Steph Likes to Run

They Gym

2012-01-26T14:25:00.000-05:00

Spinning and Yoga Tuesday

2012-01-25T09:41:00.000-05:00

Spinning was pretty hard. I was already a bit sore from broomball still, and then the 5 miles took more out of my legs than I thought it would. Probably because I couldn't just run them at a steady pace. I blame the treadmill.

Anyway, it was a new playlist. Stinky perfume woman was there, and I learned her superfluous application of L'eau de Urban bothers others as well as me. We did mostly speedy stuff. Lots of pickups, jumps, and "100 yard dashes". Not much for hills. It was a nice change up. We heard they've added another class on Wednesdays, so that will be nice to have another option. I like the Tuesday - Thursday line up, but options are good. Plus, if it will help getting into classes before they fill up, all the better.

I did yoga in the evening. This is the third class. I'm starting to do the plank without my knees down. Other than that, not much has changed in that world. I noticed a guy in class that had a "Swallow Bike Works" shirt on. That is the new bike shop in Loveland that replaced Cycle Sport. It just recently opened, and this guy's daughter and son-in-law run the shop. I asked him about it, trying to get a feel for what kind of shop it is. He asked me if I was a cyclist and told me about some of the races he does. Didn't get much of a feel for the shop, but he was fun to talk to and I got some ideas about road racing...

Today I'm taking a day off. I feel a bit beat. I can tell my body is acclimating to the workouts, which is great. I hope the weather is decent this weekend so I can get a run in outside.

5 Miles on the 'mill

2012-01-24T12:43:00.000-05:00

I went to the gym last night to get in the 5 miles that I was supposed to run over the weekend but couldn't. 5 miles on the dreadmill...how was I going to make it? I had new headphones and Pandora, so I wasn't too worried.

Until my headphones stopped working.

I sweat. A LOT. And the headphones tried and tried to stay in my ears (with the help of me pushing on them about every 10 steps). But, they wouldn't. I took a break and switched out the size nubbies, thinking the smaller ones would go in further and stay put. But those were worse, nothing to grab onto. So, after a mile of fighting with them, and probably entertaining the person next to me, I gave up.

4 more miles...tempo for 3 and 1 cool-down...all without music on a treadmill.

It wasn't helping that the new guy next to me after his warmup decided to start scuffing his feet. Each step produced a squeak.

I did quarter mile repeats at one tempo, then ran a quarter mile at a slower tempo, until I got sick of that. Then I just ran. Then finally I was done.

5...miles...on...a...treadmill. I know there are people who do entire marathon training on treadmills and I have no clue how they make that happen. Though, I must say, if my headphones had stayed in my ears, I would have probably been a lot happier.

8 weeks to go

2012-01-23T15:11:00.000-05:00

Today officially kicks off 8 weeks to go until the Heart Mini. Last week went pretty well. I did a 4 mile run mid-week and two spins. Friday I lifted. Saturday's broomball game was cancelled because of the ice but rescheduled for Sunday. We won again... we're 3 and 0!

Tonight's plan is to run at the gym on the 'mill. This will require Pandora big time. It seemed to stop working in my car. I just tried to make it work on the phone by itself and something got screwed up with my sign-in, but now it is working!

Yoga is fun

2012-01-18T15:48:00.000-05:00

I took my second yoga class in a long time last night. It was great. I liked it better than the first class. I'm not sure if it was because of doing some different positions or just the better familiarity overall.

One thing I realized last night: Comparing the two sides of my body, I am severely imbalanced! I'm glad I've discovered this, as it means a lot with running. We did some poses that I could do pretty easily on one side of my body, but struggled with on the other. Good stuff to know! Maybe I'll talk to the teacher next class and ask what I can do about that.

Also, I fell asleep at the end in the relaxation poses. Tee hee :) I woke up thinking about muffins. Go yoga!

Spinning and a Little Run

2012-01-17T11:49:00.001-05:00

I'm feeling pretty good recently with the workouts. I think part of it is the holiday food is gone, and the holiday bloat is also subsiding. Geesh.

Today I went to the gym with the hopes of running 3 miles easy before spinning. But Mother Nature poured buckets down onto rush hour traffic. I made it there in time to sign up and get a mile in before class.

I saw Erin and we chatted about running a little bit. She used to race. I'm not sure what that means, but she said she raced 5Ks with some kind of club. So I was telling her about how we're planning to do the Heart Mini and the Pig Half, but that I like 5Ks too, I'm just not fast. I don't know, looks like we might do some in the future which would be awesome!

Spinning had a nice break from pop music overload. It was older One Hit Wonder type songs. Mmmm Bop, Tubthumping, Ice Ice Baby, Rapper's Delight, the Macarena, I'm Too Sexy.... That's all I can remember. It was fun. Each new song brought a giggle and smile.

I definitely feel like I'm in training mode now which is nice. I need to adjust my schedule plan and get to work.

Spinning in the New Year

2012-01-13T11:53:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I went spinning for the first time in the new year...and since I was off between Christmas and New Year's. It was insane. Melanie tried to kill us. She is so awesome though. Her classes are hard, and they're also a bit disorganized. But you walk out of there feeling trained and like you just spent your 45 minutes very well. She somehow makes herself more than just a class leader/instructor. It feels more like she's my trainer.

We did a lot of interval stuff. I have been trying to visualize about actually being on a bike when I'm in her class. She throws out some visualizations: surging up hills passing people, etc. I wonder how applicable spinning is for bike training. I barely got out last year on the road. I am curious how I'll do once spring hits.

I need to do more drawings again! Soon soon!

The New Year: here is 2012

2012-01-10T13:21:00.000-05:00

What's a running blog without a new year post? It's the 10th already, so I had better get this one underway!

I have a lot of goals for fitness and my life activities this year. I have been reading about the Olympic marathon trials going on in Houston and it has been nothing but inspiring. One of the common interview prompts for the runners is: "Tell us about a typical day of your life." Reading about the dedication these people have to their full time jobs, families and running is amazing and humbling. I'm only a recreational runner, but the lesson is applicable to everything: You get out of it what you put into it.

When I started my own company, I quickly enjoyed the freedom of schedule. And just as instantly, I was introduced to the burdon of balance. Keeping my drive in check didn't happen this year. I forgot that no one is going to put limits on anything except me. And so, I have been operating like a go-kart with its governor removed.

Looking back on 2011, it is apparent that the many activities and hobbies I love to do have been left dusty in a closet, lonely on a shelf or waiting for me while I sleep off exhaustion. But, I think there is a shockingly simple solution to this problem. I need to work less. Then, with the right balance, which I let go so wrong these past months, I will enjoy the activities I love to do and live the life I'd like to live.

Booted from Class

2011-12-21T07:50:00.000-05:00

I did at least manage to run 2 miles prior to class, and then I did a spin to Pandora out on the janky spin bikes. It wasn't too bad, and I'm happy that adding a 2 mile run prior to some spinning didn't wipe me out.

3 Miles Today...and Thoughts

2011-12-19T18:35:00.001-05:00

Mason Half Marathon Race Report

2011-11-07T14:02:00.001-05:00

Sunday I ran my 6th half marathon, which I have nominated as "worst prepared for" in the Half Marathon category :)

Overall, I'm happy with the day. I had no expectations, except a little bit of a worry going into the distance so ill prepared. But I looked at it as a long training run only, that I just happened to pay money for so I could do it with a bunch of people. That it was!

My first 7 miles I averaged between 10:15 and 10:30 pace. At mile 7, the wheels fell off and I had to walk hills and just take it easy the rest of the way. So my end average was 11:28. Meh. It really is OK. I didn't expect any more given my horrible training and am still glad I got a 13.1 mile run in.

Next up: TRAINING, eating better, losing some weight, and making running fun again. Lucky number 7 is next, and I'm determined to break my 2:09:49 PR. Maybe even smash it.

And work trumps all...

2011-10-06T20:31:00.001-04:00

Well, it's the same story. I feel like I should just have an * that comes up that means see this footer/disclaimer:
*Work has taken over. Clients are hilariously out of control. Steph is busy, dizzy and in need of extra loving care.

I feel like I've begun to surface though. I'm trying very hard to not have to work this weekend. I am planning a small vacation at the end of October. I am counting down the days. It seems really far away!

Sadly, I haven't drawn in weeks. I just haven't been able to fit it into the work-sleep-work-occasional run cycle. But soon. I have a few very fun projects lined up that I can't wait to start.

So, this is the update, just for the sake of me updating a blog to feel normal. :)

8/16/11: Thriller Spinning

2011-09-23T17:32:00.000-04:00

Spinning was all Michael Jackson music one day. It was pretty fun. When Thriller came on, I couldn't help but imagine how awesome it would be if everyone could do a form of the dance on their bikes :)

8/15/11: A Walk with the Beagle

2011-09-12T20:03:00.002-04:00

8/14/11: 6 miles

2011-09-11T22:06:00.000-04:00

This was a pain free wonderful slow relaxing 6 mile run...

8/10/11: Pain

2011-09-11T21:57:00.000-04:00

It's been a while! Work has been getting in the way of drawing...but I hope to have remedied that with the purchase of a scanner! So now I don't have to try to cram things in early in the morning. Let the catchup begin!!

This describes too many runs for me lately. Odd lower leg pain that is sooo painful!

8/7/11: Ultimate Frisbee Tournament

2011-08-17T13:22:00.000-04:00

Well, Ultimate Frisbee is over. Our tourney was on the 7th and it was all day fun running around playing some short games. We didn't get into the brackets for the finals, so we played the other team that didn't get into the brackets. It was our closest game yet. In the end, they won.

After that, the organization had a grill out going, so we all sat down for some burgers and beer. It was a good time. Ultimate Frisbee has been fun.

2011-08-16T08:58:00.000-04:00

One of the fun things we got to do while visiting friends in Louisville was run in a park that was very near their apartment. It wound around and was hilly. There were so many people out. Later we threw the Frisbee around in this park too. It was probably a 10 or 15 minute walk from their place.

8/4/11: Spinning Jumps

2011-08-15T10:45:00.000-04:00

Today's class had us doing jumps (also called lifts by some instructors) nearly the entire time. It was pretty rough. Out of the saddle, back into the saddle over and over and over again. By the end I was plopping a few times. It was good doing so many because it really made you think about form.

8/3/11: Final Ultimate Game

2011-08-15T10:32:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to catch up here...it's August 15th, but I'm still putting stuff up from the first week of August. I figure these entries will be better if they're closer to the dates they actually occurred. A couple days behind, not a couple weeks.

Our final ultimate game was OK. The team was nice and we made some good plays. It is apparent to me how much our team has improved from the beginning of the season.

8/2/11: Spinning Supplies

2011-08-15T10:26:00.000-04:00

It's simple to pack my bag for spinning class. Need my shoes, a water bottle, and towel, along with whatever I'm wearing. As simple as it is, I've forgotten 2 of the below a few times. Without a towel, it's just a sweaty mess. Without a water bottle I couldn't take the class. I've stopped at a convenience store on the way when I've forgotten that item. Below are the essentials.

8/1/11: New Training!

2011-08-12T11:34:00.000-04:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks, and I'm super behind on drawings!

Ultimate is now over, and training for the Cincinnati Half Marathon is officially underway. I'm really looking forward to running more again. This week has been kind of a recovery week of sorts I'll call it. Work has been crazy and taking up most of my time. But next week should be good again.

7/29/11: Spinning

2011-08-08T17:07:00.000-04:00

Just a public service announcement ;) It was really awful smelling perfume in a closed up, hot room while working hard trying to breathe!

7/27/11: Ultimate Frisbee

2011-08-04T12:06:00.000-04:00

7/26/11: Spinning in Ireland...not really

2011-08-03T13:06:00.003-04:00

7/25/11: 3 miles

2011-08-02T08:24:00.002-04:00

7/23/11: Ault Park Ultimate Practice

2011-07-29T08:55:00.000-04:00

7/21/11: Spinning

2011-07-28T12:23:00.000-04:00

7/20/11: Ultimate Frisbee

2011-07-27T12:59:00.000-04:00

7/13/11: Ultimate Frisbee

2011-07-26T08:27:00.000-04:00

7/12/11: Spinning

2011-07-25T17:03:00.000-04:00

7/11/11: Treadmills

2011-07-22T08:56:00.000-04:00

7/9/11: Bike Ride Outside on the Trail

2011-07-21T10:51:00.000-04:00

24 Hours of LeMons: American Irony

2011-07-19T00:55:00.004-04:00

Day 1, Friday July 15th:
Casey, Jannelle, Greg, Neil (thanks for all the pictures, Neil!!) and I met Randy up in South Haven, Michigan at the GingerMan Raceway. This is the same event we went to in April...where 9 laps were completed and we blew a head gasket and the weather was 30 degrees with 50 mph winds and sleet. Despite heroic efforts, the engine swap didn't happen that weekend and we got the heck out of there. This time, things couldn't have been more opposite: a beautiful weekend, and Randy came with a spare engine already pulled and extra head gaskets among other things. The only thing missing was one of our drivers and co-conspirator to the idea of racing a diesel Chevette: Brian. We missed him terribly. I filled in for him so there was still 4 drivers.

We took the car through tech in the afternoon after arriving. It passed no problem. Then we each took our firesuits, helmets and other equipment though tech. After all approved, we were ready to race.
Casey, Randy, Greg and Me with our steed - Carbon Footprint.

Randy borrowed a trailer for the Chevette and we set up camp there at our paddock spot. We had a nice position, close to the LeMons HQ and track.

After tech and a trip to the grocery store, we were ready. The Chevette relaxed under the tarp. We grilled out, relaxed and did a few last minute prep things the rest of the evening.

Day 2: Saturday, July 16th. First Day of Racing: 10 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Some of us needed coffee for the morning, so a coffee maker and fresh ground coffee were brought along. We had to run the generator to brew it...good morning everyone!!!! Neil made us all some bacon and eggs on the grill - delicious!

Our paddock neighbors had an Amish theme for their car at a previous race. They decided our slow Chevette was more in need of the slow moving vehicle triangle. So they gave it to us and we drilled it on.

Another great idea from our neighbors: dryer vent duct to pull in air. It was taped up and aimed at the driver. This worked beautifully and made a big difference for cooling while we were out there.

Hanging out in the morning shade of the back of the trailer before the Driver's Meeting.
Greg, Casey, me.

The driver order was Randy, Greg, Casey, Me. We first did 5 laps each to just all be able to get in the car and get a feel for it and make sure the car was good. After that we'd start our longer runs. Here Randy is mostly suited up and ready to start the race!

And Randy's off! The Chevette was running waaaay better than last time. The smoke was the right color, and while slow, it was a hell of a lot faster. Wooohooo!

Adding some oil between drivers. An oil line broke while Randy was out within a few laps. Oil was all over the front left tire. Luckily, he came in before we got a black flag. The trail of oil in the paddock was obvious though.

After Randy was Casey. After Greg was done with his laps, Casey was getting in the zone... While Casey was out, one of the left rear wheel's bolts broke and the wheel came loose. Luckily he felt it right away and came in. A fix was fashioned and he went back out.

After Casey, I was next! I suited up in Greg's way to big suit and climbed in. We had push-to-talk radio communication strapped in the car and a headset to wear in the helmet. It worked out pretty well. It was hard to hear when loud cars were around, but other than that, it was great. While I was out, Greg was timing me and let me know my lap times over the head set. That made it extra fun because I had immediate feedback for how I did on laps. Usually, we were the fastest under caution. The car was so slow we didn't need to slow down for caution...but with no one able to pass, that meant you could take your line without being in anyone's way! Cautions were great!

On the track... It took a bit to get comfortable with the car. When I went out for the second time, we adjusted the race mirror and that made all the difference for being able to see and not feel like I was driving in a tunnel.

If you got a black flag while racing, you had to do a ridiculous penalty conceived by the Supreme Judges. This guy passed under caution, twice I believe. So he had to walk the paddock wearing the sandwich board and Teletubbies helmet. The sandwich board said "How's My Driving?" on the front and "I Just Don't Get It" on the back. Attached to the helmet was an annoying car alarm...the kind that cycles through all of the different sounds. It was hilarious.

This is how you refuel, even if you're diesel. One person (Randy shown here) adds the fuel and another person (me, photo-bombing) stands ready with a fire extinguisher and keeps everyone 10 feet back. You have to be fully suited up.

At the end of the first day, we had climbed from 50-something place to 34th! And we made it to the first page with 144 laps! People got a kick out of our excitement. Everyone comes with different goals...ours was definitely to win the Index of Effluency, which is the real winner of the LeMons races. The first day put us in good position for that. We just had to run a bunch of laps the next day too.

Day 3: Sunday, July 17th. Second and Final Day of Racing: 12 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
The final day of racing started with the top 10 cars lining up in order. Then the rest could follow in whatever order. We weren't in a rush. That morning we had replaced the fuel filter. Randy came in early on his last stint the day before because of the car's hesitation. We also replaced a lug nut on the wheel that broke while Casey was out. Sunday, it was Greg's turn to start. The plan was to each do an hour. With all of the changing time and possible issues, we figured that would work well in 5 and a half hours. Greg's run was problem free, except the car needed some adjustment after he came back in. Randy made that adjustment before Casey went out. But disaster struck and Casey broke the car again ;) This time the transmission blew up. He came flying into the 10 mph pits in 4th gear. Randy calmly said "let's get it jacked up as high as it will go" and got to work. There was a spare transmission from the back up engine to exchange it with.

Around 2 hours later, the transmission was fully in and the car was going to go back out. I didn't expect I would get to race again because of the repair. But someone had to go out while the blackened-with-grease Randy showered before he put on his suit...so since I would have been next, I got to do a few more laps!! The transmission was a bit clunky and the clutch felt different. I had a hard time getting it into first and to catch. When I'm strapped down in the 5-point harness, I can't really reach first all the way...which is kind of funny. The car was way slower the second day, and definitely not as fun to drive as the first day. There was still a lot of hesitation and popping. Third gear felt really bogged down. But we were still getting laps, which was all we had to do! They radioed me in when Randy was ready and he ran the car to the checkers! He got to slap fives with the Judges while we all cheered.

Everyone met at the LeMons HQ and awards were announced. Here are some of the trophies, all hand made and awesome. And the top finisher of laps receives $1500 in nickels.

And then the real winner was announced... Zero Budget Racing with the Diesel Chevette!!! I can't believe how exciting it was! A check for $1501, which we told Randy to keep, and a very kick-ass trophy.

This was such a fantastic time. I can't wait to do it again!

There's been talk about another small unexpected car... Hmmmmm.....

Interruption from a Fantastic Weekend...

2011-07-18T12:29:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, me and a bunch of my closest friends went to South Haven, Michigan to participate in the 24 Hours of LeMons race: American Irony. It was Take 2, after a disappointing try at GingerMan Raceway back in April with the same car (blown head gasket). This time, we finished 189 laps and were the real winners of the race, taking the Index of Effluency and winning $1501! :)

Here is a link to an article summing up some stuff.

Here's a pic of the car we drove (from above link). This is either Casey or Randy...black helmeted drivers, while Greg and I shared a white one. More later!!!

7/8/11: A 3 Mile Run

2011-07-13T09:36:00.000-04:00

7/6/11: Ultimate Game #6

2011-07-12T08:47:00.000-04:00

7/5/11: Spinning

2011-07-11T09:12:00.000-04:00

7/2/11: Rowe Woods

2011-07-08T09:43:00.001-04:00

6/30/11: Spinning at Urban Active

2011-07-01T13:38:00.001-04:00

6/29/11 Ultimate Game #5

2011-06-30T07:38:00.001-04:00

6/28/11

2011-06-29T09:53:00.000-04:00

6/27/11

2011-06-29T09:51:00.001-04:00

Ultimate Game #4

2011-06-22T23:31:00.000-04:00

Hmmm...we lost again. Sad face.

There was a big front moving over for the beginning of the game. The wind made throwing the Frisbee pretty unpredictable. On top of that, we were missing half of our team. It certainly wasn't a good start.

At the half it was 10 to 3. Right as we went into half time, the sirens on the shelter house went off, meaning we had to move to the shelter to wait out the storm. Wait we did. It poured and misted into the shelter. I'm not sure how long it was- maybe 20 minutes? We went back out to freshly wet grass and not much wind! Our second half was a lot better.

Personally, I didn't have too bad of a game, but it wasn't too good either. My legs hurt pretty bad. I am thinking maybe track nights the day before Ultimate might not be the best idea. My left lower leg especially hurts really bad. If I bend down or sit on my knees on it, that increases the pain. And my knee was all tweaky. I'm not sure what is going on. I think I am having a rough time adjusting to the cleats. I don't know - I've never had pain like this. I'm going to ice and see how it feels in the next couple of days.

Track Tuesday: 100s and 200s

2011-06-22T08:22:00.000-04:00

Warm up: 1 mile

7 x 100s (walked 100 recovery in between)
22:79
24:12
21:38
21:52
20:48
22:15
19:79

4 x 200 (walked 100 recovery in between)
50:79
51:75
53:48
51:72

Cooled down: walked 800

Felt OK, but wore the wrong shorts and my lower legs are still hurting a lot from the cleats. Legs felt out of control on the 100s, which is why I switched to 200s.
Need to get in a long run this week...in my new shoes!

Weekend Fun

2011-06-19T19:01:00.000-04:00

Saturday morning our Ultimate team had a practice in Ault Park. It was a nice, cool, rainy morning, but the drizzle thankfully ended soon after we got there. Lee had us do a couple of drills, which were good...but kind of confusing for us to follow. I think if we did it again, we'd be good. At the end of our time there, he mentioned meeting at 10 rather than 11, so we can actually do the drills and not cut into scrimmage time that starts at 11.

The scrimmage was fun. I started out playing on the team of the others that show up every Saturday, who aren't on our team. It was kind of sucky, because my teammates were all playing together really well and I wanted to be playing with them. I found myself just running randomly around the field again. But then a couple of us switched sides and I got to play with my teammates and it was awesome! I made some plays, handled the disc, did some blocking... it was very fun. By the end, I was pretty tired. No subs! Which really, was great because it was a better workout.

Sunday morning I went to the bike criterium clinic and had a great time. There were probably about 12 to 15 people there. Most had been doing crits, but everyone was very laid back and eager to learn. Coach OB was pretty cool. He started with telling us about cornering: how to shift your weight, the line you should take, and accelerating out of the turn. He had a course marked out with cones in the parking lot and we rode it slow a couple of times. Then he broke off to ride and watch people individually as we did our laps. I found myself gaining more and more confidence on each turn. And the center of gravity adjustments and gear advice helped a lot. It was so much fun. I was told I was looking good, had good form, and took the turns nicely. :) I did have to work on being in the right gear coming out of the turn though.

Other highlights I learned about:
- You ride a crit in the largest ring
- Hand position, always in the drops...but he also talked about a bone in your hand you should rest on rather than the middle of the base of your palm which can make your hands and arms go numb
- Always have bent elbows
- Shifting weight back and hunkering down more helps lower your center of gravity and go around the turn smoother
- Outside leg is down and you can push a little to help with center of gravity also
- You push to steer similarly to how you push to steer on a motorcycle
- The turn starts and ends out wide, and you cut into the middle (assuming that would be possible with the pack)
- Accelerating happens as you come out of the turn (it's very much like other racing principles)
- Being in the right gear coming out of the turn is one of the most important things

After we were done, I talked to Mary and Candy. Mary complimented my jersey, and I had gathered she had done crits before, so I bugged her as she was changing her gear to go on a ride. She was so incredibly nice. I asked her about how one gets into these races. She said even if you don't ride for a team, you can sign up and enter the race. She said that learning to ride in a pack is helpful and told me about some bigger group rides in the area. Candy joined the conversation too and was equally as welcoming and encouraging. It was great!

So, I think criterium racing is something I might try next year. The Madeira and Hyde Park races are next weekend, but I'm in no shape for them. There is one in the beginning of August, but that might be when we go to Seattle. And then the season is pretty much over. We'll see about next year though. If I had so much fun just by myself going around a parking lot today, I'm pretty sure an actual race would be a lot of fun.

Criterium Clinic

2011-06-17T09:27:00.000-04:00

I just signed up for the Madeira Centennial Criterium race clinic that is this Sunday at the high school. I saw a flyer in Starbucks this morning posted by Coach OB. He's a local cycling coach that seems to be pretty popular. The clinic was free to Cat 5 men and Cat 4 women that are pre-registered for the race, and just $10 for those not registered. It's from 7:30 - 9:00 and is supposed to cover drafting, cornering, how to accelerate, tactics, and more.

I assume that this is going to be all people that are in fact competing in the race. I'm not going to be, but I've been trying to find out what Criteriums are all about for quite some time now. I've watched a few local ones and they look like awesome fun. I figure this will be a way to be able to observe, learn and ask questions.

I'm nervous because I think I'll be the only one there that doesn't know anything about racing. So it could be an hour and half of embarrassment. But if this guy put the flyer up in Starbucks...maybe he is trying to get other people interested. And he's a coach, so he can't be to exclusive, right? Oh well, worse that can happen is I'm embarrassed. It's worth it for me to try to find out about crits.

Ultimate Game #3

2011-06-16T08:02:00.000-04:00

Our third game of Ultimate Frisbee didn't start out so well for me. I felt disoriented. Things started making more sense eventually. And, I think it was right after half time that I finally understood the force home or force away. I feel dumb that I can't understand this concept as many times as its been explained. I need to look it up again and translate it into my own comprehension.

I never had my hands on the disc. That was very disappointing. I think it was a combination of not being able to be open and the fact that our handlers just handled with themselves more this game. The game certainly is different when all you do is run around. We are having a practice/scrimmage on Saturday morning and I'm really looking forward to that. Perhaps I'll learn how to cut better. And, I need to have some practice with the disc or I'll never get better.

The team we played was nice, as usual. They even had a cheer for us after the game was over: "You put up a good fight. Your shirts are really bright. You'll always be safe when jogging at night." or something to that effect.

Oh this was the first game I wore cleats also. Waaaaaay better than running shoes. I could corner so much better and never lost the person I was guarding. They're uncomfortable as hell when you're used to soft cushy running shoes, but at least the games are only a couple of hours.

Track Tuesday

2011-06-14T22:57:00.000-04:00

Roman and Erin and I made it to track tonight. It was nice to run in not crazy hot weather.

I warmed up with Roman for a mile. We swapped stories of my frustrating work day and his awful run on Saturday concluding in barfing. I've never thrown up from running. Been very dizzy and blacked out once at the end of a race, which caused ice cold water to be thrown on me. That wasn't pleasant, but I think I'd take that over getting sick. Sounds like he just had a weird combo of heat exhaustion and not the right food.

Anyway, I realized my Garmin's batteries weren't charged. Hmmm. I noticed that it wasn't on the charger completely when I grabbed it to throw in my bag. I must have not clicked it in all the way last time I connected it. I went to get my phone out of my car but realized it too was nearly out of juice, so it wouldn't probably make it many laps before dying. So, that left me without a timing device and I just ran for effort.

I ran 8 x 200, with 100 walk rests in between. I felt pretty good and pushed on the last one. My knee is still a little tweaky from testing out the soccer cleats Sunday, and my shins hurt as well. But other than that, I don't think I hurt my knee too bad Sunday. Tomorrow I'm taking my running shoes along to Ultimate in case I need to switch out from the cleats.

So that's it: 8 x 200. It felt pretty good.

Back on My Feet: A Reason to Run

2011-06-13T19:56:00.001-04:00

I saw this article via the Columbus Marathon's facebook feed:

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Running-Group-Helps-Homeless-Get-Back-on-Their-Feet-123751354.html

How cool is that. Back on My Feet helps homeless people with running and getting their lives in order. I have read other inspiring stories about what running or triathlon has done positively for people's lives. You could swap the word running with many other words, but since I run, I always find it interesting to see the unique impact the sport has on people. I think I also find it interesting because personally, running has always been for reasons other than winning. Not that there is anything wrong with running to win. I just think it's pretty awesome that, along with winning, there are so many great reasons to run and keep running.

For me, running was spurred by good and bad reasoning, somewhat simultaneously. I was in high school, fat and I wanted to lose weight and feel good about myself. I thought running would be the best way to do that because it looked so intense. And, runners were skinny people. So I started running, in my mom's old blue gym shoes and my black cut-off sweatpants. Around the same time, I also stopped eating. That would be the bad reasoning, which wasn't reasoning at all but anorexia.

It was quite a battle for a few years, a conflict among my mind, my body, my parents and others around me. Thankfully, I was able to get better without too much damage done. The biggest crutch for my eating disorder ironically became the strongest thing that helped pull me out of it: running.

I ended up liking running, for more than the high-calorie burning suffer-fest that it was. I liked feeling good after I ran. I liked the energy and confidence and control it gave me. I had more and more runs on which I felt strong and healthy. That slowly won over being focused solely on my size. I could feel good, but only if I ate. I had to eat in order to run.

The conflict is still a little bit there between me and my body, embarrassingly. There are uglier moments/days/weeks/months than others. Running definitely plays a big role in balance. I think this is the first time I've really thought about my running history and foundation. I'm really glad I started running and am thankful I have kept it up because 1) I enjoy running...a lot! and 2) I like running with people and the precious camaraderie that fosters. I look forward to more of those opportunities, as that experience has by far been the best part.

20 miles in glasses

2011-06-05T21:01:00.001-04:00

I went on a 20 mile bike ride tonight...and had to wear my glasses because I'm out of contacts. While my eyes aren't that bad, it makes all the difference for seeing road hazards/debris, etc. It wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. They actually shielded my eyes from the wind very well. Plus with no contacts in, my eyes weren't bothered by wind anyway. Kind of goofy looking though :)

Something New to Do: Ultimate

2011-06-03T07:42:00.000-04:00

Broomball...kickball...now Ultimate Frisbee!

Our first game was Wednesday night. It was a lot of fun. I hadn't played since college, and that was just some pickup games in Nippert Stadium or on the corner of Burnett Woods. Never before was there strategy...

Our friend Richard plays down in Louisville and taught us some key pointers Memorial Day weekend before a bunch of us played disc golf. Rather than giving me confidence, it made me very nervous. I didn't really understand everything he was going over and feared I'd be the one making a lot of dumb mistakes. Lee, our team captain, went over the same things the night of the game. I'm still not all there with understanding everything. There's a lot more to the game than just being able to throw a Frisbee and run. Hopefully by the end of the season, it will be more clear.

The game was a ton of fun. We played a team of high school kids, which was hilarious. It spawned plenty of age jokes. They were a very nice team – definitely the nicest team I've ever played in one of these extra-curricular activities we do :) We joked about how many people on our team had braces for knees...and perhaps some of them had braces for their teeth. The best part was at the end, one of the guys from the other team brought over homemade cookies to share...that surely his mom made! :)

We know there is at least one other team of youngin's, because they were playing on an adjoining field and knew the team we were playing.

I'm very happy to be able to run around with friends...that's probably the best part.

Flying Pig Half Marathon 2011

2011-05-02T19:18:00.000-04:00

I'm taking a break from the 24 Hours of LeMons reports to write a quick report about the Pig. This past weekend was awesome. I hung out with friends all weekend. Sunday a bunch of us ran the Flying Pig Half Marathon...on a soggy morning after many many soggy weeks. It just hasn't stopped raining here.

This was by far not a very good run for me. I started out feeling great: strong, breathing easily, and no leg pain (which I was worried about happening given the past few runs). I soon realized I was repeating the Pig Half I had in 2009. Once I hit Gilbert and the hills following, I was done. If I wasn't going downhill, it was a struggle to run. I wouldn't even call what I did after mile 6 "running." More of a ...slog...

But it didn't matter. I was out there, moving, enjoying all the others around me, and especially enjoying that so many of my friends were running the race too - that was the best. I was happy to be there. I know I was very under-trained. At about mile 10, I was thinking up summaries up in my head that best captured this race experience. The winner was: Races are a lot more fun when you train for them properly! :)

I'll have to post pictures of the awesome shirts Jess and Daryl made for all of us. They were so great!

And now it's time to pick out some fun races and events for the summer!

Gingerman 24 Hours of Lemons: The Car

2011-04-29T13:02:00.000-04:00

Make: Chevrolet
Model: Chevette
Year: 1983 (while people were rocking out to Mr. Roboto, I would just like to point out)
Color: blue-rust-other with a lovely pin-stripe
Condition: well...

Randy, Spanky, Brian, Greg and Casey spent some many hours and/or weekends working on this car, eventually turning it into this beaut:

And then it was put in a semi and driven up to South Haven, Michigan, along with a cousin Chevette as company for the long trip, for the 24 Hours of LeMons race. A bad screen grab from video of the the cousin:

Randy and Spanky left Thursday to drive the semi full of Chevettes and tools up to the race track. Casey and Greg left Thursday afternoon (after getting our truck back late from our mechanic) to head up to Perrysburg to pick up the pop-up camper we were going to use for the weekend. Turns out something wouldn't hook up right with the lights from the truck to the camper. So, Friday morning everything was transferred from the truck to the van, and they left pulling the camper with that vehicle instead. Jannelle, Brian, Neil and I left from Cincinnati Friday morning and traversed the boring, windy highways of Indiana up to South Haven, Michigan.

There's a lot to write about this weekend...small chapters might be the best. Or maybe I'll just pare it all down for the next post.

Gingerman Raceway: 24 Hours of LeMons

2011-04-19T19:32:00.000-04:00

I am soon to write at post (or posts) about our weekend up in South Haven, Michigan...where it was cold, wet, windy, wet, windy.... and there were a bunch of dedicated guys trying to get the '83 Diesel Chevette up and running to drive in the 24 Hours of LeMons race.

Here is the car. Themed "The Carbon Footprint," the number was CO2.

More soon!

Spring

2011-03-27T23:44:00.000-04:00

Spring was here briefly, but now seems to be hiding again. 25 degree nights with green grass...how very odd.

The dogs love warmer weather. Harley will stay outside any time of year, while Dexter demands to come back in after he's done with his business by barking at the back door. But even with sunny 40º temps, they are happy.

I took this picture the other day when it was warmer and windy. Dexter loves to lay on this wooden stoop outside the garage. And Harley is so very hairy.

Spring means it's baby critter hunting time. There haven't been any baby birds yet, but I'm anticipating a high kill year. Recently, the dogs got a rabbit. This wasn't a baby rabbit, but an adult, so I guess that means they've honed their skills for the hunting season early. I'm assuming it was both of them, though I'm sure Harley is the one to get credit for actually catching the rabbit; Dexter is way too slow.

It was a stealthy, morning kill that went unnoticed by the humans. I did notice the dogs lingering around an area when I got home from work the same day. So I investigated while they were inside eating and discovered the scene of a rabbit mauling. The head was gone. Organs, a foot and fluffy fur was strewn about this part of the yard. Gross, guys! I'm glad I didn't see it happen.

I put up some police line do not cross tape (not really) and cleaned up the disgusting mess. I learned that I have an iron stomach. :) I was literally scraping brains and unidentifiable organs off the grass with a stick onto a shovel. A couple times I just dug up that part of the yard to remove stuff because I couldn't get it up. So nasty! But it was kind of funny to me all at the same time. The cute, cuddly creatures I live with are also killing machines.

I feel I need to keep a tally of their kills. This is what I believe it to be as of now:
moles: 3
snakes: 1
baby birds: at least 5
baby raccoon: 1
rabbits: 2

Run-ins but no kill:
cat: 1
opossum: 1
toad: 1

Surprised there hasn't been a casualty of:
squirrels! Oh how they taunt Harley, running along the fence rail. One little slip, my chattering friend, and you're toast!

Notable of the above was the baby raccoon kill I unfortunately witnessed. It was cornered in the woodpile. Dogs barking and baying, I could not even begin to convince them to lay off. Then the baby made a fatal error of trying to come out to fight or escape. Harley and Dex each took a side and shook. It was dead pretty quickly...and the dogs were so so very pleased. I've never seen such pure satisfaction on their faces. They were happy, proud, glowing even...and exhausted. Both collapsed in the kitchen while I cleaned everything up. Pretty fascinating.

The rabbit kill did not come without some (expensive) consequences. Harley got very ill from her consumption of...well, whatever it was she ate of the rabbit (I'm pretending the head was eaten by some scavenging bird during the day). She spent the day at the vet where she underwent some tests and was x-rayed for bones and blockage. 8 cans of special food and a round of antibiotics later, she's all better. Dexter either didn't partake in the feast, or just didn't get ill. Harley does seem to get gastro-intestinal issues pretty easily.

So, spring is here. Baby animals be warned!

Broomball...and Checking

2011-01-18T18:44:00.000-05:00

Saturday was our 2nd broomball game and I got checked into the boards. Well, I think it would be better described as checked over the boards. It knocked the wind out of me a little and I coughed. I tried the soccer move where I whined and rolled on the ground holding my leg in order to get a penalty (not really). I am surprised there was no penalty, since there is no checking.

Anyway, a couple of hours later I had my diagnosis of a fractured rib cartilage. It's in the area next to the bottom of my sternum. Not sure what all it means yet. I do feel like it's getting more manageable. Last night I biked for an hour, breathing hard with no pain. Just soreness afterwords. Tomorrow I'm going to see if I can run. Fingers crossed!

This weekend at broomball I will be joining my friend Drew as coach. Maybe I'm co-coach? Or I should be The Coach of Flair, teaching the team to have a little more grace and clown-like presence on the ice. :)

It's a New Year - Hello 2011!

2011-01-12T09:37:00.000-05:00

Some running and biking fun ideas/desires for the new year:

1. Cincinnati Heart Mini Marathon 15K
2. Flying Pig Half Marathon
3. Biking more and finding people to bike with
4. A duathlon or two? Tri for Joe would fall nicely after the Pig.
5. More trail running? Maybe do the Dirt Days series, which is a series of trail runs throughout the spring and summer
6. Columbus Marathon
7. Weekend runs in different parks all over the city

So far this year I've had ups and downs with getting back into a schedule. The weather is rough, motivation is rough, blah blah blah. I feel like I've started over 10 times already. It's not far into the year yet though, so I suppose it's still not too late to start again.

I Just Got Accountable

2010-12-23T12:45:00.001-05:00

The week on the page... right in my face...

Broomball at Fountain Square - Season 2. Party In My Tummy is Going All The Way

2010-12-15T09:09:00.000-05:00

I've decided that broomball conditioning starts today. Boooyah! It's season 2 at the Fountain Square League for me. And thanks to last year, I know what it takes on the little ice skating rink downtown to be a kickass player.

Our games start January 8th. That's 3 and a half weeks of conditioning fun.

Really we aren't that competitive. There's not even off-sides. But I am desperate for something to motivate me into doing something. And I think a 3 and a half week period of time to get used to sprinting again without my chest exploding is a good thing to aim for.

Party In My Tummy is ready to hit some ice. And we're ready for crepes after every game.

A Dog-like Goose

2010-12-03T09:01:00.000-05:00

The neighbors at the corner have a pet Canadian goose. At least that is what seems to be the case.

I noticed back in the summer they had a baby goose in the front yard. It was fenced in with some chicken (goose?) wire and there was a blue plastic kiddie pool in the area. It kept getting bigger and bigger and soon turned into an adolescent goose. And then one day as I ran past, there was a goose chasing me. Like a territorial dog, the goose started at one end of the yard and flew-hopped low to the ground along the property as I ran past. If it could have barked, it probably would have. It cracked me up.

In my recent running hiatus, I hadn't been paying attention to the whereabouts of the goose. Plus, I just figured it probably flew away once it was big enough. But the other day as I was heading out of the neighborhood, I saw the goose in the yard again, watching me and following the property as I ran past. On my way back I noticed that the back yard is fenced in with the chicken wire, a bigger area this time, and the pool is back there as well. I saw the goose sleeping in the pool.

Perhaps this goose can't fly and ended up in their yard so they started taking care of it. Or perhaps wherever a goose lives when it's young is where it likes to stay. Maybe it just enjoys its kiddie pool and chasing runners. If I ever see these neighbors outside, I am definitely going to ask what is up with their unexpected pet.

Time to Schedule Some Time to Make my Schedule... what?

2010-11-21T11:01:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I spent some time working on a new training/workout schedule to start following. I have been using a very loose schedule approach for the last year or two. But I think I'm going to start following a less loose (dare I say tighter) approach for a few weeks and see what happens. Also, this is how a beagle flops down beside you to help with your training schedule development:

A brief background: I love schedules and planning. In the past, especially when I first started running, I looked up plans and copied them down on calendars or in notebooks so I could follow them daily. I would plan out races and workouts leading up to them, but without really knowing what I was doing. As time went on I started tweaking the schedules more and more, realizing that I wasn't always going to be able to do what the schedule told me to do, be it because of my fitness level or because of my day. I soon became frustrated trying to follow too religiously, missing workouts and feeling like everything was ruined when that happened. So eventually I adapted a training guideline kind of approach. Last year when I trained for my marathon, the only real scheduled runs were the weekend distance buildup, Track Tuesdays, and I ran during the week with Krista every now and then. I think I just tried to run as much as possible the other days of the week.

That kind of approach really does work for me in accomplishing consistent and happy running: Tuesday track, midweek with a partner, long run on the weekend. However, it only works if those things are present and, most importantly, I have the motivation to carry through with them. Which brings me to the current State of the Running Union. The State of the [my] Running Union is weak.

My motivation is at an all time low, so it's time to make some changes. Enter brand new, shiny, still-has-that-new-car-smell training schedule! I've reflected a lot about my running hobby and how it fits into my life. I'm not so sure I've ever taken this approach, but I do believe it's imperative for developing a successful schedule. I also thought about what my goals are, another crucial element. They are pretty simple. I love running, so I want to run. I love biking and believe I might have some unleashed potential there, so I want to bike. I really like the challenge of improving, so I want to push myself and enjoy the rewards.

Here are the boring details of it all, an overview of the next few weeks. I'm going to "spin" (indoor trainer) 3 days a week and run 3 days a week. I've scheduled times for this to happen that are realistic and current. I'm not going to run in the dark by myself, so morning runs are out and have instead been moved to lunch time. Spinning works after work, unless I work late. That happens from time to time, and for the past month has been pretty much every single night. So, I am just going to bite the bullet and get up earlier so that I ensure myself the time on the bike. I really don't mind getting up early, and it's dark anyway. It's just that I would prefer to not get up that early :) On the weekends, I will do a long run and a long bike session (Spinflix-style).

I have the daily details scratched out on a piece of paper. I'll be ramping up my mileage and time on the bike back to respectable amounts. I figure I will test this through the rest of the year, and then see what I want to do when January hits. I might want to focus more on one or the other sport, or start training for the Pig. I have some big ideas/dreams about it all, which don't seem to look right on this blog right now. I feel like I'm all talk with nothing to show for it. So for now, it's just about doing what I like to do, and improving at it. When there are results to show, that might warrant more discussion.

Spectating the Mason Half

2010-11-08T16:51:00.001-05:00

Sunday, track-BW3s-and-otherwise buddy Roman ran his first half marathon: the former Mason Fall Golden Mini (15K) turned into the Mason Half Marathon. And he did a great job too! He came in 12th in his age group and 43rd overall. 7:35 pace...Not bad!! Congrats, Roman!

We saw Roman start and then headed over to a spot that was around the 4 and 10 mile, since it was partially an out-and-back course. Spectating was fun. We took Dexter to help rally the runners :) A lot of people glanced at him and smiled, as he shivered in his plaid coat. Why on earth that dog gets so cold with all of the blubber he has to keep him warm is unknown to me. Greg and I took turns running him every now and then to warm him back up.

The other highlight of spectating was chatting with another spectator, Meredith. She joined us at our spot. Her twin sister, Leslie, was running her first half this day also. Greg, Erin, me and Meredith talked the entire time. Looking back, it was crazy how much we actually discussed in the time it took Roman to run 8 or 9 miles. Meredith is from one of the Carolinas (I forget which now). Her sister lives in Columbus and they drove down for the race. Leslie is also leaving for a 2 year stint in the Peace Corps in Guinea, Africa – where she will have no running water or electricity. Meredith does research on Autism, but doesn't do much actual interaction. It is more data crunching from the parents' info. Her parents are divorced and her Dad has done Boston. She ran cross country in school (I don't think college) and thinks a 10K is very very far. :) She and Greg had a lot in common about running. Her mom is a pediatrician and her dad a chiropractor. Her boyfriend is in school to become an art director. She is a vegetarian. She had a book with her she is reading that we all talked about, around the subject of food and good healthy eating. She also had a box of Kleenex in her bag, which made me smile. Someone else in the world prepares themselves with Kleenex at all times. Meredith was really fun to talk to. All in between cheers of "woohoo looking good! way to go runners/walkers! keep it up!" I was a little sad to leave!

The finish line had some bumpin' music playing, and Roman crossed the line to "California Girls". Gag!! I was dancing to keep warm. And to entertain anyone that passed. But I think the most success I had was embarrassing Greg. :D Overall, spectating was very very fun and inspiring! It's been the year of the half. We went to Columbus for Erin's, Roman came to Cincy for mine and Casey's, and Erin and I went to Mason for Romans... and Greg was at all of them :) He gets the award for Best Spectator. Let's call it Best 'Tator.

Happy Early Birthday to Me

2010-10-28T00:21:00.000-04:00

I just bought this today off Amazon on mega-sale: the Garmin Forerunner 205.

My old Garmin GPS Speed + Distance system that I've had for 7 years has officially died. Check out the magnitude. It is interesting to see where the technology has come in 7 years I guess. The watch still works, it is the GPS signal-getter that doesn't.

Watch:

Strap on GPS unit... it was like running with a Walkman strapped to my arm.

It was great while it lasted. Greg got it for me when we lived in Florida, so I could just run all over the place and know how far I went without having to try to map it with the car. I guess this was before MapMyRun.com or my discovery of Google maps? (Geesh it was only 7 years ago...hmmm) I don't know - but I loved this thing. I'm sad to see it go, except for the fact that now I don't have to wear the hugeness on my arm, which got annoying in the summer.

I really like going out for a run with the ability to check my pace, see how far I've gone, etc etc. If I want to change course, I can – more freedom with planning routes with these crazy GPS things. The new Garmin seems to do everything except lace up your shoes for you. You can program what information it displays, which is nice...so you don't have to toggle through things you aren't interested in measuring. It also has a virtual training partner. I hope the partner that comes with mine is a pleasant conversationalist who enjoys movies, long walks (or runs) on the beach, and beer. Hopefully we'll become fast friends.

Cincinnati Half Marathon Race Report

2010-10-25T16:35:00.000-04:00

Saturday I ran my 5th half marathon, got a PR and had a pretty decent race! My official time was 2:09:49, which averages out to a 9:55 pace. I'm very happy to have averaged under 10s. While I'm super happy with my end time and met some of my goals, I also have some disappointments, namely that I couldn't keep the pace up the entire 13.1 miles. But in the end, I have learned quite a few things from the race.

I had three goals I was keeping in mind for the race. This wasn't going to just be a "go out and run and see what happens" kind of race. Training with Casey, I have gotten a little faster. I wasn't so lazy on my training runs as I have been in the past, by myself. It's very easy for me to settle into a comfy jog. But during most runs we did, I was pushing a little bit. And during the long runs we did, I was running at paces I had never ran before at those distances. So I had plans for this event. I actually "raced" it, for me anyway. My C goal was sub 2:15:48 which would be a PR. B goal was to run a 10:00 per mile pace (2:11:06). And the A goal was a 9:50 pace, which would be a finish time of 2:08:54.

The race weather was perfect. It was cool, calm, morning around 45º probably. Parking was kind of rough–we tried two garages before finally ending up along the water on the boat ramp. It was free, so that worked out. I got to the start line not too much before it was time to find a place in the crowd. Casey and I said our "see ya laters" to Jannelle and Greg, and tucked into the middle of the pack.

The horn went off and we moved along smoothly. I felt good and calm. Casey realized he had given his gels to Jannelle–doh! But she knew, and when he saw her at the corner down the street a bit, he was able to grab them quickly. That might have been around a half mile? We passed the 1 mile marker in 8:50-something. I immediately thought that was too fast for me. Soon after that, Casey pulled away and I lost sight of him pretty quickly. I settled into my pace, clicking along around 9:15s it seemed from what I heard people with GPSs saying around me. I felt great, but wondered about later.

The course didn't have many hills. There was a hill coming up into downtown, and a couple of long slight inclines here and there. My breathing told me before anything else if we were going up or down. At mile 7 I took a gel. I was happy to have that over with and felt I could concentrate better on just running. I had another to take, but wasn't sure when I'd take it and wasn't worried about it. At mile 8, my watch said 1:16:00 flat. That was a 9:30 pace! I was very happy. With 5.1 miles and about an hour of time left, I knew that unless something horrible happened, I would at least met my C goal of anything sub 2:15:48.

After about mile 9, I began to struggle. People were passing me left and right and I didn't feel like I was maintaining a decent pace anymore. I tried to just stay with 10s and be content with that. I think between mile 8 and 9 was a 9:50 pace. Then between mile 9 and 10 there was a hill coming out of the park that wiped me out. Around mile 10, my knee started hurting from my pesky IT band. What was this? It hadn't hurt during training! I was mad. With 3 miles to go, I didn't know what would happen and all of my progress towards the finish line felt extremely slow and iffy. On top of that, my stomach was cramping and I got a sharp side stitch. At one point, I tried to do some math and figure out what my pace would have to be to get in my A goal of 2:08:54. I thought it seemed possible, then realized I wasn't maintaining a fast enough pace. I gave up on that in favor of just being able to run the entire time. Stupid IT band.

At mile 12 there was an S turn down and over railroad tracks and then into a park. The path was winding concrete sidewalks with sudden ups and downs. Not ideal. I thought about the cobblestone finish of the State to State Half (my first half) and how I had the same thoughts then...this is mean, Mr. Race Director. I hobbled along, people passing me left and right. Just keep moving forward smoothly, I told myself. I could see the big yellow bridge in the distance and knew the finish was somewhere close to that. My knee hurt really bad. I tried speeding up to see if that would help, but it hurt worse, so I kept it steady.

I saw the finish line and upped the pace to what felt like a respectable hobble. I was cutting it close, but managed to finish just under 2:10! I made C and B goals!!! I was so close to my A goal... it's pretty rough knowing that. But there is something to strive for in my next race.

Me and my high arms...

So, in summary, I am very, very happy that I PR'd and ran well in the beginning! My disappointments lie in the fact that my IT band hurt to a debilitating level and I don't know why it did, and that I couldn't stay strong in the end miles of the race. I wanted to run even-ish splits, not go out quickly just to run out of oomph with 3-4 miles to go and then have the quick miles make up for the slow ones. I suppose if my knee hadn't hurt I might have suffered through it differently. I don't know...

Casey had a super race and finished 1:57:18!!! His first time racing this distance, and he beat his 5K race pace! His running progress has been inspiring and enjoyable to watch.

This was an excellent race. It was the first year for it and was well done. Most importantly, Greg, Jannelle, Roman and Christen were fantastic spectators that I thought of often while out on the 8 mile stretch far away from them! I couldn't wait to see them again. Hopefully this entire report doesn't sound too whiny or down. I'm still in the analyzation phase I guess. Perhaps the fact that I am thinking about it so much is a good sign for what's to come. I have a lot of hope for having more fun at races in the future!

Cincinnati Half Marathon - Complete!

2010-10-25T09:15:00.000-04:00

Official time:
2:09:49 | 9:55 pace

Race report coming soon...

Cincinnati Half Marathon is Tomorrow!

2010-10-22T15:56:00.000-04:00

Here's the course map!

It's going to be great weather! Chilly for the 'tators, but good for the runners!

Winter Woes Written

2010-10-18T22:43:00.000-04:00

So winter is approaching. I know, it's barely fall. But really. It's certainly not summer anymore.

Every year I struggle with winter. I am not a big fan. I appreciate the seasons changing and blabbity blah pretty white snow yaddah yaddah. But in reality, it is not a picture postcard season here in Cincinnati. It's a Nestle Quick chocolate milk spilled all over a slushy kind of scene. From November through March (and sometimes April) it's cold, dark and wet.

This year I've decided to embrace winter. Somehow. [sigh] So here's a list of what I don't like about winter, and how I think I can somehow (somehow!) embrace it. Set to the tone of a shallow women's magazine self help/great idea section.

Steph Writes: "There is too much darkness. I don't like rising out of bed when it's dark. I love opening my eyes to a dimly lit room as the sun is rising. The obvious remedy for this would be to get up later, when the sun is rising. Duh. But if I can't convince everyone to do that..."
Easy Fix! Buy some cute candles! On those dark days when you just have to get out bed and, you know, go to work and stuff, have some cute candles ready to be lit in the places you brush your teeth and wash your face. The bright orange flame will brighten your mood! Carry a favorite candle with you to the coffee maker and watch the flame flicker as you wait for the coffee to brew!!

Steph Writes: "It's always wet out with no snow. OK it's not always like that. But I hate it so much that those days overshadow the rest and I'm forced to talk in dramatic extremes about it."
Easy Fix! Get some cool galoshes! Wear your rubber boots on those particularly saturated days and instantly bring a smile to your face and memory of elementary school to your brain! Jump up and down in some slush and laugh with a co-worker about the pants you just ruined! Make sure you get multiple pairs/colors so you don't have to wear the same ones in a row!

Steph Writes: "Everything is drab. Trees are brown. The grass is brown. My hair is brown. Streets are brown-gray. The sky is gray. The mailman looks grumpy."
Easy Fix! Wear a rainbow! Be the color in the day by sporting rainbow sweaters, scarves and eyeshadow! Or, just a rainbow patch for your jeans! Rainbow fashion isn't in this year? That's OK- check your local Goodwill, where rainbow colors are always in season, and pick some clothes to fill the spectrum in your closet.

OK that's enough I think. Really though. Winter is rough for me. And I seriously do look for things to get me through it each year. I am thinking this year it will be centered around training - on the bike and running. Running has gotten me through winter before. This time I'd like to have a little more focus though. I still need to find something to motivate me and come up with some goals. I think numerous short goals will be best.

So perhaps I will come up with some goofy winter challenges in the next months. Hmmm...

Long Run and Spectating in Columbus

2010-10-17T19:11:00.000-04:00

Saturday I ran my last 6 miles before the Cincinnati Half coming up on the 23rd. It went OK... I didn't feel too stellar. Mentally I was pretty out of it. I wasn't too excited to run from my house. I considered just doing 6 x up and down the street to get the 6 in, but didn't want to do that either. I grabbed my Garmin GPS and figured I'd just run wherever I felt like without having to worry about it. But that didn't work either because my GPS is officially dead. Before, I was having problems with it staying connected to the watch, but now it won't even turn on. :( I changed the batteries, haven't looked into anything else that might be wrong with it. Oh well. Maybe in a couple months before I start running distances again I can find some kind of cool new one that's all in the watch. It lasted 7 years. I first got it from Greg while we lived in Florida. It made going out for runs completely different. I didn't have to try to map anything out first - I could just go, which made it much more fun and adventurous.

Anyway, after grumpily mapping out a route, which I ended up having to change anyway while out there thanks to all of the construction on Montgomery, I went out the door with my LogYourRun app on. Turns out it was only .1 miles off (it's not known for its accuracy). I maintained a 10:00 pace, so that's good. And now it's taper week. I will probably bike Monday night, then run Tuesday, easy. Wednesday easy, and then that's it. Rest, hydration and hoping for my best half marathon yet!

Today's activities helped get me a little more pumped for the race. We drove up to Columbus at a bleary-eyed 4:00 in the morning and cheered Erin through the half marathon as she walked it. We saw her at miles 3, 4, 7, 9 and then 12.something to the finish. It was fun! A beautiful day for spectating, I lucked out. My spectators watching me last year froze! I also got to watch our friend from Cleveland, Elizabeth, finish an absolutely amazing marathon and new PR for her. After seeing Erin at mile 9, we ran to the finish line and caught Elizabeth from the opposite corner finishing. She was the second female and finished in 2:49:53!!!!!! Simply amazing - nice job Espeed!

This year's Columbus Marathon experience was definitely brought to you by the letter T. For technology. It was great running around with our phones, comparing the course map printout to a Google map so we could actually find streets to drive on to get to our next viewing spot. And both E and Erin were signed up on Tweet My Time. Their times were tweeted after crossing checkpoints. Nothing seemed to be working on the website and I couldn't get into my twitter account, but it worked on Facebook! So we could see what pace they were moving at. Pretty darn handy. It was also interesting to watch everyone's comments on Facebook as the tweets came through. Everything is so instant now.

This post is horribly void of pictures. I took pics with Erin's camera but failed to get anything of my own, not even a quick shot on my phone. :(

Here's to a restful week and good weather this coming weekend!!

Columbus Marathon Spectatorship

2010-10-14T15:01:00.000-04:00

This weekend is the 2010 Columbus Marathon...my first marathon that I completed last year. It's an interesting reflection. Sometimes I still have a hard time believing I did it.

This year, I'm going to Columbus not to race, but to watch my friend Erin walk the Half Marathon division of the race. She and her husband Roman (track buddy sometimes pictured on this blog), drove to Columbus last year to watch, cheer me on, and take awesome pictures...throughout the entire 26.2 miles. It was absolutely incredible. I am spoiled; they set the bar pretty high for cheering friends in future marathons!!

The weather is going to be pretty fantastic. It will be fun following Roman around to all the spots to see her. We haven't ironed out plans yet, but I assume that is what will happen. I'm also looking forward to being in the race environment. I wonder if I will wish I was out there doing the marathon again. I can at least very much look forward to my own half the following weekend...it's almost here!

Window View

2010-10-12T16:46:00.002-04:00

This is what I get to look at all day while at work.

I love fall. And it is my favorite season to run in for sure.

First Fluid Spinflix

2010-10-10T21:31:00.001-04:00

The other night I had my first Spinflix session on my bike in the new setup. I wanted to start the Battlestar Galactica series but realized that I haven't watched the DVD of the first episodes yet, which I believe set it all up. So instead I watched a claymation movie I've had in the cue for a while called Mary and Max. Netflix suggested it for me because of some other movies we've watched... and it was a great suggestion. I had to finish it up the following day during lunch.

In my opinion, it is a very very well done movie. Visually it was fantastic, and the story is pretty incredible too. It's one of those stories in which you discover you can see something of yourself. Nothing crazy deep or anything, just something you notice. The two characters are unlikely pen pals. There is a beautiful simplicity in how they happen to share the most matter-of-fact yet inadvertently intimate things with one another in their letters, and form a true bond of friendship. It's an absolutely beautiful depiction of love.

Fluidity

2010-10-06T18:09:00.001-04:00

I bought a fluid trainer to replace my LOUD WIND TRAINER THAT I CAN'T HEAR ANYTHING OVER a couple of weeks ago. I have now tried it out a couple of times. Verdict is it's 100% awesome.

The days are getting shorter and riding after work is hard. I'm happy to have found a trainer at a decent price that works so well for the type of indoor riding I want to do. My setup now allows for a few options: watch Netflix instant cue (TV shows or movies), watch music video playlists, watch shows on Hulu, or just listen to music. I suppose I could pop in a DVD movie too, since I think my laptop has a DVD player in it. All great things to help with various workouts on the bike. I also plan to start doing strength training out here...my jelly arms are getting old. I guess the space is just my own little workout area. Still running outside...that won't change :)

The trainer is out in the "basement" (our attached, heated-but-cooler-than-the-house garage).
So here's my geeky picture of the setup from the bike point of view...

A. TV monitor
B. Lappy, the hook-up for mtvmusic.com and anything else on the internet
C. Receiver
D. The Wii, which has a disc in it from which we can stream our Netflix instant cue
E. Books to stack my lappy on so it can reach the cord and be away from the speakers
F. Speakers which fill up the room nicely with sound (still working, Dad!)

I'm thinking the Netflix type of workouts will just be time in the saddle, moving at a decent pace but more for longer times. The music workouts will be more like a spinning class. I've already done this once, for a few songs. It was great.

I'm slightly excited about all this!

Half Marathon History

2010-09-27T18:06:00.000-04:00

As the Cincinnati Half Marathon date approaches, I thought I'd take some time to research my previous times. Thanks to an awesome site called athlinks.com, this wasn't too hard!

State to State Half Marathon 2004 (my first and best) 9/27/04
2:11:23 | 10:22 pace | The website results say it was only 12.68 miles! Dumb!
summary: Very very sore knees, blamed on old shoes.

2006 Fying Pig Half Marathon 5/1/06
2:17:37 | 10:30 pace
summary: Getting over some sickness made it a little rough.

2008 Akron Half Marthon 9/27/08
2:43:54 | 12:31 pace
summary: The tail end of being sick, and about 40 pounds overweight.

2009 Flying Pig Half Marathon 5/3/09
2:35:25 | 11:51 pace
summary: Under-trained. Had to walk a lot. Not fun.

So. My first half marathon was my best. That is pretty funny.
I have now ran 11 miles at a 10:09 pace. So, it is quite possible that I could get a PR at the Cincy one October 23rd, and that is what I'm aiming for. It will be my first ever attempt at a long distance PR...hmmmm....

Sidecut Park

2010-09-17T18:05:00.000-04:00

Quite a few weekends ago (I think it was the last weekend in July) I did 7.5 miles up in Perrysburg at Sidecut Park. It was within running distance to from the inlaws, and all shady trails and paths. I wish there was something so convenient to run to where I live.

There was some nice scenery.

Catchup. Or catsup. Or ketchup.

2010-09-16T22:13:00.000-04:00

Well, I got an anonymous "crickets..." comment on my last entry. Hint taken. Guess it's time to get back to this blogging thing.

Recent race highlights...Powder Keg Trail Run was quite possibly the most fun I've ever had at a race (other than my marathon). I should still give a bit of a write-up to that before I forget it all.

Training... for the Cincinnati Half Marathon is going well. I was sick a couple of weekends ago and somehow kept a slog up to finish around 8 miles. Now 10 has been conquered at the fastest pace I've ever ran 10 miles.

Biking...I get a ride in when I can. I am trying to figure out what to do over the winter. Because I think I would like to do more biking next year.

Work...is busy. Nice and busy again. Not the greatest of projects, but the steady work is much appreciated and will hopefully allow for Fill Creative to gain some ground to be able to seek out some stuff we would like to do. Also, I have been trying to draw more, and was blissfully drawing regularly for a while. But it has been hard to fit it in recently. I'm hoping to fit it in again soon. The motivation is definitely there.

And now, because pictures make this blog better...

Wednesday night bowling.

The odd nubby things you could win in the claw game.

Posts!

2010-09-06T23:13:00.000-04:00

Woah - it's been too long! I need to get back to posting on this thing. Perhaps with a different outlook also. I've tried to make this blog interesting through sharing my running and racing adventures. But the truth is the daily running stuff just isn't all that exciting. So I think I'm going to try to dive in a little deeper and see what else I'm thinking around the subject of running.

For now, I have a slight cold. The 10 mile run that was supposed to happen this weekend got cut short to about 8 and it was slow and very painful. I felt like I could have laid down at any time and just fallen asleep. We'll do 10 next week. There are 7 more weeks until the half marathon - woohoo!

That's it for now. The Powder Keg 5K race report is in the works!

Riding Again

2010-08-24T14:02:00.000-04:00

I've been getting back out on the bike, which is great. Last week I rode Monday night with Rich and Glen (briefly) at the shop. Glen left us to take a speedy solo ride. Thursday I snuck away from work and got a 17 mile ride in with my friend Richard who was in town for a couple days and is getting into biking. I didn't go over the weekend at all, but did another shop ride last night with Rich. We went slowly, which was great. 34.6 miles total. No knee pain. Sore neck and back, but that's just me getting used to the position again.

Now for the biking to help the running.

Tonight is track. Not sure what I'll do - maybe 5 x 800. We've decided to venture back to Mason and avoid the track traffic at Sycamore for now :)

Track Night - Changed Venue

2010-08-17T23:32:00.000-04:00

1 mile warm-up
4 x 800: 4:07, 4:17, 4:17 and 4:20
No cool-down. Left. Quickly.

We tried a different track tonight: Sycamore Jr. High. Here are my ratings (out of 5 stars being the best)

Track surface: *** 3 stars. It was old school and just fine. Made us all go into conversation about what our high school tracks were like.
Track location: ***** 5 stars. Easier for Greg and Roman (and Shaun when he comes) to get to. We might be able to start earlier, which would be nice.
Track markings: ***** 5 stars. They must have just painted them again. I don't really care about this, but thought the bright, fresh paint was worth mentioning ;)
Track etiquette: * 1 star. There was zero track etiquette. It was completely overrun by a bunch of rude people that thought they owned the track for their group workout. Very very annoying.
Harper's Point BW3's: *** 3 stars. It is part of track night! They didn't split the wing sauce allotment to the satisfaction of anyone who was getting wings. Personally, I'm a little winged out right now and ordered some gross flatbread thing. Bleh. Everyone agreed that the Tylersville BW3's is better.
Company: ***** 5 stars. (As usual.) The more the merrier, so I'm glad Christen did some recruiting for this week :)

So that was track night at a different venue. Stay tuned to see what happens next week... Will Roman throw a sharp elbow at the crabby woman in purple? Will Erin say excuse me or bite me after tripping the women who cut her off just to slow down in front of her? Will Steph scream TRACK! at the top of her lungs at the 4-abreast walkers taking up lanes 1 - 4??? Find out next Tuesday evening on... TRACK TALES!!!

Cincinnati Half Training

2010-08-16T08:38:00.000-04:00

Training is underway. I feel great. The distance thing is all coming back to me, and I'm really looking forward to bumping up the weekend runs and seeing what happens (both to me and Casey). This is going to be my 5th half marathon, and I had a comforting and pleasant realization recently: I know what I'm doing. I've covered the 13.1 miles 4 other times on 3 different courses: Cincinnati Flying Pig, State-to-state, Akron and another Flying Pig. So...I've done this before! Realizing that has greatly helped this slow runner's confidence.

Last week's workouts were OK, though I still didn't get all of the days I wanted in there. But this past weekend Casey and I ran 8.25 miles, and I feel like the training is definitely underway. My legs feel good. And for the first time in a long time, nothing hurts!

Tonight I am planning to go on the group ride with Cycle Sport. However...see that last statement in the previous paragraph? Nothing hurts right now! My hips and knee (which I think has gotten tweaked from past bike rides) are all good. So I'm not going to go 30+ miles with them like we usually do. I haven't been on my road bike since the Caesar's Creek Duathlon and have only done one spinning class. So I'm shooting for 20 easy miles. Likely, this won't be what Rich and Glen are doing, but I'll shoot Rich an email just in case. It will probably be a solo ride, which is fine.

Here's to a good week of training! (and cooler temps? maybe??)

Track Night in the Heat

2010-08-10T22:24:00.000-04:00

All were in attendance tonight. :) Our little track club is so fun. We need a name. And we all need nicknames. I've decided this.

Christen (aka ABP) and Shaun (aka ultra-Shaun)

Roman (aka Boom Shakalaka) and Greg (aka Runs ~~With~~ Like Kenyans)

OK so maybe we don't need nicknames.

We warmed up a mile and then, as people were trying to decide what to do in the heat, Shaun and I were talking about doing what I know as "Indian Runs" - or something like that. I didn't do track in school, but ask a track person and they will know what I'm talking about. You all run in a single file line. The person in the back sprints up to the front and sets a new pace. As soon as they are at the front, the new person in the back does the same...and so on and so on. I've done these workouts when I trained with a group at Fleet Feet. We went round and round a neighborhood doing this for a few miles. It was TONS of fun. Tonight, it was TONS of hard.

Here you have Roman, who is super fast. Greg and Shaun who are fast. Christen and I who are, uh, not fast. Christen just started running again, so she's just getting her body used to things again and will soon be fast. And I am just plain slow. Guess who suffered?

The order, I think, was Christen, me, Shaun, Roman, and Greg. The pace line would get so spread out when the guys were leading and before I'd have to sprint that I probably had to travel double as far to get to the front. Meanwhile the speedy guys bounded to the front, under my recovery pace, with ease. The pace they set was not an easy pace for just running- so basically the only chance I got to recover was when I lead the pack...for a bout 5 seconds! We did this for a mile. It was a brutal workout for me and Christen, but a really good and fun one too! I definitely think Christen and I benefited more from the workout than the guys did.

After that Christen, Shaun and I ran some more laps to cool down while Greg and Roman did another couple of miles. Now we have two fun change-ups to track night when we feel like it: Stadium stairs and whatever it is we did tonight...I'll call it Line Sprints?

Schedule for This Week 8/8 - 8/14

2010-08-08T22:29:00.000-04:00

Here is the plan for this week's training.

Sunday - We disc golfed. It was good walking around outside time.

Monday - Spinning at 5:50 a.m. ...that's right! I'm going to go resurrect the Community Center Membership. If I get up. It's already 10:25...

Tuesday - Track Night. 4 x 800 with 1 mile warm up and 1 mile cool down. 4 total miles.

Wednesday - 4 miles

Thursday - Spinning at 8:15 or bike ride on the trail

Friday - Off, strength

Saturday - 8 miles

Training for the Cincinnati Half Marathon October 23rd. I'm pretty excited!!!

Track and Four Miles

2010-07-21T09:14:00.000-04:00

Tuesday was track night. We hadn't been in a couple of weeks and I was anxious to go back and feel speedy.

When we got there, the skies opened up and huge yet soft drops started pelting us. We ducked into the tunnel under the stands while the downpour happened, which was maybe for 1 minute. Then we went back out and it was just humid and sticky.

What looked to be the entire lot of boys who'd like to play football for Mason was out in the field and swarming the track. It was junior high and high school boys, and probably early practice before try-outs. It was a chaotic mess of black and green shirts and skins out on the field. There were different groups scattered on different parts of the field doing drills. They were loud and happy and pretty funny to watch, really. Most of the times, the drills were pushing the edges of the field. We had to be on the lookout for balls overthrown onto the track and the pack of stinky boys chasing after it. It made for an interesting time!

I warmed up 1 mile, then did 400 repeats, walking 200s in between. Times:
1:53
1:49
1:51
1:51

Then I cooled down a mile. It felt pretty good. I don't think I could have done more than 4 repeats without slowing down.

This morning I ran 4 miles with Casey and it was a little rough. The air was so thick. My legs were lead-filled for about a mile and half then were fine. But the air never un-thickened. I haven't been sleeping well this week and that is how I felt.

Saturday a few of us are doing a 5K in Mason- Asha for Education. It starts in the park and goes through there and looks like the path along the road by the map. It won't be flat, but it won't be Idlewild either. I'm really really looking forward to a decent 5K time...like maybe the same time as what the Tri for Joe time was, which now is feeling more and more like it was some kind of fluke. We'll see I guess.

Running After the Du

2010-07-14T09:06:00.000-04:00

There goes a pack of high school boys running on the sidewalk... I remember sitting here looking out this window back in the winter, lamenting how I couldn't run. I was reminded each day of this fact as I watched countless people braving the winter weather for a jog. Eventually, Evil Foam Roller - uh- rolled into my life [cymbal crash], I finally started making progress on my IT band, and voila! Here I am enjoying each and every run I go on, even if they aren't perfect.

After the duathlon Sunday, my knee ached from my IT band. Badly. During the end of the race I questioned whether it was going to hurt so badly I'd have to hobble across the finish line. I didn't really talk about it, other than "my knee was sore" because I didn't want to worry about it. But the fact was, it hurt just as bad as it did when I was injured and couldn't run, and in the back of my mind that is where I thought I was headed–time off. The entire day Sunday and Monday it throbbed and hurt to walk. The good thing that comes from being injured is that you learn how to treat yourself, and maybe can jump start treatment for things quicker. I rolled on EFR, gritting my teeth from the pain. I iced multiple times throughout the day. I took Advil in the beginning. I massaged the sore spots I could pinpoint. I talked that IT band into relaxing. Back off, IT band!

This morning was the first time I've ran since Sunday, and I was nervous. But it was 4 miles of greatness. My legs were definitely still sore from the race. I could feel my muscles protesting that they would rather not have to carry my body for 4 miles, with some of the distance at a quicker pace. We stopped to stretch once because I felt my entire right leg tightening...I jumped on the chance to get it back in control and it worked.

So, even though it was a painful run in terms of effort, I was elated to have no knee pain whatsoever from my IT band. I suppose I should take a minute to thank Evil Foam Roller: Evil, you're hard and made out of "foam" which should really just be called "rock," and you usually just sit quietly in the corner. But you're always there when I need you to inflict healing pain on me. And you don't seem to mind my cursing and foul mood when I'm done with you. Thanks for being round. And evil.

Lifting...for the first time in a long time

2010-07-13T22:38:00.000-04:00

Tonight track was cancelled by the Thirty + Track Club...or Old Fartleks...or whatever it is we decide to call ourselves. It was raining really hard, and two of the three members of our huge club had other obligations getting in the way. So, we met for dinner instead. That meant I lifted. I had to do something. And I really really really really ... really need to work on this mushy weakness I call my upper body.

I did a short circuit that seemed to touch on everything a little bit, the best I could. I even threw in some core and leg therapy stuff. I need to refine the workout more, but it was a start, and it made me feel like I'm moving in the right direction.

Here is Dexter, watching from the couch, approving of my form. But not approving of the huge orange ball coming at him.

Caesar Creek Duathlon - official time

2010-07-13T09:28:00.002-04:00

The results are up, and here are my official times, which weren't far off at all from Greg's watch. Same averages apply.

5K Run1: 30:01

T1: 1:52

22K (13.6 miles) Bike: 50:23

T2: 1:48

Run2: 34:30

Total: 1:58:34

And a finish line photo:

Caesar Creek Duathlon - race report

2010-07-12T08:43:00.003-04:00

Unofficial results from Greg's stopwatch:

5K Run1: 30:22 --- 9:48 min/mile

T1: 1:49

22K (13.6 miles) Bike: 50:22 ---- 16.22 mph average

T2: 1:46

Run2: 34:27 --- 11:07 min/mile

Overall it was a fun day, but I wish I had done better. The weather was good. The bike course was very hilly. The 5K should have been challenging but doable at a faster pace. It just wasn't my day physically I guess. I still had a great time. I just wish I could feel better about the overall performance.

Greg took pictures again (thanks!) And Casey and Jannelle came to watch, which was awesome and made the day very fun!

Walking to the start. I felt fine. But I never really did feel pumped up and "race ready".

At the duathlon start line.

View of the group of the duathletes. Hard to tell how many people did the du...maybe 100?

View of the swim start.

Starting...hopeful and calm.

Coming into transition after the first run. I was so slow. I was hoping mile markers were marked wrong. Not sure why, but I just couldn't go any faster.

Leaving on the bike...(and wooowooo look at that guy in the background! Vest and no shirt, lol.) I was prepared to start feeling better about myself with a kick-ass bike race. The course womped me though. It was hard to tell how I was doing because my speeds varied so greatly. 35 mph down hills....5 - 10 mph up some of the big climbs.

Coming into transition after the bike. I got a bad calf cramp in the last mile, which was thankfully downhill so I could just slowly spin and work it out.

Ballet-like dismount. I have no idea why I got off the bike this way, as I have never done it like this and I'm always afraid I am going to fall. I think I saw the person in front of me and just did it without thinking. Which I suppose proves I can in fact dismount properly without falling.

Ouch - clomp - ouch - clomp

Heading out for the final run...my legs weren't moving well at all. It was a shuffle for the first mile.

Uuugggg...almost there...

The finish line. It was a meager push to the end. I was exhausted. That woman behind me - we kept playing leap frog on the bike. Actually I played leap frog with a few ladies out on the bike course. I would always pass on the down hills and then be passed on the up hills. A sign my legs weren't performing well I guess.

So, that's it. Nearly 2 hours. Not my best for sure, but there's always the next race.

A Few More Days...

2010-07-08T13:40:00.001-04:00

I'm looking forward to Caesar Creek duathlon Sunday. I'm taking the next few days off, hydrating and trying to eat well. Thankfully these 95+ degree temps are subsiding tomorrow. Otherwise it would make for some nasty race conditions.

Here's a map of the course. Yellow highlights the bike course (which I've made note of so I don't go the wrong way this time) and the orange is the out-and-back 5K run portion. I still need to clean my bike and get my nutrition for the day, just some gels and chews. If temps are close to what they were at the Tri for Joe, I'm hoping for a very similar race performance. The bike course is hillier, so I'm not entirely sure what that will mean for my bike times, or the run after. I'm most concerned with the run–being able to keep those paces again would make me very happy! It's new territory for me.

4th of July Weekend

2010-07-06T12:33:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was nice–stayed in town and relaxed with numerous grill-outs. I got in another bike ride on Saturday with some hills, so I was happy about that. I might try to do one more before the du.

I left from my house, and planned on winging a route out into the country. I took Davis and just kept going...and eventually found my way to the bike trail! I had no idea I could get to the trail that way. There is still a very nasty big hill to climb up, but hey, that's what training is for.

I wound my way down this hill–it took a sharp left at the beginning and then just kept going. I was going 40 mph, a little above the 35 mph speed limit of the road :) Then, I was on a slightly rolling, curvy part of the road along the river–the opposite side from the trail. Soon I came to Old 3C, which surprised me. I popped out here, crossed the river and got on the trail by the Monkey Bar. Yay for a new and much better route to the trail other than the only other one I knew about which was Old 3C–a very bumpy, shoulderless road that I never had any intention of riding down.

Since my original intention had been to ride roads, I decided I would take the part of the trail that goes to Lebanon. As I remembered it was kind of hilly, or at least not as flat as the main trail. When I got near Lebanon, I climbed the longest hill ever. I remember doing this part of the trail a few years back after it was new and had just opened...Greg and I were on our mountain bikes and I don't think I made it all the way to the top before having to hop off. Unfortunately, the start of the hill is after a stop sign, so there wasn't any momentum to help in the beginning...I just had to start going. I shifted down into my lowest gear and kept a constant rhythm on the pedals that matched my heavy breathing. It was so hard. I was completely maxed out–couldn't have gone any faster or my lungs would have exploded. I reached the top and slowly kept pedaling, gradually gaining some speed again as I recovered. I moved to the road that ran parallel to the trail. After some more rollers and the road ending into 48, I turned around and headed back.

That hill took a lot out of me. But I still managed 17 - 19 mph on my way back. When I got back to Davis, however, I bailed on the hill. One very tough hill was enough for this day, a week before the du. I wanted to save my knee. And I also didn't feel like falling over in the road when I wouldn't have enough energy to reach the top...which I was 99% certain would happen :) So I walked it, and even that had me huffing and puffing loudly.

At the top of that hill I got back on my bike and rode slowly as I recovered again. I was looking forward to getting home and drinking something other than water. Something with flavor.

I made it back and collapsed on the floor, but not before pouring myself a tall glass of sweet tea. It tasted wonderful.

So now it's 5 more days until the du. I'm hoping I can conquer the hills around Caesar's Creek pretty well this year. There will be a lot of gear shifting going on.

Nice Weather We're Having, eh?

2010-07-02T11:00:00.000-04:00

This morning I thought I was going to go to a spin class and then follow it up with a couple miles on a treadmill for a brick workout, after reestablishing my community center membership. However, I looked at the schedule wrong. When I double checked last night before I went to bed to make sure the time was 8:15 a.m. and not 8:30, I saw there was no such class on Friday. Thursday there is. Dang it.

So I slept in and when I finally felt like dragging myself out of bed, went for a nice 3 mile run. My pace started out pretty slow, but after a mile I felt warmed up. It ended up being 3 miles in 28:05. So a 9:22 pace.

It was such a nice morning! I was in a t-shirt and didn't get hot. There was a cool breeze and no humidity! I really hope for the same weather next weekend during the Caesar Creek Du.

Training

2010-06-30T15:51:00.000-04:00

A quick thought on my recent training...

So this week I'm doing well with training. I'm pushing since next week I'll have to taper a little for the duathlon. It's made me think about how hard I train/work in general. In the past, it just hasn't been very hard at all. I think that I thought I was doing what I should, but I have gotten to know my body a little better and have discovered that's not quite true. I've also discovered (not really a new discovery, more a reminder) that it's so much easier to push myself with other people around. It would have been difficult to push the way we did on the bikes Monday night, probably mostly because I would have just been a little bored. Same goes for running. Motivation is priceless.

I hope after the du to keep this level up and see what can happen.

40 miles!

2010-06-29T08:58:00.000-04:00

Monday's group ride was awesome. I laughed, I cried, I sang. OK not really. I did laugh a bunch and smiled nearly the entire time. Glen and Rich are great. They are entertaining, easy-going, laid back people, at least on these rides. The time with them is both challenging and comfortable at the same time.

I rode my bike from the studio so I didn't have to load it onto my car again, 3 miles on Riverside to the shop. I went in the store and Rich hooked me up with some chews. I had a gel with me, but the chews sounded great. After Glen got there, we went out to the main road, full of rush-hour drivers, to get to the trail. It was a fun game of sprinting and playing in traffic as usual. We rode pretty easy up to South Lebanon and then got on the roads. Glen lead us at about 21 mph in a windy pace line that was awesome. Then, instead of getting back on the trail at Morgan's Canoe Livery, we took a different road that was quick rolling hills, or moguls as Glen likes to call them. Then we got back to the trail, and after a quick break headed south. I followed behind the two of them as they chatted. After refilling water bottles in Morrow, I decided I was going to get in front of them. They could chat behind me and I wouldn't have all of the debris kicked up on me. The trail was a mess from the previous night's storms. We were constantly running over twigs, branches, lumps of debris...and most of it was being kicked up in my direction. Rich came up beside me, leaving Glen in the rear. But it wasn't long before he came up on Rich's left and made a comment about how I must have had enough of the debris in my face. So we actually rode 3 abreast for a few miles which was fun. After another stop sign, we regrouped and Glen lead us again around 20 mph in a pace line. I was struggling to hang on at this point - over 30 miles done...I was feeling it. Soon after that, we came into Loveland and I left them at Riverside going back to my car at my studio. I spun through the neighborhood to try to flush my legs a little bit. After getting off my bike I walked a little too. My legs hurt as soon as I stop. They hurt so bad by the time I got home. I rubbed them and downed 3 advil. By the time I was done showering, they had stopped hurting. But wow-- they ache soooo badly when I stop. This happens each time. Not sure if maybe I just need to get used to it or if I can cool down better to help alleviate.

Anyway, it was 40 miles total!! :) This is the farthest I've ridden. And it had a good amount of speedy pickups in it too. Caesar Creek is hilly...I would like to get some hill work in prior to that race. Looking to spinning class to help with that on Friday.

Weekend Fun

2010-06-27T20:50:00.000-04:00

Saturday was the Hyde Park Blast which is some sort of festival that has all kinds of fun stuff: a 5K, cycling criterium, elite running race, bands and food. I have always wanted to see the criterium after seeing one many years ago in Loveland. The Blast is pretty big and seems to draw a big group of riders. It is part of a series that was the entire weekend: Friday was a crit in Madeira, Saturday was the Blast and Sunday was the Tour of Grandview.

The women raced at 6:55 p.m. - Cat 1/2/3/4. We came in on the end of the Cat 3 men's race. It was pretty exciting. The women's race was awesome. We were positioned in one of the turns so we got to see them all brake and lean into the turns and get through it as a pack. Here was the first person at the first turn where we stood, and then more riders. You can see the start/finish red blow-up thingy in the background.

It would have also been interesting to see the straightaways and how positions changed. Every time the pack came into the turn there was a new leader, so there must have been a lot of shifting going on. It was just so cool to watch. I would love to be able to do this some day. I don't know if I would ever be fast enough. It would take a lot of work to get to this caliber, but it just looks so incredibly fun!!!

Coon Dogs

2010-06-25T13:43:00.000-04:00

Last night the dogs were going crazy in the back yard, barking barking barking. They do this when they meet the neighbor dog through the fence. I imagine the conversation usually goes something like this:

Harley: "Oh high, fuzzball, how's your tiny little yard doing? You poop on top of your poop yet?"

Neighbor dog: "Whatever, Miss Hair's-So-Long-You-Can't-See. Why don't you go try to catch a ball...and fail...because you can't see!"

Dexter: "Hi!!!!!!!"

However, last night it wasn't a conversation between them and the neighbor dog. I couldn't get them to stop barking from the dining room window, so I went outside to yell at them. As I approached, I heard another noise - that of a raccoon snarling - and realized what was going on. The dogs were between the fence and a pile of large branches (where the raccoon was hiding) completely oblivious to me and my cries for them to stop. I was barefoot and tried to start making my way across the wood, trying to find a stick to pick up and whap them with to get their attention. But I wasn't fast enough. The raccoon became in reach and it was over pretty quick. Dexter had the back and Harley had the front - so cute, like they had a stuffed animal! Not really. It was disgusting. The barking stopped as each dogs mouth was around the raccoon. I think Harley did the largest damage with the head/neck. She viciously shook it. Finally they dropped it. Dexter's face was changed. Harley kept circling around trying to get at it again, but I finally got them both into the house.

When they came in the house, they were absolutely exhausted but wagging their tails. Both collapsed on the kitchen floor, completely satisfied. I've never seen Dexter look so utterly satisfied. It made his day!

Clean up consisted of Greg getting underneath the little guy with a hoe and shoving it up onto my shovel. Then I carried it back to the way back near the creek, our critter graveyard. Poor little thing was kind of cute.

So now Harley has added a critter to her kill list: Birds, mole, rabbit, snake and now raccoon. I give Dexter the assist.

My Calves Have Rocks in Them

2010-06-24T16:03:00.000-04:00

I was wondering what part of my legs would be sore from the stair workout Tuesday. Um, it's my calves, and it's ridiculous. I am having a hard time walking and going down stairs involves a funny side-stepping quick hop down to each step.

Christen and I walked to lunch today, which I'm sure helped the soreness. They felt good by the time we got there. It is .8 of a mile to walk to El Picante. We are devising a way to make it an even mile. This may be accomplished by walking in the opposite direction down the side street our office butts up to and then heading there down another side street...or we could do a bunch of laps around the building to get those two tenths in. Tee-hee.

I will be using the evil foam roller tonight. Yay.

Track Tuesday - Stairs!

2010-06-23T11:15:00.000-04:00

Something I haven't done since college: run stadium stairs.

Greg, Roman and I warmed up on the track for about a mile. Then, Greg suggested we do the stairs. It was kind of mentioned last week as something we should try some time. It was a nice change from running around and around and around - and especially since I still don't have a sport watch yet.

Going up...

Coming down...

We did each staircase on the concrete side twice. Took us about 14 minutes. Then we ran another lap, and Greg pooped out on doing any more. Overall it was short workout, but I think I'm beginning to feel it in my calves...

Plans...again

2010-06-21T13:56:00.000-04:00

I probably do this too much on this blog, but I'm again trying to think out loud about what I want to do this season. Now back from vacation and with one duathlon done, it's time for some evaluation and training commitment. I think I've come to the decision that I don't want to do a fall marathon as I originally had planned. I think. Though I just had a conversation with Christen about Shaun's race this past weekend which made me want to do it again - argh! But I'm really having fun getting faster and thinking in a "sprint" mindset - be it 5Ks or duathlons. If I was going to do Columbus again this year, I would need to start training now. But I don't want to just focus on chugging though long distances right now. I could definitely see doing the Pig next spring though; train through the winter, take my time at is (because it is going to be a lot harder than flatsville Columbus).

Ok yes, this conversation with myself seems to be working... you're such a good listener, Blog.

So the next question is, do I want to try a triathlon? That means I'd have to join up at the community center and start trying to swim again. I've been wanting to do spinning again anyway, so that would be another reason to get a few more months in at the gym. Hmmm...

Some duathlons or triathlons I could do:
July 11th - Caesar's Creek
July 18th - Fit to Fight (in my backyard practically)
July 25th - downtown Cincinnati
Aug 2nd - East Fork

Hmmm...
I need redemption for Caesar's Creek. Last time I was there it was DNF. The Fit to Fight is really close to home. The Cincinnati one sounds fun and is downtown which is always fun. East Fork? Well it's beautiful out there...

Aside from those, I'd like to sprinkle some fun 5Ks in there and see about lowering my time! :) Those don't take too much planning thankfully.

Arrgh decisions! One thing I do know is I need to start tracking everything again. I need consistency.

Soggy

2010-06-19T09:17:00.001-04:00

This morning's run is brought to you by the letter S.
Soggy, sopping, soaking, steady, squishy...

(and thanks, Sesame Street, for that whole "brought to you by the letter..." thing)

There is just something fun about running in the rain. Maybe it's because you usually try to stay out of the rain, but then when you do surrender to it, you realize it's fine and maybe even a little freeing. My run this morning was 4 miles in a wonderful little storm. When I started out it was just a light rain. By the time I was at the end of the street, I was soaked. I batted water out of my eyes as I enjoyed the thunder rumbles. It was cool and invigorating. I ran through Landen and did my best to avoid puddles. Sometimes they spanned the entire path, so I just ran through them. My shoes were soon squishy.

I felt really good in the beginning of the run, but lost steam towards the end. :( After I finished, I brought my soggy body into the house, getting water everywhere. I left my sopping clothes in the laundry room and then got into more water in the shower.

Re-entry

2010-06-17T21:37:00.000-04:00

Easing my way into the days in muggy and not-near-the-ocean Cincinnati has been a bit challenging. The first night I awoke confused that I was hearing rain and not the ocean hitting the beach rocks. Each morning I have woken up at 4 or 5 a.m. wide awake, which is fine by me. But regretfully, I didn't get to then stroll out of my room to watch a beach sunrise. I also miss the surprisingly intimate confines of being on an island large enough to allow for a fun trip across it on scooter, but small enough to feel like I could have gotten to know the piece of land well after another week.

I have been eager to run again, as a comfort to my end-of-vacation woes. Monday I rested. It was difficult just to make it through half a day of work. Tuesday night we rebooted our Track Nights. Greg, Roman and I met at 6 in 90º heat. I warmed up slowly for a mile, then began running 200 repeats at about 50 seconds each. I was pretty tired after 3, but managed to do the next 3 at the same pace. My cool down mile was slow. I could have gone to bed right then. Wednesday morning I was wide awake for a nice, early morning 3.5 mile run in cool but sticky air. It definitely helped me feel happy to be back to my running life that I love.

This weekend I might try to get to Rowe Woods and see about running on trails there.

Back in Ohio

2010-06-15T08:59:00.001-04:00

Where I've been for the past week:

Greece. Santorini, specifically. More photos and updates to come. For now I'm trying to get settled back into the days here. It's been quite abrupt, honestly. I'm still wanting to wake up to the sound of the sea, feel the compelling breeze that kept my hair in constant disarray, and spend morning to night with great friends.