No true long run scheduled for this past week, just several medium length runs so it's felt kinda odd.
Monday--at home. Ran 6.11 miles in 58:06 solo. Forgot about school being back in session so was almost ran over a few times by frantic students, mothers, teachers, and one school bus driver. Afterwards ran/walked 3 miles in 40:53 with James and Elsie.
Tuesday--had to stop at NLR to shop to have trailer repaired. Ended up running laps around the truck yard and down the access road over and over. Hot, humid, and boring but squeezed in a nice tempo run of 4.01 miles in 34:41. It was a good prep for the XC 10k coming up in October since a quarter of each lap was done on grass and dirt. Our pickup is parked there and I originally intended to drive to the Rivertrail but it ended up being at afternoon rush hour so was going to spend more time driving than running. Besides it's good for me to practice what I preach about using what you have at hand when fitting in a workout while working. Still boring as all get out though, lol.....
Wednesday--rest day
Thursday--6 miles at Encinal, TX in 1:05:45. Part of this was run/walk with James. Same old refrain of hot and humid. Did check out part of the town but there were so many dogs running loose that we had to cut that short. We stopped to read the war memorial (WWI, WWII, Korean conflict, and Vietnam), very interesting to see the same surnames listed over and over. After the town portion we headed out on the frontage road going north which was kind of a mistake. Chip seal roads are HARD on the legs........Plus reflect the sun back hellaciously......
Friday--We lollygagged on the way home this week and ended up sleeping at Mt. Vernon, TX which is one of my favorite places to run. However my plans to workout there were very rudely interrupted by a huge thunderstorm. Lots of lightning and the roads were flooding when we pulled out. Something just behind the back of my trailer was struck by lightning right after it started so I'm extremely glad that I hadn't left out to run before the skies opened up. I love running in the rain but not when sizzling bolts that can fry you are involved..........
Anyway since the morning run was nixed it was Friday evening at home before I could get out. Did 6.17 miles in 1:02:19, had one walk break because my tummy was acting up. It wasn't very hot but it was humid......My legs were also achy from the tilted chip-seal roads the day before. Oh, one cool thing, one of our neighbors had rented a horse-drawn Cinderella carriage for a daughter's birthday party. Very surreal turning the block and meeting this on the road :)
Saturday--had planned to join the Bike City fun ride but couldn't get James pried out of bed. Around lunch we did pull out the mountain bikes to just tool around town and get some errands done at the same time. I always love this, feel just like a kid again. Put in just over 8 miles just playing.....Ran 4.13 miles in 43:49 with Elsie, the time includes walk breaks for her.
Sunday--Wanted to get back to morning workouts--ran 5.67 miles in 54:37 solo then was stretching when James ambled through and wanted me to go out with him on his run...........Wasn't thrilled about it because I was tired already from 2 workouts so close together in time but couldn't exactly say no if he was motivated to get out there. I did ask him why he didn't get up when I did and his reply was "Because you didn't tell me to." ARGH!!!!!!!!!! Men. I did another 3.72 miles with him in 49:52 (run/walk)
Later yesterday afternoon I met up with some of the Cabot crew for a 20-30 mile ride. I think it ended up being around 23.5 miles. My sensor for the computer was messing up so 3/4 of the time I had no clue what my speed or mileage was. Interestingly enough I had the cadence reading for the entire ride. Awesome ride, beautiful weather, mostly women so great conversation! I'm fast getting out of cycling shape though :-(. Had just enough mix of easy stuff, hard sprints, flat road, and hills. A couple of friends have new tri bikes and boy oh boy could they fly down the hills. Well, Arland can fly up the hills too! I could keep Cindy just within reach on the flats and uphills (except towards the end) but that aero position downhill, WOW........Even with me scrunching down as low as possible there was no way in the world I could match her downhill speeds. Each descent put her so much farther in front of me there was no catching her :).
Weekly totals
Running 38.81 miles (think this is my highest week ever)
Cycling 31.68 miles
no weights but I did pushups and chinups on a couple of days
31 August 2009
28 August 2009
Tour de Rock photos
Wow, am I ever late in posting these! Had to get a friend to scan them in for me since our scanner is not completely functional right now. Top pic is from the finish line (I did the metric century this year) and bottom pic is during the ride. The guy behind me is one of my Searcy training partners or was until I decided to do a marathon and iron the GP series this year instead of the BDB 100.
Blogger is driving me crazy--the past 2 posts with pics are not publishing the way I edited them, grrr. Any suggestions? I've edited this post 4 times.........
22 August 2009
weekly workout recap
Ok, technically week isn't over until tomorrow but I plan to spend time with James instead of the computer most of Sunday. Won't be long and involved because I'm still feeling melancholy. I'm also not sure that most people are interested in this but Terry left me a comment last week saying that she liked following my progress, so there!
Monday--3.59 run/walk with Elsie and James before we left. Met some of the Kenyans that attend Harding on the trail while out. It's always such a joy to meet them while out running, always friendly and they make it look so easy. Also did a full body strength and abs workout. BTW, James' run segments are getting to be much longer in time again.
Tuesday--7.25 mile hilly run in 1:11:08 at Hurricane Mills, TN. Started out slow and had 3 walk breaks but was cooking right along by the end. Felt very good!
Wednesday--Load turned hot so rest day
Thursday--6.27 miles in S. Texas in 1:08:44. First 3.5 miles were a run/walk with James, he ran more than he walked today, woo-hoo! Remainder was solo and I included some running drills at the end (skipping, grapevine, butt kicks). Another great run.
Friday--3.15 miles at Prescott, AR in 29:11 (forgot to turn Garmin off immediately so have some extra time with no running, blech). Started out slow but ran the 2nd half much faster. Powered up the big hill on the Industrial Road with a sub 7 minute mile pace (6:22 at one point) while listening to LL Cool J's "It's Time for War". I'm sure the log truck driver got a big laugh out of me pumping up my arms after I got the to the top but hey, I was feeling pretty darn good at making it up that fast :-).
Saturday--13.23 miles in 2:02:41. Did the first 6+ miles with Brenda, Cindy, Lisa, Jackie, Mark, and Robert then met back at the school for the memorial run at 7 am (short break here approx. 10 minutes). James also ran this part (he did 3.39 miles, YAY!). After about 1.5 miles the large group started splitting up depending on the distances and times and I finished up with Brenda, Cindy, and Lisa. Felt surprisingly good considering I couldn't sleep worth anything last night and was stumbling around like a zombie this morning.
Totals so far this week
Cycling--zilch (grrr, miss my rides)
Strength--1 workout
Running--33.49 miles
Hope to get a ride in tomorrow but found out this afternoon that the friend I've been riding with on Sunday mornings had a bicycle wreck yesterday. Aly, hope you're feeling better.
Monday--3.59 run/walk with Elsie and James before we left. Met some of the Kenyans that attend Harding on the trail while out. It's always such a joy to meet them while out running, always friendly and they make it look so easy. Also did a full body strength and abs workout. BTW, James' run segments are getting to be much longer in time again.
Tuesday--7.25 mile hilly run in 1:11:08 at Hurricane Mills, TN. Started out slow and had 3 walk breaks but was cooking right along by the end. Felt very good!
Wednesday--Load turned hot so rest day
Thursday--6.27 miles in S. Texas in 1:08:44. First 3.5 miles were a run/walk with James, he ran more than he walked today, woo-hoo! Remainder was solo and I included some running drills at the end (skipping, grapevine, butt kicks). Another great run.
Friday--3.15 miles at Prescott, AR in 29:11 (forgot to turn Garmin off immediately so have some extra time with no running, blech). Started out slow but ran the 2nd half much faster. Powered up the big hill on the Industrial Road with a sub 7 minute mile pace (6:22 at one point) while listening to LL Cool J's "It's Time for War". I'm sure the log truck driver got a big laugh out of me pumping up my arms after I got the to the top but hey, I was feeling pretty darn good at making it up that fast :-).
Saturday--13.23 miles in 2:02:41. Did the first 6+ miles with Brenda, Cindy, Lisa, Jackie, Mark, and Robert then met back at the school for the memorial run at 7 am (short break here approx. 10 minutes). James also ran this part (he did 3.39 miles, YAY!). After about 1.5 miles the large group started splitting up depending on the distances and times and I finished up with Brenda, Cindy, and Lisa. Felt surprisingly good considering I couldn't sleep worth anything last night and was stumbling around like a zombie this morning.
Totals so far this week
Cycling--zilch (grrr, miss my rides)
Strength--1 workout
Running--33.49 miles
Hope to get a ride in tomorrow but found out this afternoon that the friend I've been riding with on Sunday mornings had a bicycle wreck yesterday. Aly, hope you're feeling better.
Friends
I found out Wed. that a friend's husband passed away suddenly Tuesday night (heart attack). I just feel so inadequate when trying to express my feelings on this........I never met Vicki's husband more than a couple of times but he had such an unique and easygoing personality that you couldn't help but be charmed by this Southern gentleman. Actually James got to spend more time speaking with him than I did and always enjoyed his company immensely. 63 is way too young for him to have left us.
Today at 7 a.m. as many of the Cabot Cruisers that could make it ran the first mile in Lay's memory and to show our love and support for Ms. Vicki. 51 of us were able to do this and I know many others that couldn't be here ran and/or thought of these two wonderful people at this time. Vicki was my first introduction to the wonderful family that is the Cruisers and I am oh so grateful for this. Much love to you.......................
Today at 7 a.m. as many of the Cabot Cruisers that could make it ran the first mile in Lay's memory and to show our love and support for Ms. Vicki. 51 of us were able to do this and I know many others that couldn't be here ran and/or thought of these two wonderful people at this time. Vicki was my first introduction to the wonderful family that is the Cruisers and I am oh so grateful for this. Much love to you.......................
16 August 2009
Eh week
Not a bad week nor a good one, just eh..................
Did manage to get a Tuesday Mt. Juliet pickup and even though James' appt wasn't until Wednesday he went ahead and drove over with me so that we could enjoy each other's company for at least a short while. As of today we both have Tuesday pickups for the coming week so maybe things are starting to get back to normal. Fingers are crossed :-).
I finally sat down and wrote my marathon training plan into the calendar and my, oh my, has the reality of what I'm trying to accomplish hit home. Not quite sure what little sanity I have left is going to survive this........Anyway today was the end of week 4 of a 16 week training plan.
Monday--rest day, ran 2.01 easy miles with Elsie
Tuesday--4.14 mile run and 1 mile with James around outlet mall. Boring scenery but was happy to be out with James
Wednesday--6 miles at Mt. Vernon, TX. Finally made it into the downtown area to run the square. Very pretty, I love small towns that have put some effort into restoring and maintaining their downtowns. 6 chin-ups at Salado rest area
Thursday--Rest!!!!!!! Did walk around quite a bit shopping while I was waiting for a dispatch and James to get to Laredo
Friday--4.23 miles with James at Von Ormy, TX. Flat road across from the Love's fuel stop, new asphalt on a fair bit of it that felt nice and spongy. Did 8 1/4 mile intervals since it was such a flat area. Hot, sunny, humid, hot...........my interval times sucked. Did calisthenics while walking Elsie in the afternoon at a picnic area, 4 x 25 pushups, 3 x 10 straight leg dips, 4 x 15 sets of walking lunges, 50 twist crunches and 2 sets of side planks.
Saturday--3.38 miles with Elsie at River Trail after James and I dropped our trucks off at International dealer for warranty/recall work (fuel tanks had no crossover lines so if electric pump went out on one you'd only be able to draw fuel off of the other side). Elsie received lots of "awww how cute" comments :-).
Sunday--10 mile long run. I wanted to meet Alyson between 0630-0700 and that meant I had to get out and run before dawn--by myself :(. I'm okay running solo up to 7-8 miles but anything more than that is just miserable. Tummy issues resulted in 2 stops back at my house so having to stick to the neighborhood was kind of a good thing albeit very boring. When I had just under 2 miles left I made a third stop at the house to wake up James so he could load up our bicycles and gear while I finished up the run. Made it back with less than 30 minutes to spare in order to change clothes and grab a quick bite to eat. Whew! We then rode 22.93 miles (by my computer) in 2 hours. That time doesn't include water breaks and the stop to refill water bottles.
Weekly totals--29.76 miles ran (28 on schedule, fall back week)
22.93 cycled (pitiful)
strength training--not near enough.
I did skip a duathlon on Saturday that I had really, really, really wanted to do but the 3 races in a row combined with a messed up work schedule has left me mentally exhausted. Several friends did race it and at least two did the triathlon so I'm sad that I missed it--but I needed the mental break more.
Did manage to get a Tuesday Mt. Juliet pickup and even though James' appt wasn't until Wednesday he went ahead and drove over with me so that we could enjoy each other's company for at least a short while. As of today we both have Tuesday pickups for the coming week so maybe things are starting to get back to normal. Fingers are crossed :-).
I finally sat down and wrote my marathon training plan into the calendar and my, oh my, has the reality of what I'm trying to accomplish hit home. Not quite sure what little sanity I have left is going to survive this........Anyway today was the end of week 4 of a 16 week training plan.
Monday--rest day, ran 2.01 easy miles with Elsie
Tuesday--4.14 mile run and 1 mile with James around outlet mall. Boring scenery but was happy to be out with James
Wednesday--6 miles at Mt. Vernon, TX. Finally made it into the downtown area to run the square. Very pretty, I love small towns that have put some effort into restoring and maintaining their downtowns. 6 chin-ups at Salado rest area
Thursday--Rest!!!!!!! Did walk around quite a bit shopping while I was waiting for a dispatch and James to get to Laredo
Friday--4.23 miles with James at Von Ormy, TX. Flat road across from the Love's fuel stop, new asphalt on a fair bit of it that felt nice and spongy. Did 8 1/4 mile intervals since it was such a flat area. Hot, sunny, humid, hot...........my interval times sucked. Did calisthenics while walking Elsie in the afternoon at a picnic area, 4 x 25 pushups, 3 x 10 straight leg dips, 4 x 15 sets of walking lunges, 50 twist crunches and 2 sets of side planks.
Saturday--3.38 miles with Elsie at River Trail after James and I dropped our trucks off at International dealer for warranty/recall work (fuel tanks had no crossover lines so if electric pump went out on one you'd only be able to draw fuel off of the other side). Elsie received lots of "awww how cute" comments :-).
Sunday--10 mile long run. I wanted to meet Alyson between 0630-0700 and that meant I had to get out and run before dawn--by myself :(. I'm okay running solo up to 7-8 miles but anything more than that is just miserable. Tummy issues resulted in 2 stops back at my house so having to stick to the neighborhood was kind of a good thing albeit very boring. When I had just under 2 miles left I made a third stop at the house to wake up James so he could load up our bicycles and gear while I finished up the run. Made it back with less than 30 minutes to spare in order to change clothes and grab a quick bite to eat. Whew! We then rode 22.93 miles (by my computer) in 2 hours. That time doesn't include water breaks and the stop to refill water bottles.
Weekly totals--29.76 miles ran (28 on schedule, fall back week)
22.93 cycled (pitiful)
strength training--not near enough.
I did skip a duathlon on Saturday that I had really, really, really wanted to do but the 3 races in a row combined with a messed up work schedule has left me mentally exhausted. Several friends did race it and at least two did the triathlon so I'm sad that I missed it--but I needed the mental break more.
09 August 2009
Why Running Clubs Rock
I was seriously dreading today's 12 mile long run. Thought I was going to have to do it solo and just wasn't in the mood for it. Fortunately I'd posted on my running club's forum Friday night asking if anybody was planning long runs on Sunday. Gotta tell you, my club never lets me down! Made plans to meet 3-4 friends and had a wonderful time yakking and running. Not all the running was pleasant but it was bearable even though it seemed way too hilly at times :-).
So my advice to everybody out there who runs or wants to run, find a club to join. Yes, that means you Terry! All paces and abilities are welcome and if they're not, find a different club 'cause that one most definitely does not rock :(.
A good club will usually result in great friends, help motivate you, praise you when you're doing great, and sympathize when things suck. It will also improve your abilities (improve your form, time, etc) and slow you down when you need to be doing easy long distance runs.
Oh, did I mention great friends? That's the most important part!
So my advice to everybody out there who runs or wants to run, find a club to join. Yes, that means you Terry! All paces and abilities are welcome and if they're not, find a different club 'cause that one most definitely does not rock :(.
A good club will usually result in great friends, help motivate you, praise you when you're doing great, and sympathize when things suck. It will also improve your abilities (improve your form, time, etc) and slow you down when you need to be doing easy long distance runs.
Oh, did I mention great friends? That's the most important part!
My lucky running skirt
I love running skirts, they are oh so cute on but I don't feel fast in them. And if you're a runner who also dabbles in races much like this midpack age-grouper then you know it's important to feel "fast" even if you're not a front of the pack speedster. Hey, it's mind games but if it works, then it works. I'll take every advantage that I can get ;-). As a result, most of my races are run in Nike tempo shorts.
Just a tad over 3 weeks ago I wandered into Hibbett's here in Searcy with a $20 coupon, my intention was to buy a 2nd pair of running shoes but I took a detour into the clothes section. And it was there that I found it--a Nike running skirt that looked fast as well as cute. I kept waffling back and forth on buying it, after all $60 is quite a chunk of change for running apparel (shoes are a different story). Well, that running skirt went home with me after about 30 minutes deliberation.
It's..............Perfect! It's shorter than most running skirts, wicks like a dream, has a zippered back pocket big enough to fit my Iphone in, and it's just darn cute......I've also set 2 personal records in that skirt so there was no contest about packing it with me this week for the Watermelon 5k. It had become my lucky running skirt, I was sure to have a fantastic race again I thought. Well, I thought my lucky running skirt let me down today (yes, I know in reality it was my lack of eating that did me in, but bear with me) and was lamenting to James about how it was no longer a good luck charm.
James, however, in all his wonderful wisdom, pointed out that I still placed in my age group (1st, unless they find some more errors like in the 30-34 group) and I was able to finish the race without puking or passing out despite my poor judgement in fueling (or non-fueling). Therefore the skirt was still my lucky running skirt! Oh, happy day!!!!!!
Ok, ok, this is a silly post but I do love this skirt. As a matter of fact, James suggested that I go buy a 2nd one but I think that would just jinx my new-found good luck charm.
Just a tad over 3 weeks ago I wandered into Hibbett's here in Searcy with a $20 coupon, my intention was to buy a 2nd pair of running shoes but I took a detour into the clothes section. And it was there that I found it--a Nike running skirt that looked fast as well as cute. I kept waffling back and forth on buying it, after all $60 is quite a chunk of change for running apparel (shoes are a different story). Well, that running skirt went home with me after about 30 minutes deliberation.
It's..............Perfect! It's shorter than most running skirts, wicks like a dream, has a zippered back pocket big enough to fit my Iphone in, and it's just darn cute......I've also set 2 personal records in that skirt so there was no contest about packing it with me this week for the Watermelon 5k. It had become my lucky running skirt, I was sure to have a fantastic race again I thought. Well, I thought my lucky running skirt let me down today (yes, I know in reality it was my lack of eating that did me in, but bear with me) and was lamenting to James about how it was no longer a good luck charm.
James, however, in all his wonderful wisdom, pointed out that I still placed in my age group (1st, unless they find some more errors like in the 30-34 group) and I was able to finish the race without puking or passing out despite my poor judgement in fueling (or non-fueling). Therefore the skirt was still my lucky running skirt! Oh, happy day!!!!!!
Ok, ok, this is a silly post but I do love this skirt. As a matter of fact, James suggested that I go buy a 2nd one but I think that would just jinx my new-found good luck charm.
Watermelon 5k (and the week leading up to it)
Race #12 of the state Grand Prix is done, whew! Wow, was it hot!!! I also had some issues with my pre-race fueling this morning so it wasn't the race I would have liked.
If you read my previous post "Food for Thought" then you know all about my blood-sugar issues. This morning I didn't get my usual 300-400 calories and tried to make do with a 100 calorie pack of almonds. Well, short story, my body didn't like the calorie deficit and I was having problems even before the race started. During my warm-up run I started feeling kind of weak and was sweating profusely. In fact I was sweating so much more than usual I had a friend comment before race start about it. I then told a couple more friends what was going on so that if I did happen to have any major problems they would know what to tell the race officials if anything happened. I did have to back off the speed and fell right back into my default 5k time, the 25 minute range, today it was 25:10 :-(. Oh well, live and learn.
Had a Wednesday pickup (had to trade with James again) so didn't get back into Arkansas until Friday night. I did make arrangements with another group of friends (thanks Patti and Brice!) to pick me up in Hope so I wouldn't have to drive all the way to N. Little Rock then back down. That saved me time and money! Just slept in the big truck Friday night and while I was out racing I ran the a.p.u. for Elsie so she could have air conditioning in familiar surroundings.
Oh, jeez, this is going to be a convoluted post.........Going to be working my way backwards just like the foreign movies James hates so much, LOL.....Or maybe not, let's start back with the first of the week.
Monday--visit with sis, nephew, neice, and Mike. Planned on a yoga class in Cabot that evening but screwed up the timing on leaving Russellville, driving back to Searcy to change, and driving back to Cabot. A smart person would have packed their workout clothes and bypassed the trip back to Searcy ;). No yoga for me after all.
Tuesday--3 mile run in the middle of the day because I slept in! Did manage to leave out early and would have made it to Mt. Juliet right at 9:30 pm except for this nasty line of storms that was producing 70-80 mph straight lines winds. Shut down earlier than planned, no use in pushing things when I'm that close and have plenty of time. Truck stop filled up within a matter of minutes after I got there. Also did 20 pushups and 30 lunges on Elsie's walk break before the sun went down.
Wednesday--Woke up early for my 6 mile hilly run at Hurricane Mills. Absolutely fantastic run!!!!!!!!! Beautiful morning, perfect temperature, felt AWESOME. When you have that great of a workout, you just know the rest of the day is going to be good. Saw 2 chipmunks, several squirrels, 1 rabbit, and another runner :-). The latter was a first for me there but he wasn't a local, he was staying in the nearby motel. He also didn't venture out on the dirt and gravel road, shoot, that's the best part if you haven't pulled a muscle in your hip the night before, LOL. The trailer I picked up didn't have 10 zillion things wrong (just one!) and it was light, under 6,000 lbs. I was pulling the hills like a large car. Shop foreman at NLR joked with me that I only had 2500 more trailers to go before I had the entire fleet repaired. It's getting to be ridiculous, sometimes I swear James and I are the only two that bother writing things up. BTW, he also worked on my trailer personally and asked about my running/cycling distances. I think he was kind of impressed the day he caught me doing pushups with my feet elevated off the truck step.
Thursday--run rest day +I was trying to get to Laredo as quickly as possible. Was on schedule to get there and dropped before sundown (no backups in Austin or San Antonio) but ran over something between our yard and the customer that was bad enough to cause a flat tire. Sooo, had to turn around and sit in line to get tire replaced. 2.5 hours blown.................
Friday--woke up before dawn to drive to Pearsall for my workout (it's mostly flat) and got out a good solid 5.75 miles. Not a spectacularly great run but it was okay, no issues. Later in the day I did 50 pushups (broke down into 3 sets) and 50 lunges. Traffic was good through Austin again which is surprising since it was Friday). I even made it to Hope before the sun went down, yay. Except for the tire the night before, this week has gone amazingly well.
I am sooo very tired though, 3 races in a row and only the first one had enough time to give me a rest day between driving and racing. It's wearing on me both emotionally and physically. This coming week I'm picking up on Tuesday so if everything goes well I may be able to do the duathlon that's in Lake DeGray on Saturday. I haven't pre-registered for it because of the messed up work schedule and it's not a g.p. race so it's not a must-do for me, just a would like to do.
My LBS bike mechanic invited me to ride with him and his friends in the morning but I have a 12 mile run to do first thing. Want to get it done before it's sweltering out. If I'm feeling ok in the afternoon may try to get a short ride in. Great thing is that I'm meeting friends so the 12 miles should fly by! I am missing the cycling with my Searcy people though!
If you read my previous post "Food for Thought" then you know all about my blood-sugar issues. This morning I didn't get my usual 300-400 calories and tried to make do with a 100 calorie pack of almonds. Well, short story, my body didn't like the calorie deficit and I was having problems even before the race started. During my warm-up run I started feeling kind of weak and was sweating profusely. In fact I was sweating so much more than usual I had a friend comment before race start about it. I then told a couple more friends what was going on so that if I did happen to have any major problems they would know what to tell the race officials if anything happened. I did have to back off the speed and fell right back into my default 5k time, the 25 minute range, today it was 25:10 :-(. Oh well, live and learn.
Had a Wednesday pickup (had to trade with James again) so didn't get back into Arkansas until Friday night. I did make arrangements with another group of friends (thanks Patti and Brice!) to pick me up in Hope so I wouldn't have to drive all the way to N. Little Rock then back down. That saved me time and money! Just slept in the big truck Friday night and while I was out racing I ran the a.p.u. for Elsie so she could have air conditioning in familiar surroundings.
Oh, jeez, this is going to be a convoluted post.........Going to be working my way backwards just like the foreign movies James hates so much, LOL.....Or maybe not, let's start back with the first of the week.
Monday--visit with sis, nephew, neice, and Mike. Planned on a yoga class in Cabot that evening but screwed up the timing on leaving Russellville, driving back to Searcy to change, and driving back to Cabot. A smart person would have packed their workout clothes and bypassed the trip back to Searcy ;). No yoga for me after all.
Tuesday--3 mile run in the middle of the day because I slept in! Did manage to leave out early and would have made it to Mt. Juliet right at 9:30 pm except for this nasty line of storms that was producing 70-80 mph straight lines winds. Shut down earlier than planned, no use in pushing things when I'm that close and have plenty of time. Truck stop filled up within a matter of minutes after I got there. Also did 20 pushups and 30 lunges on Elsie's walk break before the sun went down.
Wednesday--Woke up early for my 6 mile hilly run at Hurricane Mills. Absolutely fantastic run!!!!!!!!! Beautiful morning, perfect temperature, felt AWESOME. When you have that great of a workout, you just know the rest of the day is going to be good. Saw 2 chipmunks, several squirrels, 1 rabbit, and another runner :-). The latter was a first for me there but he wasn't a local, he was staying in the nearby motel. He also didn't venture out on the dirt and gravel road, shoot, that's the best part if you haven't pulled a muscle in your hip the night before, LOL. The trailer I picked up didn't have 10 zillion things wrong (just one!) and it was light, under 6,000 lbs. I was pulling the hills like a large car. Shop foreman at NLR joked with me that I only had 2500 more trailers to go before I had the entire fleet repaired. It's getting to be ridiculous, sometimes I swear James and I are the only two that bother writing things up. BTW, he also worked on my trailer personally and asked about my running/cycling distances. I think he was kind of impressed the day he caught me doing pushups with my feet elevated off the truck step.
Thursday--run rest day +I was trying to get to Laredo as quickly as possible. Was on schedule to get there and dropped before sundown (no backups in Austin or San Antonio) but ran over something between our yard and the customer that was bad enough to cause a flat tire. Sooo, had to turn around and sit in line to get tire replaced. 2.5 hours blown.................
Friday--woke up before dawn to drive to Pearsall for my workout (it's mostly flat) and got out a good solid 5.75 miles. Not a spectacularly great run but it was okay, no issues. Later in the day I did 50 pushups (broke down into 3 sets) and 50 lunges. Traffic was good through Austin again which is surprising since it was Friday). I even made it to Hope before the sun went down, yay. Except for the tire the night before, this week has gone amazingly well.
I am sooo very tired though, 3 races in a row and only the first one had enough time to give me a rest day between driving and racing. It's wearing on me both emotionally and physically. This coming week I'm picking up on Tuesday so if everything goes well I may be able to do the duathlon that's in Lake DeGray on Saturday. I haven't pre-registered for it because of the messed up work schedule and it's not a g.p. race so it's not a must-do for me, just a would like to do.
My LBS bike mechanic invited me to ride with him and his friends in the morning but I have a 12 mile run to do first thing. Want to get it done before it's sweltering out. If I'm feeling ok in the afternoon may try to get a short ride in. Great thing is that I'm meeting friends so the 12 miles should fly by! I am missing the cycling with my Searcy people though!
08 August 2009
Food for Thought
Ok, at what point did I start thinking of food as "fuel" rather than, well, food? I had a slight issue with my mild hypoglycemia this morning because of improper eating. As I was discussing it with a few friends afterwards I noticed that I kept referring to what normal people would call meals as fueling. Kind of mildly bumfuzzled on the way home I started trying to trace this back to its start and I DON'T KNOW! I've been doing it for at least the past year so I'm guessing that it started about the time I started seriously training for my first century ride, the Big Dam Bridge 100.
Since I was already on this train of thought, it took a mild detour into my eating habits. As I've gotten more fit and serious about training I've found that there a lot of foods that I no longer eat. Some are just no-brainers, cut out the majority of soda (it's now a treat rather than a habit), drink more water, eat less red meat. You know, just eating better foods. Other foods I just CAN'T eat if I want to run/cycle/workout because if I do consume them they will result in butt explosions. yeah, yeah, I know it's gross but it's also the most apt description.
But I got started wondering did I always have issues with these foods and I'm just now noticing the results. Or is it a case of my body just isn't tolerating them now. Hmmm, as the title states "Food for Thought."
Ice cream and milk I've always had trouble with but would put up with the resulting pain just because I wanted the instant gratification. Now, when I crave ice cream, I just stop and think about my workout schedule. If a run or cycle session is the next day I just ask myself is it worth a possible emergency trip into the woods. It's usually not ;-).
However, other foods are a surprise to me. Peanut butter is giving me issues (surprisingly I'm ok with Nutella, mmmm, hazelnuts!). I have to watch out for the overly processed breads. Artificial sweeteners are a sure way for my belly to resemble something from the "Alien" movie. Gu brand gels can cause my blood sugar to plummet resulting in the oh so fun shaky feeling. Spicy foods are on the do not eat the day before a run list. Fried foods (even my beloved fried okra) is becoming something I HAVE to avoid, not just should avoid.
Now let's go back to this morning. As I wrote earlier, I'm mildly hypoglycemic which means my blood sugar will drop too low if I'm not eating properly. This pretty much means I have to eat something, usually a carb/protein mix, every 2-3 hours. If I don't I get shaky, weak, and what I refer to as "hangry" which is hungry angry. When it reaches the hangry stage, watch out--I'm very bitchy, and most of the time I don't even realize why until I start counting back to the last time I ate. I've also passed out once due to the hypoglycemia, now I know the symptoms and will eat something pronto.
So the long way around ;), I'm one of those people that will eat before a race, even a 5k. I try to time it out so that any bathroom issues are resolved before race start and I always try to eat the same thing (McDonald's egg McMuffin, no meat, no cheese and 1/2 cup of coffee). I know exactly how my body will react and how long it takes to digest.
Life was so much easier when I didn't think of food as fuel but I must admit that I feel so much better now than 3 years ago.
Since I was already on this train of thought, it took a mild detour into my eating habits. As I've gotten more fit and serious about training I've found that there a lot of foods that I no longer eat. Some are just no-brainers, cut out the majority of soda (it's now a treat rather than a habit), drink more water, eat less red meat. You know, just eating better foods. Other foods I just CAN'T eat if I want to run/cycle/workout because if I do consume them they will result in butt explosions. yeah, yeah, I know it's gross but it's also the most apt description.
But I got started wondering did I always have issues with these foods and I'm just now noticing the results. Or is it a case of my body just isn't tolerating them now. Hmmm, as the title states "Food for Thought."
Ice cream and milk I've always had trouble with but would put up with the resulting pain just because I wanted the instant gratification. Now, when I crave ice cream, I just stop and think about my workout schedule. If a run or cycle session is the next day I just ask myself is it worth a possible emergency trip into the woods. It's usually not ;-).
However, other foods are a surprise to me. Peanut butter is giving me issues (surprisingly I'm ok with Nutella, mmmm, hazelnuts!). I have to watch out for the overly processed breads. Artificial sweeteners are a sure way for my belly to resemble something from the "Alien" movie. Gu brand gels can cause my blood sugar to plummet resulting in the oh so fun shaky feeling. Spicy foods are on the do not eat the day before a run list. Fried foods (even my beloved fried okra) is becoming something I HAVE to avoid, not just should avoid.
Now let's go back to this morning. As I wrote earlier, I'm mildly hypoglycemic which means my blood sugar will drop too low if I'm not eating properly. This pretty much means I have to eat something, usually a carb/protein mix, every 2-3 hours. If I don't I get shaky, weak, and what I refer to as "hangry" which is hungry angry. When it reaches the hangry stage, watch out--I'm very bitchy, and most of the time I don't even realize why until I start counting back to the last time I ate. I've also passed out once due to the hypoglycemia, now I know the symptoms and will eat something pronto.
So the long way around ;), I'm one of those people that will eat before a race, even a 5k. I try to time it out so that any bathroom issues are resolved before race start and I always try to eat the same thing (McDonald's egg McMuffin, no meat, no cheese and 1/2 cup of coffee). I know exactly how my body will react and how long it takes to digest.
Life was so much easier when I didn't think of food as fuel but I must admit that I feel so much better now than 3 years ago.
02 August 2009
Running on the road
Kind of an ambiguous title!
I do frequently get asked about how I manage to fit in my runs while I'm out driving during the week, i.e. how and where, so thought I would write a post about some of my favorite places to "hit the road."
First off, it is a fair bit easier for me in that I run a dedicated route. I'm rarely in a new place (although the Alabama stop has added in some variety) so I'm able to scope out the safer/interesting places ahead of time. On the other hand, I am female so it can be a tad more difficult. For example, I will rarely run at night and I almost always have to make sure I have a phone and/or pepper spray with me.
1)Buda, TX--I35, exit 220. Ample truck parking behind Cabela's and if you're wanting a safe fairly smooth route, you can do laps around the humongous parking lot. If you're a bit more adventurous take the sidewalk behind the truck parking area north to the stop light and turn left (west) into town. Sidewalk, then grass/dirt, then pavement. The city is also working on a very nice park that will offer some short off-road trails--yeah, I've already scoped it out even though the barricades say construction crews only ;-). Bathrooms available at Cabela's, Wal-Mart, and at the city park in the downtown. No showers though.
2)Lebanon, TN at the Pilot--I40, exit 238. Safe--run laps around the outlet mall across the street. Adventurous--follow the frontage road east until it dead-ends, at that point you can go across the road for short distance and turn back or turn right. Continue making rights and you'll eventually get back to the road for the Pilot. If you take the right turn option be prepared for uneven grass/gravel surface and some heavy traffic at times.
3)Hurricane Mills, TN--I40, exit 143. Two options here, both are hilly although the west route less so. East route is directly across the road from the Pilot truck entrance (also the truck exit for the dumbasses that can't read) and is very hilly and will turn into a dirt road. Parallels the interstate but is very wooded. West route is the first road north past the Pilot. Paved but you will have to get on the grass when traffic is coming at you. Most everybody gives you plenty of room though and waves. No bathrooms available once you leave the Pilot and surrounding businesses though.
4)Mt. Vernon, TX--I30, exit 146 and 147. Two fuel stops to park at here. I take the north side frontage road to get to a small road that's just west of the Love's and zig-zag my way into town. Service road to Gadlin then left on Franklin and right on Miller. Endless options to check out the town of Mt. Vernon then. There is also the frontage road option if you head west (less traffic than going east). Also if you can find a parking spot at either of the rest areas you can run the frontage road on both sides.
5)Cotulla and Pearsall, TX--I35, exits 67 and 101 respectively. Fuel stops at both these exits and you can run the frontage road at each location and head into town easily. Pearsall is flatter.
6)Kerens, TX--Hwy 31 east of Corsicana. Fuel stop next to a dollar store on west side of town. Cross the highway and explore the neighborhoods. Tree-covered and very friendly people. Downtown area is paved with bricks though so can be hard on the legs. Awesome steak house across the road, try the brisket if it's available :)
7)Dawson, TX--Hwy 31 west of Corsicana. The old truck stop is now a junk store so parking is limited, grrr. Explore the tiny town or head across the hwy to Ranch Rd 709 and run north. No bathrooms once you leave town though.
8)San Marcos, TX-I35, exit 200. Park at the Valero on the west side of the freeway and take Center Point Rd west to Hunter Rd, go either direction. Nice wide shoulders, outlet malls on the other side of the freeway, Starbucks and Whataburger south side of the fuel stop. Only downside is the crater holes in the dirt parking lot of the fuel stop. No showers though.
9)Salado, TX--I35, exit 282. Park at the fuel stop on the east side and run the frontage road south. Very hilly and very windy though. If you can catch the cafe open, excellent food, esp. the chili-burgers or huevos rancheros
10)Prescott, AR-I30, exit 44 or 46. Several fuel stops to park at. Run the frontage road on the south side or go south into town from the Love's at exit 46. Wide shoulders.
There are several other places that I will run at but these are among my favorites or the most easily accessible when you're in a big truck. Feel free to add suggestions in the comments if you're a truck driver with excellent running routes,or even if you're not a driver, just try and make sure it's a location with truck parking please.
I do frequently get asked about how I manage to fit in my runs while I'm out driving during the week, i.e. how and where, so thought I would write a post about some of my favorite places to "hit the road."
First off, it is a fair bit easier for me in that I run a dedicated route. I'm rarely in a new place (although the Alabama stop has added in some variety) so I'm able to scope out the safer/interesting places ahead of time. On the other hand, I am female so it can be a tad more difficult. For example, I will rarely run at night and I almost always have to make sure I have a phone and/or pepper spray with me.
1)Buda, TX--I35, exit 220. Ample truck parking behind Cabela's and if you're wanting a safe fairly smooth route, you can do laps around the humongous parking lot. If you're a bit more adventurous take the sidewalk behind the truck parking area north to the stop light and turn left (west) into town. Sidewalk, then grass/dirt, then pavement. The city is also working on a very nice park that will offer some short off-road trails--yeah, I've already scoped it out even though the barricades say construction crews only ;-). Bathrooms available at Cabela's, Wal-Mart, and at the city park in the downtown. No showers though.
2)Lebanon, TN at the Pilot--I40, exit 238. Safe--run laps around the outlet mall across the street. Adventurous--follow the frontage road east until it dead-ends, at that point you can go across the road for short distance and turn back or turn right. Continue making rights and you'll eventually get back to the road for the Pilot. If you take the right turn option be prepared for uneven grass/gravel surface and some heavy traffic at times.
3)Hurricane Mills, TN--I40, exit 143. Two options here, both are hilly although the west route less so. East route is directly across the road from the Pilot truck entrance (also the truck exit for the dumbasses that can't read) and is very hilly and will turn into a dirt road. Parallels the interstate but is very wooded. West route is the first road north past the Pilot. Paved but you will have to get on the grass when traffic is coming at you. Most everybody gives you plenty of room though and waves. No bathrooms available once you leave the Pilot and surrounding businesses though.
4)Mt. Vernon, TX--I30, exit 146 and 147. Two fuel stops to park at here. I take the north side frontage road to get to a small road that's just west of the Love's and zig-zag my way into town. Service road to Gadlin then left on Franklin and right on Miller. Endless options to check out the town of Mt. Vernon then. There is also the frontage road option if you head west (less traffic than going east). Also if you can find a parking spot at either of the rest areas you can run the frontage road on both sides.
5)Cotulla and Pearsall, TX--I35, exits 67 and 101 respectively. Fuel stops at both these exits and you can run the frontage road at each location and head into town easily. Pearsall is flatter.
6)Kerens, TX--Hwy 31 east of Corsicana. Fuel stop next to a dollar store on west side of town. Cross the highway and explore the neighborhoods. Tree-covered and very friendly people. Downtown area is paved with bricks though so can be hard on the legs. Awesome steak house across the road, try the brisket if it's available :)
7)Dawson, TX--Hwy 31 west of Corsicana. The old truck stop is now a junk store so parking is limited, grrr. Explore the tiny town or head across the hwy to Ranch Rd 709 and run north. No bathrooms once you leave town though.
8)San Marcos, TX-I35, exit 200. Park at the Valero on the west side of the freeway and take Center Point Rd west to Hunter Rd, go either direction. Nice wide shoulders, outlet malls on the other side of the freeway, Starbucks and Whataburger south side of the fuel stop. Only downside is the crater holes in the dirt parking lot of the fuel stop. No showers though.
9)Salado, TX--I35, exit 282. Park at the fuel stop on the east side and run the frontage road south. Very hilly and very windy though. If you can catch the cafe open, excellent food, esp. the chili-burgers or huevos rancheros
10)Prescott, AR-I30, exit 44 or 46. Several fuel stops to park at. Run the frontage road on the south side or go south into town from the Love's at exit 46. Wide shoulders.
There are several other places that I will run at but these are among my favorites or the most easily accessible when you're in a big truck. Feel free to add suggestions in the comments if you're a truck driver with excellent running routes,or even if you're not a driver, just try and make sure it's a location with truck parking please.
Tagged by Tedybehr
Wow, I've been tagged! That rarely happens, so thought I would play along. Truckin Tedybehr was the tagger this time but I'm not going to tag anybody else unless they're reading this and decide they want to do it.
1. What time did you get up this morning? Too freakin early, 0430
2. How do you like your steak? Rare to Medium Rare
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? I can't remember
4. What is your favorite TV show? Supernatural
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Anyplace that was a balmy 80F year round in the afternoon
6. What did you have for breakfast? umm, which one? 1st breakfast was a bacon bagel with coffee, 2nd was McDonald's deluxe breakfast (no sausage). Training ride this morning so I was very hungry :)
7. What is your favorite cuisine? other than dessert? Tie between Tex-Mex and barbecue
8. What foods do you dislike? Processed cheese, mushrooms, and mayo (technically a condiment)
9. Favorite Place to Eat? Tie between Carino's and Jason's Deli
10. Favorite dressing? None
11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? 2002 Dodge Ram 1500, 2002 Harley-Davidson FXST (at least until I screwed up the carb) and a 2008 ProStar International for work
12. What are your favorite clothes? Running clothes of course, LOL!
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Ireland, Australia, Greece, Hawaii
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? Depends on the day but I run a tad pessimistic so usually 1/2 empty
15. Where would you want to retire? Texas hill country
16. Favorite time of day? anytime after my coffee
17. Where were you born? Merced, CA
19. Who do you think will not tag you back? I'm not tagging anybody so not applicable
20. Person you expect to tag you back first? See number 19
21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? Everyone
22. Bird watcher? You do mean the feathered kind rather than the one finger kind? If so occasionally
23. Are you a morning person or a night person? Neither, lol!
24. Do you have any pets? Yes, Elsie the Miniature Schnauzer Menace
25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? No, anything new for me is blogged about already
26. What did you want to be when you were little? A vet and a rock star (never mind that I have no musical talent whatsoever and can't handle the sight of blood or vomit)
27. What is your best childhood memory? Winning the school spelling bee in 8th grade-yes I am a geek
28. Are you a cat or dog person? Dog, cats are nice to visit with but do not want a litter box around, yuck
29. Are you married? Yes, 21 years last May
30. Always wear your seat belt? Yes, even before it was law
31. Been in a car accident? Yes. Why do guys think stop signs and stop lights not apply to them?
32. Any pet peeves? Oh yes! I don't think I have enough space here to list them all but tops on the list is people who don't use their turn signals
33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? Spinach, black olives, tomatoes, and more spinach
34. Favorite Flower? tulips and hyacinths
35. Favorite ice cream? Rarely eat ice cream because it doesn't agree with me but Yarnell's seasonal Pumpkin Pie
36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Taco Bueno
37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? One written section for regular driver's license, none for CDL or motorcycle endorsement
38. From whom did you get your last email? Spam--Please Confirm is listed as sender
39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Maurices, until I started not buying clothing made in China or Vietnam (unfortunately my preferred brand of running shoes is made in China so can't avoid it altogether)
40. Do anything spontaneous lately? I don't think so.........
41. Like your job? Occasionally, lol! It's been kind of stressful for the past year or so because I haul auto parts
42. Broccoli? rarely
43. What was your favorite vacation? hmm, any vacation I can just hang out at home is my favorite. No particular one stands out
44. Last person you went out to dinner with? hubby
45. What are you listening to right now? Hubby watching Little Black Book on tv
46. What is your favorite color? right now? green but orange, pink, and black are right up there
47. How many tattoos do you have? 6
48. How many are you tagging for this quiz? Zero
49. What time did you finish this quiz? 8/2 at 1030 am CDT
50. Coffee Drinker? Of course, what kind of truck driver would I be if I didn't drink coffee, hahaha
1. What time did you get up this morning? Too freakin early, 0430
2. How do you like your steak? Rare to Medium Rare
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? I can't remember
4. What is your favorite TV show? Supernatural
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Anyplace that was a balmy 80F year round in the afternoon
6. What did you have for breakfast? umm, which one? 1st breakfast was a bacon bagel with coffee, 2nd was McDonald's deluxe breakfast (no sausage). Training ride this morning so I was very hungry :)
7. What is your favorite cuisine? other than dessert? Tie between Tex-Mex and barbecue
8. What foods do you dislike? Processed cheese, mushrooms, and mayo (technically a condiment)
9. Favorite Place to Eat? Tie between Carino's and Jason's Deli
10. Favorite dressing? None
11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? 2002 Dodge Ram 1500, 2002 Harley-Davidson FXST (at least until I screwed up the carb) and a 2008 ProStar International for work
12. What are your favorite clothes? Running clothes of course, LOL!
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Ireland, Australia, Greece, Hawaii
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? Depends on the day but I run a tad pessimistic so usually 1/2 empty
15. Where would you want to retire? Texas hill country
16. Favorite time of day? anytime after my coffee
17. Where were you born? Merced, CA
19. Who do you think will not tag you back? I'm not tagging anybody so not applicable
20. Person you expect to tag you back first? See number 19
21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? Everyone
22. Bird watcher? You do mean the feathered kind rather than the one finger kind? If so occasionally
23. Are you a morning person or a night person? Neither, lol!
24. Do you have any pets? Yes, Elsie the Miniature Schnauzer Menace
25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? No, anything new for me is blogged about already
26. What did you want to be when you were little? A vet and a rock star (never mind that I have no musical talent whatsoever and can't handle the sight of blood or vomit)
27. What is your best childhood memory? Winning the school spelling bee in 8th grade-yes I am a geek
28. Are you a cat or dog person? Dog, cats are nice to visit with but do not want a litter box around, yuck
29. Are you married? Yes, 21 years last May
30. Always wear your seat belt? Yes, even before it was law
31. Been in a car accident? Yes. Why do guys think stop signs and stop lights not apply to them?
32. Any pet peeves? Oh yes! I don't think I have enough space here to list them all but tops on the list is people who don't use their turn signals
33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? Spinach, black olives, tomatoes, and more spinach
34. Favorite Flower? tulips and hyacinths
35. Favorite ice cream? Rarely eat ice cream because it doesn't agree with me but Yarnell's seasonal Pumpkin Pie
36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Taco Bueno
37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? One written section for regular driver's license, none for CDL or motorcycle endorsement
38. From whom did you get your last email? Spam--Please Confirm is listed as sender
39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Maurices, until I started not buying clothing made in China or Vietnam (unfortunately my preferred brand of running shoes is made in China so can't avoid it altogether)
40. Do anything spontaneous lately? I don't think so.........
41. Like your job? Occasionally, lol! It's been kind of stressful for the past year or so because I haul auto parts
42. Broccoli? rarely
43. What was your favorite vacation? hmm, any vacation I can just hang out at home is my favorite. No particular one stands out
44. Last person you went out to dinner with? hubby
45. What are you listening to right now? Hubby watching Little Black Book on tv
46. What is your favorite color? right now? green but orange, pink, and black are right up there
47. How many tattoos do you have? 6
48. How many are you tagging for this quiz? Zero
49. What time did you finish this quiz? 8/2 at 1030 am CDT
50. Coffee Drinker? Of course, what kind of truck driver would I be if I didn't drink coffee, hahaha
01 August 2009
White River 4 Mile Classic
I mentioned in an earlier post that I didn't get much sleep last night (understatement, lol!) and knew that this was just going to be a get-it-done race..........
First off, I made it to our yard right at 10 pm last night, loaded up the pickup with Elsie and the bare essentials (forgot my eyeglasses though, grrr) and after a quick detour to the Love's to transfer points from my old card to a new one (btw, if you didn't get that done by midnight last night you've lost your points) and made it home to Searcy at 11:04 p.m. It then took me almost an hour to get things sort-of put away and gathered up for today's race. Blech, 0430 came way too early..........
Despite the Mickey D's coffee I was still bleary-eyed when I got to Batesville, LOL. Guess I should have made my own this morning so it would've been stronger. Oh yeah, that would have been great, me punch drunk already then add in industrial strength caffeine, Ha-ha.
Met up with Carol for my warm-up run (just over a mile) and she introduced me to one of her running partners from the Jonesboro area. This woman is just as bubbly as Carol so they definitely helped wake me up. Quite a few of the Cruisers raced today so got to catch up (conversation-wise) with several of my girls. I miss y'all!!!!!!!
The race--I've done this race the past 3 years and I was hoping this year with the new course I wouldn't have to walk. Well, there's always next year, LOL. Downhill start this year so of course I took off way too fast (7:20 first mile). Yep, it caught up with me quick, I ended up getting the sharp, needle point pain that I always get when I haven't hydrated enough the prior day at around mile 1.5. In this case it was drinking too much coffee on Friday that did me in. This is NOT a stitch, I can run through stitches albeit at a much slower pace. With this pain it's almost impossible for me to WALK and it's always on my right side just below the upper part of my ribcage. Every single blasted time this has happened I can look back on the days before and it's due to not enough hydration. I don't think matters were helped any by the bad meal that I'd eaten Thursday that had me running for the bathroom for a day and a half.
After I finally got the needle point to quit digging into my ribs I was finally able to start back running, after that I just walked for a few steps at the first water station while I grabbed a couple of sips then dumped the rest down my back.
Brenda, Cindy, and Jackie--Thanks for the words of encouragement while I was walking, it most definitely kept me going afterwards.
After that it was just put my head down and plow forward even if it was sooo much slower than what I would've liked.
Okay after all this I'm sure everybody's thinking that my finish time was really, really, slow but it wasn't! I ended up with a 4 mile personal record by just over a minute. Last year's time at Batesville was 37:16 (horrible race-still cringing from it) and my previous 4 mile pr was 34:27 from the 2008 Hot Summer Night 4 Mile at Jonesboro. This year's time was 33:18!!!!!!!!
I can't believe that I still managed to p.r. with that little sleep and having to drive so much just before the race. Even my last and slowest mile was 8:44. I can't freaking believe it! Just imagine how well I MIGHT have done if I hadn't been so doggone exhausted. Notice I say might, in races there are absolutely no guarantees about how I'm going to perform.
124/274 overall
29/115 female
1/10 40-44 female age group
33:18
Afterwards was breakfast at Wyatt's with some of the Cruisers and Tala and her daughter (going blank on her name but she's a pretty amazing girl, lots of grit!). Rick so very graciously bought breakfast for all of us! He's one of the nicest men you could ever hope to meet. And sorry to all the single ladies out there, he's married to an absolutely stunning woman who's just as sweet as he is :).
Guess, I ought to add in that I decided to add on some mileage after the race to go ahead and get my 9 mile long run done for the week. After catching my breath, drinking some water, and visiting for a bit I took off to finish up. You can't imagine how relieved I was after almost 2 miles by myself when I turned a corner and saw Jeannie, Jackie, Ginny, and Rick go running by. Sped up to catch up with them and it made the rest of the miles go by much quicker. So 1.16 mile warmup, 4 mile race, then 3.9 mile cooldown, long run DONE. 5 easy miles on schedule for tomorrow then I'm going to meet Alyson and Petra for a nice flat 25-30 mile bicycle ride at 6 am.
This week is also going to be difficult to get back in time for next Saturday's 5k. It's looking like I won't be loading up until later in the week again. I've already made plans with Patti and Brice for them to pick me up at a fuel stop in Hope that morning so I don't have to drive 100+ miles to N. Little Rock then back down.
First off, I made it to our yard right at 10 pm last night, loaded up the pickup with Elsie and the bare essentials (forgot my eyeglasses though, grrr) and after a quick detour to the Love's to transfer points from my old card to a new one (btw, if you didn't get that done by midnight last night you've lost your points) and made it home to Searcy at 11:04 p.m. It then took me almost an hour to get things sort-of put away and gathered up for today's race. Blech, 0430 came way too early..........
Despite the Mickey D's coffee I was still bleary-eyed when I got to Batesville, LOL. Guess I should have made my own this morning so it would've been stronger. Oh yeah, that would have been great, me punch drunk already then add in industrial strength caffeine, Ha-ha.
Met up with Carol for my warm-up run (just over a mile) and she introduced me to one of her running partners from the Jonesboro area. This woman is just as bubbly as Carol so they definitely helped wake me up. Quite a few of the Cruisers raced today so got to catch up (conversation-wise) with several of my girls. I miss y'all!!!!!!!
The race--I've done this race the past 3 years and I was hoping this year with the new course I wouldn't have to walk. Well, there's always next year, LOL. Downhill start this year so of course I took off way too fast (7:20 first mile). Yep, it caught up with me quick, I ended up getting the sharp, needle point pain that I always get when I haven't hydrated enough the prior day at around mile 1.5. In this case it was drinking too much coffee on Friday that did me in. This is NOT a stitch, I can run through stitches albeit at a much slower pace. With this pain it's almost impossible for me to WALK and it's always on my right side just below the upper part of my ribcage. Every single blasted time this has happened I can look back on the days before and it's due to not enough hydration. I don't think matters were helped any by the bad meal that I'd eaten Thursday that had me running for the bathroom for a day and a half.
After I finally got the needle point to quit digging into my ribs I was finally able to start back running, after that I just walked for a few steps at the first water station while I grabbed a couple of sips then dumped the rest down my back.
Brenda, Cindy, and Jackie--Thanks for the words of encouragement while I was walking, it most definitely kept me going afterwards.
After that it was just put my head down and plow forward even if it was sooo much slower than what I would've liked.
Okay after all this I'm sure everybody's thinking that my finish time was really, really, slow but it wasn't! I ended up with a 4 mile personal record by just over a minute. Last year's time at Batesville was 37:16 (horrible race-still cringing from it) and my previous 4 mile pr was 34:27 from the 2008 Hot Summer Night 4 Mile at Jonesboro. This year's time was 33:18!!!!!!!!
I can't believe that I still managed to p.r. with that little sleep and having to drive so much just before the race. Even my last and slowest mile was 8:44. I can't freaking believe it! Just imagine how well I MIGHT have done if I hadn't been so doggone exhausted. Notice I say might, in races there are absolutely no guarantees about how I'm going to perform.
124/274 overall
29/115 female
1/10 40-44 female age group
33:18
Afterwards was breakfast at Wyatt's with some of the Cruisers and Tala and her daughter (going blank on her name but she's a pretty amazing girl, lots of grit!). Rick so very graciously bought breakfast for all of us! He's one of the nicest men you could ever hope to meet. And sorry to all the single ladies out there, he's married to an absolutely stunning woman who's just as sweet as he is :).
Guess, I ought to add in that I decided to add on some mileage after the race to go ahead and get my 9 mile long run done for the week. After catching my breath, drinking some water, and visiting for a bit I took off to finish up. You can't imagine how relieved I was after almost 2 miles by myself when I turned a corner and saw Jeannie, Jackie, Ginny, and Rick go running by. Sped up to catch up with them and it made the rest of the miles go by much quicker. So 1.16 mile warmup, 4 mile race, then 3.9 mile cooldown, long run DONE. 5 easy miles on schedule for tomorrow then I'm going to meet Alyson and Petra for a nice flat 25-30 mile bicycle ride at 6 am.
This week is also going to be difficult to get back in time for next Saturday's 5k. It's looking like I won't be loading up until later in the week again. I've already made plans with Patti and Brice for them to pick me up at a fuel stop in Hope that morning so I don't have to drive 100+ miles to N. Little Rock then back down.
and the week in review..........
OHMYGOSH, I'm so glad this week is over. I'm determined to iron the state's Grand Prix series this year and I think my dispatcher is equally determined for me not to. First off, my Monday pickup in TN was moved to Thursday but James very kindly switched with me so I could have his Wednesday appointment. Well, it was either kindness or just a desire to not listen to me bitch all week, LOL..........
Made it to Pulaski early enough to get a decent night's sleep and still be able to wake up so that I could get that day's run in (4 miles) before unloading and reloading. Silly me decided to make part of it a trail run even though it had been raining off and on during the night. I did have a good reason though, Elsie was running with me and the dog's happier if we go exploring when we get the chance so after about a mile, I decide to go down the rocky banks of a creek.
Yep, rain + rocks + creek embankment =Gabby falling first flat on her butt, rolling, and landing face forward. I didn't do a face plant but do have a small cut and bruise on my right palm which made it extremely uncomfortable to push the parking brake in during the rest of the week.
After getting my breath back and taking inventory to make sure there were no broken bones and I hadn't squished poor Elsie, we went on to finish up our 4 miles. However there was very little off the road running after that :).
I didn't think I'd landed super hard on my rear on the first part of the fall but evidently I did catch a sharp edge of a rock. It shocked the hell out of me later that day when I caught a glimpse of a HUGE bruise on my left butt cheek. It's about the size of my fist and now a unattractive dark purple and black color mixture. Glad it's nowhere visible!
Let's see, what else..........I dropped my purse in the pickup before leaving out Tues afternoon and left my fuel and points cards under the seat. That has been a major irritation all week because it meant instead of getting to use the oh so handy fuel card readers outside on the pump I had to make 2 trips (before and after fueling) to actually speak to somebody whenever I needed to top off the tanks, blech.
The 2nd pickup in AL didn't know I was coming in and that meant no product ready. Sat there for much longer than I liked because that resulted in me having to park in a no-security provided parking area in MS. Don't want to go into details here about what tends to go on in these areas but I did get to see way more of the local scene than I liked while walking Elsie.
Thursday I drove over to Breaux Bridge, LA to get in that day's workout (5 miles). Not much to say other than it was hot, humid, and I took a LOT of walk breaks ;-).
No load for me Thursday night so had to wait to be dispatched Friday morning but I did get a trailer just as soon as I qualcommed the list of what was available. Sigh, isn't that my dispatcher's job?
Because of picking up later in the week, this has meant that I've pretty much been in the driver's seat for all of my available working hours once I got loaded at Gadsden. I did take the time to run Thursday morning (Wed. run was before first appt so didn't cut into my available hours) but I knew that I would have zero time on Friday to get it in. Can't afford to be missing many runs now that I'm officially training for a marathon. Think I forgot to add that I ran just over 6 miles at the gym before leaving out Tues.
Made it to Pulaski early enough to get a decent night's sleep and still be able to wake up so that I could get that day's run in (4 miles) before unloading and reloading. Silly me decided to make part of it a trail run even though it had been raining off and on during the night. I did have a good reason though, Elsie was running with me and the dog's happier if we go exploring when we get the chance so after about a mile, I decide to go down the rocky banks of a creek.
Yep, rain + rocks + creek embankment =Gabby falling first flat on her butt, rolling, and landing face forward. I didn't do a face plant but do have a small cut and bruise on my right palm which made it extremely uncomfortable to push the parking brake in during the rest of the week.
After getting my breath back and taking inventory to make sure there were no broken bones and I hadn't squished poor Elsie, we went on to finish up our 4 miles. However there was very little off the road running after that :).
I didn't think I'd landed super hard on my rear on the first part of the fall but evidently I did catch a sharp edge of a rock. It shocked the hell out of me later that day when I caught a glimpse of a HUGE bruise on my left butt cheek. It's about the size of my fist and now a unattractive dark purple and black color mixture. Glad it's nowhere visible!
Let's see, what else..........I dropped my purse in the pickup before leaving out Tues afternoon and left my fuel and points cards under the seat. That has been a major irritation all week because it meant instead of getting to use the oh so handy fuel card readers outside on the pump I had to make 2 trips (before and after fueling) to actually speak to somebody whenever I needed to top off the tanks, blech.
The 2nd pickup in AL didn't know I was coming in and that meant no product ready. Sat there for much longer than I liked because that resulted in me having to park in a no-security provided parking area in MS. Don't want to go into details here about what tends to go on in these areas but I did get to see way more of the local scene than I liked while walking Elsie.
Thursday I drove over to Breaux Bridge, LA to get in that day's workout (5 miles). Not much to say other than it was hot, humid, and I took a LOT of walk breaks ;-).
No load for me Thursday night so had to wait to be dispatched Friday morning but I did get a trailer just as soon as I qualcommed the list of what was available. Sigh, isn't that my dispatcher's job?
Because of picking up later in the week, this has meant that I've pretty much been in the driver's seat for all of my available working hours once I got loaded at Gadsden. I did take the time to run Thursday morning (Wed. run was before first appt so didn't cut into my available hours) but I knew that I would have zero time on Friday to get it in. Can't afford to be missing many runs now that I'm officially training for a marathon. Think I forgot to add that I ran just over 6 miles at the gym before leaving out Tues.
Nap time
Quick update to let everybody know I'm still around, LOL. Lot of emails and posts to read and replies to be made but it will have to wait until later. Finished my week up in 3.5 days--yeah, Terry I know I just told you Wednesday I don't like to do that :). Guess what, I STILL don't like working that hard. Made it home last night just after 11 pm and had to be up at 0430 to drive to a race--I'm a tad punch drunk right now. Anyhoo, full race report later today or tomorrow, right now it's time for a shower then a nice long nap.
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