Iron Mtn Duathlon

Look a different kind of ink!!!

So I should have written this report yesterday when I was all hyped up on the post race high instead of waiting, 'cause today is a nasty looking gloomy kinda day that's affecting my mood :-(.  Oh yeah, my load also cancelled out so I'm laid over in lower middle Tennessee waiting overnight, grrrr.

My race packet included absolutely no info on where to place all the different stickers, placards, bibs, etc so I did a bit of freaking out on Saturday & put out a call for help on facebook & twitter.  My desperate pleas were very promptly & patiently answered by a twitter friend in the UK (@CleoPompom) and a real life friend from the Cabot Cruisers (David).  Whew, thanks again you two!!!!

Sunday finds me a bit short-tempered and nervous because I haven't done any duathlons (can't swim very well so no triathlons for me) since last May........Hell, I haven't even done a proper brick workout this year....just one short one that was on the bike trainer.  Can we say unprepared?????  Oh, I also got in trouble right off the bat at the race sight--didn't put on my helmet to check out the shifting/brakes/etc on the bike in the parking lot, OOPS!!!!!!!!!  Evidently that's a huge no-no if the number's on the bike already.  Now I know but I wasn't the only one unaware of that fact.  Hey race directors--please include a copy of the rules in the race pack for us noobs please.

Awesome Cruiser turnout--me, David, Vicki, Lisa Fo, Tammie & her hub.  I think I'm forgetting somebody though, grrrr.  It calmed me quite a bit having Lisa there because she was able to explain a lot of other stuff to me. 

Gettting marked up is quite cool--getting it off later, well that's quite an adventure too (but another story).  So quick warmup, ran Elsie around the parking lot a bit, talked to some of the volunteers.  The volunteers were FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!  Very enthusiastic & seemed genuinely glad to be out there working the race.  Loved the guy on the run portion who was directing the racers where to turn, he had something encouragingly funny to say to everybody.....

So the race itself is small, duathlons don't get quite the turnout that triathlons do.  Pity that because I think there are quite a few people who have the same issue I do with lack of swimming ability & claustrophobia.  I think there would be more participants if dus got the same amount of publicity that the tris do. 

Lineup. For some reason nobody wants to be in the front line, LOL!!!  Anyways we're off & it's uphill almost from the start. Course description says that first 1.25 miles of the 2.5 run route is uphill and boy is it ever.  At least they've changed it from last year where you had an almost vertical run for the first 1/2, whew. I was dreading running up that mountain.  Do I need to write that I jackrabbited? I think not, lol.  First leg was 2.5 miles in 20:08.1 (8:03 pace). 

Bike--make it to the transition area where James hollers that I was 3rd female. I already knew this because I was keeping track but it's nice to have confirmation. Change shoes, get the helmet, quick sip of water, fiddle with the gloves for a moment before I decide I was too sweaty to get 'em on quickly and run out the bike area.  The cycling route does take you up the mountain so I'd already put it in the little ring up front in preparation for the immediate hard climb (I have a compact double by the way).  I'd mentioned to James that I felt the bike was shifting a little clunky on my test spin and this became very apparent on the ascents.  Evidently the derailleur had gotten bumped slightly in transit the day before. 

Everything is going ok though until I hit the 3rd hard climb, tried to shift back into the little ring and I didn't catch it just right. Chain hung up on me & almost fell off. Get off the bike, to try & fix it. Thought I had, got back on & it hung up AGAIN!!! This time I can't unclip & topple over, S L O W L Y.....with an audience of course. A couple of the guys that I'd passed earlier, passed me back along with about 4 others.  This cost me a couple of minutes & major momentum, grrrrr.  A couple of the guys did ask if I was ok which was nice, since it's a race you're not expected to do so.....  Fortunately no women passed me although I was gaining on the 2nd place female  prior to my fuckup & this put her so far ahead of me that there was no chance in hades of me catching her from that point on.  Doesn't mean that I didn't try like the dickens though.  Managed to pass a couple of the guys back though :-))))).  One of the hills I hit over 44 mph on the descent, woo-hoo!!!

Make it back to transition area, yell at James what happened with my chain & that I went down. Throw off helmet, change shoes and off & running again.  At least I think I was running.......felt like I was moving in slow motion through jello.  Ah well, both feet were off the ground so I wasn't walking, lol.  It has heated up a bit & I'm wearing black.......yep, that's not fun. Great thing about cycling jerseys is that they have a nice little zipper that you can you to allow some air to circulate :-)))).  I'm dreading the 1.25 miles up the hill & gasping for air but so are all the guys around me.  If you've never done a brick workout I recommend you go out & try it. IMMEDIATELY! I don't wanna keep all this fun to myself, bwahahaha!

My goal was to not walk the run portion & try to get my legs feeling somewhat close to normal, Yeah, right, like that's gonna happen......So gasped like a fish flopping around out of water, passed 2 guys, joked with the volunteer at turn spot (but not the turnaround) who told me "I'll see you in just a moment!"  Hit the turnaround, declining the water, passed a couple of more guys, had the volunteer tell me "See, I told you I'd see you shortly & it's all downhill now!"  Oh was I ever looking forward to that downhill--that's the point where I just leaned forward & allowed momentum to carry me down.  Also finally felt like my legs had quit quivering & the gasping for air eased, ahhhh, almost bliss :-). 

The finish line was almost anti-climatic after that.......but glad to see it nonetheless, lol!!!!! 

Race splits

Run 1, 2.5 miles--20:08.1 (8.03 pace)

T1--1:01.9

Bike 13.5 miles--47:35.4 (17 mph average)

T2--41.6 seconds

Run 2, 2.5 miles--21:18.4 (8:31 pace)

Total 1:30:45.5

My cycle time should have been closer to 45 minutes.....stupid operator (me) error cost me quite a bit there, grrrr.  I still finished up 3rd female overall (and yes there were more than 3 of us) but they only gave awards to the first male & female overall winners so I ended up with 1st in my age group.  I will probably never get that close to a top 3 finish again :-(. 

Next duathlon is the Du for the Parks in Hot Springs on Memorial Day.  Hoping to beat last year's time and maybe if I get out & actually do some bricks I can do so, lol!!!  Still not too shabby of a performance this weekend considering my lack of preparation and that I'd ran a 5k the day before.  Check out the race course pdf's of the climbs.

Saturday is the Toad Suck 10k and the Tour de Toad. I think I'm going to do the 48 mile option if it doesn't get rained out again.

Spring Fling 5k 2010

Spring Fling 5k.....where to start.....To begin with thought we were gonna have to race in a deluge. Horrible

thunderstorms were rolling through and it was a bit of an adventure even getting to Cabot this morning. It was so bad that we were losing sight of the road, wind was knocking the pickup about and we even came upon where a water rescue was in progress. Somebody had hydroplaned and slid off into the median right where there was a creek crossing. Hoping everybody came out of it ok.

Then a great thing happened...the rain & wind stopped and the skies turned blue. Stayed that way until the awards ceremony was started :-). Hugged friends, warmed up, lined up, discussed our goals for the 5k. By the way, I had absolutely no goal today except to not be puking up last night's fried food gluttony, lol....Seriously, it's been so long since I raced a 5k I wasn't sure where I was gonna be as far as time. Best case scenario, I was hoping to be in the 25ish minute range.

I didn't start way in the back this time however. Positioned myself much closer to the front because it was only a chip timed race at the end, no starting mat.....Race start and there was almost a snafu. A teenage girl had dropped something & was coming back at the racers then bent down to pick it up right in front of me, Alea, & Becky. Thought we(or someone else) was going to trip over her, yikes!!!

Started off too fast as per my habit--sigh, gotta get over the jackrabbiting, negative splits are the goal--but I still felt great at mile 1. I was working hard but not struggling. did find myself tensing up my shoulders but as soon as I realized it, I would immediately relax and the breathing would ease. Kinda found myself in an unusual situation though, after the first 1.5 there were no other women visible in front of me--the course twists & turns a bit--just guys!!!!! Came around to where the course met back up with the racers & didn't see James so I knew he was doing ok (his first ever 5k by the way!!).

So mile 2 comes around, and I count up and figure if I do a 10 minute mile from that point I would have my 25ish minute race so knew I was in good shape time-wise. Again, not seeing any women in front of me, just the mid-pack guys, 3-4 of them that I managed to pass even :-). Working hard still but not gasping for air, although I was so warm I was considering taking the shirt off to cool down--humidity was tough!

This race ends on a track and I kinda have a love-hate with those. It seems almost torturous to see the finish line to the side but know that you have to make almost a full lap around to get to it, lol!!!! Anyways, one of the guys who I passed earlier, sprinted hard and finished a few seconds ahead of me at this point. He's a nice guy & it's a race so no grumbling here. Just gives me incentive to work harder next time :-).

Split times
Mile 1 7;37
Mile 2 7:56
Mile 3 7:52
Mile 3.1 6:52 pace

Chip time 24:04, not a 5k personal record, but it was a course pr by 59 seconds :-).

Ended up 55th overall (male & female) and I think 9th place female, which netted me 2nd place female masters!!! Feel like there's some glimmer of regaining speed. Now if the aches & pains would go away altogether I'd be happy. they are getting better though, just sloooooowly.

Next up, the Iron Mountain sprint duathlon for tomorrow morning. Hills!!!!!!!

title, schmitle

I find myself to be a bit unenthusiastic about updating this week.  Very tired, load came out of Gadsden, AL late because they decided to pull both Monday & Tuesday's parts that day and the shipping department wasn't expecting it. Exciting stuff, huh? Anyhoo, found myself running a bit of a sleep deficit this week in order to get the stuff delivered and fit my workouts in too.  Today found me very grouchy due to wanting to lay in bed for longer than usual & James deciding that since he was up, I had to get up too. For what reason, who knows.......

Back to back races this weekend.......Spring Fling 5k (grand prix race) Saturday morning followed by a sprint duathlon on Sunday. The Iron Mountain Duathlon is a 2.5 mile run/13.5 mile cycle/2.5 mile run on a very challenging course I've heard. Oddly enough, I just signed up without checking the route, lol. Sigh......Not bright would be a good way of describing me...............

Ok, all for now, maybe some race reports will prove to be more scintillating reading.....or not

Photos galore II

More photos from Fayetteville, AR day of the Hogeye

Photos galore

Top: Breaux Bridge, LA at dawn  Bottom: Mug of tasty Java Porter

Top: 1/2 Marathon Medal    Bottom: Cruisers at the Hogeye Marathon early start

Both: Breaux Bridge, LA just after dawn on Tuesday's workout

Top: Medical center/historical area off Hwy 67 in Arkansas Bottom: Sweet Daddy D (Doug) & me prior to the Hogeye Half Marathon

Hill and dale

I'm completely & utterly toast today. Last time I had a ride this hard it was the BDB 100.......Just couldn't seem to get my cycling mojo going, probably would have absolutely nothing to do with last weekend's hillfest, LOL!!!  Anyways today I was the last or next to last rider for the entire ride.  Started off bad, I fell back to let a couple of guys into the pace line after we hit the area where single line was required, fell off the wheel and could never get caught back up.  Even when we would stop for a rest period, I was so toasted that I could keep up for maybe .5 mile to a mile but would fall right back out of line. Sigh........

Did I mention this was another hilly mofo? Yeah, gotta love it, well maybe not, lol.....Honestly there were tears streaming down my face at a couple of different points. Left foot started cramping around mile 8 then the right leg started in at around 20 miles.  I wanted to stop and call James to come get me several times but managed to grit my teeth and resist the almost overwhelming temptation to do so.  If it hadn't been for Mikel H. staying back with me and encouraging me I wouldn't have resisted though. 

Today's route took us out Hwy 36 west to Joy where we grabbed hwy 310, then we made a couple of other zigzags but I can't tell you what they were.  Mikel had a mountain dew bottle thrown at him, the same vehicle then rode right against me almost forcing me off the road.......so what exactly did that accomplish other than some jackass finding it funny? 

Today's total ended up being 50.39 in around 3 hours 15 minutes. A couple of high points (haha, pun intended!), some of the extreme climbs resulted in extreme downhills so hit some nice speeds on the bicycle. 39.5 mph on one, then 44.8 mph on the other, woo-hoo!!!!!!!!!  Of course if you hit gravel or an animal and go down at those speeds that's gonna hurt, lol!!!!!!!!!  I still didn't have a good time though :-(, this was a survive it type of ride, yuck.

Workout totals for the week so far
Monday: rest
Tuesday: 5.17 miles in 50:21 (easy recovery run from Sunday's 1/2 marathon)
Wednesday:  3.15 miles in 27:06 in the morning, then 3.01 miles in 30:03 in the afternoon with James (80F at Waco, TX)
Thursday: 7.52 miles on the trainer in 30 minutes
Friday: 4.93 miles in 50:23 just before dark with James & Elsie (this is another reason why I was so tired today)
Saturday: 50.39 cycling miles. Hilly, hilly, hilly, blech.

Forgot to mention that I also lost my pink & black camelback waterbottle when I hit a bump so hard it bounced out of the cage where I didn't have it seated properly.  The only good part of this morning was breakfast afterwards with my friend Alyson at IHOP.  Blueberry pancakes & veggie omelet were practically inhaled.

body image

Warning--this post contains profanity so don't read if you're offended by it. Also has some shameless self-indulgent whinging. You have been warned, lol

Body type, strength, self-image, self esteem. self, self, self........Sometimes I get so caught up in self-loathing of my body that I forget how much it's capable of. I mean, really--broken clavicle, stress fracture of a toe, plantar fasciitis, severe sprain (when a joint audibly pops, it's not gonna be good), etc, etc. etc. I'm not that kind to this vessel.........Yet, it still manages to do what I ask of it. Maybe not as fast or as graceful or as pretty as I'd like, but it has done amazing things.

BUT..........I tend to get caught in that neverending trap of comparing my appearance to others. Not thin enough, not tall enough, not petite enough, on and on and on.  It's just so damn aggravating that at 41 years old I still flashback to the things my asshole of a stepfather used to say to me about having a broad ass and being fat & no boobs.  For fuck's sake I weighed a grand total of 92 pounds when I entered basic training for the Army Reserves in between my junior and senior year of high school and the recruiter had to stuff me with milkshakes to even get me to the minimum weight required for my height. For that matter, what the hell is a grown man doing making those comments to a teen-age girl to begin with....but that's another issue altogether.

So, here I am 5 pounds heavier than what I was last fall before my injuries and it's all gone to my waist. And I'm obsessing over being fat.  Never mind that I just ran a 1/2 marathon in 2:04:48 (garmin time) last Sunday woefully undertrained for it. All I can think about is what's wrong with my appearance.  I passed a woman, probably 10 years younger than me during the 1/2 who had what I considered the perfect body and instead of being content with the fact that I was having an easy(ish) training run while she was obviously struggling all I could do was be envious of her thin waistline (hey I told you shameful/less self indulgence). 

And it's not just me......I'll listen to some of the guys I train with and they're on about how such & such person is so thin and is this or is that (in reference to both other men and women) and it's like you can't get away from it........Very few people are happy with how they look and sometimes it's like a treadmill in a hamster cage where you're just spinning round & round hashing the same old thing over and over.

For example, today I took a picture of myself while laying out in the backyard reading & tanning.  It's not a bad photo at all but all I can do is focus on the flaws. The extra bit of pudge here, a stretch mark there. Neverending I say.........Sigh.  So how about it folks, do you struggle too?  Do you immediately tear yourself down when someone compliments you? Only see the flaws instead of the strengths?  Any advice on how to get past it?

Ice bath

Hogeye 1/2 Marathon Redux

I swore after last year that I wouldn't return to do this 1/2 marathon, but here I am writing up the race report.....Yeah, not consistent, lol. It did take me a full 4 days to recover from the CCC 10k/long run combo that I did last weekend so I decided that since this is such a brutal course for me that I would treat it as a training run. This is also the longest distance that I've ran since last November. I do have some nagging re-occurring injuries that I'm trying to baby while also building my mileage base back up. Hopefully, if I ease into the base slowly enough they will be resolved.




Ankle is still improving but the plantar fasciitis in my left foot continues to nag at me :-(. As a result I've been avoiding hill training running because it does aggravate the hell out of both. The cycling is a different story. I've already discussed how I keep the trainer tension on my back wheel tightened up to the point where it feels like the whole session is going uphill and I've resumed my outdoor rides which of course are not flat, lol. The cycling is going awesome this year and I think it's the reason that I was able to complete the past couple of races as well as I have with the lack of consistent running miles since the Midsouth Marathon last November.



As a matter of fact, I went for a 46.91 mile ride yesterday with some very strong riders on one of the hilliest routes in the area and still felt great afterwards. Even this morning my legs didn't feel fatigued. My running issues by the way have nothing to do with my leg strength, it's the damn feet and ankles holding me back. Cycling gives me the aerobic & strength workouts I'm needing without the pounding on my feet. So I'm going to continue upping the intensity & length of those sessions while trying to get in an elliptical session once a week in the hopes that will keep me somewhat uninjured.



So back to today....Unfortunately no points because the full was the grand prix race this time, sigh.....Oh well, I suppose I'll survive, lol!!! Started out kinda chilly but not overly so. Actually my race the temperature stayed great, those running the full had a different outcome, it became HOT for them. I did have a tweetup yesterday & today with Sweet Daddy D, that was so cool!!!!!!!



First mile was too fast (so what else is new) but after that I kind of settled into a rhythm and managed to catch up with Susan, a Cabot Cruiser and spent most of the rest of the race chatting with her, enjoyed it so much :-), made the miles fly by. My only goal for this 1/2 was to survive it and enjoy myself and for the most part I accomplished that, yay!!! Walked a handful of the waterstops & generally chatted with as many people as I could that wanted to talk. On the last couple of miles talked to a guy that when I introduced myself as Gabby, he asked my last name, when I told him, he said "I've heard of you, you're famous! You're an excellent runner". Shocked me, didn't know that I was talked about in that way and it was kinda flattering although I don't consider myself to be that excellent or fast. I am a front of the pack mid-packer when I'm not fighting injuries so no, not quite fast.



I really surprised myself today, there were a few places where the energy flagged but those monster hills coming back--I didn't have to walk 'em. Now mind you, I'm pretty sure a walker could've passed me I was slogging up them so slow but I DIDN'T HAVE TO WALK THIS YEAR!!!! And the beer stop? Yeah, I stopped & grabbed a cup this year although it was just one sip, LOL!!!



Splits

Mile 1 8:57 (too fast)

Mile 2 9:02 (still faster than I wanted)

Mile 3 8:55 (uh, what the heck?!!!!)

Mile 4 9:02

Mile 5 9:07

Mile 6 9:11

Mile 7 9:34 (this is where I should've been all along for a training run)

Mile 8 9:12

Mile 9 9:50 (coming back into the hills)

Mile 10 9:32

Mile 11 10:20 (big hill!!!)

Mile 12 10:07

Mile 13 9:29

Mile 13.1 2:10

Here's a link to the elevation chart for the 1/2 marathon


Total per garmin 2:04:28 for 13.2 miles. Last year's time was 2:01:34 and I was miserable the entire 2nd half of the race. So yeah, I will take the approximately 3 minutes slower this year and OWN it. I felt better during and afterwards & had fun!!! Didn't set out to race, planned all along this week that it would be a training run & I accomplished that in a not too shabby amount of time.



A huge shout out to all my friends who completed a grueling marathon in warm temps & especially to Marla who completed her first marathon today!!!!! Woo-hoo!!!!!! Actually Marla can claim ultra status since they got led off course & she ended up with 27.43 miles :-).

Obligatory

So here's where the inherently lazy kicks in. I've been awake since
before dawn in order to get my run (5.71 miles) in before my work day
started. Explored a new section of Breaux Bridge, La in doing so.

I then drove, and drove, and drove so more spending the first 1/2 of
the day in a very foul mood. Made my delivery inLaredo, hooked up to
my new trailer and am now due north somewhere.

Now going to sleep listening to AFI's Prelude 12/21....kiss my eyes
and lay me to sleep

Sent from my iPhone

Gnarly

Day 2

Very tired & this morning was close to be a disaster...transmission
issues this morning that fortunately was solved by finally finding a
place to park, shutting the truck off & allowing the computer to reset
itself.

Left out of Pulaski & the truck shifted just fine until it hit 10th
gear then it just wouldn't go into gear properly. Truck kept surging
where the automatic transmission kept trying to "find" the gear. I
could slow down, flip to manual & it would go into 9th but 8th was
same as 10th, grrrr. Actually when I limped the truck into the rest
area on the Alabama state line it was trying to 'skipshift' from 8th
to 6th to 3rd & this tranny just isn't supposed to do that. Like I
said though it was solved by shutting down for 5-10 minutes.

After that was a traffic backup with a detour by me that ended up
being a comedy of errors of sorts, due to construction on hwy 67,
etc.....

Then I finally make it to Falkville to fuel and the card reader on the
fuel pump is out which necessitates 2 trips inside to stand in line.
Boom, another 30 minutes gone as well as my shower time, yuck :-(.

So all should be well right? Nope. Had an Alabama based truck that
didn't like the fact that I was doing the speed limit in the city
limits so at the very last minute (before the road narrows down to 2
lane) he passes me. The issue? Well, on the curvy 2 lane sections
where I can't pass, he does BELOW the posted speed limits. When we get
to areas where I can pass, he sped up. ARGHHH!!!!

I finally arrive at Gadsden with 20 minutes to spare & my load has
been ready for quite a while....I could have had a head start towards
Laredo if it hadn't been for all the other delays, lol. Fortunately
the rest of the day went smoothly. And what a beautiful day it was,
yay!!

Seen on the road

Experiment

So should I try for a short update every night or continue with the
larger posts on the weekend? Gonna experiment so please let me know
what y'all prefer. But then again this may fizzle because I am
inherently lazy.

Another late start but this was due to the International shop not
being done with Lola the truck. Actually I'm lucky they were open with
it being Easter Sunday & all.

Workout today was a very easy brick session due to my quadriceps still
being sore from yesterday. Just over 14 miles easy spin on the trainer
for 60 minutes followed up with an even easier 5k run (slog?) around
the neighborhood with James & Elsie

2nd race of the year

The Capitol City Classic 10k.......I ran the race to the best of my ability today so why the hell do I feel so let down? Made a tactical error, is why :-(.  Because this is the 5th week back of running for me and I wasn't sure how I would hold up on a 10k race I decided to start near the back of just over 500 racers on a non-chip timed race.  Yeah, brilliant move and it would have been ok if I wasn't so damn competitive. 

I knew there was no way I would touch last year's time of 51:50. 2009 up until November was an absolutely great year as far as my training and how I felt so it's gonna be hard to top that again.  Last year was also great weather, a little cooler and not near as windy or humid. This year has just sucked--it seems like it's been one injury after another. The major sprain of the right foot near the end of January plus the stupid plantar fasciitis has returned with a vengeance on the left foot.

So yes, starting closer to the back did keep me from jackrabbiting as bad as I normally do.

Me joking around that they better get a picture now 'cause I wasn't gonna look so good at the finish line.

First mile was 8:17, a bit fast but livable.
2nd mile 8:26 closer to what I should be
3rd mile 8:33 still slowing but ok
4th mile 8:38 starting to fatigue & the nigglings of stomach cramps
5th mile 8:38 yeah, stomach is starting to go south, cramping more
6th mile 8:34 I think I'm gonna puke
6-6.2 (or .27 because I started so far back) 2:12 I'm dying. which is what you should be doing at the end if you've pushed hard. Came upon James & Steve and was asked "is that the best you can do?". my reply "it's all I got"

Don't let the smile fool you. I'm about to throw up, the grimace is 'cause I was being yelled at by somebody with a camera

James literally thought I was gonna pass out at the finish line I was so pale (underneath the red!). So yes, this 10k got all I had for now. I am not disappointed in my performance at all, just in my decision to start where I did.

So why the grumbling? I placed 7th in my age group. If I had started a bit closer to the front I might, just might have placed a bit further up. Now isn't that the stupidest thing ever to be disappointed about when I ran this to the best of my ability today.  Honestly, it's the 5th week back and I'm being a whiny little bitch about placing 7th in the age group, grrrr. It's my own fault for starting where I did.  I knew it was a non-chip timed race & that would count against me. I even had several friends question me about it so really, nobody's to blame but myself. Too damn competitive by far for this early in my return. 

However despite my continuing anxiety about getting my speed/mileage/endurance built back up, this is a fairly decent result. A nice little test, so to speak.

Final numbers
53:17 (my garmin)/53:22 their time
45/256 Female
212/543 Overall
7/45 female 40-44 age group

Another grumble here (and a collective groan goes out). My garmin showed 53:17. I started it immediately instead of waiting for the actual start point. The clock at the finish line read 53:17.  My official time is the time it took to walk through the finish line chute to turn in my teartag behind all the other people turning in their teartags!!!!!!!!  And they admitted there was a problem with the results--timing, order, etc. GRRRRR.

Since I needed to get 10 miles in this week for my long run I decided to get it done today. Grand total of 10.94 miles! Shoot, this has been my longest run since..........looking it up now, lol............did a 10.02 miler January 7th......this is my longest run since the marathon at Wynne November 7 of last year.  So can I survive the Hogeye 1/2 on 4/11?

spring in the step II

Other post was getting long so splitting it up.

Running is, well, it's going but it just seems like I'm not getting my speed/mileage/endurance built back up quite as rapidly as I would like. However the cycling seems to be going extremely well. The turbo trainer is a horribly hellacious tool but OMG it does work if you have the tension cranked up on the rear wheel like I do. Basically it feels like I'm climbing a hill or in the big gear mashing for the entire trainer session. So while it looks like my trainer times are very slow it's not taking into account the amount of effort being put forth. As a result once I get outside, I'm kicking some ass & feeling like I'm not putting out hardly any effort, YAY!!

Workouts from this week

Sunday--8.24 mile run in 1:25:06. Some walk breaks due to stomach issues (again!).  First 5ish miles were with James & Elsie. Splits 10:04, 11:38, 10:50, 11:03, 10:20, 10:05, 9:30, 9:20, 2:10 (.24 mile, 9:03 pace).  Windy & warm.

Monday--1 mile walk/hike up the water tower hill road with James & Elsie

Tuesday--Lunchtime run at Brookshire, TX. Parked at the Flying J & explored the town on the north side. Excellent place to run, lots of tree-covered streets & people were very friendly.  4.31 miles in 39:13. stomach issues yet again, sigh, had to walk .25 of a mile........Hot & windy. Splits 8:58, 8:46, 9:46, 8:56, 2:44 (.31 miles, 8:47 pace). Bet you can't tell where I had to walk, lol!!

Wednesday--early morning hilly run in Cotulla, TX. did the frontage road loop twice + into town for a bit. 5.31 miles in 49:53. Very pretty morning but windy, even downhill sections didn't feel like I could get any speed.  stomach issues AGAIN!!!!!! grrr, gotta figure out what's causing it this time around.  Splits 9:29, 9:49, 9:40, 9:11, 8:58, 2:43 (.31 miles, 8:54 pace). Times do include a couple of walk breaks

Thursday--afternoon bicycle ride, 16.35 miles in 1:01:54. did the bike trail/airport loop. Felt great, was keeping a 18-20 mph average until I hit the section of trail that wasn't tree covered then the wind kicked in. Was getting knocked sideways quite a bit by the wind. Struggled to keep 12-13 mph in the headwinds on Queensway & frontage road. The hill I had trouble with last year, not so much yesterday *huge grin*. Stayed in the big ring up front, about 1/2 in the cassette in the back ring.  Buffy & I had a very good workout!!!

Picked up a flyer in Italy, TX for this event

I sent in my registration for the Tupelo 14.2 miler Labor Day weekend and also have registered for the Iron Mountain Duathlon on April 25th.  The Capitol City Classic is tomorrow & the Hogeye 1/2 marathon is 4/11. I'm completely unprepared for either, grrrr.

Ankle update--still a bit "weak" especially near the end of my work week. All that sitting & pushing the gas pedal is not doing it much good but it's still improving. Every week I do a high heel walk test & it's a bit easier each time :-). Running is ok for it though. My plantar fasciitis has made a return however, KHHHAAAANNNN!!!!!!!! Back to icing & the fitflops instead of barefoot in the house :-(. 

Warning: nonpaid product endorsement......I love, love, love KT Tape!!!!!! This stuff rocks and it comes in my favorite color--pink!  I've been using it for the sprained right ankle but had James wrap my left foot for the plantar fasciitis last Sunday, OMG it's like a major sole-saver :-))))). Umm, KT Tape people, wanna endorse a middle of the pack runner who's a truck driver? ;-).

If you haven't checked out Runnrgrrl's blog, do so immediately!!!!!!! Warning, not for the weak of heart or easily offended..........she's incredibly hawt, fast, intelligent, opinionated, amusing, not afraid to say what she thinks, all-around rock star! 

I just wanna wish a very Happy Birthday to The Wondering Brit, who's gonna grumble at me yet again (so what else is new or different, LOL). 

spring in the step

Am I starting to detect a slight lifting in the mood? Perhaps so.......I'm still disappointed in James for his recent reactions/behavior but I'm not overwhelmingly angry like I was. Even so, can't say I'm happy either.  

hmm, what was interesting about this work week?  First off the parts load turned "hot" again, grrr. And I keep expecting them to add a 3rd pickup onto the load since the trailer has only been 1/2-3/4 way full lately.  While I can still legally get it to Laredo on time by the time they want it, it doesn't leave much lee-way for any measurable delays. I'm usually getting the load actually dropped by 1930 when they want it by 2000 but that's after spending 45-90 minutes waiting in lines at our yard, traffic, & waiting in line again at Penske. So yeah, if they want it there earlier, they need to find a way to expedite the queue delays!!!  Also, I10 across Louisiana & Texas is very well known for their DOT checks so I'm NOT pushing my logbook for this. The company won't pay any fine related to that so no way in hell am I risking my license & pocketbook.  As it was this week found me having to use the very limited split sleeper birth option.  Oh, to admit some naughtiness--my 2 hour sleep time in the middle of the day was spent getting a run & lunch in. No way could I sleep & wasn't going to sit there twiddling my thumbs & staring at the sleeper walls.  Stupid HOS regulations allow extremely little flexibility now.

Hwy 78 found a bit of a delay for me on the way to Gadsden, a Swift driver was having mechanical problems on a very hilly stretch (lol, what isn't hilly on that section!) with narrow lanes & no way to pass. He was down to 5 mph going up the hills & 35mph on the downside. That is a nightmare of mine, the thought of being in that driver's position.  Some stupid ass going the other direction was very rude about the Swift truck when telling somebody else about what was going on. I got on the cb & told him there was absolutely no need in being rude like that when somebody was having truck trouble. Either he's just a jackass in all aspects of his life or he hasn't been driving long enough to have found himself in that position.  And if you drive a truck long enough, it WILL happen at some point.  Anyways after Swift found a place to pull over he thanked me for being patient & sticking up for him. No need for thanks, it's just the way we all should act but it was nice being acknowledged :-).

Speaking of truck trouble, Lola is visiting the International dealer this weekend to see if the rough idling/intermittent smoking/warn engine/air loss problem can be isolated. I tweeted yesterday that she was going in to have her smoking addiction cured, lol!  The apu also needs to be worked on again, last week there was no cold air blowing when the ac was on, this week there was no heat & no cold ac.......Of course last weekend they just charged the freon (understandably doing the simplest thing first so not whinging). Think the water valve prolly needs replacing on the unit. 

Border Patrol big truck? And warm weather is here, VERY buggy windshield, yuck!