Nice and easy trail run today! Ran with my Matt, our friend, Jaime and Shamus, the pooch! Per Garmin, did 6.3 miles in about 55 minutes. That puts average pace at about 8:45, when I coulda sworn I was doing 9:30s. I was really making myself go sloooooow. I had to. I stupidly ate peanut butter before my run, which I know better NOT to do. PB pre-run is a no-no. It just sits there in my stomach like a rock and mocks me. Fortunately, this time it was merely a mild annoyance. It didn't ruin my run. I told my husband if he saw me reaching for the PB jar before a run ever again to slap my hand. Hard.
PB pre-run = Disaster
PB post-run = Bliss
It kind of bums me out because PB is one of my favorite things (cue Julie Andrews), along with whiskers on kittens. I was hoping to make PB&J sandwiches one of my go-to foods for ultra training. Gotta cross that one off the list. I do well pre-run with fig newtons, cereal bars and bananas, so I have a few things to work with so far.
It was warm today, much warmer than any previous run this year, but the heat didn't seem to affect me as much as I thought it would. Being in the woods helps with that! Yet another reason trail running rocks! (No pun intended.)
I'm planning about 17 miles this weekend. Really looking forward to it. Having runs to look forward to makes the work week go by so much faster. I'll be running with RUT again on a trail I've never been on. Sunday can't come fast enough. :-)
May 4, 2010
May 2, 2010
Running with the RUTsters!
I was so looking forward to today's run with my new RUT (Running Fit's Ultramarathon Team) friends, that thunderstorms on the drive to the park didn't even dampen (haha!) my spirits. It stopped raining by the time we got there, but the rain left plenty of mud for us on the trails. It was great!
Snakes were well represented on the trails today. They weren't exactly moving very fast to get out of our way either! It wasn't even cold out! Slackers.
Matt and I decided to do as close to 15 miles as we could. Four of us had Garmins. None of them matched. LOL!!! Also, none of them were even close to the mileage on the map. My Garmin said 14.4 miles, Matt's was 14.0, Mark had us at 14.8 and I can't remember what Andrew said. The map said we did 15.9 miles!! I just uploaded my Garmin and called it an estimate. heh! Considering we ran 2 hrs 45 mins on a hilly, technical (muddy!) trail, I know I got in what I needed to get in, regardless of time or distance. I'll take it! Great run!
One of the best parts were the cookies Farra baked for us. Mmmm.... She's one of those "artistic" bakers who works sans recipe, so there's no way to duplicate.
This was a great mental run for me as well. I was getting pretty tired being on my feet so long, even if we weren't moving that fast. Granted it was faster than I anticipated! They were not slow pokes! However, I needed to push past the fatigue and just keep going. That's the kind of training I need for a 50 miler. Part of the reason for the fatigue was due to leaving my GU in the car. I thought we'd be back at the car about halfway through. We ended up staying out on the trail longer, and I needed to refuel! I had Accelerade in my hydropack, but it wasn't enough. I know better now! Take the GU whether you think you need it or not!
I had such a blast today, I'm already looking forward to next week. Can't wait!
Snakes were well represented on the trails today. They weren't exactly moving very fast to get out of our way either! It wasn't even cold out! Slackers.
Matt and I decided to do as close to 15 miles as we could. Four of us had Garmins. None of them matched. LOL!!! Also, none of them were even close to the mileage on the map. My Garmin said 14.4 miles, Matt's was 14.0, Mark had us at 14.8 and I can't remember what Andrew said. The map said we did 15.9 miles!! I just uploaded my Garmin and called it an estimate. heh! Considering we ran 2 hrs 45 mins on a hilly, technical (muddy!) trail, I know I got in what I needed to get in, regardless of time or distance. I'll take it! Great run!
One of the best parts were the cookies Farra baked for us. Mmmm.... She's one of those "artistic" bakers who works sans recipe, so there's no way to duplicate.
This was a great mental run for me as well. I was getting pretty tired being on my feet so long, even if we weren't moving that fast. Granted it was faster than I anticipated! They were not slow pokes! However, I needed to push past the fatigue and just keep going. That's the kind of training I need for a 50 miler. Part of the reason for the fatigue was due to leaving my GU in the car. I thought we'd be back at the car about halfway through. We ended up staying out on the trail longer, and I needed to refuel! I had Accelerade in my hydropack, but it wasn't enough. I know better now! Take the GU whether you think you need it or not!
I had such a blast today, I'm already looking forward to next week. Can't wait!
May 1, 2010
Surefire Diet Plan!! ;-)
I discovered a way to lose those few pounds I allowed myself to gain over vacation in Boston last week. Open my car door right into my jaw so hard that it hurts to talk and hurts even more to eat. Yep. That'll do it. Lots of ibuprofen and chicken soup for me!
At least I did it in the parking lot of the gym after a good cross-training workout, right? (1 hour on the stationary bike and 20 minutes on the elliptical for a "tempo" workout). Although, now that I think about it, it almost seems like punishment for working so hard. Hmmm...
I've been driving for 20 years and have never done this before. How could I be so clutzy!? Now it is moving into my head and giving me a headache.
And, yes, I'm that short. ;-)
As long as it doesn't affect my running...
<--- very appropriate
Long trail run tomorrow with my RUT buddies!! Can't wait! Will fill ya in later!
At least I did it in the parking lot of the gym after a good cross-training workout, right? (1 hour on the stationary bike and 20 minutes on the elliptical for a "tempo" workout). Although, now that I think about it, it almost seems like punishment for working so hard. Hmmm...
I've been driving for 20 years and have never done this before. How could I be so clutzy!? Now it is moving into my head and giving me a headache.
And, yes, I'm that short. ;-)
As long as it doesn't affect my running...
<--- very appropriateLong trail run tomorrow with my RUT buddies!! Can't wait! Will fill ya in later!
April 30, 2010
Remember me??
Um, hi. I'm back. I think.
I'm cautiously optimistic about my return to running. I tried running a few days before leaving for Boston, but my leg still hurt. I gave my leg a few days off again and then tried running in the park near our hotel in Waltham, Mass. That was one damn, hilly park! Holy crap! Wish I could show you the elevation chart! Anyway, the run was horrid, hills or no hills. It just sucked. Lots of pain.
Took some more time off from running after the hill run in the park. My next run would actually be a race. Yep, that's right. A race. Don't ask. I ended up running Running Fit's Trail Half Marathon in nearly the same time that I ran it last year (with the same bib number too - weird). Only difference is this year, I did next to no running in the 3 months leading up to it. Huh. I do not recommend following my example.
However!
The trail half was GREAT! I felt awesome during the entire run. No leg pain. The 3-4 days post-race were excruciating. ha!! But that passed too. I have run twice more since then pain free and will soon start running with my RUT friends (Running Fit's Ultramarathon Team) on their Sunday jaunts through the nearby parks, starting this Sunday. (See ya there, Kai!!)
As much as I hated not being able to run Boston, being a spectator for the first time was a treat! I got to watch the winners run by. We were only a few blocks from the finish line, which was clearly visible from our location. I never get to see the winners since I'm always racing! The energy in the crowd was amazing (and deafening)!!
I also picked up a copy of Mark Remy's book The Runner's Rule Book, which he graciously signed for me. Thanks, Mark! I read it in one sitting. Hilarious. One of my favorite parts was the illustration of a harmless dog vs. a dangerous dog. You'll have to pick up a copy to see that for yourself. Priceless.
As far as future plans go, I'm taking it one week at a time. I'm still planning on my 50 miler at the end of August but reserve the right to downgrade to the marathon if I don't feel like I can train safely for 50. The race will still be there next year!
I'll try not to let 1 1/2 months go by between posts next time.
I'm cautiously optimistic about my return to running. I tried running a few days before leaving for Boston, but my leg still hurt. I gave my leg a few days off again and then tried running in the park near our hotel in Waltham, Mass. That was one damn, hilly park! Holy crap! Wish I could show you the elevation chart! Anyway, the run was horrid, hills or no hills. It just sucked. Lots of pain.
Took some more time off from running after the hill run in the park. My next run would actually be a race. Yep, that's right. A race. Don't ask. I ended up running Running Fit's Trail Half Marathon in nearly the same time that I ran it last year (with the same bib number too - weird). Only difference is this year, I did next to no running in the 3 months leading up to it. Huh. I do not recommend following my example.
However!
The trail half was GREAT! I felt awesome during the entire run. No leg pain. The 3-4 days post-race were excruciating. ha!! But that passed too. I have run twice more since then pain free and will soon start running with my RUT friends (Running Fit's Ultramarathon Team) on their Sunday jaunts through the nearby parks, starting this Sunday. (See ya there, Kai!!)
As much as I hated not being able to run Boston, being a spectator for the first time was a treat! I got to watch the winners run by. We were only a few blocks from the finish line, which was clearly visible from our location. I never get to see the winners since I'm always racing! The energy in the crowd was amazing (and deafening)!!
I also picked up a copy of Mark Remy's book The Runner's Rule Book, which he graciously signed for me. Thanks, Mark! I read it in one sitting. Hilarious. One of my favorite parts was the illustration of a harmless dog vs. a dangerous dog. You'll have to pick up a copy to see that for yourself. Priceless.
As far as future plans go, I'm taking it one week at a time. I'm still planning on my 50 miler at the end of August but reserve the right to downgrade to the marathon if I don't feel like I can train safely for 50. The race will still be there next year!
I'll try not to let 1 1/2 months go by between posts next time.
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