Just Plodding Along

Not only do I run and talk about running and sell running things and blog about running....I also read about running. I just finished Marathon Man by Bill Rodgers and love it. I highly recommend checking it out if you love running, are intrigued by marathons or just like a good story in general. Some of my favorite quotes from the book: My earliest ancestors ran in search of food and to escape predators. I no longer run for survival like them, but perhaps the traces from the past lived on in my DNA. I believe this biological need to move is felt more intensely in some than others, but I believe it's within us all (14). We were suddenly reminded how running, perhaps more than any other sport, is a celebration of life. It makes your world a brighter place. It gives you this lift, a confidence to stand tall and feel good. Better than good. Boundless (207). ...running was not an escape from the real world. It was a necessary, life sustaining passion,...

So I tend to plan out my training a week in advance. One, this keeps me motivated. And two, I like planners and to fill in planners with everything I could possibly do so I can cross things off and feel like I have accomplished oh so much. It is kind of weird but it is my thing.  So this week I had all my workouts planned prior to Hood to Coast and in my mind I am amazing and would be up to all kinds of sweat fests. This was the week I would probably turn into a professional athlete. After taking Monday off I was ready to rock and roll. I even did two runs on Tuesday. Crazy. Well yesterday I slept almost all day. I woke up walked the dog and then feel asleep on the couch. I woke up, ate, did a few things (like schedule my exam for my personal training certification, woot woot) and then feel back asleep until it was time to go to my CPR certification class in the evening. I know. I know! Just be thankful that I am not required to be a functioning member of society and th...

Settle in. This recap is a long one. Where to even begin? Relays almost feel like a wedding. You spend months preparing and thinking about it, getting the right outfits, finding transportation, travel arrangements, lodging and then in a flash it is over and you are left exhausted with a vague memory of awkward dancing that may have occurred around 3 a.m. without alcohol as an excuse.   On Thursday I headed to Portland to meet my Hood to Coast team- Hey, Wait for Me! After getting delayed in Las Vegas due to a late flight arriving, a missing air stewardess, the wrong paperwork and a storm (seriously I am not sure anything else could have gone wrong) and much panicking on my part wondering what would happen if I couldn't get there I finally arrived to be greeted by my friend Katie with my own personalized sign. Fancy! We even had enough time to hit up the Portland Running Company pre-team dinner so I could hand over all my money in exchange for much needed long sleeve swa...

Last weeks training: 8/11 to 8/17 Mon: 1 mile warm-up and 4 miles with the goal of 9 minute miles. Turned into a 9 and a 9 and a 9:13 and a 9:20. Lifted weights Tues: 7 miles of hills and trails. When I first moved here I was not excited about the desert but running out here is actually kind of awesome. Wed: Lifted weights, Pilates and 30 minute swim Thurs: 4 miles on the treadmill and Pilates Fri: 6 miles of hills and trails. Sat: Nada Sunday: 45 minutes of spinning, lower body: squats and lunges I almost ran more miles last week than I ran the entire month of July. That is kind of fun to see! My main focus has been getting fitness back for the relays coming up. At first I thought my relay legs for Hood to Coast were gonna be super hard but looking more closely I have some of the easier legs overall. Whoop! Well except for my middle leg which is a lot of climbing but I am hopeful all the hills I have been running will help with that.  I am getting supe...

Dogs Your dog. Yes I am sure he is very sweet. And I am sure he loves everyone. I have a dog. I believe him to be very sweet and he does in fact love everyone. That face...come on. Can't even handle it. But this does not mean that I let him run around the park or trails or street without being leashed. Because I know that no matter how cute I think he looks he looks freaking terrifying when he hurtles all 80 pounds at you at top speed even if he simply wants to say hello and get a pet. And when all 200 pounds of your two large husky death breed come running up to me on a trail with you nowhere in sight don't be all butt hurt when you come around the corner to find me loudly declaring to them that they need to go home as I try to find a large rock to fling at them if necessary. Yes I am a bit jumpy about this since the Smoky Mountain relay when there were loose dogs on the course chasing runners but at the same time I have been bitten twice while out running by dogs wh...

There is that common saying about running....all you need is a pair of shoes. Well my closet and dresser with their overflow of running shoes, hydration packs, socks, clothing, fancy watches and other various things that I just need to run seem to indicate that shoes are just the tip of the iceberg. But I will agree that shoes are the most important item when it comes to running and if you have limited funds, give you the biggest bang for your buck. A good fitting pair of shoes can mean the difference between logging miles and logging hours of rehab. I will always recommend going to a specialty running store to get fitted for the first time. Not just because I worked at one but because they know what they are doing when it comes to fitting shoes. But if you are well past the point of getting shoes there may be a few other items you may want to invest in. To keep me relatively pain free and up and running I have four tools that I use on a regular basis and would recommend to runne...

Moving is hard. Missing friends, my running tribe, my running routes. I just need time to meet people, create a new tribe, explore the area. Health issues are hard. Two months of stress and worry to find out I am mostly okay....still waiting for the final word on September 10th. But in the mean time I can run and that is the important part and except for a funny beating heart the rest of me is pretty dang healthy. Getting back in shape is hard. I have not been making it any easier due to the fact that my favorite running route starts with a two mile uphill climb followed by a few miles of ankle twisting, big rocked trails and then back home with a quad crushing downhill. Oh and lifting weights on a regular basis has made simple life tasks extra difficult (I swear I would put the plates away if I could just raise my arms). Things have seemed hard lately. Even knowing why sometimes doesn't make it easier. The last few weeks have been a bit extra frustrating in the running dep...

The range of emotions when I finally realized that my second leg of Hood to Coast is like 750 feet of elevation climb in 5.75 miles.... And that they recommend wearing a bandanna due to dust..... So I better get on training for that.....

....where were we. Right. Van 2 just being too dang fast for me to get any beauty sleep. After Van 1 had finished their second legs and eaten dinner around midnight we headed to the next exchange were we would be needed and watched Stacey and Ian put up a tent for us (like Kara, Cathryn and I literally just stood there with our mouths hanging open while Stacey and Ian put up a tent in record time. At the time I felt the biggest help I could be was to stay outta the way but I am sure we looked ridiculous). Then we zonked out for what felt like minutes when apparently Van 2 called and said get your lazy butts out of bed it is go time. Okay I don't really know what they said but I am just going off what I probably would have said had I been calling. Kara completing her 3rd ridiculously hilly leg of the relay.  Van 1 was up for our third and final legs. By this point no one felt great. Everyone was sore from going up and down hills, sitting in the van after running hard and...

Not to spoil the ending but We did it! 1st to start, last to finish but no creative finish needed! Thursday morning I picked the lovely Cathryn up at the airport and we headed to Fort Collins for a day of shopping before heading to the team dinner. The team dinner was the first time many of us met. I struck gold with this relay team! Everyone was super nice and excited to run. Fun side story- one of my van mates was also a fellow CSU Edwards Hall resident where I resided freshman year of college. We each thought the other looked familiar and finally figured it out. She ended up becoming friends a few years later with Stacey, my friend from high school...and we all ended up running the Wild West Relay together. Small world situation happening here.  We had a lovely 5 a.m. start time on Friday since we were on the moderate speed side which worked out well since we needed most of that time. I think about 9 teams started at 5a.m. We checked in and got started withou...