knew that run would ruin any chance of a decent effort at the Wed. night 5k but too bad.

I had taken the horse to the vet in the morning and everything checked out.  Allergies with a minor secondary infection.  So he is on some breathing meds and antibiotics.  Rode him Tues night and Wed AM and he showed no ill effects of the allergy problem.

I have given up on the 2 a day work outs.  It was just to hard and I was too tired.  I might throw one in here and there but not many.  It is strange how I can ride my horse one evening and then hop on and ride the next morning and he isn't tired at all.  I will say though that he doesn't work as hard as we do running!!  And he has all day and night to sleep if he wants to.

Crappy run on Wed night...I went out slow for about 1/4 mile and then slowly accelerated.  Felt pretty strong until about mile 21/2 and then my head kept saying   "it's too hot!".  And it was - my car said 102F.  Soaked in a cold tub with Epsom salts and ice.

Off to bed so I can get up at 4:45am!  Weight this AM...all time low since high school...137.5lb...woo,hoo!  I have been pretty good about my diet...the bad choices are few and far between and less bad than before.

Arrrggg.....

Haven't run since Thursday...but I'm OK with that. It has been hot. Got some good news - starting in July I will have Friday nights off (forever I hope) so I'm hoping to meet up with ARC or who ever is running my slow speed for some longer runs on Sat AM.
Bads news...today when I went to get my horse for his acupunture treatment his nose was running like a tap. Not clear either...thin bright yellow with thicker globs (probably TMI for most of you). He had this problem a week ago but it wasn't as bad and it dried up after a day or so. I wrote it off as allergies. So I called the new barn vet to make an appointment...I assumed he would call back Monday morning. Called me while I was sleeping at 3pm. After telling him Riley's symptoms he promptly told me Riley had a sinus infection and would need a hole drilled into his sinus to drain it out. What!!!!! Thankfully he told me he couldn't see him until Wednesday so I told him I'd take him to Elgin Vet Hosp on Monday. It did look better tonight so hopefully it will again run it's course. After talking with a friend, she told me her horse had the exact same thing a week ago and she was told it was allergies by Elgin and did nothing - it went away on it's own. That's what I'm hoping for.
Same day I get home from work to hear water running...that can only be bad news. Thankfully I guess the cat had been playing in the bathtub and some how turned on the hotwater...good thing my rent includes all bills! My dog had grabbed a ziplock bag of salt off the counter and a dish of pistachio shells. The salt was in her dog bed. She had obviously thought it was sugar and eaten some. Then threw up all over the floor. When I took her outside, she drank at least a gallon of water. Yes, she was still alive in the afternoon when I let her in.
More good news...not a single ROT Rally fatality this weekend...that's a first. Only saw one ROT Rally DWI this weekend too. Big improvement.
Going to try and adjust my running scheddule again...the 2 a day schedule was making me too tired. So I am going to continue running twice on Wed only but will try and run on Tues AM instead of PM.
Hope all is going well for everyone else.

ROT Rally Weekend

OK that has nothing to do with running!  This is one of my most hated weekends of the year.  Most of the bikers are harmless but few are responsible.  I can't believe (with the extra insurance rider) it is legal to ride a motorcycle without a helmet.  Every year it seems that several bikers are killed riding their bikes around Austin on this particular weekend.  From the bikers we see in jail with casts on arms and legs and miles of road rash there is plenty of drinking and driving going on (all with no helmet).  It's kinda like driving without a seatbelt.   On the flipside, the Expo Center is an amazing sight.  Campers as far as the eye can see.  The rally also brings in millions to the Austin/Travis County economy so I guess that is good.  

I was tired this AM and my feet are sore.  No 3 mile run.  I did get out and ride my horse...so easy in comparison...he does 99% of the work.  I do have special empathy for him and the fact that he probably gets sore too, so he gets a massage once a month and the occasional chiropractic adjustment and acupuncture treatment.  They make a drastic difference to his attitude and performance.  Most people that I see riding horses act like they are machines and they can go and go and go with zero maintenance.  So, if you haven't had a massage lately, go get one.

Feeling better as the day progressed so plan on trying for a short run after work tomorrow.

Stay cool and watch out for bikers!

OK...how much longer 'til fall!

The heat is sucking the energy out of me.  I dragged myself out of bed at 4:45 this AM.  Had a good run with Leslie but man it was humid.  Kept myself on my feet afterwards so I wouldn't fall asleep and miss my massage.  My calves are a wreck and I need the use the foam roller on a regular basis.

All of you out there who are doing mega miles I have the utmost respect.  There is no way I could do it.  I am, of course, splitting my time between running and riding my horse.

I blew off the 3 mile run tonight but will get out for 3 in the morning.

Dogs and Shot Bloks!

I ran an easy 3.5 mile run this AM with my dog who always enjoys the runs when it's not too far and not too hot.  Averaged 9:40.  Had a bunch errands/chores to do so no nap.  Went to Brushy creek and ran an uninspiring 22:45 for 2nd overall, 1st masters.  I was hot and I went too fast at the start.  Felt OK until mile 2 and then my legs gave up.  Enjoyed a quick dinner with Jim Gelb and headed home.  

I dropped all my stuff on the floor (including my race shoes with an opened bag of Shot Bloks) and headed to the tub for an ice bath.  Ice bath felt great. Hopefully my legs will feel somewhat better by the morning..very stiff left achilles - nothing new but annoying.

As I leave the bathroom, I see the dog holding something under her paws.  Turned out to be the left over Shot Bloks...amazingly she hadn't eaten them yet but she sure looked guilty and didn't argue when I took them away.

Off to bed...getting up at 4:45 am to run.

Revisiting the Decker Loop

I stayed home and did 100+ crunches and 60 push ups instead of going to the gym...more time effective and I can watch the food network at the same time.

I mentioned to one of the women at the barn, who is new, that I was going running tonight and she asked if I did ride and tie races (2 people and one horse - one person rides as far as the other person can run, ties the horse and starts running.  When the other person gets to the horse they get on and ride past the runner to a predetermined spot and ties the horse and so on).  I said no but suggested she start running and since she has a suitable horse for the sport we could use it.

I had a great run tonight on the Decker course.  Ran 7.3 miles at an average pace of 8:58...felt great.  I love running in the country...it's dark and quiet so there isn't outside noise to cut in on my IPod and thoughts.  I feel right back on track and now just have to resist the temptation to do too much too soon.

Got home at 10pm and had a great meal of Orzo with a little butter and parm. and a berry smoothie.  Probably not the most nutritious but really, really good.   Maybe I'll have some pineapple for dessert.

Junk free night!

I made an entire 10hr shift with not one bit of junk food.  Unbelievable!!  Good news is that I am now on my days off and have much less tendency to eat really bad food when I'm home.  Hopefully by publishing my transgressions, there will be fewer of them!

Plan today is to go to the gym and do my own core/cross fit workout as it seems that the Tues night Rogue core classes are over...darn.  That is the only night I could get to it.  After I put the horses to bed tonight, I will go for a after sunset run with my IPod.  Shooting for 8-10 miles.

This week I'm going to start wearing my Garmin to keep up with how fast or slow I'm running.  This blog thing is fun...I have kept a running diary before but this is much more entertaining for me.  Time to get a quick cat nap in before I get on with the day.

Taking several days off in a row has it's advantages!

I haven't run since Friday and honestly I'm itching to.  Good thing is that because of my work schedule, I'll have to wait until Tuesday evening.  My legs feel fresh with no soreness which is good since they are usually trashed after my 4 days of at least 6 workouts.  I need to start doing some ice baths and watching my diet.  I am worst at work...when I am bored or stressed, I snack.

Guess I need to plan ahead with nutritious snacks to take to work.  I do take good food but sometimes I supplement my good food with very bad food!  

Time to go to sleep....I can see this blog thing taking away from things I should be doing...sleeping!

Getting Running Again

It took me 3-4 weeks after Boston to want to run again. My legs were tired as was my brain. I had planned to get on my bike but so far that hasn't happened. For motivation, I signed up for the full Sunstroke Stampede Summer Series - only 5k - but essentially a fun tempo type run. There is no way I can run full out 5k pace on the trails at Town Lake or Brushy Creek. The competition is slim - there are a few fast running women to keep me honest but the best part has been meeting new people and getting to know others better. The first 2 weeks I ran a very short warm up and struggled through the race. In between I would do one or two 3 mile runs at 5pm. After I was reduced to a walk twice because it was too hot, I knew something had to change. At the 3rd race, I ran in to Scott who suggested running twice a day (early AM and late evening) on the days I had time. It made sense so I gave it a try. First week of that I ran 23 miles, second 26 miles. Not much but much better. On my first 10 miler since Boston, I had to walk the last mile because I needed a drink and figured I'd pass out if I didn't walk. Note to self...carry water. My goal is 30 miles this week. Long term 40+ by September.

The 5k races are getting better - I am getting faster with each one. Doesn't feel like it though - I feel like I am running very slowly and it is hurting too much! I learned that eating lunch at noon and then nothing other than 3 clif bloks before the race made me feel much better while I was running.

So my general schedule is Tuesdays - core class or cross fit - in the afternoon at Rogue and then 6-10 mile run after dark. Wednesday - 3mile easy run in AM, 5k race plus 2 mile wu and 2+ mile cd in PM. Thurs. - 6+mile recovery run with Leslie Barcley and Diane Damer at 5:30 AM (I am NOT a morning person), 6 mile run in PM. Fri or Sat - AM 10+ mile long run.

I am giving myself plenty of latitude for days off if I need extras. I'm not worrying about how fast or slow I'm running...I'm just glad to be out there. I listened to The Four Minute Mile on some of these runs. Helped the time to pass.

In between all this, I try to ride my horse Riley at least 3-4 times a week plus 4 evenings a week I am responsible for doing the night time feed etc at the barn. Unfortunately I also have to go to work.

I started this blog because I was motivated by Scott's and maybe mine will motivate someone else.