Chilly 5K 2012

Still hammering out the details of my 2012 goals, but regardless I decided to start it off with a New Years Day race - the Chilly 5K in Joplin, MO.  It was a fun event with 300+ participants and chili at the finish.  It runs (hehe) from the North YMCA to the South YMCA.  Point to point races are always good - no duplication of scenery (the course was through part of the May 2011 tornado devastation, which has a way of putting your pain into perspective as well).  It wasn't flat, but not terribly hilly either.  The wind was at our back for 2/3 of the race which was awesome.  The man offered to pace me to what we hoped would be a post baby PR.  At the start of the race I was pretty unsure and had stomach issues.  We finally got going and I was able to let go of some of my nervous energy.  The first mile was pretty good.  The second mile my lungs were hurting.  The third mile my body chimed in, but I was still able to kick a little in the end and finished in 23:41.8.  A little less than 2 seconds off my overall PR at 6 months post baby.  This made me happy.  :-)
The stats (just for fun):  73rd out of 306 overall; 16th out of 160 women; 2nd in my age group; 7:37minute/mile pace.
I have to admit it was fun (and hard).  Now I'm anxious to get out on a flat, fast course on a day I feel good and see if I can break my PR.  Also planning to go back to doing speedwork and see where it takes me.
Here's a pic taken a few yards from the finish line where I look the least like I'm going to collapse (but, there was an ambulance there if I did!!): 

Till next time - Run on!

Chanti

I love to run...

Truly I do, really love it.  Especially on those days when everything just feels right.  You are able to clear your brain from the 'piles' of things you feel that you should be doing - laundry, cooking, cleaning, even spending time with family to carve out that little piece for yourself.  Those days when the weather is your perfect temp (whatever that may be).  Mine seems to be around 35-40 degrees - crisp and cool.  Your body feels good, no real aches and pains (at least tolerable levels).  On those days running is easy to love.
Luckily, I've had a few of those runs lately.  Not enough that I'm dying to get out the door every single day, but enough that some days I am chomping at the bit to get a run in.  Today is one of those days.
Being able to run through pregnancy was awesome, but it was also hard and I didn't have those perfect runs for whatever reason.  Being able to run with this:

is a total treat, but I admit it's hard to have a perfect run when you are busy protecting your precious cargo from the yahoos out on the streets.  Not to mention the extra weight - great for making you stronger, but not so light and free.  Days when B can keep M and I'm able to just go sans stroller I feel bouncy.  I'm definitely not complaining.  I want all the days, but I just really want to appreciate those few that really keep me coming back and leave me feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and healthy. 

These thoughts were all leading me up to the fact that I don't have a routine anymore.  I don't have a goal anymore.  I don't have a plan for those days when I don't want to get out the door.  M is 5-1/2 months old.  I think it's time.  Just running when I want too or can find the time was great for a while, but I think it's time to get more serious.  I know that my schedule as a running mother will have to be flexible, but flexible is better than non-existent.  Right?  So, what's the plan?  What should I train for?  5K, 10K, 1/2, marathon?  Initial thought is marathon training is too time consuming for now.  So, focus on a 1/2 or work on that 5K PR?  This is what's on my mind.  Time will tell what I decide. 

Till then, run on.

Legs & Lager 5K

Ok, so posts are few and far between, but that's not because I don't have things to say.  Time just slips away these days.  Mostly thanks to M:

But, I wouldn't change that for the world.  Then, there are the holidays to prepare for and in-laws moving back to town.  Anyway, I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things.  I thought to begin I would back track to the last race I did - Legs & Lager 5K.  B and I both did this run sans stroller thanks to Great Granny coming to stay with M.  Pre-race we decided to do some warm up running on the single track just off the Greenways trail that the race was being run on.  That all went well and good.  (Running single track and not falling is a little unusual for me - hehe).  We realized we had some more time so we decided to go around the block prior to race start.  About 1/2 way around we hear the 5 minutes till race and decide to head back and take the short cut on the old railroad track.  I cut the corner short and hit a hole where there evidently was a post at some point, but was covered with leaves and down I went.  Lovely, always good to start a race bloody and bruised.  It probably looked worse than it was.  I got some sympathy from fellow racers prior to the start which is always nice.  ;-)  I gave B a kiss then went to line up close to the back since I'm not feeling very speedy as of late (or ever really - ha).  The gun went off and we took off.  I made sure not to go out too fast.  Managed to pick off a few peeps on the way out, then distracted myself by cheering the race leaders (including B) on their way back.  I finally made it to the turn around and realized I still felt pretty good.  Had a bit of a mental let down when the slight turn in the trail was not the one closest to the end as I had thought.  Luckily my pride at just having passed a couple people and B cheering me on allowed me to keep pace until the end.  Finished in 24:47.  I took another minute off my post-baby time.  Only one more minute to take off before I'm back to pushing for a new PR.  Whoohoo.  Considering my sporadic running schedule lately I'll take it.

Till next time - run on.

Pumpkin Run 5 mile - a Family run

Still just getting back into somewhat consistent running post-baby so when the topic of the Pumpkin Run came up I was hesitant.  I knew I could make it 5 miles (well, pretty sure anyway), but I was concerned about 5 miles pushing a stroller with hills.  So B and I decided we'd do a family run and have the option of taking turns with the stroller...and it was a good thing we did!!  Our little Mira, who generally likes the stroller and/or sleeps decided to throw a bit of a fit about 2 miles in.  We walked for a bit and I picked her up and consoled her.  We put her back in the stroller and took off.  About 3 miles in she was fussy again so we decided to stop and try a diaper change.  It helped for a bit, but then I knew she had decided she was hungry...sigh.  So, about mile 3-1/2 I put my nursing wrap on and proceeded to walk and nurse the little bugger.  It was just what she needed and let me tell you she was hungry!  She nursed while we walked at a decent clip for over a mile, then for a while longer till we got a good burp.  We were able to get her snuggled up in her stroller again and cross the finish line running (at a disturbing 1:08).  Regardless of our time, it was a beautiful day shared with other friends doing something we love.   

Mother Road 5K

Joplin held it's own little marathon for the 2nd year.  The plan was to go out and support some friends, but at the last minute I found out the company I work for sponsored the 5K portion of the event and had a few slots left to fill for FREE.  Seriously, you can't pass up a free run right?  (Ha, even though every day is technically a free run)!  The downer was that no strollers were allowed, but B said he would watch Mira while I ran (and skip running himself) so that was appreciated!!  We left the house with plenty of time to get there, then as we are on the way I realized I forgot my number and chip - oops!  So, we went back to get it and they dropped me off as close as possible to race start about 10 minutes before the gun.  Oh well, who needs that last bathroom break anyway.  I was in the back of the pack and didn't realize how many people were in front of me.  I knew my actual time would be based off my chip anyway so I didn't worry about pushing my way to the front.  Once I hit the line I started running and realized I had made a mistake - it was a serious traffic jam for the first 1/2 mile.  I weaved and hopped and swerved my way to clear territory and finally found my pace by mile 1.  At about mile 2 I began to question if that pace had possibly been a little fast, but I saw a friend up ahead and made my way towards him.  The way back was a slight incline and into the wind.  The friend slowed, but I was able to maintain.  I kept up pace through the finish and was pretty happy with my time...considering.  To put it in perspective this is my first 5K after giving birth 14 weeks ago that I was not pushing a stroller.  Pushing a stroller a couple weeks ago on a hilly course I ran a 30:45.  Not pushing a stroller on a flatter course with lots of traffic my chip time was 25:43 - whoohoo!  There is progress!  Hopefully once I get off the extra 10-12lbs of baby weight I'll be able to shave off a couple more minutes.  (fingers crossed!)

Some interesting tidbits about the race:

1.  I was 2nd in my age group (35-39)

2.  The top 3 women were excluded from age group wins

3.  Two of the top three were in my age group

4.  I was ranked 7th woman overall (clock time)

5.  By chip time I was 6th woman overall

6.  The only women's age group I would not have won (besides my own) based on chip time was 25-29

7.  It was a 25-29 overall winner

I'm not trying to point out that I rock, but that women in my age group ROCK!  Who said it's men that get better with age!  I won't even get into how many men this age group of women beat.  ;-)

Till next time - run on!

Dash to the Bash 5K

I hesitate to say Mira completed her first 5K because technically she has done a few - they were all just inside my belly.  I also hesitate because someday she will run her own first 5K (I hope).  So, I'm going to call this our first mother & daughter team 5K.  Not bad for not quite 12 weeks old.  ;-)
The course had some hills and the mom had some aches, but we still eeked out a 9:55 average pace for a 30:45 finish time.  Not what I had hoped, but not terrible either.
So now what will our next goal be??  That's what us runners do right?  We set goals.  Sometimes it's just to finish, sometimes it's a PR, for now I'm working on post-baby PRs and eventually I'll get back to just PRs.  Our next run is a 5 mile Pumpkin run on October 22 - I think my goal for that one is going to be to have fun!  But, our next 5K is planned for November 19 (as long as it ends up being stroller friendly).  That's the one I want to shoot for a time goal.  My thoughts are getting down to the 28 range, anywhere in the 28 range - like 28:59 is acceptable!  The man thinks I should be shooting for 26 - I think he's on something, but we shall see.  We're adding in those faster runs on Wednesdays, they might help.  But I think I should get a two minute handicap for pushing the stroller - don't they do something like that in golf??
Time will tell.
Till next time - run on!

Trying to hang

Note:  this post is from 9/22/11

Running is coming along.  Officially 11 weeks after the birth of Mira.  I'm able to run about 5 days of the week, usually 3-4 miles each.  My longest run was 6 miles last Saturday.  Not sure what my fastest run has been, I guess it's about time to start wearing a Garmin again and see where I actually am.  I do know I'm quicker when Brooke or Brady pushes the stroller!  ;-)
Last night I decided I would try to tag along with Brady and Robert for their run - which can be fast even when I'm in shape.  I hung with them for a little over a mile then opted to take the stroller and slow into a more comfortable pace for the final 2 miles.  They are planning to do these runs more often.  I'm planning to try to hang with them longer each time until I can run the whole distance WHILE pushing the stroller!  :-)
For now I'm happy to be back out on the roads.  Eventually I'll regain speed and possibly a more consistent running schedule (right now I try to run mornings, but when Mira doesn't cooperate we push it off till noon or even after work).
This weekend will be my first test - a 5K Saturday night.  It will be my first since the one I ran the day I went into labor.  My goal at this point is only to beat that time, especially since I'll be pushing an adorable baby in a rocking stroller.

I'm back...kind of

I have definitely let the blog go...so much has happened that I need to document, but time has just flown by.
I think I will start with just a short summary of things I would like to capture before they blur in my memory.

The List from oldest to newest:

1.  June 13 - floating Spring River while 35 weeks preggo
2.  June 15 - preggo pics taken
3.  June 18 - baby shower bbq hosted by the greatest friends
4.  July 4 - Boom Run 5K in the AM - went into labor with baby girl in PM
5.  July 5 - Mira Nyx born at 3:30AM!!!!!! via emergency C-section - healthy baby girl 5lbs 9oz 18" long - 2 weeks early
6.  July 17 - 1st bike ride post baby - 12 miles
7.  July 31 - hiking at Roaring river with Mira
8.  Aug 11 - 5 weeks post baby 2 mile run
9.  Aug 26 - Colorado with Mira (first flight) for USA Pro Cycling Challenge Stage 5 & 6
10.  Sept 4 - week total of 20 miles running, including a 5 miler in 5 fingers
11.  Sept 12 - Mira's first bike ride in the Burley trailer
11.  Sept 14 - back to work and missing my little girl  :-(

Stay tuned...

Also, thinking this blog may change up a bit and have more stuff (not just running).  Need to look at how to categorize things- any thoughts on that?

Erick's Run 2011

Yesterday was the 20th annual Erick's Run in Carthage, MO.  Weather was (in my opinion) great for running - think it was around 35 and sunny with only about a 10 mph wind from the south.  There were around 30-40 people that showed up.  After a long ride in the extreme cold the day before and a persistent cough on my end, the man friend and I decided on an easy run.  Given that, I'm not even sure of our finishing time at this point.  We ran an 8-1/2 minute 1st mile, 9 minute 2nd mile and ? 3rd mile.  We had errands to run and didn't stick around for awards for a change (not that we would have received any, but we could have found out our time).  Maybe it will be posted in a few days.  Regardless, it was fun to just head out and run one and not push myself or worry about time.  The highlight of the run was the Higgins family coming out in full force to cheer on the CRC!  :-)

So, I consider the new year started off right - 3-1/2 hour bike ride on the 1st, 5K on the 2nd.  I'm thinking about taking today off, but who knows.  Maybe I'll get some energy and go for run #2 this afternoon.

On the agenda later today is to come up with my 2011 goals!

Till next time.
Run on.

Run though the Lights

Runs this week have taken place after work in the dark, but it's been fun exploring the city and checking out all the holiday lights & decorations.  I managed runs on Monday night and Wednesday night as scheduled and even followed up the Wednesday night run with an hour on the trainer.  Even made it to early morning spin class on Tuesday and Thursday (we'll see if I'm able to make that happen again next week with the holidays!).
Going to call today a rest day because of dinner plans.  Plan to run tomorrow morning before diving into holiday cookie and candy making (then I won't feel so bad about 'trying' everything!).

Sunday is going to be our 3rd Annual Run through the Lights in Carthage.  At the campus of the Congregation of the Mother Co-Redemptrix there is a great 'drive through lights' display that we run through as well as around the square before heading back to our starting point at the YMCA for cocoa and cookies.  Rounds out to be a 6 mile run (or you can head straight back after the lights and it's 3 miles).  It's usually lots of fun and most of the CRC (Carthage Running Club) will be out there as well as some of the SWAT (Southwest area triathletes) and members of RUFUS racing.
It's held on 12/19/2010, meet at Carthage YMCA at 5:45pm, run at 6pm for anyone interested in joining us!  :-)
No fees for the run (you can bring a small donation for the lights if you wish), everyone welcome - just dress warm.  There will be some people walking and some biking along with us as well.

Just for a second I want to go back to the Congregation of the Mother Co-Redemptrix.  I wanted to make sure I had the name right for this post so I did some minor research.  We call the place Chi Dòng Đồng Công as it states on the sign (in our English accent, I wouldn't have a clue how you actually say this).  Basically I had worked under the assumption that it is a school for monks - Vietnamese Roman Catholic monks.  I think it's fairly accurate.  It sounds like it is a monastery for mostly Vietnamese monks and I do believe they have a school there.  But, the Chi Dòng Đồng Công part I was still unsure of.  Wikipedia has a link to Chi Dòng Đồng Công Hoa Kỳ and Google translates this to say "The current expenditure of the United States".  Guessing it's a rough translation at best.  Based on Wiki I think the Dòng Đồng Công part is Vietnamese for the Congregation of the Mother Co-Redemptrix.  Chi translates to "expenses", but synonyms for expenses are obligation, sacrifice, etc.  Pretty sure Hoa Kỳ is the United States (although I don't remember seeing this on their sign, but I will be looking Sunday).  Overall I think it's the name for the US branch of this religious order.
I do wonder how many people in Carthage know what really goes on there besides the annual Marion Days (and how many people understand what Marion Days celebrates).  I'm glad to know a little bit more about it and hope to continue to learn.  What I do know is they have some pretty amazing gardens within the complex.  We run through them regularly to add 1-1/4 mile onto our run.

Hope to see everyone Sunday - till next time...
Run on!

Still running, still cold

The weather hasn't completely sidelined me...yet.  I'm still sans a treadmill run on the season (although it's been tempting a few days).  With work travel, fun travel, holidays, family, life, etc. running has been hit and miss.  I'm back on a pretty regular schedule of Monday, Wednesday and Saturdays.  Spinning is Tuesday and Thursday and I've also added yoga a few days a week and the occasional bike ride (or trainer ride if weather is temperamental).  So, feeling pretty good on the exercise front most days.
No big races on the calendar, but there are a couple 5K's:

January 1, 2011 - Chilly 5K Challenge 2011 - it is in Joplin, MO and goes from the Downtown YMCA to the South YMCA.  It doesn't start till 11am so you can still stay up to ring in the new year.  There is a chili cook-off directly after at the South facility (luckily not before).  Should be fun.

January 2, 2011 - 20th Annual Erick's Run - held in Carthage, MO, starting at the Fair Acres Family YMCA at 2pm.  It's a great event that usually has a good turnout if the weather is above freezing.  I think last year it had to be postponed a week because of ice but it was still a great event.

Hope to see everyone out.  Run on.

Honey Stinger Waffles

Yep, my reason for posting right now is a new fuel.  After so many Adventure Races and runs requiring multiple fueling I've had my fill of bars and gus are getting hit and miss.  I came across Honey Stinger's latest product in the bike shop a few weeks ago - Organic Honey Waffles.  It's not a real waffle, it's flat and crisp and to me it tastes a little like crispy pie crust with honey.  That may not be a good way to describe it, but I do think it's really good.  We'll see if I stay this positive about it after eating 6 or 8 in a day, but right now I'm pretty firm.  It's kind of a solid go to like peanut butter and honey sandwiches, but not quite as messy!  ;-)

Time off

I guess I hadn't realized how long I had gone without dropping at blog post...

So, I'm not going to recap all that's happened between then and now.  I'm going to fast forward to September 25 and the Berryman Adventure Race.  This is a race I did with Scott, Jamie, and Brandon.  I was ready for this one with the exception of wishing I had a little more mountain biking time on the season.  Of course we know that's normal for me.  We met at headquarters at 6am and were bussed to the start.  Race started a little after 7am.  Trekking/running first.  We hit the first few checkpoints without issue.  We ran into trouble on I think CP 4 and had to do some back tracking to CP 5 then back to 4, then on to 6.  Due to time we decided to skip 7 & 8.  :-(

Next up was a challenge (climbing and rappelling off a wall), then we ran to a couple more check points.  Then a zip line.  After that we hit the bikes for some extraordinarily grueling dirt road hills.  They seemed to go up, up, up - thanks to my one one gear and stubbornness I didn't have to walk.  This was followed by single track.  We made it thought that unscathed (although I was slower than I would have liked).  Canoe was about 13 miles followed by a short jog to the finish.  We crossed the line in 11hours and 19 minutes (still kicking ourselves for the missing checkpoints, but what can you do??).  It was a fun day overall and we finished happy and ready to go again!
NOTE:  I tried to entertain the team by singing random 80's hair metal songs on the canoe - next year I need to expand my repertoire pre-race!

Now, fast forward to 10-10-2010 - the Mother Road Marathon in Joplin, MO.  I trained right.  Going in to race day I felt good.  I did an Adventure Race 2 weeks prior, but I still felt rested.  I had intentions of breaking a PR (4:09).  Race day started out great.  My 13.1 time was 1:55:01.  Up until about that point I had felt good.  I did go out to fast - my first six miles were all 8:30 pace or faster.  I finally got slowed down to race pace.  A little after mile 13 my stomach started cramping up and made it terrible to try to eat anything.  Brady was on his bike with me and he tried forcing me to eat, drink and take walk breaks.  By mile 15 it had gotten hot and I quit sweating.  Bad sign.  I was able to finish - poorly.  Final time was 4:24:08.  Argh.
I'm ready to try that one again already.  Unfortunately my toes haven't been the same since race day.  I guess it's Morton's neuroma, but it boils down to electrical like nerve pain that shoots up through my 3rd and 4th toes mostly when I run or go down stairs bare foot.  I've been diagnosed before and had cortisone shots, but it's been under control for the last couple years.  I took 2 full weeks off of running (still biking) but it was still there when I started running again last week.  I'm looking at new shoes, doing lots of stretching, icing, not wearing high heels and taking ibuprofin as needed for the time being.  A fast 1.5 miles in the 5 fingers yesterday was tolerable.  Planning to try again in the morning - we shall see.  Advice is welcomed.

Till next time run on!

Cycle a Century

Last week did not work out for biking - at least through the week.  Running was OK, but even it was put off because of rain (storm) one morning.  Here's how last week played out:

Monday - off (did a little climbing, but still a little sore from the 23 mile run on Saturday)
Tuesday - 2.5 mile warm-up then hills & speed work
Wednesday - 6.5 miles (mountain biking cancelled due to weather)
Thursday - running & biking cancelled due to weather  :-(
Friday - 6 miles
Saturday - 100 miles biking (plus 3 miles walking)
Sunday - 45 miles biking

So, not a great week overall, but two important things happened.

1.  My first Century Bike Ride.  Brady asked when I finished how it felt to ride 100.  I didn't really feel like it was that big of a deal.  I had gone 82 miles before so 100 didn't seem so insurmountable - a challenge yes, but insurmountable no.  Now, having done it I feel the same - as long as it's at my pace.  This was not the case on Saturday, I was pushed.  The part I'm happy with is not so much that I rode 100 miles in a day, but that I rode at a decent pace for those miles with riders that are stronger than me - 3 dudes even.  ;-)
I'm also happy I was able to recover and ride 45 the next morning without too much grief.


2.  New shoes.  We went to the Run Around in Joplin, MO Thursday after work and spent a good hour trying on and trying out shoes.  I had pretty much decided on the Mizuno Wave Rider 13 when Brady talked me into trying on the Saucony Kinvara.  Normally, I would not have looked into these because I thought it was more of a short distance or minimalist shoe and I'm training for a marathon.  Then I remembered I do love my Vibram Fivefingers Sprint so I humored him.  I tried them on and they felt good.  Ran in them and they still felt good.  Chatted about the wear on my prior shoes and agreed they just might work for me.  Tried one of each on (one Wave Rider and one Kinvara) and ran, then rotated and I still picked the Kinvaras.  I have only done one 6 miler in them since purchase and they did start to hurt my toes a bit.  Time will tell, but for now my opinion is still highly favorable.  So, until I can run more than 3 miles in my Fivefingers without blisters these will be my go to shoe.


Till next time - run on!  :-)

I can run for miles and miles...

While the week before last was all about the speed and PR's, last week was about keeping a slight injury in check and still putting in the miles.

Here's how it broke down:

Monday - 5.5 mile run morning, 16 mile ride after work (easy)

Tuesday - speed work 

Wednesday - planned mountain biking, but rain side-lined us (so, unintentional off day)

Thursday - 23 miles ride after work (hard)

Friday - climbing

Saturday - 23 mile run, climbing, disc golf, swimming, hiking

Sunday - climbing

The guess to the injury name is metatarsalgia.  Basically it feels like I'm running with a small rock under the ball of my foot.  Aggravating mostly.  I've been icing and cross training and that seems to help.  Looking to get new shoes (just in case) pretty soon.  

So, my new plan is still on track.  I ran 23 miles Saturday.  The first 3-1/2 on my own, the next 10 with Brooke, the next 4 on my own, the next 5 with my niece and nephew with me on bikes, and the last 1/2 mile with Brady.  So nice to have distractions - he-he!  The foot held out, the calves on the other hand were toasted when we were done.  I hobbled around until I had my shower, but after getting out and doing some climbing with the kids I was back to semi-normal although fatigued.  So, long run accomplished!!  Whoohoo!  Now, just have to make it through the 150 mile bike ride this weekend, Adventure Race in two weeks, and I'll be ready to marathon it up.  

Speedwork & PRs

Last week:
Monday - 6 miles running morning, 16 miles riding after work (easy ride)
Tuesday - 6 miles running morning, speed work after work (1 min 27 sec - new fast time for 400m)
Wednesday - rest
Thursday - 6 miles running morning, 23 miles riding after work (hard ride)
Friday - rest

Friday night I was still discussing the plan for Saturday.  Should I do a long run, or go test out speedwork and do a 5K??  Knowing that I have an Adventure Race (Sept. 25) and a marathon (Oct. 10) I should probably go with the long run, but...sometimes you have a need to see your speed.  I decided I would rearrange my long runs completely:
Aug. 28th - Lamar 5K race and bike ride
Sept. 4th - 23 miles +
Sept. 11th - MS 150 bike ride Columbia
Sept. 18th - 14 - 16 miles
Sept. 25th - Berryman Adventure Race
Oct. 2nd - 10-12 miles
Oct. 10th - Mother Road Marathon

We shall see how long this schedule lasts before I feel the need to modify it again.

So, back to this weekend.  Brady dropped my bike and I off at the Lamar 5K/10K.  I signed up for the 5K to see if speed work has really sped me up at this distance.  He headed back home to get his bike and ride back (30 miles).  We started a bit late at 7:45am.  My legs felt tired and sluggish to begin with and my hopes of a PR were dwindling till I hit the 1 mile marker and heard the 7:45 called out.  That meant I could still beat my 24:24 PR time.  I'm not sure what my other splits were, but my official finish time was 23:40.  This is exciting enough, but my Garmin has me at 3.1 miles and 23:25.  Regardless, my new PR is 23:40 and I'm very happy about it.  I think Brady's already thinking of me breaking 23, but right now I just want to enjoy this new PR.  :-)
After the awards (1st place in my age division and either 3rd or 4th overall female) I put on bike shorts and met Brady for the ride home. 
We did the proper biker thing and stopped by Cooky's for lunch - yummy.  With that slight detour it was 44 miles home.  So, 5K + 44 miles bike - that should make up for some sort of long run right??  ;-)

Putting in my time if not distance

So, I was supposed to do 20 mile run pre-lake weekend.  Staying up a little late combined with fatigue caused me to rethink this.  I did my research and found some trails by Lake of the Ozarks that I could get a Saturday run in.  Got up around 7:00am on Saturday, geared up and Brady took me to the trail head.  I'd found a 16.5 mile loop that I planned to hit.  Although my goal was to run for 3 hours and 20 minutes.  I didn't have Garmin with me and trails are a little harder than roads so I decided to go with a time goal.  Shortly after Brady left I realized that the trail I was on was not going to cut it (there wasn't much of a trail and it was flooded).  I tried two other off shoots of the same trail with basically the same results.  I decided to hit roads for a bit and to find some other trails.  The hills were crazy, but I plodded up and down until I found Fawn's Ridge Trail - and wow, what a good name.  I saw no less than 10 deer. 

 It was a nice gravel trail that was easy running.  It was only a couple miles long, but at the end there was the start to another trail - the Lakeview.  

Again, the name said it all.  It was a dirt and rock trail, but in decent shape.  Some areas were a little hard to run because they were narrow and it was a steep ledge, but I just slowed down a bit and enjoyed it.  This trail was around 5 miles long.  Once I finished it I decided I better head back to the first trail head to meet up with Brady for the last 30 minutes of my run.  So, roads again.  By this time it was a little hotter, but I plodded on.  He was there waiting for me and had found one more off shoot of the initial trail that we headed down.  I let him lead the way to take a break from the cobwebs!!  We basically went out and back 10 minutes and called it good.  

Can you see the full cobweb???

We went straight back to the condo, put on swim suits and took a dip - it felt great, although a little cold to my fatigued body.  Sunday became a must needed rest day!  :-)  

Faster, faster, faster

It's Thursday and I'm 3 runs in this week.  Monday 4 miles with Brooke, Tuesday 6.5 miles with Brooke and Debbie and yesterday speedwork with Brady, Stevie, & Beth - awesome to have great running friends!!  :-)

So, the first two were great because the weather was cooler and I got to catch up with my CRC groupies.  ;-)

Speedwork was great because we all survived.  10 X 200 - let me just say a big collective OUCH.  I managed to stay rather consistent even though a tiny bit slower than I felt I should be.  My times looked something like this:  39sec, 40sec, 40sec, 41sec, 41sec, 40sec, 40sec, 41sec, 40sec, 40sec.  I think that's around a 5:30min/mile pace, but don't quote me on that.  We did walk a 200 in between each one, and even a 400 between a couple.  It wasn't terribly hot, but still hot enough to make my knees sweat.  I felt pretty good until we got to the last 2 or 3 then I had a serious burning in my chest, but I worked through it - as did my other compadres.  Overall, it was a good night.  The only fault was being too tired to cook so we went out to dinner!  ;-)

Tonight is the Thursday night road ride.  Then tomorrow I am taking off work so that I can get my 20 mile run in before we go to the lake this weekend.  I'm hoping both go well.  :-O

Running - England and back

Well, not literally I guess.  I ran here, then in England, and now back here.  It was not my best showing for a business trip exercise regiment, nor was it my worst.  My daily runs were few and far between.  I blame jet lag, working long days, standing/walking all day, and just a little lazy for the sparseness of my runs.  But, the area I usually falter the most on my work travel that extends over weekends, the LONG run, I rocked.  Luckily there was a great area of trails right behind our hotel and I got Saturday off.

We went to bed at a decent hour on Friday night, up at 8am and headed out.  One of the guys traveling with me was due for a 12 miler so we sat out together.  He wanted to end up back at the hotel at 6 miles, but I ignored him and plowed into new territory until we hit the 5 mile mark then wound our way back to the hotel at mile 9 for a quick drink and for me an orange (my only substance of the day - I was ill-prepared at best since I didn't really think I'd get a long run in).  We did a quick 1-1/2 mile out and back to get him to 12 then I took off into some more new territory to finish up at 16.5.  It was great.  The weather (in the high 50's) was so nice compared to the heat of MO this summer.  The trails were gravel and windy with views of lakes, birds, horses, people walking dogs, and all kinds of interesting foliage.  After I finished up I showered and we headed out to find food - this was about a 3 mile walk so we were ravenous when we got there.  Luckily they were still serving food.  We had a pint while we waited (of Banks) which was very tasty and even a little filling.  Then she brought out the main courses - I had cajun chicken breast with salad and vegetables (which our waitress said was weird - b/c I didn't get a starch).  Regardless it was a dynamite meal.  Just what I needed, about 2 hours after I needed it, but it worked!

I returned to the US on Saturday afternoon and took Sunday off from jet lag, etc.  This morning I got up and ran with Brooke - was a great visit and enjoyable run.  We plan to do it again tomorrow.  I miss the trails, but it's still really nice to be home.

Start August off Right

Thursday's ride went well for me.  We worked as a group on the way out then it's every man for himself on Reinmiller and I was able to keep up the pace and felt really good.  I felt so good in fact I was able to be convinced to eat at Casa Montez with the Lowden's post-ride in all my sweaty, spandexy glory!  :-O

Friday, I had a good run with Brooke.  Looking back now I can't remember for sure how far I went - thinking it was a 5 miler, but I need to verify.  Friday night was wine tasting and Saturday was a semi day off.  We did do some climbing, but since I can only do it for 15 or 20 minutes before my arms feel like falling off I can't really count that yet.

Sunday I wanted to get a long run in, but I was tired and slept in a bit.  I still got in 9 (4 with Brooke - yeah!!), but was hoping for 12.  I think the 70 mile ride we did directly following the run made up for it!!!   Just found out that we went a little slow on the way out (27.16 miles @ 13.7 mph).  But, on the way back we kicked it up (43.03 miles @ 21.05mph).  Total of 70.2 miles @ average of 17.43mph.  Pretty sweet.   The increase was because we had a slower rider on the way out and we are a no person left behind kind of groupy.  ;-)
Also, the bomb-diggity food we had at Cookie's in Golden City (that was the 27.16 mile mark).  However, note to self - coconut cream pie and upper 90 temps while riding do not sit well on the belly!