10 Mountains up a Hill

I was not as much of a slacker this week as I wanted to be.  I went to CrossFit on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and I ran, which is a feat in itself because the weather has been absolute crap.  I think I had plans to run on Tuesday, but it was raining and I was a pansy, so I rested instead.  Thursday was also pretty rainy but at some point in time that afternoon, the sun shone through the clouds for a brief period of time and I got out there to pound pavement for the first time in over a week.  My first mile was fast, of course, because I always start out too fast.  Mile 2 was ok and then during miles 3 and 4 the wind blew and blew and made me miserable.  I walked a bit and called it good at 4 miles.

Saturday was my first race of the season!  I woke up to a torrential downpour and had absolutely no desire to race a 5k.  But, I made arm warmers for my friend, Malia, and myself for the race and there was no way I was going to skip it, plus I needed to run.  I really wanted to get in 4+ miles, preferably on hills, but I settled for a one mile (+) warm up (10:42/mile), raced my 5k (averaged 10:07/mile), and then ran a cool-down mile (10:53/mile) back to my car for a total of 5.25 miles Saturday.  Thankfully, the ran subsided during our actual running time and it ended up being a decent day to be on the greenbelt in Boise.  Did I mention the St. Patrick's Day Basic 5 was a Team BEEF run?!  Hooray for sponsored and reimbursed runs!

Malia standing on her tip toes in attempt to be as tall as me...

The kid and I went to my parents' house that night for a St. Patrick's Day/Birthday celebration for a friend of ours.  I was a very responsible lady last night and had two beers (2!) at the beginning of the gathering and that was it.  I ate responsibly until the Boston cream pie was served and I indulged, which is just fine because I knew I had to run 10 miles today.  Upon our early departure, being completely sober, I informed everyone I had to leave early so I could go run 10 mountains up a hill in the morning.  I informed them it would be my mantra for the run the next day.

I made plans to meet up with Lisa and Mike at 11:00 AM and was ever so glad that I was so responsible last night.  I left the house in a complete snow storm wondering if I should just turn around and go to work for a bit so I could run my 10 miles tomorrow during the nicer weather but I didn't.  Mike was nice enough to run alongside me for a few minutes before the ascent up Shaw Mountain Road.  I started my ascent and, as if it were magic, the snow stopped!  My rain jacket worked out alright for the weather, but I'd like to get a better one for running at some point in time.

Instead of walking at distance markers, I walked at heart rate markers.  During most of the uphill climb ran until my HR got to 170, then walked until it got down to 160.  It seemed to work out alright and I averaged 12:40/mile up to mile 5.

Looking uphill at mile 5...

I turned around at my 5 mile marker and started the descent, which I rocked in comparison to the climb.  I was surprised when I turned into the parking lot and found Mike and his friend still standing around in the parking lot waiting for me.  We talked while I stretched and eventually we all parted ways.  I averaged 11:42/mile for my 10 miler today...I'll take it!

I went to pick up the kid from a friend's house and was greeted with red wine, dry clothes, blankets, a fire in the fire place, and dogs to keep me warm.  She even sent us off with dinner and brownies in hand, knowing I would have absolutely no desire to grocery shop or cook tonight.  Thank God for good friends who wait for you at the bottom of a grueling run and for those who wam up you up at the end of a 10 mountain day!

Traitor

I had big intentions for this weekend.  Since yesterday was supposed to be over 60 degrees in the mountains, I decided it would be worth my time and effort to get my boat put together and head up to the river for a day on the water.  That meant there would be no running on Saturday, so I'd have to get my long run in on Sunday.  I got my first day on the river and it was a perfect day!  My parents were nice enough to make us dinner upon our return to Boise and we still managed to be in bed by 10pm (11pm with the time change).  I set my alarm for 7:10 am...I had devised a semi-perfect plan for Sunday:

7:19 (after one snooze) - rise, eat steel cut oats, drink coffee, drink water, shower, etc.
9:00 - church
10:15 - Husband to take me to meet some friends on to run up Shaw Mountain Road
11:00 to 1:00 - Run my little heart out on some hills and then head home
1:30 until whenever - hang out, nap, eat something, and pride myself in getting in 10 miles on hills.

This is what actually happened:

7:10 - alarm went off and thought I hit snooze
8:04 - woke up and realized I turned the alarm OFF instead of snooze
8:04:30 - woke up the kid
8:05 - showered and ran around like a mad woman
8:35 - asked kid to make me a cup of coffee while I ran around gathering running gear
8:39 - realized I could not find my hydration pack or Clif Shot Bloks for 10 mile run
8:40 to 8:44 - ran around trying to find above items
8:45 - left the house for church
8:46 - realized I left my coffee on the kitchen table
8:46:30 - spilled water all over my dress on the way to church as husband gunned it through a yellow light so we wouldn't be late for church
9 to 10:00 - sat through church wondering if I could keep my eyes open for another minute and if I could manage to run 10 miles today
10:15 - got coffee at Fred Meyer while the kid was at Sunday School
11:10 - picked up the kid, went to Blimpie for lunch (so husband could pick up some pre-packaged mayo and mustard for his upcoming Grand Canyon trip), and came home
12:00 - 3:00 - NAPPED.
3:30 to 4:30 - helped the kid with some tennis stuff
5:15 - went to dinner and drank beer. 

Running was not in the cards today.

So here I am, at 7:40 pm, feeling like a traitor.  I am usually all over my training plans and honestly don't ever remember skipping a long run, but today my body couldn't handle it.  It was obvious that I was beaten down and tired and needed to rest.  I am hopeful that tomorrow will allow me to either get up early to run or that I'll be able to leave work early to do the same.  Either way, I still need to get in about 8 miles tomorrow to be on top of my game for Robie.  On a brighter note, I did go to CrossFit on Wednesday and Friday last week and killed Friday's session.  It was tough and exhausting and I was SO SO SO SO SO sweaty, but it was awesome and I can't wait to get back!

I Registered for Robie

I registered for Robie.  I registered for Robie.  I registered for ROBIE.  Who the hell do I think I am, Deena Kastor or something?  Seriously.  After I somehow managed to be one of 2100 people to register in 9 minutes and 46 seconds or something ridiculous like that, I freaked out and then ran 5 miles to my nearest CrossFit location.  No joke, that happened.  That being said, the CrossFit session was really just an on-ramp session that still managed to kick my ass.  But I survived, oh yes, I survived. 

I've been trying to get in 2 weekday runs and a weekend run since the beginning of February but with this whole CrossFit deal, my muscles have been SO SORE.  Our office started this CrossFit deal with the E3 location with some of the kids on our caseload at work during the first few weeks of February and I, being overly enthusiastic about the project, volunteered to be one of the POs to work out with the kids.  I never imagined I'd do so many damn air squats or that my legs could ever feel as sore as they did in February!  It pains me to say that CrossFit sidelined my running for about a week after I started.  My first 2 mile run after the first week of CrossFit took me 24 minutes.  I couldn't sit in a chair without bracing myself and I struggled to get up and down the stairs. 

I hurt.

Then something magical happened a few weeks later: I voluntarily chose to do air squats, sit ups, and push ups at home on a non-run day and I didn't hurt like hell afterward. 

And the next day I bought a 2 month membership to a CrossFit box. 

And in the mean time I've been training for Robie.  I've run hills and long runs and have tried to continue cross training as much as possible.  This weekend I ran my first ever route on Shaw Mountain Road with my friend, Renee.  Eight miles later, I didn't die.  I've got a long way to go before I'm officially ready to run Robie, and I highly doubt I'll ever be ready to run Robie, but I'm hopeful that I'll be able to complete the race in under 3 hours.  We'll see how that all works out!

For now, enjoy these 2 pictures from Saturday's training run: one 5 miles in and the other after our 8 mile finish!

Crossfit, soreness, and trying to run

I was informed the other day that someone actually reads my blog and I semi-promised to post an update, so here it is...

Our department was contacted by Crossfit E3 (in Eagle) to start a program where POs do Crossfit with some probation kids.  I, being overly excited about work providing time to work out, volunteered along with a few other POs to get the ball rolling.  I've been to 5 sessions so far and I don't think I've ever felt so sore for so long.  The number of squats has highly inhibited my ability to do any sort of normal movements and sitting/standing back up from a sitting position has never been so difficult.  For real, people, this stuff is HARD and my muscles are being forced to work in ways I never thought possible.  The program is amazing though and it has been really cool to work out with the kids and not have to be the tough PO who calls them out on not getting things done.  I'm also really excited to see what this does to my running and how it will eventually  make me stronger and (hopefully) faster. 

That being said, after week one of Crossfit (3 days) my body ached.  I wanted to run but I could hardly move my legs.  Sunday morning I got up and convinced my dear husband to take me to breakfast and later that day, feeling better and able to walk up and down the stairs without wincing in pain, I went out for what I had hoped would be a 5 mile run...but two things happened:

1) The dog I took with me (we're dog sitting this week) was tuckered out after a mile and we were forced to walk 1/2 of mile 2 and
2) After finishing 2 miles and dropping the dog back off at the house, my body decided it was done with running for the day and I stopped.

I stretched a bit when I got home and thought I would be ok, but my left quad was killing me for the rest of the day and into Monday.  I stretched and took a tennis ball to my muscles.  I went to Crossfit on Monday and thought I would die if they asked me to do another air squat (thankfully, they didn't) but my leg was still killing me on Tuesday.  Eventually, I gave in to pressure and bought myself a foam roller and rolled out that night.  And it worked.  I'm a believer now, I guess. I was even able to get up in the morning and manage 30 minutes on the elliptical at home and I honestly wasn't sure how that was going to work.  Even better, Wednesday's Crossfit session didn't kill me.  I hurt like hell on my legs, but I manged to do some half-assed squats and box jumps!  I'm planning to run this weekend, possibly as early as after work today, but that all depends on what's happening with happy hour!

On another note, Team BEEF is kicking off on March 17th and there are a ton of races listed that I'm super excited about running!  Hooray!

1 MR and K-Otic

My supervisor at work is always trying to get my to test out these work-out concoctions and I almost always tell him he's crazy and that I don't need magic potions to make myself run faster or farther, I just need to run more.  That being said, he brought me a few different kinds several weeks ago and I finally decided to test them out. 

The first test was a few weeks ago when we were in Rigby visiting my in-laws.  We went to lunch and had a few bloody marys and a few hours later (and several glasses of water later) I decided to take the 1MR (One More Rep) and head out for a 4 mile run.  The packet claimed it was fruit punch flavored but it tasted TERRIBLE. The run itself wasn't horrible and probably would have been worse without the 1MR, but I really have no way of judging that for sure. I ran at an average pace of 10:58/mile which is fine for having 2 bloody marys and being at a higher elevation. 

The next test came on the 25th when I decided to test out the K-Otic during a lunch time run.  Chris claimed K-Otic tastes better (WAY better) and that I would like the effects better than 1MR (I did!!!).  Ho-ly cow.  I felt amazing during this run!  The temperature coudn't have been more perfect (50 degrees) and I felt so so so good throughout the entire run!  I ended up doing 3.1 miles at an average pace of 9:51/mile.  I did stop a few times to walk, not because I was tired or sore or out of breath, but more because my heart rate was pretty high (177 at one point) and I didn't want to have a heart attack while out on a run.  Even with the walking, I averaged 9:51/mile.  Woah.  The K-Otic made me feel pretty crazy afteward though and I need to be sure I only take it from now on when I'm going to go out for a long run. 

Freeze Your Thorns Off 5k!

Let me first say that I HAVE been running, just not as much as I had planned by late January.  In fact, I had one of the best runs of my life the other day, but I'm not writing about that yet because today was the Freeze Your Thorns Off Virtual 5k hosted by The Boring Runner!  I found out about Adam's blog through another blogger who touted him as a fantastic running coach.  One night I thought it would be fun to get intoxicated and e-mail him to ask him to be my coach....and when he responded and was completely reasonable, I backed out and told him I should have talked to my husband before venturing into the unknown such as having a running coach....which is basically a big fat lie.

Anyway, Adam hosted his 2nd annual FYTO5k today and I decided to participate.  Of course, I also decided to make things a little more interesting and did the following:

1) Skiing at Bogus Basin with the family starting at 9am

2) Bloody Mary at 11:30 am in the bar at Pioneer Lodge

3) Another ski run 

4) 2 beers and a sandwich before driving back to Boise

5) Nap on the way home

6) Water and 1MR 

7) 3.22 mile run in beautiful 40 degree Boise weather

8) Rehydration with a few more beers while writing this FYTO5k recap 

I forgot to print out the race bib for today's events so I was without a bib for my ski runs and run run.  One would think that I've learned not to drink alcohol before going out to run 3 or 4 miles, but I haven't.  I could have run my 5k tomorrow, but that would have made for a less eventful FYTO5K day, and I couldn't have that.  Even still, I didn't run too terribly bad today.  Overall, I ran 3.22 miles in 33:06.  I would have expected worse with the alcohol consumption an hour or two prior, but they were Pabst Blue Ribbon Lights, so maybe I shouldn't be too surprised that I managed to run a decent pace!

So there you have it.  Maybe I'll run the Sweat Your Thorns Off 5k this summer...if I'm not rafting.  Actually, maybe I'll run, raft, and drink beer that day.... 

2011 Overview and 2012 Hopes

It really doesn't feel like 2011 is done and over with, but it is.  I'm pretty proud of some of my accomplishments this year and figured they were worth a little review:

Miles run: 343
Half Marathons run: 3
Races run (1/2 marathons, 10k, 5ks, Sawooth Relay): 7
PRs at races: 6 (basically improved my time with every race this year)
Fastest mile: 9:08
Smallest dress purchased: 6
Smallest jeans purchased: 8

I'm pretty sure I now own better running gear than work attire and have made more running purchases than rafting purchases this year.  It's been a pretty crazy year of focusing on my mental and physical health and keeping all health issues pretty much under control.  I was sick once this year in February and only went through one bad spell of depression when we relinquished our dog back to the Humane Society.  And although the past few months have been quite out of control in terms of eating and drinking, my physical well-being has fared well and I'm proud to say I felt fit for most of the year.

I'm excited to see what 2012 has to bring.  I've got a few plans (not resolutions) floating around in my head and am hopeful that I'll be able to make them happen, including running 500 miles and the possibly running a race this summer wearing a sports bra and running skirt and not feeling ridiculously self-conscious.  I'm excited to start exercising with the kids at work doing Crossfit later this month and am hopeful I'll be able to finish my graduate program by implementing a running program with some of the kids and staff members culminating in everyone finishing a 5k.  Again, these are all still thoughts and not anything set in stone, but I'm excited to see where things go from here!