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Work is getting slightly less hellish but since I can’t talk about it, I’ll just move on.
Even though I was tired I got off my butt and went swimming at the Y after work.
I was long overdue for some “Angie time” so I met her for happy hour at the HUB after my swim.
Then I was off to my friend Carol’s shop, Wildside Wine for a wine tasting.
I picked up a lovely French Bordeaux to bring to WineHog tomorrow night.
While I was there, I accidentally “but dialed” Bill. Since the weather is going to be pretty good, we’re going to do a quick ride around town tomorrow. We’ll be doing a longer ride with the Cascade Bicycle Club on Sunday.
Last night, at the Speakeasy 1st Thursday event, I gave Jada some of the San Francisco sourdough starter I’m been culturing. I had to split it again tonight, so I have some for Aaron tomorrow and will have some for Taraz in the next day or two.
That’s one really cool thing about sourdough, it’s alive, it grows and it can be shared.
I’m hoping to bake a whole wheat sourdough baguette on Sunday.
I also need to get up early to run (I have been a total slacker about running) and then get another swim in (I’m tired of master swim class kicking my butt)
After the ride, I’ll be getting ready for WINE HOG!!!
Don’t forget, it’s not at my place this year-if you show up at my apartment, you’ll be lonely.
Let me know if you lost/don’t have an invite. I’ll hook you up.
And now, I need to get some sleep. I’m tired and tomorrow will be even more tiring.
~
I slid into frostbite falls (after swimming and biking in circles) via the RedHook Brewery yesterday at the end of my 162.1 mile trek, the grand finale of which was a 35 mile bike ride with the Cascade Bicycle Club around Lake Sammamish.
a few pictures of the ride can be found here:
For those not familiar with the “journey to Frostbite Falls” that runners make each January, you can find a synopsis here
and a fun blast from the past can be found below:
That total includes:
100 miles of bicycling, (on my road bike)
33 miles of spinning (you don’t get far on those stationary spin bikes),
13.6 miles of running, (need to work on that now that I’m uninjured)
6 miles of cross country skiing,
5 miles of snowshoeing and
4.5 miles of swimming.
Obviously, none of these totals are where I’d like them to be. But when I think if where I was at this time last year (sick, stressed, sick, grieving) I am 130 miles ahead. I’ll take it and try to improve on it each moth.
Additional fun factoids: I exercised for 23 hours and 15 minutes this month.
I burned approximately 10,035.4 extra calories; at 3,500 calories a pound that’s good for just under a three pound loss. OK, I only actually lost two pounds, but I’m in the rebuilding muscle stage, and muscle weighs more than fat. (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it)
I’ve got a February sheet on my spreadsheet just waiting for me to start out the month right by filling in today’s bike ride this morning and a masters swim tonight.
~
After my ill fated attempt (Boris and Natasha must have snuck into my room at night and whispered the evil plan into my ear while I was asleep) to run on shoes I was not properly fitted for by a professional (who doesn’t work for the company trying to sell me their shoes) I was pretty certain that I had re-injured my IT band and would be out of the running game for a couple of weeks.
I iced the outside of the knee every hour and took ibuprofen at prescription doses. I rested for the remainder of the day.
I rested the following day, well… OK… I rode my bike 27 miles around the South Lake Washington Loop with a nice group of folks from the Cascade Bicycle Club which does count as resting when I’m in training mode.
We started in Renton and rode up the lake to Seward Park for a bathroom break. Seward Park does have very nice bathrooms.
We did a loop around the park just for fun and did get a bit wet as that’s where the large raindrops seem to have been hanging out, laying in wait (were they in cahoots with Boris and Natasha?) for unsuspecting cyclists.
After that, we made that steep little climb up and over so that we could get on the bike lanes of the I-90 Floating Bridge.
A ride across the bridge is always interesting. I have ridden my bike or ran on foot across that bridge more times that I’ve driven it in a vehicle. Interesting.
We climbed up to Mercer Island and stopped at Tully’s for coffee like a bunch of lycra clad , Blackberry texting, Orca card carrying, latte swilling yuppies.
Lynn fixed herself a lovely Mowhawk hairdo. Not THAT’s helmet hair
Soon, we were back on the bikes being driven on by the scent of food, and more important beer calling out to us; ah, the siren song of prawns & chips and a Manny’s Ale; enough to drive a rider onto the rocks.
We all (well one was questionable) made it back to “A Terrible Beauty” to have some food and well deserved beers.
There was much discussion at Tully’s on our coffee break over how in Irish Pub came to be called A Terrible Beauty. I suspected a poem or a song.
When we arrived, I wasn’t disappointed. There in the door way was an etching of a poem by Yeats
Today, I went to the Y (have I mentioned how much I love saline pools?) and swam a mile, then went home, had luch and went out to a very sunny Pt Defiance park to do some running. I decided to do an out and back up the hill towards five mile drive (which was closed due to the wind storm and flying trees-I wonder if Boris and Natasha had anything to do with that?)
After running down a slippery hill on a blind corner, there it was. A big old tree right across the road. We know B & N had to be in on that; we looked for ambush but didn’t find one. We suspect the cyclist flying down the hill in his bright yellow jacket yelling equally colorful expressions while his brakes steamed and squealed may have run them off.
My total for this weekend is 5 miles of running, 1 mile of swimming and 27 miles of biking, which puts me 33 miles closer to Frostbite Fallls.
My total mileage is 91.6. 65 of those miles were by bike, 13.6 were running, 6 were cross country skiing, 5 were snowshoeing and 2 were swimming. (Hey, one needs to be creative if they are to outsmart Moose and Squirrel)
went to South Sound Running yesterday to get fitted for some different running shoes after my Mizuno disaster leaving me icing and eating Ibuprofen like candy after a mere 2 ½ miles.
I want to get away from Brooks Adrenaline GTX because I’m just not getting the mileage out of them. Even at prodeal prices, I can’t afford to buy new shoes every 200 miles.
I ended up in Asics 2150s which are virtually interchangeable with my current Brooks shoe.
The guy at the store said that a lot of people who switch from the Asics to the Brooks go back because the Brooks break down too soon.
When I mentioned the “chi” or “pose” running, he asked “why?”’ I said “because I’ve been reading about it and it is supposed to be healthier.
He told me that it’s only really works for people who have a natural mid foot strike and that in others, it can lead to injury and Achilles problems. I have noticed an increase in Achilles problems since I started trying this, so I’m going back to a flat footed strike. Just because something is the current trend, does not mean that it’s going to work for everyone.
I went out to Pt Defiance today and did three miles. I wanted to take it easy because these shoes are new and I don’t know how they break in. I was also icing less than two days ago and didn’t want to aggravate it.
I felt a tiny bit shin splint at first (I had already been feeling that way and I’m wondering if it is in part due to trying to change my gait/foot strike?) but that went away after about a mile (of soul sucking uphill)
It is now well over three hours after I finished my run and I have no pain or discomfort at all.
The moral of this story is; don’t buy shoes online that you haven’t worn before.
A “fitting” by a vendor who wants to put you in their shoe is no substitute for a fitting at a real running store (foot locker, big 5, etc… are NOT real running stores)
Get a fitting a real running store where they will watch you run and let you try on many pairs (I was also wearing the wrong size) and where they give you 30 days to bring the shoes back if they don’t work)
And PLEASE, buy a pair of shoes from the people who gave you their time and attention rather than leaving them and buying them cheaper online.
~
I’m sitting here on the couch, WAY past my bedtime with ice on my knee and substantial doses of ibuprofen in my blood system (I haven’t taken”Vitamin-I”) in months, not since taking a chunk out of my ankle bone at the Bonney Lake Triathlon.
I got a call from my BFF today that she was sick and not up to snowshoeing. She’s been fighting off the crud all week and has a very high stress job, which like mine has been extra stressful lately. Like mine, she can’t talk about it, so that adds to the stress.
I decided that I’d go for a run and a swim. I was feeling a bit tired and lazy after my own craptastic, week, some drama and a day spent working at Speakeasy, so I was happy to relax for a while.
The last time I ran (the five mile loop around Pt Defiance) I felt a bit shin-splinty in the front. Shin splints on the inside mean you’re over pronating (rolling your foot in), shin splints on the outside mean you’re under pro-nating (rolling your foot out). Shin splints on the front usually mean that you need new shoes.
I’m pretty bummed that it always seems I need new shoes (I’m getting 200 miles out of my Brook Adrenaline GTS) and thought that with my change in running gait (trying to be more “chi” about running and do a fore/mid foot strike rather than an unnatural and jarring heel strike) that a shoe with more cushion might help.
So I tried some shoes that were a bit more cushiony but still with support.
I chose the Mizuno Wave Inspire which are in the same class of shoe that I currently wear.
I decided that doing a full five mile loop in new shoes that could potentially give me blisters was a bad idea, so I just did an easy 2 ½ mile loop around my neighborhood park.
Apparently that was too much, because it appears the shoes, although well cushioned give me too much arch support and cause me to roll my foot outward, pulling on the tendon on the outside of my knee It feels just like the bouts of ITBS (Iliotibial band syndrome) I had when over racing and over training back in 2003.
I am so over those shoes. If I am having to ice and take ibuprofen after only 2 ½ miles, it’s obvious that I should not put these things on my feet again.
The bad part is, I can’t take them back. I got then on pro-deal. I can’t even sell them for what I paid for them unless I can find someone at work who is pro-deal eligible and wears the same size I do.
I’d rather go back to my Brooks and have to replace them every 200 miles than gimp myself up before triathlon season even starts.
Tomorrow, I’m going on a nice, easy bike ride around the Southern end of Lake Washington and have beer at an Irish Pub with friends afterwards. Then I have a triathlon club meeting.
If the snow level is low enough, I’m going snowshoeing on Monday. If that doesn’t work out, I’ll try a run (in my old shoes) if I’m healed up.
I did cheer myself up by picking up some lovely tulips at the corner market.
It’s been a week since the notification of my mother’s death (and all the trauma and unfortunate circumstances both short and long term associated with it)
I can say that I feel better than I did at this time last week.
I can also say that there are good days and bad days.
Today was not a good day. I woke up filled with angst and dread over things I have to deal with.
It is what it is.
The record breaking heat wave (hottest well over triple digit temperatures ever recorded in Seattle Tacoma and hottest week in history) is over and I’m no longer miserable from heat, but am still a bit physically and emotionally exhausted from it.
In all honesty, I felt a bit “off” when I woke up this morning, with a lot of things to take care of and a lot on my mind.
One thing that brought me cheer was a surprise gifite from my dear friends Emma and Leo in Wales.
They sent me a lovely card and the most luscious European chocolates from Thorntons (it’s a well know fact that aside from Ghiradelli and a few independent makers that most US chocolate is crap)
I was going to swim today, but my legs are tired from my hilly 5-mile run yesterday. (I went out before it got too hot) I took it easy and went slow since my resting heart rate was high yesterday morning. My heart rate stayed in zones 2 and 3 with an average of only 131 the highest spike being barely into zone 4 (and only staying there for a bit over 4 minutes) at 153
I need to rest up for the Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon tomorrow. I signed up for it after I realized that due to the ongoing issues with my Mom, I wasn’t going to be able to dedicate enough time to training and fund-raising for the Courage Classic this year. At least it will keep my mind and body occupied.
I picked up my race packet today and was pleased to discover that instead of the HUGE shapeless unisex shirts they gave out last year, they actually offered men/women specific athletic cut shirts.
I’m having to pay close attention to my physical well being, specifically: exercise, nutrition and sleep.
It’s important that I stay physically active in order to get through this challenging time. So far, I’ve done well with that (backpacking Sunday/Monday/Tuesday and a run on Thursday-resting up from backpacking on Wednesday and resting up for the half marathon today) I’ve been eating well, even in the heat which is also important.
I had my doctor refill my Ambien prescription. On one hand, it is serious stuff and I don’t like the idea of it. On the other hand, it works well for me with no side effects; and sleep deprivation is the quickest way to trash my immune system and make me sick.
Perhaps I’ll try to muster up the motivation to write up my trip report from earlier in the week.
~
After the triathlon madness of the last two weeks (three tris, one of them an Oly distance in 13 days) and some major biking this weekend, today was not likely the best day in which to do my long run before the Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon.
But today was the only day for me to do it in time to taper (HA) before the race in a week and a half.
So after the aforementioned triathon frenzy, a 65 mile bike ride with 3,800 feet of climbing carrying medical gear on Saturday followed by a swim and a 31 mile bike ride with 2,700 feet of elevation gain on Sunday and working a ten hour shift today, I headed out to my favorite spot to run to beat the crap out of myself.
I ran waddled 10 miles with nearly 2,000 feet of elevation gain (doing the nasty mile long 14% grade hill twice)
My legs were beyond “not fresh” they were wobbly, unhappy lead.
It was a long hard ten miles, but it was the only chance I had to do this.
Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, Endurox (I was out of Recoverite) tastes like Tang, Borax and dirt combined. I’m still belching that nasty crap up and it pretty much ruined dinner.
Tomorrow is a rest day.
Thursday is an open water swim.
Friday is rest.
Saturday is a sprint distance triathlon.
Sunday I’m volunteering as a medic rider for the LiveStrong Challenge in Seattle. I’m only doing the 45 mile route, but I’ll be hauling medical gear up hills the day after doing a triathlon.
Uh, yes…. you read that right… at WORK (of course we had to do it on our lunch hour.)
I have my good friend and bike/triathlon buddy Kathy to thank for reminding me of this event so that I’d bring my running shoes to work. (after five days off, I didn’t remember much of anything)
Oh, and Kathy ROCKS; she was the 3rd woman in!
Vendors came and we had an expo.
I was expecting much less SWAG than previous years because of the economy, but OMG, I was wrong.
It was the best SWAG haul yet!
I got a great gear bag, shirt, socks (three pair from different companies) two pair of my favorite Yankz elastic shoe laces, Graingers shoe waterproofing product, some awesome Nikwax products for cleaning waterproofing and even cleaning stinky sandals. There was also Cliff bars, shots & blocks, Heed Electrolyte solution and Hammer Gels, Camelback Elixer electrolyte solution, cute little key chains and such, and awesome stainless steel water bottles courtesy of Brooks sports (I wear their shoes)
The run/walk started at 11:00 AM with lots of happy happy employees waiting for the start.
And we were off and running…
It was getting warm and the grass, flowers and that blasted Scotch Broom were spewing pollen everywhere, but I didn’t get wheezy.
I was however quite exhausted from only getting 4 hours sleep last night.
It became apparent quite early on that running a 5K two days after a triathlon (this early in the season when I’m flabby, heavy and out of shape) might not have been the best idea because my legs were definitely NOT happy. They felt like lead, but I didn’t have any pain and I was able to pull out a 31 minute run (I came in at 31:04 but goofed up and hit the start button before I crossed the start line. Hey, I’m happy with 10 minute miles as crappy as I felt.
This one’s pretty much going to be a boring “jock stuff” update,with some obligatory consumer whoreage.
I “rested” and “recovered” from my triathlon on Saturday by swimming on Sunday (a ½ hour swimming laps really doesn’t count as a workout does it?)
I went on a 21 mile bike ride on Monday.
I swam again today.
I’m ready for my rest day tomorrow, to be followed by another swim on Thursday and a 1 ½ – 2 hour run on Friday.
Today was an exciting day because not only did I arrive at work to find brownies on my desk, but my running prodeals finally arrived. (I’m thankful every day that I do not have to pay retail)
Happy things like that make me forget that it was my “Monday” (and all that entails)
My shins and hips are going to thank me because my old shoes were getting compressed and losing their cushion; the Tacoma Half Marathon pretty much did them (and my joints) in.
Here I am at about mile 12.5. Trust me, I hurt, but I can’t help but perk up and smile for the camera
Here I am modeling my Pearl Izumi Aurora running shorts that I ordered along with another pair of PI Ultrasensor bike shorts. It’s vital (especially for women) to have clean bike shorts each day of a multi-day ride such as RAPSody or the STP.
~
*note this post will be my first test of the cross post to LJ feature on DreamWidth (where I am also wildcelticrose)
I took off work early today because I’ll be working some tomorrow. I also needed to pick up my race packet for the Tacoma City Half Marathon. The shirts are RED this year which is cool!
I also needed to pick up my new shiny glasses.
Here they are…
and the shot showing the cute detail on the sides.
I’ve got my contacts back in because that’s what I wear 98% of the time, but it’s nice to have good glasses in my current Rx that are cute. The allergy eye drops I was prescribed last time I was there have worked very well.
If you live in Tacoma, I highly recommend Family Vision & Contact Lens Center in Proctor. Dr Gorham and his staff are awesome. (I’m sure Dr Pugh is good too, he’s just not my doc)
I grabbed Shiny out of the bike room and work and took her over to the Icky Boy’s so he’d have a bike to ride while his is torn apart.
I did get an unpleasant surprise in my mail box…
A STUPID jury summons.
It’s a total waste of time for me because no defense attorney will allow me on their trial. I’m a former law enforcement officer and have even been an acting AUSA.
I am NOT amsued.
And with that, I’ve got to get ready for a bike ride in the glorious sunshine while it lasts (it’s supposed to rain this weekend)
The “hay is in the barn” (well, what little there is) for the Tacoma Half Marathon next weekend.
I did my 10 mile “LSD” (Long Slow Distance) run so next week is about not doing anything stupid.
I did two loops around Five Mile Drive at Point Defiance and that includes running up that nasty mile long hill that hits 14% grade twice.
I’m not really trained up for it, but I’m more trained up than I was for it last last year when I barely ran 6 before the race. This year’s ten was easier and less painful that last year’s six. Hopefully the half marathon will be easier and less painful as well.
I just told the Icky Boy that I’m not going to go up to Camp Muir on Mt Rainier with him this weekend (his friend Chris just came up with the plan) It would be a hard slog on ice and snow up to 10,000 feet and I think it would be a pretty stupid thing to do on my taper week after just doing a long run that I wasn’t trained up for leaving me at higher than average risk of injury.
Erik on 
Kevin Van Dyke on 
Randy Weiser on 