Last Sunday was the One Hour Track Run, the first Grand Prix race of the year. This will be my first full year participating in the Grand Prix and it's also the first time I've done the track run. Wasn't sure what to expect but ending up having fun. Met up with Carol E. and her daughter before it started and Carol told me that I would end up hating the clock before it was over with and she was right, my low point was about 34 minutes in. Carol is amazing, she had run a 1/2 marathon the day before and I don't think I've ever seen her in a bad mood. I was hoping for a decent finish and ended up placing 10th in the women's division. I hope there won't be any pictures floating around, I was making quite a fashion statement (NOT). It ended up being colder than I expected so had to make an emergency stop at the Conway Target for some tights. Well, the only color they had in my size were black with a gigantic hot pink stripe on the legs. Cute, but they didn't go with the Cabot red, white, and black colors I'd packed. So I kind of looked like a crazy, color-blind runner that afternoon--pink and black tights, red and black shorts, red jacket, and pink headband and gloves. It wasn't a very pretty sight, LOL!
Did have to shed the gloves, headband, and jacket about 1/2 way through and that caused Mike and James to lose me for part of a lap (Mike was counting my laps, James was counting for DeeDee, Carol's daughter). Oh, DeeDee was kind of worried, the pressbox had been opened up for the counters that wanted to get out of the wind and James disappeared on us. I think she said the counters she had in the past always messed up so when she lost sight of J, she started keeping count in her head. My final total was 28 laps, 115 feet and Mike said that all of my laps except the last was within a few seconds of each other so pretty consistent.
James and I did 4 miles on the Russellville Old Post Road Park mountain bike trails before the track run Sunday. It's a much better maintained course than Searcy so was able to actually get up some speed. James took one curve too fast and caught a tree with his right handlebar and shoulder, he's ok, unlike me he knows how to crash properly (yes there's a right way to do it, ha-ha). I caught a very large rock on one curve that I cut too close. Ended up catching my right pedal and that caused the left to come up real hard just below my left knee. It was swollen and I have a nasty bruise still but it wasn't anything life-threatening. Made me decide that I need the guards that cover my entire leg.
Mon-Wed.-no running, Monday is a rest day, Tues. I missed because of the ice, Wed. my load turned hot so couldn't stop at Buda as planned. Did do the 4-5 week pushup test (34) but think it was skewed because of my arms being tired from no power steering.
Thurs.-ran 4.38 miles at Laredo with James + 10 minute walk. Great run and I found 4 -10 mycokereward points from empty 12 packs.
Friday--4.61 miles at Salado. Not much fun, it was cold, hilly, and next to the interstate. W5, D1, L2 (17/19/15/15/20) of the hundred pushup challenge plus walking lunges at Winfield.
Sat.--6.7 miles, not near enough but all I could do. Not enough sleep and tummy issues forced a couple of walk breaks.
funny story this morning, the alarm starts beeping at 5 a.m. and James is moaning "Turn that off, turn the alarm off right now". I started teasing him about it later and he doesn't remember a thing.
31 January 2009
Do you like my new perfume?
It's the latest thing called Eau de Wet Ashtray...........I had to leave my truck at the International dealer again last weekend because 1) the starter is going out and 2) the exhaust leak hadn't been repaired the last couple of times I wrote it up. Both are ongoing issues with the 2008 ProStars according to the service writer at the NLR dealer. I know James has had to have his starter replaced and he still has the exhaust problems. It's really weird how the starter is going out on these. Normally you get a clicking noise when you turn the key if it's failing but on these you turn the key and NOTHING, no noise, no click. Wouldn't have known what it was if James hadn't already dealt with it.
Anyway, they promised me my truck would be ready to go on Sunday but when we called in to check on it we were told that it would be Tuesday because they didn't get the fittings along with the piece needed to repair the oversized muffler that is supposed to make the fuel burn cleaner than the older trucks. I can go into more depth explaining it (only because James just explained it to me, ha-ha!) but it would bore you to tears. The important thing to know is that it doesn't work right!!!!!!!
So since we thought it would be repaired by Tuesday afternoon, I asked dispatch to assign me to an empty truck for the trip to TN. Only packed 1 change of clothes and because James was picking up at the same place and time just thought I would sleep in his truck for the one night away. No problem, right? Wrong!!!!!! The empty truck reeked of cigarette smoke and there was a thin layer of ash all over everything. I don't think the previous driver ever cracked a window and he (or she) certainly never dusted anything off. I went through 1 container of clorox wipes and a 1/2 container of Lysol wipes trying to get everything at least clean enough to touch without ending up with gray hands. Febreze didn't help and the can of Lysol disinfectant might as well have been pure water. I ended up getting a scented candle and burning it just to try to mask the odor (didn't help much).
Tuesday afternoon I'm looking forward to getting back into my nice, clean, quiet truck and then found out that it's still not repaired, the parts had been delayed so I had to drive the piece of crap freightliner to Laredo and back. I forgot to mention that the smelly truck also sounded like a freight train while sitting in the cab and had no power steering. I got a bonus arm workout this week (trying to put a positive spin on things here) at least.
Needless to say it's been kind of a miserable week between smelling like an ashtray, sleeping on the top bunk in James' truck, trying to drive as fast as possible in a 65 mph truck in order to miss the ice storms, having a trailer that we kept having to add oil to a couple of the hubs that were leaking, and missing several of my workouts (an important stress reliever).
Last night (Friday) was a hassle. First, we had to go pick up my truck at the dealer (approx. 1 hr). Got in and started it up only to find out that they hadn't refilled the coolant reservoir. Umm, that's kind-of important, esp. since they had left it idling unattended for an hour earlier in the day. Then, I had to call dispatch and get swapped back into the proper truck (15 minutes). Empty out yucky truck (cb, log, cleaning supplies, etc. (15-20 minutes). Drive to Bald Knob (1 hr), circle the parking lots of all 3 fuel stops looking for an elusive parking spot (5-10 minutes). Wait on James to walk back to the fuel stop where our pickup is actually parked (5 min), unload what we're taking home (5 min.), stopped at Wal-Mart for frozen waffles and gas (what a combination, huh? 30 min.), then finally made it to the house about 12:30 last night. Didn't get in bed until around 1:15 a.m. Very, very, long day, although part of the delay was my fault--I wanted to get a workout in and stopped at Mt. Vernon to get a much needed haircut. Okay, enough whining, lol.
Anyway, they promised me my truck would be ready to go on Sunday but when we called in to check on it we were told that it would be Tuesday because they didn't get the fittings along with the piece needed to repair the oversized muffler that is supposed to make the fuel burn cleaner than the older trucks. I can go into more depth explaining it (only because James just explained it to me, ha-ha!) but it would bore you to tears. The important thing to know is that it doesn't work right!!!!!!!
So since we thought it would be repaired by Tuesday afternoon, I asked dispatch to assign me to an empty truck for the trip to TN. Only packed 1 change of clothes and because James was picking up at the same place and time just thought I would sleep in his truck for the one night away. No problem, right? Wrong!!!!!! The empty truck reeked of cigarette smoke and there was a thin layer of ash all over everything. I don't think the previous driver ever cracked a window and he (or she) certainly never dusted anything off. I went through 1 container of clorox wipes and a 1/2 container of Lysol wipes trying to get everything at least clean enough to touch without ending up with gray hands. Febreze didn't help and the can of Lysol disinfectant might as well have been pure water. I ended up getting a scented candle and burning it just to try to mask the odor (didn't help much).
Tuesday afternoon I'm looking forward to getting back into my nice, clean, quiet truck and then found out that it's still not repaired, the parts had been delayed so I had to drive the piece of crap freightliner to Laredo and back. I forgot to mention that the smelly truck also sounded like a freight train while sitting in the cab and had no power steering. I got a bonus arm workout this week (trying to put a positive spin on things here) at least.
Needless to say it's been kind of a miserable week between smelling like an ashtray, sleeping on the top bunk in James' truck, trying to drive as fast as possible in a 65 mph truck in order to miss the ice storms, having a trailer that we kept having to add oil to a couple of the hubs that were leaking, and missing several of my workouts (an important stress reliever).
Last night (Friday) was a hassle. First, we had to go pick up my truck at the dealer (approx. 1 hr). Got in and started it up only to find out that they hadn't refilled the coolant reservoir. Umm, that's kind-of important, esp. since they had left it idling unattended for an hour earlier in the day. Then, I had to call dispatch and get swapped back into the proper truck (15 minutes). Empty out yucky truck (cb, log, cleaning supplies, etc. (15-20 minutes). Drive to Bald Knob (1 hr), circle the parking lots of all 3 fuel stops looking for an elusive parking spot (5-10 minutes). Wait on James to walk back to the fuel stop where our pickup is actually parked (5 min), unload what we're taking home (5 min.), stopped at Wal-Mart for frozen waffles and gas (what a combination, huh? 30 min.), then finally made it to the house about 12:30 last night. Didn't get in bed until around 1:15 a.m. Very, very, long day, although part of the delay was my fault--I wanted to get a workout in and stopped at Mt. Vernon to get a much needed haircut. Okay, enough whining, lol.
Comedy of errors
It's been a little while since I updated so just going to start with this morning and kind of work my way back. I WAS supposed to meet the group at Andrea's house this morning at 7 a.m. for a run, was going to be a little late so called Brenda to let her know and then promptly got lost! For some reason I'd gotten it into my head that she lived in Greystone rather than Magness. By the time I realized my mistake (and circled the wrong area multiple times) I was really late......So Brenda, I'm sorry about the 2 dazed and confused phone messages, LOL! I did know the route they were running so drove it until I caught up with them to let them know what happened. Everybody was so sweet and Andrea offered to drive me back to my pickup if I wanted to park and run the rest of the way with them.
I didn't get in the 11 miles scheduled but then again nothing else has gone as planned this week. Managed to get 6.6 miles with a couple of walk breaks and 1 potty stop in the woods and lots of great conversation with the girls. Last night I only got 4.5 hrs sleep and it really hit me hard this morning. That's probably part of why I got so confused about the location (yeah, that's my story!) and had tummy issues. Maybe should have skipped this morning and slept in but was looking forward to the group run so much since I didn't get to see them last week. Oh well, next week will be better--I hope!
I didn't get in the 11 miles scheduled but then again nothing else has gone as planned this week. Managed to get 6.6 miles with a couple of walk breaks and 1 potty stop in the woods and lots of great conversation with the girls. Last night I only got 4.5 hrs sleep and it really hit me hard this morning. That's probably part of why I got so confused about the location (yeah, that's my story!) and had tummy issues. Maybe should have skipped this morning and slept in but was looking forward to the group run so much since I didn't get to see them last week. Oh well, next week will be better--I hope!
19 January 2009
Running with Elsie
This is my view whenever I run or walk Elsie, at least until we get 35-40 minutes in-then she'll run next to me instead of pulling me.
Don't feed the bears
This much abused bear sculpture is at the beginning of the bicycle trail closest to my house. Poor guy has had a paw cut off. Can't see Elsie because she wouldn't stand still.
Yesterday's 10 miler was miserable........If I hadn't had James and the dog with me I don't think I would have made it. I've never had issues breaking shoes in, usually can put them on and I'm good to go right from the start but the 2130's I bought last weekend (holabirdsports.com, cheap, and very fast free shipping!) are another story altogether. OW, OW, OW--they were uncomfortable before I finished mile 1. Not sure what the difference is between these and the other 2 pair of 2130s are--other than a different color--but there was something. Oh well, I think they were ok by the end of the 10 miles. This was also one of the times when I was watching the garmin to stop right at the mileage I needed.
Waited until almost lunchtime before I went out so that I wouldn't have to bundle up (and sleep in, LOL!!!!!!) and James followed me on his mountain bike. This is also the longest run I've ever taken Elsie on and the only problems she had was when James would take off on some side trails to explore. She didn't want us split up, the pack started together so we were supposed to stay together. It was a very pretty day--at least until we turned back towards the house and ran smack into a headwind, blech. James and I would take turns with Elsie's leash and at one point she was pulling James along on his mountain bike, that was just over 200 lbs! She's a strong dog for her size.
Anyway, I'm very glad this next week is a fallback week. I need it, I'm tired and was having some shin and calf pain before I got the new shoes. Now I'm just having some toe pain where the shoes rubbed the sides (actually part of it may have been the socks I was wearing too). Was also 1.19 miles short on the week because of Sat.'s run. This weeks schedule is for 22 miles in 4 days.
18 January 2009
Trail brick
It turned into such a nice day that James and I took the mountain bikes out for a little spin this afternoon. The Searcy trails absolutely frustrate me, they run to the technical side which means (my interpretation anyway) way too many damn rocks. Getting better, although there is one downhill section that scares the hell out of me--very steep and lots of jagged pointy rocks--I usually walk down it. The soccer shin guards worked great by the way, no tore up legs tonight! We rode a 4.6+mile section on the bikes then went back to the pickup and I changed into running gear while James locked my bike down. Was supposed to have done 6 miles but only got in 3.8, the sun was going down and my tummy started acting up. 2.7 miles was on the trail, the remainder was out on the road. All in all an exceptional stress reliever!
17 January 2009
longhorns
Bad picture--but these are some longhorn cattle that we saw on our run through Buda yesterday.
Buda run
Me, James, and Elsie ran at Buda, TX Friday morning on the way home. Absolutely loved it!! Although James wasn't as enthusiastic, it had been almost 2 weeks since he did any running--still did great though. The Buda route is one I'm going to do again, Cabela's has truck parking, the downtown has open clean bathrooms and I can add on as much as I need. .55 miles walking and ran 4.58 miles.
I've ran three new routes this week, very nice to shake the routine up whenever possible. The first was at Lebanon, TN Tues. just before lunch. There's a frontage road next to the Pilot that curves around and goes into an industrial park if you turn left at the stop sign or into a mix of residential and warehouses if you go straight across the road. Had a friendly Bassett hound (are there any mean bassetts?) come and visit me for a few steps. Short stubby legs and long, floppy ears, he was toooo cute! It did start spitting snow on me the last mile, I was definitely colder on the way back than when I first headed out. Started getting some calf and shin pain. 5.22 miles in 48:33.
Wed. afternoon, I ran scenic (NOT) downtown Dawson after 3 miles on County road 709 west. Took Elsie with me and she did not like the tractor at all that we met. Evidently it sounded like the thunder monster. Dawson is pretty much dead as far as any businesses except for the convenience store on 31 and the co-op--too close to Corsicanna and Waco. More shin and calf pain than Tuesday, means I've worn these shoes too long. 4.17 miles in 42:20 (slower because of Elsie's issues).
Thursday was a rest day and I was laid over in Laredo so did some shopping--bought a new pair of trail shoes. I think that my current shoes broke down quicker because of the amount of off-road running I'd been doing lately. I'd also ordered a new pair of road shoes last weekend so I should be good for now.
Got dispatched Thursday afternoon--decided to wait on James because he was only 2.5 hours out of Laredo at that point. My trailer had had both marker lights on the sides removed so had to take a quick spin through the shop. While in there had a driver ask if the trailer had come out of the factory that way and that it must have been hard to tell when to change lanes without them at night. Ooookay, he's new so I just explained to him that no, it didn't come out that way, that a driver had removed them and if you change lanes using those lights as your guide you're going to come over way too close in front of somebody.
James and I took our time coming home, shopped at Cabela's for a little while. I found a pair of Yak Trax in the bargain cave in my size for $12.99. Probably will never need them unless we start pulling out of the midwest again but couldn't pass them up at that price. At least I'm prepared for any snow or ice running now, LOL!
Quietly freaking out
Just found out this morning that the company I work for is in the process of laying off 150 drivers. Also quite a few of the office personnel have been let go (at least 1 I'm not sorry to see go, very arrogant towards the drivers). Guess we're safe for the moment, there aren't that many drivers that are willing to pull as few miles as what James and I will, the only reason we can do it is because the paychecks are going to the same household. And we're reliable--that's why we get to run dedicated routes when others don't. Still makes me VERY nervous but it looks like it's just the general freight haulers as of right now. Our dispatcher has told James on a couple of different occasions that as long as he has dedicated routes we'll have a job--hope that will continue to hold true. I've never drawn unemployment benefits and don't want to start now.
14 January 2009
11 January 2009
productive day, sort-of
Well, I had a good workout day, haven't done much else yet. Was lazy and laid around in bed until almost 10 a.m.--it was nice getting to doze and read and doze. Finally got around and did some dishes and a couple of loads of laundry followed by a 4.26 mile easy run with Elsie. She did pretty good considering I've been having a hard time getting her to go when James isn't with us in the past month. I swear she's developing more phobias as she gets older though. James says she's more neurotic than Woody Allen.
Ok since I started this post I've done the 15 minute ab workout in the Feb. issue of Runner's World, done some more laundry, and went for a 15.55 mile bicycle ride. Is that a weird mileage or what? Wasn't planned that's just what it was when I got back home. Today I did a high cadence, easy spin workout. Tried to keep the cadence over 100 as much as possible which meant I ended up using much easier gears than usual. Trying to get my legs used to a higher spin rate so hopefully by this spring I'll be a little faster. Kept a 15.2 mph ave. which is 1-2 mph faster than normal--had to slow for foot traffic, stop signs, and a dog otherwise it might have even been a bit better. Did the rolling dismount again--it's cool when you get it timed right.
Yesterday was my long run, drove down to Cabot again to run with the Cruisers (huge group yesterday!). Had 10 miles scheduled, ran 10.42 plus a little cooldown walk. Thought I was going to have tummy issues but didn't (YAY!!!!!), I think having people to talk to helps take my mind off of it and lessens the probability of it happening (thinking about other than things rather than stressing about it). Cindy and I got started talking about Tim Horton's now I'm craving their coffee--I always had to stop at Tim's when going to Canada. The Michigan locations just weren't the same in my opinion, probably all in my head but the Canadians were definitely friendlier. I know I always preferred dealing with the Canadian brokers and border officers. The Ambassador Bridge U.S. officers were usually full on assholes. It's like they started their day wanting to see how miserable they could make other people. You didn't step 1 mm over the line on the floor or lean against their counter when it was your turn to step up--it was the South Park "Respect my authoritay!!!" syndrome. Of course I haven't crossed into Canada since 1 month after 9/11 so maybe things have changed.
Finishing up laundry tonight, gave my big truck a quick scrubbing, bathed Elsie and have plans to watch a movie later while cleaning out my purse (yuck). I had the outside of my truck washed before I left Laredo Thursday morning--having a nice shiny clean hood always makes me feel better for some reason. Now if I could just get motivated to wash our pickup.
James thought he was going to get to drive over to TN with me tomorrow but the trailer he picked up at Laredo has major suspension issues--as in the air bags are totally flat plus there's a hole in the nose of the trailer that's going to have to be patched--so he's going to have to spend the day at the NLR shop. No telling who damaged the trailer, our guards don't do inbound inspections on the trailers coming back out of Mexico so there's no chain of paperwork to backtrack on to find out when it occurred.
Ok since I started this post I've done the 15 minute ab workout in the Feb. issue of Runner's World, done some more laundry, and went for a 15.55 mile bicycle ride. Is that a weird mileage or what? Wasn't planned that's just what it was when I got back home. Today I did a high cadence, easy spin workout. Tried to keep the cadence over 100 as much as possible which meant I ended up using much easier gears than usual. Trying to get my legs used to a higher spin rate so hopefully by this spring I'll be a little faster. Kept a 15.2 mph ave. which is 1-2 mph faster than normal--had to slow for foot traffic, stop signs, and a dog otherwise it might have even been a bit better. Did the rolling dismount again--it's cool when you get it timed right.
Yesterday was my long run, drove down to Cabot again to run with the Cruisers (huge group yesterday!). Had 10 miles scheduled, ran 10.42 plus a little cooldown walk. Thought I was going to have tummy issues but didn't (YAY!!!!!), I think having people to talk to helps take my mind off of it and lessens the probability of it happening (thinking about other than things rather than stressing about it). Cindy and I got started talking about Tim Horton's now I'm craving their coffee--I always had to stop at Tim's when going to Canada. The Michigan locations just weren't the same in my opinion, probably all in my head but the Canadians were definitely friendlier. I know I always preferred dealing with the Canadian brokers and border officers. The Ambassador Bridge U.S. officers were usually full on assholes. It's like they started their day wanting to see how miserable they could make other people. You didn't step 1 mm over the line on the floor or lean against their counter when it was your turn to step up--it was the South Park "Respect my authoritay!!!" syndrome. Of course I haven't crossed into Canada since 1 month after 9/11 so maybe things have changed.
Finishing up laundry tonight, gave my big truck a quick scrubbing, bathed Elsie and have plans to watch a movie later while cleaning out my purse (yuck). I had the outside of my truck washed before I left Laredo Thursday morning--having a nice shiny clean hood always makes me feel better for some reason. Now if I could just get motivated to wash our pickup.
James thought he was going to get to drive over to TN with me tomorrow but the trailer he picked up at Laredo has major suspension issues--as in the air bags are totally flat plus there's a hole in the nose of the trailer that's going to have to be patched--so he's going to have to spend the day at the NLR shop. No telling who damaged the trailer, our guards don't do inbound inspections on the trailers coming back out of Mexico so there's no chain of paperwork to backtrack on to find out when it occurred.
10 January 2009
2008 Races and Events
Nothing new here, just posting a more comprehensive recap of '08 events so I can clean up my sidebar.
1/19/08 No Name 5k, Danville, AR 25:53
2/16/08 River Trail 15k, N. Little Rock, AR 1:24:05
2/23/08 Penguin Run 5k, Batesville, AR 23:56
3/2/08 Little Rock 1/2 Marathon, Little Rock, AR 2:16:01
4/12/08 Madd Dash 10k, Searcy, AR 57:40
5/3/08 Toad Suck Daze 5k, Conway, AR 26:05
7/4/08 Firecracker Fast 5k, Little Rock, AR 25:50
7/12/08 Big Dam Bridge 5k, Little Rock AR 28:28
7/26/08 The Dam Night Run 5k, Lake DeGray, AR 26:37
8/2/08 White River 4-Mile Classic, Batesville, AR 37:16
8/8/08 Hot Summer Nights 4 Mile, Jonesboro, AR 34:27
8/30/08 ARK 5k, N. Little Rock, AR 25:22
9/6/08 Sara Low Memorial 5k, Batesville, AR 25:29
9/20/08 Tyler Curtis Memorial 5k, Little Rock, AR 25:19
10/11/08 FSM 5k for Cancer Awareness, Cabot, AR 25:20
10/25/08 Fall Fest 5k, Russellville, AR 24:17
11/22/08 Spa 10k, Hot Springs, AR 52:53
Cycling Events
6/14/08 Carti Tour de Rock, Little Rock, AR 30 miles
7/12/08 Ms Vic's 100 Mile Ride, 40 miles
9/27/08 BDB 100, 100 miles 7:15:22
10/25/08 Tour de Pumpkin, Russellville, AR 30 miles
Duathlon
4/27/08 Big Dam Bridge Duathlon, N. Little Rock, AR 17:05/45:15/18:21 (2.2 mile run, 10 mile bike, 2.2 mile run)
1/19/08 No Name 5k, Danville, AR 25:53
2/16/08 River Trail 15k, N. Little Rock, AR 1:24:05
2/23/08 Penguin Run 5k, Batesville, AR 23:56
3/2/08 Little Rock 1/2 Marathon, Little Rock, AR 2:16:01
4/12/08 Madd Dash 10k, Searcy, AR 57:40
5/3/08 Toad Suck Daze 5k, Conway, AR 26:05
7/4/08 Firecracker Fast 5k, Little Rock, AR 25:50
7/12/08 Big Dam Bridge 5k, Little Rock AR 28:28
7/26/08 The Dam Night Run 5k, Lake DeGray, AR 26:37
8/2/08 White River 4-Mile Classic, Batesville, AR 37:16
8/8/08 Hot Summer Nights 4 Mile, Jonesboro, AR 34:27
8/30/08 ARK 5k, N. Little Rock, AR 25:22
9/6/08 Sara Low Memorial 5k, Batesville, AR 25:29
9/20/08 Tyler Curtis Memorial 5k, Little Rock, AR 25:19
10/11/08 FSM 5k for Cancer Awareness, Cabot, AR 25:20
10/25/08 Fall Fest 5k, Russellville, AR 24:17
11/22/08 Spa 10k, Hot Springs, AR 52:53
Cycling Events
6/14/08 Carti Tour de Rock, Little Rock, AR 30 miles
7/12/08 Ms Vic's 100 Mile Ride, 40 miles
9/27/08 BDB 100, 100 miles 7:15:22
10/25/08 Tour de Pumpkin, Russellville, AR 30 miles
Duathlon
4/27/08 Big Dam Bridge Duathlon, N. Little Rock, AR 17:05/45:15/18:21 (2.2 mile run, 10 mile bike, 2.2 mile run)
Hurricane Mills
This is part of where I ran Tuesday afternoon at Hurricane Mills, TN. The freeway was just on the other side of the trees on the left. It was very surreal to be running on this dirt road with seemingly nothing around and hearing the interstate noise at the same time. Didn't get the "runner's high" but boy I sure felt great during and afterwards. Guess I was pretty stinky afterwards though, the cashier at Pilot kept asking me if I needed soap when I was getting my shower key from her. After the 4th time it was starting to make me paranoid, ha-ha! 4.21 miles in 40:07.
09 January 2009
ups and downs
I've felt like I've been on a roller coaster this week--I want my nice, boring days back, lol.........
Up--Got a load when I didn't think I was going to so didn't have to use another vacation week
Down--Didn't expect to work, so nothing packed, shoot I hadn't even showered when I did my check call Monday morning and I had lots of plans made (like getting my hair cut!).
Up--freezing rain wasn't sticking to the road Monday
Down--was definitely sticking to my truck, resulting in increased fuel usage and almost caused me to run out just before my fuel stop. Most companies are using a fuel optimization program that doesn't take into account any adverse conditions or delays (in other words--it sucks!).
Up--had a reload Tuesday
Down--load wasn't ready so had to sit for a couple of hours waiting for 1 pallet to come in
Up--Yard driver brought my trailer to me and lowered it to the correct height (he thinks I'm cute, lol)
Down--Trailer was missing a mudflap. Had a choice, could go 5 miles the wrong way to buy 1 and replace it myself in approx. 30-45 minutes or call road rescue to have them send me to TA where I would sit 2-3 hours and spend 2 1/2 times as much so I could stay clean and dry. Did it myself, time is money and I see any unneccessary expense that I turn in as possibly affecting my next pay raise.
Up--fantastic run at Hurricane Mills Tues. afternoon and didn't have a shower line wait.
Down--Spent 44 minutes trying to fuel at the N. Little Rock Pilot. 35 minutes waiting in line to get to 1 of 2 ultra low sulfur diesel pumps, less than 5 actually fueling and the remainder waiting on the guy in front of me to leave.
Up--Ate breakfast with James Wednesday morning
Down--only got to eat breakfast with James, he was on his way home for a day and a 1/2 and had to be back in TN first thing this morning to reload while I still had to get to Texas.
Up--Finally sunshine!! Decent 3 mile trail run at the Hubbard, TX city park with Elsie Wed. afternoon.
Down--having trouble with my pushups.
Up--Made it through Austin in a reasonable amount of time
Down--Weirdo at Buda that went out of his way to stop in front of my truck and stare, then back up to park in a no parking area so he could continue to stare.
Up--Starbucks stop at San Marcos. Rec'd a gift certificate for Christmas so enjoyed an espresso truffle latte and giant oatmeal raisin cookie.
Down--way too many calories
Down--Came the closest that I ever have to hitting somebody in the big truck Wednesday night going through San Antonio. Some idiots (there was more than 1 four-wheeler, I think they were traveling together) decided they needed to be in the center lane no matter what and then decided to almost stop. The lane change didn't happen directly in front of me, it was about 1/2-3/4 of a mile out but it was just a domino effect where it was getting worse the further back you were. Nowhere to go, it was just a case of hold on to the wheel and brake as hard as possible without the trailer sliding out from under me. Yeah, I did one of those noisy, sliding stops with the wheels smoking, but so was everybody else. I was shaky for quite a while afterwards because I just knew I wasn't going to get it shut down in time, thank goodness it did get stopped. It's giving me shivers just writing about it.
Up--had a trailer at Laredo!!
Down--Ceva (Penske) has decided to redo the gate procedures AGAIN. Like usual, no signs letting you know, just the guard coming out yelling at you 'cause you didn't read his mind to know there's a new way of doing things.
Up--absolutely beautiful day in south Texas on Thurs., it was in the 80's. Ahhh, that's the s. Texas I know and love.
Down--had a 7 mile speed workout (3x1600's at 8:10 pace) that went all to hell at Pearsall Thurs. morning due to the heat and me being underhydrated. The minor butt explosion beforehand didn't help either. Knew I was in trouble on my warmup but thought I could h.t.f.u. through it. Mmm, nope. Made it .75 mile on my first interval then had to take a walk break. Decided that 1/2 mile intervals would work better so did 5 of those with 1-2 minute walk breaks in between. Needless to say I didn't get 7 miles in and could only manage .75 mile cooldown jog before I imploded.
Up--Elsie and I had a nice walk enjoying the warm day after I got showered. I so wanted to just buy a lounge chair and take a nap in the sun but decided I needed to get headed north.
Down--had to drive, couldn't take a nap in the sun.
Up--found a parking spot at Mt. Vernon last night after 8 p.m., woo-hoo!!
Down--Had another weirdo staring at me, at least until I closed my cab curtains. I'm used to the second glances because there are still not that many women drivers but getting that fixed 50 yard stare is just downright creepy.
Except for the San Antonio thing, this week doesn't sound all that bad but there were a lot of other little things that just kind of piled on and made things a tad more stressful than usual. I was soooo glad to get out from behind the wheel today.
Supposed to do a 3 mile easy run today but was a little sore so took the bicycle out for a short ride. Only rode 8.25 miles but had 3 major hills--well, one monster hill, 1 very big hill, and 1 normal hill but tried to do everything all out. Great stress reliever. Followed that up with a 1.94 mile walk with Elsie in the neighborhood.
Up--Got a load when I didn't think I was going to so didn't have to use another vacation week
Down--Didn't expect to work, so nothing packed, shoot I hadn't even showered when I did my check call Monday morning and I had lots of plans made (like getting my hair cut!).
Up--freezing rain wasn't sticking to the road Monday
Down--was definitely sticking to my truck, resulting in increased fuel usage and almost caused me to run out just before my fuel stop. Most companies are using a fuel optimization program that doesn't take into account any adverse conditions or delays (in other words--it sucks!).
Up--had a reload Tuesday
Down--load wasn't ready so had to sit for a couple of hours waiting for 1 pallet to come in
Up--Yard driver brought my trailer to me and lowered it to the correct height (he thinks I'm cute, lol)
Down--Trailer was missing a mudflap. Had a choice, could go 5 miles the wrong way to buy 1 and replace it myself in approx. 30-45 minutes or call road rescue to have them send me to TA where I would sit 2-3 hours and spend 2 1/2 times as much so I could stay clean and dry. Did it myself, time is money and I see any unneccessary expense that I turn in as possibly affecting my next pay raise.
Up--fantastic run at Hurricane Mills Tues. afternoon and didn't have a shower line wait.
Down--Spent 44 minutes trying to fuel at the N. Little Rock Pilot. 35 minutes waiting in line to get to 1 of 2 ultra low sulfur diesel pumps, less than 5 actually fueling and the remainder waiting on the guy in front of me to leave.
Up--Ate breakfast with James Wednesday morning
Down--only got to eat breakfast with James, he was on his way home for a day and a 1/2 and had to be back in TN first thing this morning to reload while I still had to get to Texas.
Up--Finally sunshine!! Decent 3 mile trail run at the Hubbard, TX city park with Elsie Wed. afternoon.
Down--having trouble with my pushups.
Up--Made it through Austin in a reasonable amount of time
Down--Weirdo at Buda that went out of his way to stop in front of my truck and stare, then back up to park in a no parking area so he could continue to stare.
Up--Starbucks stop at San Marcos. Rec'd a gift certificate for Christmas so enjoyed an espresso truffle latte and giant oatmeal raisin cookie.
Down--way too many calories
Down--Came the closest that I ever have to hitting somebody in the big truck Wednesday night going through San Antonio. Some idiots (there was more than 1 four-wheeler, I think they were traveling together) decided they needed to be in the center lane no matter what and then decided to almost stop. The lane change didn't happen directly in front of me, it was about 1/2-3/4 of a mile out but it was just a domino effect where it was getting worse the further back you were. Nowhere to go, it was just a case of hold on to the wheel and brake as hard as possible without the trailer sliding out from under me. Yeah, I did one of those noisy, sliding stops with the wheels smoking, but so was everybody else. I was shaky for quite a while afterwards because I just knew I wasn't going to get it shut down in time, thank goodness it did get stopped. It's giving me shivers just writing about it.
Up--had a trailer at Laredo!!
Down--Ceva (Penske) has decided to redo the gate procedures AGAIN. Like usual, no signs letting you know, just the guard coming out yelling at you 'cause you didn't read his mind to know there's a new way of doing things.
Up--absolutely beautiful day in south Texas on Thurs., it was in the 80's. Ahhh, that's the s. Texas I know and love.
Down--had a 7 mile speed workout (3x1600's at 8:10 pace) that went all to hell at Pearsall Thurs. morning due to the heat and me being underhydrated. The minor butt explosion beforehand didn't help either. Knew I was in trouble on my warmup but thought I could h.t.f.u. through it. Mmm, nope. Made it .75 mile on my first interval then had to take a walk break. Decided that 1/2 mile intervals would work better so did 5 of those with 1-2 minute walk breaks in between. Needless to say I didn't get 7 miles in and could only manage .75 mile cooldown jog before I imploded.
Up--Elsie and I had a nice walk enjoying the warm day after I got showered. I so wanted to just buy a lounge chair and take a nap in the sun but decided I needed to get headed north.
Down--had to drive, couldn't take a nap in the sun.
Up--found a parking spot at Mt. Vernon last night after 8 p.m., woo-hoo!!
Down--Had another weirdo staring at me, at least until I closed my cab curtains. I'm used to the second glances because there are still not that many women drivers but getting that fixed 50 yard stare is just downright creepy.
Except for the San Antonio thing, this week doesn't sound all that bad but there were a lot of other little things that just kind of piled on and made things a tad more stressful than usual. I was soooo glad to get out from behind the wheel today.
Supposed to do a 3 mile easy run today but was a little sore so took the bicycle out for a short ride. Only rode 8.25 miles but had 3 major hills--well, one monster hill, 1 very big hill, and 1 normal hill but tried to do everything all out. Great stress reliever. Followed that up with a 1.94 mile walk with Elsie in the neighborhood.
06 January 2009
yuck
Yesterday's view 1/2 between N. Little Rock and Memphis. Had a surprise yesterday morning when I made my check call, actually had a load for today out of TN. Had absolutely nothing packed because as of Friday I thought I was going to be off for another week. I also camethisclose to running out of fuel yesterday. Fuel plan had me topping off at W. Memphis and usually I can make it with no problem but the ice yesterday made it an "Am I going to make it or not?" issue. I have 2-100 gallon tanks but only 90% of it is actually usable so that gives me approx. 180 gallons that I can count on, well I put on 178.041 at the old Pilot. Whew, way too close!!!!!!!! Not only did the ice buildup make my truck heavier, it also changes the aerodynamics. For the last 30 miles I was doing between 55-60 mph to use as little as possible and I should have been getting at least 7 mpg at those speeds but I was lucky to touch 6 mpg. I was cringing every time the engine fan kicked on and had to pee so bad but didn't dare stop 'cause what little fuel is in the tanks will surge forward and that will sometimes cause the sensor to read that there's no diesel.
05 January 2009
bored and tired
James left this afternoon to pick up a Laredo load out of Louisiana--actually it doesn't pick up until tomorrow morning but we had locked down an empty Friday afternoon on the yard and needed to get back down there to make sure nobody had cut our locks off. Night dispatch wouldn't go ahead and show it being unavailable 'cause his tractor was still parked in our drive so we did the best we could to make sure the trailer would still be there today. Good thing too, because James had a driver come over bitching at us about it while we were getting everything hooked up. Yard is still full of trailers (loaded), most of us dedicated G.M. drivers will be sitting for another week at least. I rode down with James so that I could bring my tractor home to clean it and get everything repacked, supposed to have been repaired but I made it less than 20 miles when the warning light came back on. These new engines and exhaust systems have been nothing but trouble........
Anyway, I'm back home and moping around because I don't have anybody to talk to (or cuddle up to).
Drove down to Cabot to meet up with part of the Cruiser group for my long run. Ended up being 7 of us--Brenda, Lisa, Annette, Michelle, Cindy, and Vicki (?, correct me if I'm wrong, it usually takes being introduced twice before names stick). I overdressed this morning so ended up taking off my tech shirts and tying them around my waist--my niece Abigail would have said that I wasn't being very modest running in my jog bra and shorts, LOL.... Foggy but warm to start with, then had a nice cooling mist, then it sprinkled and started getting chilly towards the very end. I hate days that start out warm(ish) then get cold before lunch. Ended up with 9.25 miles in 1:29:52. I'm a little sore this evening, running with Brenda and Lisa is either going to kill me or make me a much faster runner, ha-ha!!! Hopefully it will be the latter, either way it's sooooo much fun getting to hang out with them that the miles just fly by.
I was starving on the way home so stopped at Harp's and grabbed some bacon to cook for breakfast, we already had eggs--I was craving fried, salty junk I guess. My fingers were swollen so I was probably needing electrolytes. Anyway I actually cooked breakfast this morning and surprised James (I rarely cook).
Forgot about yesterday's bicycle ride, it was nice, I love days where I can wear shorts and don't have to bundle up. G.R. rode his mountain bike so I had a fighting chance of staying ahead of him for once (I was on my roadie). Anyway it was a short ride, just over 15 miles for me counting the distance to and from my house but got in some nice sprints where we got up out of the saddle and rode as hard as possible for 30 seconds at a time. Doesn't sound like much but it is a tough workout. James is teaching me how to dismount the bike while it's moving and I successfully did it twice yesterday (on grass, lol!). Basically you swing your right leg straight back over the rear of bicycle while you lean left and lean the bike right and bring the right leg in behind your left. Little more difficult to do it with clipless pedals because I have to get the timing just right with unclipping and hitting the ground moving, my cleat throws me off balance a little and it's easy to twist an ankle.
Oh, and I'm working on my fear of curves on the bicycle, there's this one tight curve on the trail that always has gravel just before you start into it and I always get nervous and scrub off most of my speed before entering it. Yesterday I did a little better, approached the curve, relaxed, coasted a tad (didn't touch the brakes for once) and really hammered into it once I was past the gravel, YAY me!!!!!!
Anyway, I'm back home and moping around because I don't have anybody to talk to (or cuddle up to).
Drove down to Cabot to meet up with part of the Cruiser group for my long run. Ended up being 7 of us--Brenda, Lisa, Annette, Michelle, Cindy, and Vicki (?, correct me if I'm wrong, it usually takes being introduced twice before names stick). I overdressed this morning so ended up taking off my tech shirts and tying them around my waist--my niece Abigail would have said that I wasn't being very modest running in my jog bra and shorts, LOL.... Foggy but warm to start with, then had a nice cooling mist, then it sprinkled and started getting chilly towards the very end. I hate days that start out warm(ish) then get cold before lunch. Ended up with 9.25 miles in 1:29:52. I'm a little sore this evening, running with Brenda and Lisa is either going to kill me or make me a much faster runner, ha-ha!!! Hopefully it will be the latter, either way it's sooooo much fun getting to hang out with them that the miles just fly by.
I was starving on the way home so stopped at Harp's and grabbed some bacon to cook for breakfast, we already had eggs--I was craving fried, salty junk I guess. My fingers were swollen so I was probably needing electrolytes. Anyway I actually cooked breakfast this morning and surprised James (I rarely cook).
Forgot about yesterday's bicycle ride, it was nice, I love days where I can wear shorts and don't have to bundle up. G.R. rode his mountain bike so I had a fighting chance of staying ahead of him for once (I was on my roadie). Anyway it was a short ride, just over 15 miles for me counting the distance to and from my house but got in some nice sprints where we got up out of the saddle and rode as hard as possible for 30 seconds at a time. Doesn't sound like much but it is a tough workout. James is teaching me how to dismount the bike while it's moving and I successfully did it twice yesterday (on grass, lol!). Basically you swing your right leg straight back over the rear of bicycle while you lean left and lean the bike right and bring the right leg in behind your left. Little more difficult to do it with clipless pedals because I have to get the timing just right with unclipping and hitting the ground moving, my cleat throws me off balance a little and it's easy to twist an ankle.
Oh, and I'm working on my fear of curves on the bicycle, there's this one tight curve on the trail that always has gravel just before you start into it and I always get nervous and scrub off most of my speed before entering it. Yesterday I did a little better, approached the curve, relaxed, coasted a tad (didn't touch the brakes for once) and really hammered into it once I was past the gravel, YAY me!!!!!!
01 January 2009
New Year's Day run
Drove down to Cabot this morning to meet up with the Cruisers for a New Year's Day run. I had a 6 mile tempo run on the schedule and boy was I dreading it (3rd day in a row running this week). Running with the group always makes things better though, LOL!!!!! Started out just a tad too fast though but soon settled in with Brenda and Cindy--Bailey ran with us for a little while, YAY!!!!!! It was a little disheartening (yet inspiring!) to watch Tri-Lisa and 2 of the guys pull away like it was nothing while I was gasping for air like a fish on the bank. I forgot to set my garmin to give the mile splits and was too preoccupied and entertained to hit the lap button at any point.
Anyway got my 6 miles done in 55:03, stretched a little, got some excellent advice on push-up form (still having difficulty due to the clavicle healing crooked), said my good-byes, and headed back to Searcy to ride with the ABC-Searcy group at 10 a.m. Had just enough time to get McDonalds drive-thru and rush in to change clothes and load up the bicycles. We got to the local bicycle shop right at 10 but Gary R. was still unloading so we were ok. The original plan was to ride 20-30 miles but one of the guys was having trouble and instead of telling somebody he was heading back he just left. Grrrr, not very polite. We try to have a no-drop ride and usually everybody who rides with us knows to call or hold up in 1 spot to let somebody know they're cutting it short for the day. We were stopped and organizing a search party before he finally called Gary R. back to let us know he was ok. Ended up with 18.14 miles, windy and cold.
Anyway, I've had 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch, and several brownies and I'm sitting here smelling the dinner that James is cooking, mmmmmm. Blackeyed peas, cabbage, spicy chicken breasts, and cornbread. I don't think I've done enough to counteract all the calories today!
Weekend schedule--easy 3 miles for Friday, ride with the l.b.s. Saturday, and hopefully I'll be able to do my long run Sunday with Annette and Jane (9 miles for me).
Happy New Year everybody!!!!
Anyway got my 6 miles done in 55:03, stretched a little, got some excellent advice on push-up form (still having difficulty due to the clavicle healing crooked), said my good-byes, and headed back to Searcy to ride with the ABC-Searcy group at 10 a.m. Had just enough time to get McDonalds drive-thru and rush in to change clothes and load up the bicycles. We got to the local bicycle shop right at 10 but Gary R. was still unloading so we were ok. The original plan was to ride 20-30 miles but one of the guys was having trouble and instead of telling somebody he was heading back he just left. Grrrr, not very polite. We try to have a no-drop ride and usually everybody who rides with us knows to call or hold up in 1 spot to let somebody know they're cutting it short for the day. We were stopped and organizing a search party before he finally called Gary R. back to let us know he was ok. Ended up with 18.14 miles, windy and cold.
Anyway, I've had 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch, and several brownies and I'm sitting here smelling the dinner that James is cooking, mmmmmm. Blackeyed peas, cabbage, spicy chicken breasts, and cornbread. I don't think I've done enough to counteract all the calories today!
Weekend schedule--easy 3 miles for Friday, ride with the l.b.s. Saturday, and hopefully I'll be able to do my long run Sunday with Annette and Jane (9 miles for me).
Happy New Year everybody!!!!
Boring stuff
Weird work schedule this week so didn't get a chance to post about last week's workouts--I'm SURE everybody has been on pins and needles wondering what I've done (being just a tad facetious here).
Saturday must have been the day for bricks, Arland posted that he'd done one that day too, LOL! Anyway, met with the Searcy group and did a kind of easy 13.47 miles (did include some sprints and one legged drills). It was almost the perfect temp for a ride, I was able to wear shorts and ended up unzipping my jacket before the 1/2 way point. The only downside was that it was humid, damp, and windy--our bicycles and legs were FILTHY by the end from all the road spray, yuck. The wind did make it tough when you were having to ride into it, I was barely doing 9 mph at one point and was also getting knocked sideways while we were on Queensway. So we've got the 30 mph gusts of wind and what do I decide to do once I get home? Why, I put on my running shorts and shoes and do a 5k around the neighborhood. You want a whole new level of torture then do a brick!!!!!! My legs felt like blocks of lead and I was gasping like a freight train from trying to run in the humidity and wind. Got it done though and in a reasonable amount of time--3.1 miles in 28:00.
Sunday afternoon, James and I stopped at Cotulla, TX for a quick run, he did 2.5 miles and I did 3.19. Beautiful weather, sunny and mid 70 temps, ahhhhhhh.
Monday was a rest day. We did stop at a steakhouse at Kerens, TX that we'd been meaning to try. OHMYGOSH, we have been missing out!!! Both of us ordered the brisket lunch special--huge portions of brisket, mashed potatoes, veggies, dessert, 2 coffees, 1 iced tea, and tip for under $20. It was delicious, awesome service, and cheap!!!!!! That's such a rare find anymore.
I also got pulled over east of Malakoff for a random d.o.t. inspection Monday afternoon, blech. James had gotten stopped at the last red light in town so I was just doing about 50 mph in a 60 mph zone waiting on him--Texas has higher speed zones in the rural areas on back roads--and I guess the cop thought I had something to hide. He realized why I was going so slow when I started waving at James as he passed me so made it a quick inspection. Had the lights, horn, and paperwork checked--came out clear of course, nothing on my record and my log was up-to-date. Quick note, the area I was stopped was a 4 lane highway with turn lanes so I wasn't obstructing traffic by going slower so no grumbles please about me holding up traffic.
Had to drop my tractor off at the shop again Tues., having exhaust problems again, yuck.
Tuesday afternoon was a 4.35 mile run, James followed me on his mountain bike and once we got on the bicycle trail nobody else was about so we turned Elsie loose to let her chase him and run off her excess energy. By the way, my dog has decided that she doesn't want to run unless both of us are there. If it's just me, she sits her ass down after a 1/4 of a mile and refuses to move.
Wed. run was with James so started with a .53 mile walk to warm up then ran 3.97 miles. Elsie kept pulling and didn't calm down until about the 40 minute mark so my back is sore on the left side. I'm going to try the 2 leash thing tomorrow where you wrap one around your waist and then hook the other leash to it. It's supposed to leave your hands free and the dog shouldn't pull you around as much. Hope it works.
December's mileage was 98.2 miles ran and 44.7 miles biked. Should have got out and ran 1.8 miles yesterday afternoon to make it an even 100, ahhh, junk miles.
Saturday must have been the day for bricks, Arland posted that he'd done one that day too, LOL! Anyway, met with the Searcy group and did a kind of easy 13.47 miles (did include some sprints and one legged drills). It was almost the perfect temp for a ride, I was able to wear shorts and ended up unzipping my jacket before the 1/2 way point. The only downside was that it was humid, damp, and windy--our bicycles and legs were FILTHY by the end from all the road spray, yuck. The wind did make it tough when you were having to ride into it, I was barely doing 9 mph at one point and was also getting knocked sideways while we were on Queensway. So we've got the 30 mph gusts of wind and what do I decide to do once I get home? Why, I put on my running shorts and shoes and do a 5k around the neighborhood. You want a whole new level of torture then do a brick!!!!!! My legs felt like blocks of lead and I was gasping like a freight train from trying to run in the humidity and wind. Got it done though and in a reasonable amount of time--3.1 miles in 28:00.
Sunday afternoon, James and I stopped at Cotulla, TX for a quick run, he did 2.5 miles and I did 3.19. Beautiful weather, sunny and mid 70 temps, ahhhhhhh.
Monday was a rest day. We did stop at a steakhouse at Kerens, TX that we'd been meaning to try. OHMYGOSH, we have been missing out!!! Both of us ordered the brisket lunch special--huge portions of brisket, mashed potatoes, veggies, dessert, 2 coffees, 1 iced tea, and tip for under $20. It was delicious, awesome service, and cheap!!!!!! That's such a rare find anymore.
I also got pulled over east of Malakoff for a random d.o.t. inspection Monday afternoon, blech. James had gotten stopped at the last red light in town so I was just doing about 50 mph in a 60 mph zone waiting on him--Texas has higher speed zones in the rural areas on back roads--and I guess the cop thought I had something to hide. He realized why I was going so slow when I started waving at James as he passed me so made it a quick inspection. Had the lights, horn, and paperwork checked--came out clear of course, nothing on my record and my log was up-to-date. Quick note, the area I was stopped was a 4 lane highway with turn lanes so I wasn't obstructing traffic by going slower so no grumbles please about me holding up traffic.
Had to drop my tractor off at the shop again Tues., having exhaust problems again, yuck.
Tuesday afternoon was a 4.35 mile run, James followed me on his mountain bike and once we got on the bicycle trail nobody else was about so we turned Elsie loose to let her chase him and run off her excess energy. By the way, my dog has decided that she doesn't want to run unless both of us are there. If it's just me, she sits her ass down after a 1/4 of a mile and refuses to move.
Wed. run was with James so started with a .53 mile walk to warm up then ran 3.97 miles. Elsie kept pulling and didn't calm down until about the 40 minute mark so my back is sore on the left side. I'm going to try the 2 leash thing tomorrow where you wrap one around your waist and then hook the other leash to it. It's supposed to leave your hands free and the dog shouldn't pull you around as much. Hope it works.
December's mileage was 98.2 miles ran and 44.7 miles biked. Should have got out and ran 1.8 miles yesterday afternoon to make it an even 100, ahhh, junk miles.
Where did the year go?
Wow, can't believe it's a new year already. It seems like 2008 flew by!!!!!! Anyway, Brenda asked for everybody to post their yearly recaps so here goes.
Running--928.1 miles
Cycling--1116.2 miles
Races and Tours
11 5ks (p.r. 23:56)
2 4 milers (p.r. 34:27)
2 10ks (p.r. 52:53)
1 15k (1:24:05)
1 1/2 marathon (2:16:01)
1 duathlon (1:20:41)
1 century (BDB 100)
2-30 milers (Tour de Rock and Tour de Pumpkin)
I also had 1 broken clavicle, my first ever broken bone :-( due to a bicycle wreck and 1 broken tooth from trying to rollerskate at my nephew's birthday party. If it hadn't been for the broken collarbone this would have been my first full year of running (was out May 4th thru the middle of June). Didn't quite meet one of my goals for 2008 of trying to run at least 1 race a month--missed June and December. June was because of the clavicle, December I just couldn't get motivated to get out and drive to any of the races nearby.
What else? I'm learning to mountain bike (lots of new bruises and cuts!) and learned to play disc golf. Our Sunday disc golf games have been postponed until warmer weather but it is so much fun!
The best part of 2008 though has been meeting new friends!!!! Annette, Arland, Susan, and Terry are just a few I met through the blogosphere. The Cabot Cruiser group is fast becoming a second family (Annette, Arland, Bailey and Brenda esp. but everybody is great!).
Running--928.1 miles
Cycling--1116.2 miles
Races and Tours
11 5ks (p.r. 23:56)
2 4 milers (p.r. 34:27)
2 10ks (p.r. 52:53)
1 15k (1:24:05)
1 1/2 marathon (2:16:01)
1 duathlon (1:20:41)
1 century (BDB 100)
2-30 milers (Tour de Rock and Tour de Pumpkin)
I also had 1 broken clavicle, my first ever broken bone :-( due to a bicycle wreck and 1 broken tooth from trying to rollerskate at my nephew's birthday party. If it hadn't been for the broken collarbone this would have been my first full year of running (was out May 4th thru the middle of June). Didn't quite meet one of my goals for 2008 of trying to run at least 1 race a month--missed June and December. June was because of the clavicle, December I just couldn't get motivated to get out and drive to any of the races nearby.
What else? I'm learning to mountain bike (lots of new bruises and cuts!) and learned to play disc golf. Our Sunday disc golf games have been postponed until warmer weather but it is so much fun!
The best part of 2008 though has been meeting new friends!!!! Annette, Arland, Susan, and Terry are just a few I met through the blogosphere. The Cabot Cruiser group is fast becoming a second family (Annette, Arland, Bailey and Brenda esp. but everybody is great!).
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