Sunday, February 27, 2011

Hitting the exhaustion button!

I am one tired girl! Halfway thru a very busy weekend after a week that was completely insane I'm starting to feel the strain... Oh well, better to be too busy than not busy enough. Right?
In other news today is the day that I think my guest post will arrive on Run Courtney, Run! Go check it out! I liked the idea of talking about running, riding and how the two go hand in hand (or not!) A small disclaimer, I was running on empty when I wrote it and do hope that it doesn't turn out to be an epic fail... Make me happy and go read it and leave uplifting comments!

Anyway, back to why I'm so darn exhausted right now.

Sunday: 13.1 bitches!!

Monday: Boston, Wang Theater (she said wang. hehehe.)

To see David Gray! My favorite. Love the guy.


Tuesday: To New Jersey to buy myself a magical new horse! He's gorgeous, isn't he??!!

Wednesday: Drove back from NJ. It took about 10 hours due to traffic... We won't talk about that because it was very booooring...

Anyway, that was my week in a nutshell. I'm super busy at work because I was gone so much of last week and also have houseguests- who I LOVE, and who luckily love me too since the house is a mess and we have no food.

Good luck to all of you running right now in Disney- I'm super jealous and hope that you all have an amazing time. Can't wait to hear all about it once you are home!!



Tuesday, February 22, 2011

The official HALF MARATHON race report!!

Here it is! What you have all been waiting for! My official Half at The Hamptons race report.
Sorry this is a day late and a dollar short, Mr. Middleaged and I took a trip to Boston yesterday to freeze just a little bit more, look at the penguins at the Aquarium but most importantly to see David Gray in concert for the unpteenth time. One can never have enough of a good thing and this was the first stop on this particular tour so it was kind of a big deal. We are super fans!

Anyway! This is a running blog so on to what keeps you guys coming back for more....

Saturday was so windy that it was ridiculous. I told the Huz that if the wind kept up at that absurd rate for Sunday that running would be next thing to impossible. He and my helpful Dad assured me that not only was the wind goiung to die down but that the temps would climb to 30 for sure- once I saw their hairbrained theory backed up by meteorlogical excellence on TV I relaxed and took their word for it.

Well THAT was a mistake.

We left town at 6 AM and shoot, if it wasn't 9 degrees with the wind gusting at 45 MPH (I have a wind gauge, I am a GEEK.) I decided that FOR SURE things would be better on the coast since we all know that it is never windy near the ocean. All together now: HA. HA.

By the time we arrived in the desolate snow covered frozen solid wasteland of Hampton the temp was up to a primising 12 degrees. Thank heavens the wind was making up for the balmy temps and keeping the heat wave to a minimum, with that kind of increase in temps I was worried about heat stroke or similar.

Went in. Registered. Ate Fig Newtons. Listened to the race management apologise about the weather over and over and promise that if people couldn't stand it that a sweep vehicle would pick them up promptly and bring them back to safety. That wasn't scary or anything.

Got dressesd. Looked hot, per the norm. Wondered how the wind would affect the outcome of the whole situation.... Decided that I didn't care but wondered if I would need to be rescued by the paramedics after my feet froze to the ground.

As you can see from this picture I was feeling a bit worried about the whole shebang.

We all lined up in the gusting winds (but beautiful sun!) and BANG. Off we went. It occured to me that perhaps I'd stick with the 8:30 pace group but I lost them in the crowd because I was fighting so hard to run against the wind. Luckily, after the first 5K or so we came into a more sheltered area and the winds lightened up... It was rough!

I suffered from the coldest feet ever for about 4 miles but decided that it was a bit of a blessing because I could not feel my warts! Whoopie fricking doooo!

I felt good from the start despite the cold stupidity. What can you do, right? And running is a great way to warm up so off I went like the effing wind (haha. into the wind is more like it...)

Felt strong all the way to mile 6 then evaluated my condition to see if I was circling the drain. I was NOT, things were feeling pretty darn good at that point so I opted to continue on and not break my rhythm. I did throw a shot blok into my face at this point (I might not have mentioned that I chose these because they are easy to chew.) what did I find? The little sucker was frozen SOLID. I had to suck on it for about 10 minutes before I could get it down- ewwwww! I threw the rest of them down my pants and that really helped me to eat the remaining ones with much less difficulty. Meaning that they thawed.

After the 6 mile point the miles flew by so fast that I was a touch baffled. I had, for sure, picked up the pace a bit- my legs were cooperating wonderfully and I knew by mile 8 that I had it in the bag. Ummm, yeah. this was a good feeling.

Right around mile 10 I felt a little pull in my left hip flexor and "pop" ouch! I hip hoppidied along for a bit (refusing to stop, almost there after all) and it loosened up a bit but plauged me tremendously for the remainder of the race. This is when my mantras of excellence came into play in a big way. "You're almost there, idiot, keep moving your stupid legs!!" "Run, you stupid shit. You didn't run 100,000 miles to cry like a bitch at mile 11!!!!" were the thoughts running thru my head. Need a little motivation friends? You can arrange to have me come to your house and shout at you for a small fee and a slice of pie.

Despite the pain I had enough gas in the tank to really kick it up during the last 2 miles. I found and passed the 8:30 pace group (I told the pacer that I had been looking for him so that I could catch him and pass him...) I also passed about 56 people in the last mile. HAHAHA.



About to come thru the finish. Look at that huge snowbank! Look at my fashion! look at my "pain" face! I need a haircut!



DONE! Thank heavens! I have a hole in my arm sock!
Why do my cheeks look so chubby?

I was able to find The Huz really quick at the finish and celebrate my Excellence In Running. He was quite pleased that I had beaten my goal time because he was getting really cold and sick of hanging about in boring Hampton. Understandable. I felt good except for the pulled hip flexor which hurt like a screaming beeyotch. (I later threw a huge bag of ice on it- which leaked all over me making me look like I had peed my pants. ooops!) We finished up by saying hello to a few people that we knew and then grabbing an excellent beer. We love beer....
Beer! The ONLY way to rehydrate!
So! I managed to finish in a good time with 51 days of "training", no runs over 12 miles, 8 unscheduled days off and a Taper Tantrum for the ages. And I must say.... I CAN NOT WAIT to DO IT AGAIN!!!
Edited: Pleased to see that my 1:48:54 time placed me 13th in my age group. There is no denying that 30 something women are scary fast. And there were well over 100 ladies in my age division. Go me!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

I DID IT!

I made it!
I promise a longer more detaile dpost tomorrow but we'll recap for the evening.
1:48:56, 289th place out of 1200 finishers. (8:20 pace)
Ran the second half MUCH faster than the first because my feet thawed.

Temp at the start of the race? 17
Wind speed? 30 MPH
AWESOME

I had a great time. Pics and details tomorrow!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

This is it!

The final countdown has arrived. In about 22 hours, give or take, I'll be DONE with this whole ordeal!

I'm getting kinda excited slash terrified.

Hopefully I'm over my taper tantrum (doubt it.)

Here are some realistic goals/plans.

-Start slow. Shouldn't be a problem with 1600 runners on a "VERY NARROW" road.

-Run to the 10K point and evaluate. Consider walking for a minute, having a little snack, stretching.

-Looks like hills at miles 8 and 10. I'll be getting tired by then and if the legs are hollering I'll slow down accordingly.

-Have enough gas in the tank to be able to run the last mile or so withoug wishing for death.

My expected finishing time?

1:58:55

I'd be pumped.

Feel free to guess my finishing time, maybe there will be prizes?!

Wish me luck, THIS IS IT! EEEEEKKKK!

Friday, February 18, 2011

I'm Breaking!! Yikes!

Hey-OH!
Wow, you guys are good friends! Thanks so much for the sympathy and advice regarding my warty little feets. The sad part? They are plantar warts so are literally all up inside my foot! They will need to have the skin cut from them with a scalpel and then will have to be frozen. I have had this done before, can you tell? MOST unpleasant...

Did my last run today. 3 lousy miles.... It was ok, I seem to be having a minor physical breakdown but who cares, right?

Issues:
-Warts
-Left hip hurts
-Back feels funny
-Right armpit hurts due to horse throwing me around while I was trying to give him medicine...
-Have not run 13.1 miles ever
-Left hamstring hurts
-Very old

I might break this weekend. Or curl up and cry after running 0.13 miles... EGADS!
I'll try to do a lsat minute recap tomorrow... AHHH!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

I'm gonna show you how to DO STUFF! 3 Tangent Tuesday style.

Today on Three Tangent Tuesday I will show you how to do stuff so that you can be the very best. The focus today (obvi) is how to be the very strongest, stylish and finely honed athlete that you can be.

And we all know that I'm the person to turn to for advice. I'm known in many circles as being hip, cool and well read. (only one of those statements is true. which one?)

Here we go!



How to fuel up for a long run, or what to eat to recover from intense training.


How to dress for success and look tough. No further explanation needed.....


How to lift weights. Do I look scared? I should....
I hope this helps all of you to become your very best, or at least shed some light on how I have developed such a high level of excellence over the years. I'm sure you are all envious now, but don't worry. With enough cookie baking, on-sale clothes shopping and dedicated beer drinking you too can be sublimely fabulous!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Weekly Recap- after a hiatus!

Unlike last week when zero miles were accumulated, two critical long runs were postponed (and by that, sadly, I mean missed completely because I can not magic up a few extra training weeks) I have a WEEKLY RECAP!!

On man, aren't you guys all excited!
(well, if nothing else this means that you do not have to witness my tear soaked pity party or watch my decent into the Time Off Tantrums. Right? right...)

Monday- 30 minutes of something that resembled running if you were to use your imagination. I was scared S***less that I was going to feel my back twinging or my hip grinding painfully. I did not. And the angels sang and the world was at peace once again.

Wednesday- 40 minutes, about 4.3 miles with a few tiny hills thrown in. Slow, but still pain free.

Thursday- 50 minutes, 5.8 miles- several small (4-5%) hills.

Saturday- 90 minutes, 10.5 miles, about 10 4% 1/5 mile hills in the mix.
An important note regarding this workout: My LAST "long" run. (EGADS.)
There may or may not have been a Valentines day celebration the night before. It may or may not have involved some spectacular and rare beer, (limited edition chocolate porter! the only keg in existence of a bourbon black!) Pair those with some kickass chocolates and the following morning just might have been.... A touch foggy? Things MAY or MAY NOT have been a touch rough on the treddy for the first 3 miles or so. Just sayin' people, just sayin'...

I guess at this point the training is over and all that is left is to get thru this week and run that race next Sunday.
It was fantastic before my 10K 6 weeks ago feeling so prepared (looking back at the pre-race training that I did I might not have been as prepared as my brain led me to believe- but all went WELL anyway!)
I am not thrilled about the plain and simple fact that I have NEVER run the full 13.1 and there is NO time to do it now. I have managed a few solid long runs- all within very close mileage and nearing the time frame that I hope to finish in.

I'm not going to lie or put on my brave face. I'm sweating bullets over this ever so slightly... Still, like I declared last week I am as fit as I'm going to be, delighted to be pain free once again and determined to have a fun time next Sunday whether I make my goal time or not!

One week... 7 Days.... 168 hours....

Thursday, February 10, 2011

I'm less funny when I'm not mad.

This week. Better than last week... That's not saying much since my grand total mileage clocked in at a big fat ZERO.

My back felt better on Monday but my legs were really acting up. I was starting to hit the hysteria pretty hard thinking that I had a pinched nerve, some kinda of freaky defered pain, or a bizzare medical mystery. So I went for a run. Obviously.

Seemed to solve the problem completely. So I started to wonder, after banging around running 25+ miles a week for the past month then stopping completely if my legs had a funny reaction to that? I bet if I looked around I'd find a technical name for it. "crampy achy legs due to inactivity?" Or something of the sort. Tell me internet friends, TELL ME!

My week has looked like this:
Monday: 30 minutes- 0000.1 mile
Wednesday 40 minutes- Oh- point- six miles
Thursday 50 minutes. Maybe broke a mile

Well my stars, if that isn't marathon training then I just don't know what is!!

10 days and counting to the HALF MARATHON. I still have not run 13.1 miles, as the back of doom thwarted not one but TWO important long runs. Oh well, to hell with the plan. The plan can shove it as far as I'm concerned at this point. I have my eyes on doing about 90 or so minutes this weekend as my long run and then calling it good enough.

I am SO happy to be able to run again this week that I'm actually able to look at the big picture- I feel like doing th 1/2 is still an ok option, I will NOT kill myself to get "all" the mileage in beforehand and I seriously doubt that the world will end if I sneak in under the finish line in over 2 hours. I'll just be happy to be there, and to be able to run pain free. YAY!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Three Tangent Tuesday: A really random one

I guess this is really only one tangent- but it's a good one..

Since most of last week was consumed with my moanings of a bad back (and subsequent time off) I did not have to get up super early in the AM to run! Therefor I found myself staying up past my 8:45 bedtime to see what was on TV at such an ungodly hour.

Much to my dismay, unless I wanted to watch Snookie and JWow (or whatever the other one's name is) act like complete skanky drunken fools there was little else.

So how excited was I to come across one of the BESTEST (read: really, really worst) movies to come out of the 1990's! I think I was about 12 when this movie came out and between the epic Bryan Adams soundtrack and the unbelievable hotness that was Christian Slater I must have watched this mess 100 times.



Look at the amazing skills and marksmanship. Oh Maid Marion, you didn't stand a chance.




Sorry. But did anybody else find that the rather middle aged, puffy and heavily mulleted Kevin Costner was a questionable choice for a man in tights? All together: EWWWWW!



Hot. So hot. Be still, my pre pubescent heart....

Snape, Snape... Severus Snape. You were badass as the smarmy Sheriff. But better as the Hogwarts Potions teacher. I kind of love you....


I managed to make it through approximately 35 minutes of the forced dialogue and raging battle scenes before I got too grossed out by Kevvie and had to shut 'er down. MAN- that was a much better movie in the 1990's!
Which got me thinking.... How many things of my past that I fondly remember would I HATE now??
-Hyper color shirts (pit stains, anyone?)
-Duran Duran. Nope. I still love them...
-Wearing 2 pairs of neon socks, bunched up over my high tops with neon bike shorts. BAD.
-The "Fear Street" books. I loved those. I doubt that I would now.
So, All of you on the interwebs- what did you absolutely require to live during your childhood that makes you say "MEH" now??

Edited to add: Tight rolled jeans! HOW could I have forgotten THAT?
AND the huge fashion fail of 1994-ish when enormous jeans (Jnco, please) flannel shirts, black nail polish and ghastly WHITE eyeliner were all the rage. How horrid!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Time off tantrums

I just ran, suckers...

We'll see how that decision ends up treating this old lady! However, nothing about the run hurt and I was going stark raving mad times a million.

The thoughts running thru my head before just doing it: (doing it, and doing it, and doing it well......)
-I will never run again because I have forgotten how.
-I expect that I have a faulty spine. That's why my back feels funny.
-My legs no longer feel like they are attached to my body. WHY! (PANICS)
-No way will I ever be able to do .13 miles, much less 13.........
-I have gained 1.2 million pounds for sure and lost 100% of my muscles!!
-I hate everyone. EVERYONE.

It came to me that perhaps my legs felt odd because I had not run in a week. They do indeed feel better now and much more awake! And no lie, I had no issue other than I had absoultely forgotten how to run. I did a VERY easy 3 miles, it took about 11 hours to complete but why overdo it like an idiot douchebag on my first day back.

Good luck to me on feeling 100% ASAP. At the very least I am no longer as crabby, and realise that I might have been getting a touch emotional (and plan to go right back there STAT should things start circling the drain....)

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Head! Desk!

AH-HAH. HAHAHAHA. HAAAAAAhhhhhhhh............
Yes. That's about where it's at right now kiddos...

SNOWING. Again.

My back? A screaming DISASTER!

I did see my Chiro yesterday, bless his good natured heart.

I laid upon his Chiro table of torture and doom and he said to me "So, you mentioned that one of your legs felt longer? Which one??"

"THE RIGHT ONE" I said, in ominous tones.

"You're RIGHT!!!" He declared, in an absurdly cheery manner.... Damn that man....

There was MUCH that was wrong with me. Tipped pelvis. Crooked sacrum. One million vertebra out of whack. A neck that was on totally wrong. Oh, and that pesky little thing of my right leg being "alarmingly" longer than my left leg. No wonder that I felt like a HOT MESS!

I feel even worse today, as if my muscles and tendons are trying in desperation to being my spine back to its ill alignment to no avail. I am not impressed....

We'll see what tomorrow brings (and yes, it will bring snow- awesome-o!) Hopefully, in addition it will bring a happier feeling hip/back so that I can consider running a couple miles soon.

Half Marathon: 15 days and counting. DOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

BAD MOOD!!! BAD BACK!!!

A quickie..

-The weather had been HORRIBLE!!!!

-My back is totally EFFED in the A. I thought it was bad before snowmageddon did I? Well now??? Fuggedabout it. I'm freaking out. More on that tomorrow....

-AND? The internet has been down until justthisminute. WAY behind on my blog reading.

I seriously could not be more cross right now. I'm gonna go make a grilled cheese, eat 10,000 sour patch kids and hit my head against a wall. And leave message #67 for my Chiro to for GOD sake fit me in STAT.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Hard choices....

I hate having to be smart....

I have an astonishing track record of ignoring whatever injury I might have and powering thru like a tough guy (like a tough guy who makes bad choices.)

Cases in point:
-You already know about my shin splint. Might not have had to take 6 weeks off if I had taken a week off to start with...

-When I broke my shoulder I was supposed to keep it in a sling for 8 weeks. That lasted very well for 2.5 weeks (I was 15... gimme a break!)

-Broke the tailbone. Rode 3 horses in a big competition the next day, one who moved like a jackhammer. Tears ran down my face the whole time but I still won a pile of prizes, damnit!

-I won a major championship while I had whooping cough. I threw up off the side of my horse when I was done cos I was coughing so hard. Awesome!

Needless to say my ability to woman up has gotten me far in life and I am used to making the choice to just "get on with it."

As I mentioned sometime last week I really tweaked my back and hip while heaving water buckets around or shoveling snow. It has become a nagging and rather relentless annoyance over the past few days and I've been agonizing over what I should and should not do. Obviously, the one thing that is bothering me the very most (stall mucking, water bucket lugging) I just can not avoid.

I have made the VERY tough choice to take a few more days off from running- I really have to see how this plays out and NOT put myself at risk for any more damage. Back trouble makes me very nervous- I HAVE to ride because it is my job and it is horrendous riding with a bad back. It is also horrendous not running but I think that for now it is the most prudent decision.

I'm hoping to snag an appointment with my Chiro for later in the week to see if that helps and then go from there. I am going to try to stay calm, stretch and remember that running is my HOBBY that can be put on hold for a few days for the greater good of my bod....

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!