I’m Peep formally known as coworker #2 (I think). I’ve been hanging around Sally and Lumpy and taken up this crazy thing called running. And not just running but running long distance. I’m a former sprinter, high hurdle, 300m hurdles, 400m and toss in a high jump and some hockey and volleyball, so this is very different for me. I’m training for my first half marathon and I’m really excited and freaked out. I’ve run a few 5k’s and enjoyed them so this seemed like the next step.
So 5 mile run today: Holy cow is all I can say. First never really thought I could do it. It was hard, it was fun, it was painful but I did it and faster then I thought. I held a 9:54mi average, which is on track for me?? I’m still figuring all of this out. I spent more energy the first 3mi slowing myself down, quick bathroom/water break and finished strong. Actually really strong.
A few things I observed;
1. I need to get out of my head when I run, too much negativity
2. I need play list with slower music (thanks Alica Keys for Superwoman)
3. keeping layers on until half way through helps tremendously
4. People you can’t be 3 wide on the path so just don’t
5. When I call “on your left” it’s for your safety and mine, don’t be angry
And lastly I think I may have a new calling in the field of sports bras. Ladies support your ladies. That’s all on that
I’ve got a 6 mile next weekend and I’m already looking forward to it!!
For some reason, that song is stuck in my head, now that I’m back home.
After 32 hours of travel, I am so happy to be back in the land of clean air, clean tap water, clean toothbrushes (you can’t really rinse those suckers out with bottled water), clean clothes (my suitcase still smells like rotten baloney), fairly clean public bathrooms and no noticeable body odor in public places. That’s a lot to be thankful for. Now, if I can get my blobby self off of the couch and away from the refrigerator, I just may involve myself in some physical activity one of these days. Once the ice cream, M&Ms and wine run out, that is.
Continue reading ‘Proud to be an American’
I was supposed to do 5, but I cut it to 3 (3.3 according to Garmin!), because I felt bad for Schmedly, the Original G. Or Guinness, if you follow our doggie foolishness here at TAS. (OOOOOHH, I love that Toots and I have garnered an abbreviation!!!!!) I felt so bad! She was “un chien haletant,” which was a phrase I used in “Pomme à Pomme” in French conversation tonight. Google it.
Anyhoooooo, French conversation folks were here tonight, I ran earlier, Lumpy and I made a new friend, Guinness reinforced her “special dog” status because she speaks French, and all had a wonderful, relaxed evening. Or so I believe.
Last point: Dublin will happen next summer. No marathon; just French free travel. We would like to do 1.5-2 weeks in Ireland, then 2 weeks in Belgium/France (with possibly 2 free places to stay in France…); so if anyone is in for it……………………………………….yuh huh.
Strange. We went to the opposite side of Lebanon Hills today (new routes, new chances to fall!) and it seemed as if a whole swarm of dragonflies decided to adopt us and fly with us at various points during the run. (Us being me and Dawg.) I think I actually liked this section better, even with the accompaniment of hundreds of little Evinrudes.
I cut it a little short because G was so dang hot. We kept shoving each other out of the best parts of the path, since apparently neither one of us cares where the other runs as long as we each have the best footing. She’s less sly about it than I am, but she herds me to where she thinks I should be running. Sad. This is my life.
Saved the best part for last…Guinness decided to eat some tin foil that was in the recycling bag one night. We didn’t know until the next morning. Well, she’s been “expelling” it bit by bit, but saved the best for me in the car. We ran just shy of 4 miles out in the woods. No puke. No issues. Just hot. We get in the car and are more than halfway home and she decides to yak up a huge wad of foil in the back seat. Craptastic. I won’t detail what it smelled like, but think fetid; spoiled; rotten. Ick. Once again, this is my life. It may be hard to believe, but at one point I had very high ambitions. Now I’m being herded by my obnoxiously smart dog and cleaning up puke. Shoulda just had kids…
“The best things in life are silly” – Scott Adams
“Silly is you in a natural state, and serious is something you have to do until you can get silly again.” – Mike Myers
Oh…Hmmm…I don’t have a kingdom…but I got my MUD anyhow!
As The Sally wrote, the Tri-Loppet is my new favoritish race. This is my first, official, bicycle race. AWESOME! That’s all I can say.
Every time I saw a puddle I just had to ride through it… It was muddy. It was hot. I thought I might puke. It was FUN!
If your mountain bike isn’t covered in MUD…then you ain’t having a good time….
More photos after the break…
Continue reading ‘Mud…Mud…My Kingdom for some Mud!’
Published by
Sally on
27 June, 2009, at
17:28, in
events.
Lumpy, a friend, and I competed in the Tri-Loppet this morning in the hot, heavy air. Friend A did the paddle I did the trail run and the Lumpster rode the mud. (Shoulda seen his bike and face when done.) That race ROCKS! I think we actually did really well. Granted, there have not been more than 6 teams in the category we were in in past years, but I still think we have a shot at being in the top third. The running section was amazing…just hilly enough to weed out those who had trained and those who had not. Just enough mud, just enough single track, minimal asphalt, wonderfully marked trail! This one’s gonna be an annual event.
When I got back from Minneapolis I went for a chiro visit…you, know, to put everything back in it’s place…. 
Anyway, I went for a followup last week because I was having a lot of mid/lower back pain. The chiro noticed my back was a lot tighter than usual…so tight, he couldn’t even “pop” it. He asked if I had been doing anything “different”, I said not really except that I was taking a “break” from running. He suggested I may want to start jogging/running again because it actually seems to be helping in “loosening” things up and wouldn’t you know it, he may be right, my back doesn’t bother me as much after a run. He said I may be one of those rare people where running actually helps relieve my back pain instead of inducing more pain like it does for most people.
I also had one of those comprehensive fitness assessments done at work where they figure out your BMI, measure your fitness level along with your strengthe and flexibility, figure out your heart rate thresholds depending on what your goals are, and even figure out your VO2 MAX. Anyway, the fitness representative happened to be a marathon runner and has run 7 marathons (including Boston) in about the last 2 1/2 years – yes, CRAZY, I know! Asked for pointers on how to improve my long distance running speed. Turns out I’ve apparently been running too fast…really?!? Could I get any slower??!! Anyway, apparently I’ve been doing everything backwards. Go figure!
So I have officially started running again. I decided to just start marathon training even though I do not have an official marathon in mind. I got my 2nd “Dear John” from New York, Chicago and MCM are closed, and Dublin is a “no go”….What to run??? Tomato suggested Amsterdam and I’m actually considering it except that it might get a little tricky getting back in time for the U2 show. Hmmm…still looking….
Anyway, did my 1st run since the Minneapolis Marathon on Monday evening. Started at around 10:30pm simply because it was too darn hot all day. We’ve been hovering at around 100F all week long. I ran at Woodlawn Lake Park and Pita came along. She walked while I ran. We finished at around 11pm and as we headed to the car we noticed the ice cream truck was still parked in the parking lot and there was a line of kids waiting to buy some!!! I know it sounds crazy to be out and about running that late, but during the summer it’s actually quite normal. Most people don’t start showing up at the park until after 8pm when the sun starts to go down. Everyone is out…runners, walkers, families, kids playing basketball, the tennis courts are all taken, everyone is out walking their pets…it’s actually pretty safe. Anyway, felt really good afterwards.
Lumpy already mentioned the oppressive heat. Well, Toots, we don’t “enjoy” this like you do every day, so we suffer when it happens. I started out to do my 8-9 miler and halved it PLUS. I ended up running about 4 and a quarter. I am okay with that seeing as how I had a vice around my lungs. I tried to think about how to describe running with asthma + heat + heavy, heavy humidity + prairie grasses feels. The closest I came was that it feels as if somehow you have magically gotten a wool or fleece cloth lining your lungs. It’s not terribly comfortable, but it’s not the worst thing you’ve ever felt, either. If there was an invisible band around your lungs, that might feel worse.
Anyhowsies, I walked, I ran, I looked at birds. I shuffled. I turned purplish-pink. You know; it’s what I do.
Oh, but my, I loved, loved, loved our trip to De Smet. I got to see that EXACT spot where Laura lived. I saw everything I could see that was relevant to that time in her life. Amazing and cool, for this Laura Ingalls Wilder fan. I bought two new books about her life. (In depth and a little more revealing. Not for the person who has only seen the t.v. show.) Didn’t run…too hot (95°F, and no room in the bag), but satisfied one more childhood dream. Larry, if you come up, we’ll gladly do a road trip of Walnut Grove and De Smet. They’re totally worth it and fun.
Lessons learned??? I am very, very glad to be alive NOW and not in Laura’s time. I’m glad I took time off from running. I’m glad I walked today…my lungs are still sore. Americans have really, really messed up what used to be the Great Prairie. Americans have also really, really messed up native American lands…(We went to Pipestone National Monument; it was very cool.)
Today marked the official…”official”…beginning of my training for Portland. I’m a few weeks into the program I’m following–I accept that. But, ugh…today was 95 Billion °F for my kick-off run.
Okay, I’m hydrated. I can do that. So I take off on my simple and quick 3 mile route. There’s not much to it. Run 1.5 out along road #1. Run back 1.5 along road #1. Simple…except for the fact that Statler and Waldorf were out tonight along the “simple and quick 3 mile rout.”
Yeah on the way out, at about 1.25 miles there was a family setting up the ubiquitous plastic lawn chairs to sit out along the sidewalk. I run around them. On the way back, they’re sitting there. I’m running. I’m hot. Did I mention that I’m HOT? (No, I’m not talking about that way…)
I’m running back and I come upon the folks sitting in their ubiquitous plastic lawn chairs. They say to me, “What we’re doing looks a lot more relaxing that what you’re doing.”
Um…um…um… [insert NSFW comment here}. Are you kidding me? You, and your over-weight self is sitting there in the heat and I’m running along in the heat, sweating my ass off. You, using your genius level (clearly) IQ, deduce–by paths of reason so mere mortal runner can ever hope to fathom–that you are more comfortable that I am.
Brilliant. My response, “Yeah, thanks for the F*&$ing encouragement.”
I think, 5 hours later, I have finally officially stopped sweating.
