Life updates from a non running week!

....And thus concludes the first "zero" week of 2017......

Knowing me, it will not be the last!

Recovery from Providence went smoothly, and by Wednesday I was tempted to begin a little slow running, but I kicked that idea to the curb. I just completed a big training block with TWO marathons, thus earning a break from the road. 

I have mentioned in the past, and notice again, that recovering from a marathon is faster and easier when I keep the time slower than a 3:3x:00 pace. 

Duh? No kidding Captain Obvious?

Anyway. I took the recovery week rather seriously and ran not one step. As a rule, this is my go to plan after a big race. After Hartford I basically took a couple months off because I was toast, but I don't plan to do that this time. 

Also, I cooked a lot last week which was excellent. So many good things. Profiteroles. Chocolate chip cookie bars. Shrimp Scampi. Muesli. LORD!! So much deliciousness. When I run zero miles I certainly have more time for things like baking. 

These profiteroles were amazing. Ugly, but amazing!

I also drank some excellent beer. Since the weather has continued to act like March, I have been enjoying dark, thick brews. MMMMMM. 

An excellent beer for a cold day

OH! The most exciting event from last week is that the snowbank almost vanished! (it is gone now!)

5/4, the final day of the snowbank

In other news.....

In between Boston and Providence I found out that I have a uterine fibroid. 

This was surprising to me, because up until April 20th I had no idea that such a thing existed. 

I had a bit of testing done to make sure that the diagnosis was correct, and that we were not dealing with something sinister. Thankfully, fibroid seems to be the final answer. 

As weird as it is to have something unexpected growing inside me, this is not a medical crisis. I was actually hesitant to mention it, but my blog is an honest reflection of my life, and this is something that I am dealing with at the moment. 

If you want to have a gross out moment, google Pedunculated Fibroid. 

They are yucky and creepy and, as it turns out, mine is large. The size of a big navel orange to be specific. (9 cm) I am a small person, so this sucker is pretty significant. 

Now. Lest we think that I am literally the most oblivious person out there, walking around not knowing I have an extra friend inside of me, let me clarify. 

I did not think there was anything wrong with my female parts. And I certainly had no idea that I had grown a Big Friendly Tumor. I DID think that I was having GI issues, and that the pelvic pressure and feeling of bloating were related to stomach stuff. I planned to see my PCP in May, but my GYN appointment happened to come along first. And boom, diagnosis. (slightly thankful to have avoided a trendy food sensitivity ;-)) (more glad that it's a big friendly tumor, not a small malicious one.) 

So. The plan is to wait and see what it does in the next few months. I'll get a follow up ultrasound in August and go from there. 

(FYI, I don't plan to give weekly fibroid updates but I would be happy to share more if anyone is having a similar experience and is curious about what the process has been like for me.)

So that's about it for the time being. Today I am going to head out for a short run, and then maybe hit some roads I haven't seen in a while later in the week. And, summer is coming with temps looking to hit 80 on Thursday! (we are going to get heat stroke!) 

How to work out when you are deathly ill. (Don't. Just don't.)

Last week was quite a good week in the workout department despite the fact that long days and arctic temps kept me inside. I ran some good miles, had quality bike time and even managed an outdoor 7 miler on Saturday in some pretty adventurous conditions while on vacation. (note to self: next years vacation must not involve a location that can have snow. we had a wonderful time but seriously, sun and sand people.....)

Really really pretty. REALLY REALLY COLD!!!

Sunday morning came and I awoke not really feeling myself. Blaming several late nights while making the pilgrimage from Maine, to Boston to NYC and then NJ (and all the shenanigans we got up to at those various locations) I basically tried to write it off and get moving.

Around noon I realized that there was no denying it. I was getting sick and getting sick fast.
Mother effer came in like a wrecking ball....

On Monday, with a fever, terrible cough, horrible aches and chills I made a trip to urgent care to have a scrub brush shoved up my nose to see if I was ridden with Influenza and needed to hole up in my house, all quarantined.
The good news? No flu.
The bad news? It was (is) one nasty virus and it was having fun making me feel terrible.

Paging McDreamy... Where are you??

Needless to say, when I am prone on the couch and am voluntarily staying there I don't work out. Especially with a fever and a cough. Working out in that ill condition would just be idiotic. I really felt horrible. I actually continue to feel quite nasty although I am somewhat better. I have had to take "breathing breaks" on a regular basis which is retard-o to the maximum. I mean really, who needs breathing breaks?! (me, for realz.)

I see a lot of chatter on the interwebs this time of year about when you shouldn't work out when you are sick. My bottom line is you just know, if you feel too damn shitty to do it then don't. Nobody gets any prizes for being a fool and pushing thru a 101 fever just to get in 4 miles, or whatever...
Especially when it is cold as shit out. WTF?

Well isn't that nice....

Have I run when I wasn't at 100%? Heck yes.
I ran a relay last November post bronchitis. (read: POST bronchitis.) While I was still coughing a lot this did nothing to set me back. I was back to being a picture of good health within days after this.
I ran Boston while about 50% sick. It was my A race and I wasn't running a fever, or even coughing. Just snotting. I will say that I got quite sick after the race with more of a respiratory bug but that had more to do with the fact that I was directly exposed to said virus than the run. Which didn't help because huge efforts like that tend to make your immunity all wacky.
If I had a race to run over the past few days I would not, and could not have done it. Which is how I knew to be smart and take a few damn days off! It won't make any difference in the big fitness picture.
So kids, the moral of the story is to be smart not dumb. If you have a tiny sniffle or a hangnail get off your ass and run. If you have the bubonic plague you have my permission to sit tight until it has passed. And Dr. Sara signs off.....

Screw off, January... And a blog first for me!

Ugh. Winter is here.

It has been sneaking in for the past week or so but has been mostly easy to ignore. Last weekend we had two days in the 50's which really took the sting out of the chilly conditions and early setting sun.

But this week has been a whole new (less than stellar) can of worms.

Kids, the shit has hit the fan. We have had cold temps (and I mean, January cold), high (like 40MPH) winds, enough snow to cover the ground (so not much by Maine standards) and the constant problem of the sun setting at approximately 2:45 in the afternoon.

Gross. I hate you stupid one inch of snow!

I am pleased to say that I have been very busy at work. Which is outside. In the cold.
I start early and finish after the sun goes down. It has been pretty god damned difficult finding motivation to workout. And that makes me grouchy! Whaaaaa!

I'm not gonna lie. I have hit a small slump. This happens around this time every year and it shall pass. I have a profound dislike of being cold and uncomfortable and I find that I really suck at acclimating to the sudden drop in temps. It's pretty hard to find time to run during the day right now and I'm not quite ready to make friends with my treadmill just yet. However, last week I was pumped to finish working at a decent time and hit the road for an hour run at what felt like an absurdly early hour... Only to have it get pitch black dark on me!!! Luckily I was almost home but that is NOT safety first. I need one of those Ragnar required glow in the dark vests, as being struck head on by a truck is not an ideal way to leave this world.  It was scary stuff. Basically, I thought a zombie was gonna sneak out of the night and eat my face off.




This was like.... 4:30 PM. Wow! NIGHT!!

Luckily, I really have not missed any workouts (well, today will be a different story as I was not finished working in time to make it to Yoga....)  The real reason that I have not missed any workouts is that I have only *really* been back at it for about 10 days. I had a good rest! I think I might keep on resting and hibernate for the winter!

In the big picture this is no big deal and I will figure out a way to make it work, I will soon be pumped to be working hard again (and not just working hard eating Hershey bars and drinking beer) and will have found my mojo and killer attitude.

Well it isn't beer but it was delicious.

Last year at this time business was pretty shitty (which was shitty, obvs!) However it did mean that I was done working most days around 2 or 3 and could then devote the rest of my day to amazing athletics. It was great (except that I had no coin!) I enjoyed ALL the nice, outdoor, daylight working out hours!!! WHOOT!
With my schedule being jam packed right now (which is awesome, obvs) I'm rarely finished working before 5:30. Dark-dark-dark-dark- DARRRRRKKKKK FML!!!! (dudes, I'd rather stress about how to find motivation to trudge thru an evening workout then stress about how to pay this weeks bills. these are first world problems at their finest, yo!) Basically, I'm spoiled and whiney. End of story.

Which brings us to a very special moment. Being that I am the worlds worst blogger I rarely ask questions of my readers. So this is the first! Fuck yeah!

So internet friends.... When you are usually the captain of motivation, the one people turn to for a plan of how to stay on track with workouts, and suddenly you get hit with the BLAH's what is your remedy?
Fix me please!

A PS to this: Not 2 seconds after I posted today I read This and was glad to see it isn't just me! We all want/need a lazy season!

Recovery.

I have spent the past 12 days recovering from GCI, but more importantly recovering from an intense training cycle which started in December of 2012, contained 2 marathons which were on the speedy side, a 50K, and a bunch of high volume weeks (months.)

 

I do not like recovering. It is boring.

 

But dudes, it is indeed relative. While you might be picturing me lounging on a hammock, compression socks firmly in place, martini in hand while my body healed and rejuvenated HERE is what I have actually been doing.

 

-GCI was sandwiched in between my 2 busiest weeks of the summer. So on the Monday after GCI I went back to it. I was on my feet teaching (and by on my feet I mean vigorously walking, often jogging around if it was my turn to motivate a lazy pony...) for 9-10 hours a day. No resting. Zero rest. (and hey, this is a good thing! I can't be resting if I want to make cash money so busy is good.)

-I did B2B but that doesn't count for anything other than these remarkably absurd pictures. 

 

 

Muscles. Hello.

We are clearly excited. And absurd.

-I went back to the *quiet life* this week, only teaching for about 8 hours a day but I also put my horses back to work in earnest. No REST. (and again. no rest is GOOD! Gotta work!)

-I handled 600 bales of hay last night. 600 might not sound like a lot, but I'm the stacker- so trust me when I say that IT. IS. #poorlittleme #sobrave Hahaha yeah, THIS is why I'm so damn muscly!

 

So the message here is that while I have not been running and have been following my rest plan like the model athlete that I am it certainly has not been very relaxing. This is not a bad thing, as on the one quiet day of my weekend I got very bored (since I did not have a 4 hour workout) and decided that I would DIE if I couldn't start doing normal things again soon. (I might have been a bit dramatic) I was given permission to go out for a teeny tiny 30 minute run today which I am looking forward to tremendously.

 

The smart side of my brain knows and accepts that a recovery period is absolutely critical in order to be a life long runner. I continue to be so very pleased that I have remained uninjured this season and feel that following the plan given to me by Coach Kelsey contributes to that 100%.

We all know how I spent last late summer...... Sidelined for 3 weeks to let the shin heal. As soon as I got back to it I hurt my foot, since I had been running lop-sided for months with the shin shit, running normally again caused much drama. Immediately after that I was plagued with pesky Achilles pain for a few weeks, and a VERY painful hip flexor which kept me up many nights. SERIOUSLY.... So dumb!

Staying uninjured is probably part luck and part hard work. I have put in a HELL of a lot of hard work doing things I used to dislike like cross training. Which believe it or not *ahem* is very very important if you want to be a damn runner.

 

So anyway. Things will get exciting soon once boring mandatory rest is over!  

Post Marathon Aftermath...

Post Marathon recovery time was delightful. I took several guilt free days "off" (I wish they had been off my damn feet, ALAS, they were just off from running...) My legs were sore and crabby but uninjured. I felt 100% better than after Around The Lake! Not to mention the fact that I was on a legit post awesome run high for a full 48 hours after (maybe more) which I'm sure was very annoying to everyone around me. Too bad suckers!!

 

I think I ran 14 miles total last week and they were all nice and easy.

I'm only planning to get into the mid 20's this week but already did hills and a tempo run so clearly things are sorting out in the leg department. YAY!

 

So what's next?

 

 

So Excited!!!!

I am really excited to run this race. I missed it last year due to a prior real life commitment and so am even MORE excited to be able to make it this year!

All that OMG I LOVE RUNNING chatter aside I definitely don't think I'll be busting out a PR next week and that's cool. Everything was so awesome at the Maine Half and MDI that I feel like I might be due for a less than delightful race, but I could be wrong. Either way, I love Half's because you get done really fast and in plenty of time for lunch!

Well thank you!!!

I totally bailed on any "extra" mileage this week because my stupid toes hurt and I'm sure I'm on the verge of loosing all my toenails! I'm scared to look. So I won't.

 

There seem to be many exciting plans on the horizon but I'm not going to overwhelm the interwebs with them right now. (can you feel the suspense???)

I have a 10K with a bunch of friends today which should be fun, and then we are going to see what this big overhyped storm brings for the next few days. I'm just hoping for the first non rainy race in ages so, Sandy, please hold off!

In which we learn that I now suck less than 5 weeks ago.

Check back tomorrow for the "What I am excited about" news. I'm really stringing this along, aren't I. (actually, I feel that I need photographic extras for this story and not only is my camera dead but I ran out of batteries.. )

Let's talk about how I suck less than I did back in October. I seems doubtful that I am going to make the 2012 Olympic team for either the Marathon OR the 100 Meter dash, much to my shock, but things are improving regardless.
Which brings up (again) the title of that book I'm going to write:
"How to improve at anything: Work at it you idiot!"

I do appriciate the kick in the britches that scampering around with my brutally honest GPS/Nike iphone app gave me. No longer could I lie to myself and believe that my 9:48 mile was closer to 6:34 (ha. HA. ha.) No longer could I trick my simple little mind into thinking that a 3.7 mile run was 4.0 miles. Alas, the days of being half assed were behind me and it was time to face the music.

Clearly, I do not head out into the mountains of my little town daily to beat the clock. There are days when I run fast (er than some) and days when I just don't (most days, as a rule.) Regardless of my lazy desires the numbers don't lie. I have not had ANY miles that start with the number "9" for a few weeks now. My average 5 mile run is done between an 8:03 pace and an 8:35 pace. (over hills and all kinds of absurd terrain.) This is good. I banged out a 7:30 mile the other day without even trying. don't ask me HOW that happened other than I was rather focused on getting the hell home, taking off my shoes and drinking a beer. (this is motivation at its finest!)

Anyway. Fleet footed gazelle like being I am not. More fit and happy to be held accountable middle aged woman I am!

Marathon Musings for Monday

I would imaging that the thought of successfully completing a marathon is something that has danced thru the mind of almost every semi serious runner out there.
This is getting to be something that is on my mind lately, and that I have rather mixed feelings about. It is true that 10 months ago I had never run farther than 4 miles and that a 10K was still a questionable goal. Since then I have proven to myself that I can complete the Half Marathon distance in some degree of health and physical soundness. **ahem** Truth be told, I have proven to myself that I can, in fact, RUN the full 13.1 miles on no legitimate training what-so-ever and emerge unscathed. (slow, but unscathed none the less.)

Could I have continued another 13.1? HELLS to the NO. No, NO, NO.

Do I think that I would have to become 100% more committed to my training plan than I was last winter when I managed my best Half time? YES, YES, YES!

AND... Do I honestly think that I can fit that into my schedule? (I work 50-70 hour weeks. No lie) Well, no I do not. I simply can NOT imagine finding the time to fit 40+ miles into my week- I don't know how you working gals do it. Please send me some of the kool-aid that you are drinking at your earliest possible convenience!

Here is how I see it. I could probably kinda train and finish, kinda slow. Or very slow. Is that what I want? I am not sure that I can say at this time. I have been finding myself thinking seriously of trying the full distance, if for no other reason that to say I did it. BUT! (and this is a but but for me...) I honestly have a hard time doing things half way, and imagining myself finishing 26.2 miles in 6+ hours reminds me of riding a Grand Prix test (just to check it off your bucket list) and getting a 55%. Not so hot.

A good comparison, there. Grand Prix is the highest level in Dressage and it takes a hell ton of training and years to get there. (and most horses will never make it to that point, period, good rider up on them or not.) Case in point, I am lucky to have trained over the past 13 (count 'em) years a horse of my own, from being a badass baby to FEI dressage. He is thisclose to being able to complete the Grand Prix test but in all probability we would not score as well as I would like to. This is because he is not an athletic dynamo, but is a very good boy who I love and respect for being the interesting critter that he is. He might NEVER be the kind of Grand Prix horse who can throw down huge scores, and that is just fine. A good friend of mine has said to me "Hey, you are THISCLOSE. Just DO it because life with horses is SO uncertain that he could come up lame tomorrow and it could be YEARS until you are THISCLOSE again!!" And I say "True. BUT to get a score that will reflect well upon me professionally I will have to push this horse past his physical limits, making him sore, maybe lame and definitely not happy. He is VERY good at what he does now so here we shall stay for the time being." The string that ties marathon running to FEI dressage is that in order to be really good at it you (or your horse) need to be a crazy freak of an athlete, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound and prone to eating small children for breakfast. Or similar...

In my running there is no partner involved and the only one I can inflict severe mental and physical strife upon is my own silly self. And hey, that means that if I wish to run 342.98 marathon miles then a: I can only hurt myself and b:there certainly isn't any shame to be found in finishing slow.

This has been on my mind as of late mostly because if I choose to go for it it will HAVE to be in the Spring. As we have all discovered over the years I have no time to train for a 1K from May to September so anything longer than the length of my driveway is OUT.

I'd love to hear some opinions, training suggestions, scoldings, recipes for whatever all you super-women out there eat to make you so damn fast, and maybe a non-paid assistant to free up some of my time. Thanks and Thanks!

Oh HELLO. The story of the shocking email.

I had a wonderful plan, back in oh- May, June or perhaps even a bit earlier than that.

I would finish up my equine competitive season (which was freaking amazing, more on that later) transition to bigger and better miles on the road and run a Half a few weeks later. With that in mind I signed up all nice and early for a Half on October 22. GO ME. Way to plan ahead.

Over the weekend I was having a nice mental chat with myself. It went a little something like this:

Me- Looking good me! I haven't been able to put in a ton of mileage due to the "horse show situation" but I have had a few good weeks of legit running. Some hills, some 7 milers and a little 5K (more on that later.)

Phone- "jingle jingle" indicating email.

Me: Moseys towards phone, still congratulating myself on my fabulocity, fashion sense and wisdom. "I'll get in a few runs early this week to break myslef back in (and NOT to break myself, mind you) do 10-11 miles over the weekend, try for another 10-11 in CT over the weekend of the 15th (horse show) then I should be fine to finish a little slow, but respectably well for someone of my advanced years. (and yes, when I chat to myslef in my head I do indeed speak in run on sentances.)

Phone: I HAZ EMAIL, FOOL!

Me: Looks at email. Sees race email. Takes no notice and moves on.

.......fast forward to later that day........

Reads email: The race is coming up! (me, smugly: YEAH in a few WEEKS!") Packet pick up on SATURDAY OCTOBER 1st.

ME: WTF??? wtf? W....T....F....

OH GOD.

The race is this Sunday. How did this happen? Here are the choices:

1- I am an idiot

2- In my head "After the competitive season" meant AFTER the show mid October. Evidently, back in the early Spring I was probably just thinking post-Regionals. I dunno!

3- Really, it is very easy to mix up the 2nd with the 22nd. Right?

4- I AM A GODDAMMMMMMM FOOL!

I ate some bacon. Freaked out for one minute. Said eff it.
See you all at the Maine Half this weekend. More on my plan for Epic world domination in the upcoming days.

The Sloth! The PLAN!

I was planning to run a few miles on Tuesday because that is what The Plan called for. (by the way, I'm starting to think of THE PLAN as being some kind of extra person in my life. A bossy older sibling perhaps who berates me and expects the impossible of me. Then mocks me when I FAIL! My cheese is sliding off my cracker here people, I need a half marathon intervention.)

Anyway, that three mile run that I was talking about? Didn't happen. Bottom line, the old creaky bod was screaming at me to stay away from running and not put it thru the torture... Usually I ignore these kinds of things, slog down a glass of water and a few advil and suck it up. But not this time! I just had a feeling that I needed to stay away from the running shoes or I'd pay for it (and I hate being right about being lazy but considering how much better I felt yesterday I must have been right!)

To make up for my sloth I got up at 4:30 yesterday morning and headed to the gym (in the snow, thank you very much) to run 6 miles. It was a sweaty mess of a run (on the bouncy treadmill, no fan- and by that I mean no AIR and yeah, I'm not a FAN) but a good one on legs that felt fresh and fully recovered from the 20+miles they had done earlier in the week. I was supposed to do 2 miles at the start and finish at 10:00 then 4 miles in the middle at just over 9:00. Well, you all know how I feel about sticking to The Plan's rules on miles per minute so it went a little something like this: 1 mile at 9:35 (gotta warm up the 5 aM legs) then 5 miles at 7:53.

I have to clock in 5 more miles before Sunday to make me weekly mileage total and hopefully I can make that happen. It is one of those weekends with houseguests (which is fun!) and lots of family commitments so running time can be limited. I've already pushed my long run (a full 13- yikkkkkkkes) to Monday which messes up next weeks PLAN fairly significantly. That's just too bad for the PLAN isn't it? I'll get enough running in to keep the legs moving and that's just gonna have to be good enough.

Marching to the Gym....

(ONE MORE DAY to enter my giveaway! Tell your friends! Shout from the rooftops! Make it happen!)
BTW: Being the Master of Karate And Friendship for Everyone WILL grant you an extra entry. If you can quote more songs from my favorite show bonus entries will be yours!

Thanks for the advice on adding bacon to Brussels Sprouts too- BRILLIANT! Bacon is my favorite food and I firmly believe that if improves the taste of anything.

Well, now that my sales pitch/thank you letter is over we'll get down to the business at hand. My Foray into the world of backcountry Gyms!

After tumbling headfirst into a ditch last week due to falling over my frozen feet I determined that running in single digit temps is not for me. I am a brave gal- I work in excess of 10 hours per day outside in the harsh, unforgiving elements. To be rather blunt, the last thing I enjoy is doing ANY additional activities outdoors during this ghastly time of year. And clearly it is becoming unsafe for me... Doom!

Those of you who have been following along know that a treadmill has been on my horizons of things to acquire. Two major things got up in my way: The vehicle that the Huz calls his went and died on him, resulting in a repair bill close to $400. Yowza! The propane tank needed to get filled (we have geothermal heat- which is awesomesauce- but we use propane for hot water and fill the tank yearly.) Anywho that was another $300 of pocket change out the door. No fun fund treadmill money for me at this time. No running on the road for me either, for obvious safety issued due to my epic lack of coordination. With my 10K just around the corner hanging up the running shoes and being as lazy as my Dog was NOT going to happen.

So I bit the bullet, and headed to the Gym.

We need to backtrack just a teensy bit for one moment. First of all driving to the Gym is no little thing around these parts. It matters not which direction I go in, any of the (THREE) gyms in the "area" are a minimum of a 20 minute drive- one way. This means that logically I am going to have to give up either eating breakfast or lunch, or just do so in my car (that was my end decision, not enough hours in the day damnit!) The other matter that required a bit of mulling over way my desire for solitude while exercising. I don't love chatty Cathy's on the treadmill next door (unless I know them) I'm not always a fan of the Gym owners/employees who don't understand why I do not wish to upgrade my membership to include Zumba classes and perks I will not use. I might enjoy those things but I don't have the time! AAKK! By far the biggest issue for me was the amount of time/money I'd be spending to do something that I can normally do for free..... All I could imagine was hauling my booty off to the gym during my beloved lunch break only to find that all of the treadmills were in use, and having to leave without getting a run in, shamefaced and desolate (dramatic imaginings by yours truly.)

I was able to make a quick decision on what Gym to go to based on two factors. Price (cheap as anything!) and Meathead-free factors (female owner of Gym did not harass me to upgrade membership or to pump iron!) The Gym looks to be straight out of the 80's and even has a step aerobics class, which is so charmingly retro that perhaps I'll dig up my high top sneakers and join in the fun?! The equipment is in excellent condition even though it is obviously as old as I am, but the real plus is that the place is deserted and so far I have not seen another soul. Perfect for my anti social tendencies (but bad if the coordination thing becomes a factor and I tumble off my treadmill...)

Week one at said Gym was a great success- it got me out of the sub zeros, I did a decent amount of mileage, and all of this for only a fistful of change that I dug out of the couch cushions. I'm hoping that my luck continues with the (lack of) crowds there and I'm able to do what I need to do with no waiting involved... So far, so good!

Epic Fail 2010

A very odd week.

After having such a good run on Sunday I had normal running plans for the week. Monday off, about 3-4 miles on Tues and Thurs and then a longer run over the weekend.

Sounds like a good well thought out plan, no?

Apparently the running Gods did not think so because between the fully horrendous weather that we were so lucky to have this week and the fact that I felt rather MEH for a couple days my plans went down the crapper.

I was irked that on the good weather day I wasn't feeling that great. But I wasn't and that was that. No good story here, but you sometimes know that you should just stay away from the running shoes. Grumble grumble. Piss and moan.

It is now a new week. The weather still looks tormantial!!! WHY??? And I am still not feeling 100%. Tomorrow looks to be an epic washout but on Tuesday I will go and run 39,678 miles to make up for my epic fail of last week.

Luckily I am getting plenty of exercise lifting Halloween candy into my mouth. Excellent....

I'm BACK!! For real...

FINALLY.
I have been able to get my lardo butt off the couch and get back to the sensible business of running rampant about my town. (sadly, despite my lack of running the couch and I have actually had very little quality bonding time. bummah)
I'm being smart about my re-introduction into the world of pavement pounding. I have restricted myself to runs that log in at just over 3 miles, despite the fact that the weather is perfect, the foliage is freaking gorgeous and the effing road is literally calling my name... (people, I might sound crazy but if you run you totally get it. You look down the road and it screams "run on me fool!!" yeahhhh....)
I still have a little left over lung garbage from The Sick but other than that I FEEL GREAT.
Somehow I missed the transitional period that we have in this neck of the woods that takes us from: HOT, HUMID, TOURIST TRAFFIC EXTRORDINAIRE!!!! To: cold, cold, no traffic what-so-ev. Need I even bother to take note of the fact that I love this time of year times a million? Gone are the days of having to pre game with ten thousand gatorades! I have bid farewell to the constant need to run in the puckerbrush at the edge of the road to avoid getting hit by a reckless speeding out of town driver. And with great sorrow I have said goodbye to all my good friends (ahem) who drive by me and catcall, or holler "fun fatty, RUN!!" So sad...
I have noticed the undeniable need for new shoes. Already?? Already..
I also noticed that since the temps are now 50 degrees cooler I can't scoot out the door in zero clothing. WTF? So I got a kickass and attractive pair of CW-X tights. Attractive? I jest! But functional they most certainly are. I really love those little buggers- they are just warm enough and the totally contain the butt jiggle. It is eliminated fo' sho!!
So. That's where I'm at for right now. A middleaged runner back on the road to recovery and world domination. Yay!

Fast Forward to Spring of the Oh-Ten

My triumphant introduction to running did little to fuel my desire to hit the pavement and torment myself needlessly. I would love to claim that post -November race I changed my slovenly ways and went out for some serious marathon training.
I Did Not.
I went about my business per the norm, after spending close to a week with very sore running muscles. I was deeply offended by this as I have some athletic prowess (in that completely unrelated field..) Deep down in my heart I knew I deserved every sore muscle that I had as that's what you get for gallivanting around trying to out run the masses a week after you turn 30.
Fast forward a few months. We had one of those winters that was more like a speed bump and less like the death on Mount Everest that we are accustomed to. The roads were calling! The magic hour had arrived!! Not.. However, I did feel a slight urge to train a tiny bit, put in a modicum of effort and see if perhaps I could work up the guts to do another race an improve my results/partially crippled post race state. (and honestly, despite the good solid effort I put in there was nowhere to go but up.... Especially in the OMG I'm so sore I'm gonna drink a lot of Jameson, pop a handfull of Advil and perhaps die soreness.)
I found a very friendly looking all ladies 5K fairly close to where I live- (which is in the middle of east bum nowhere.) I had about 10 weeks to whip myself into reasonable shape. Being the world's best geek I did a bit of snooping on the interwebs and stumbled across the infamous Couch to 5K training plan. I am hardly a sedentary person and the only part of me that is a couch potato is my lazy ass brain. I'm not one to reinvent the wheel so I figured that I'd give it a go, and perhaps make some little modifications along the way (maybe I don't reinvent the wheel but I march to the beat of my own drum. Hey-OH!)
Part of the inspiration for this MOST EXCELLENT blog was the series of workout notes that I took (on active.com's free training log. Pure fricking genius, people...) For my next episode of Middle Aged Runner I will (over) share my introduction to running, torment, couch to 5K (and the subsequent separation from said couch...)