Preparing for Hood2Coast

I am using the word "preparing" very loosely because so far, I have nothing packed.

BUT,

I wrote a list.

I wanted to pack today but I just could not get off the couch.  I don't want to say I am sick, because it would be the absolutely worst timing and therefore, absolutely impossible, however I do think I have a head cold, complete with coughing, cloudy head, and of course, lots of snot.  

I am resting. I took some cold medicine. I am feeling optimistic.

This race has required relentless optimism.  First, my burn out and back injury made me question if I would even want to go.  Next, I hurt foot, which made me question if I even could go.

My foot started to feel better and I began to think about my three legs.  I am the second runner, which means I my first run is at the bottom of Mount Hood and entirely downhill.  I picked this specifically because I wanted the experience of running down Mount Hood.  It is going to be breathtaking.

To prepare for the downhill, I did some repeats up A Mountain.  This is not a random mountain, it is literally named "A Mountain" because it is adorned with an A:

Just like people warned me, the impact of the downhill left my quad muscles screaming.  They were tender to the touch before the day was over!  And, so was my downhill training, since it took days to recover.

Remaining optimistic, I bought a pair of Hokas.  Supposedly, these are supposed to lesson the impact of running, which seemed ideal for my situation.   In some ways, the Hokas live up to their promise - it is like placing your foot on a pillow with every step.  But they are also big and clunky - a dangerous component for an uncoordinated runner on a mountain.  Plus, when worn with other modern day running trends (i.e., compression socks and running skirt), it makes one look less like a runner and more like a go-go dancer.

To be clear, I have nothing against go-go dancers.  I am just not sure that is the look I want to represent in Oregon.  

I have been to Oregon multiple times to visit one of my best friends.  I have ran up and down many mountains in Oregon.  Those runs are some of my fondest memories.

So, while I am not in my best shape, I am very excited to return to the homeland of running and my favorite state!   I am also very excited to take a lot pictures and write a  race report.  It has been awhile since I've written a race report.  I am hoping to feel out of my slump soon.

"You'll come down from the Lurch, with an unpleasant bump.

And the chances are, then, that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump, you're not in for much fun,

Un-slumping yourself is not easily done." 

Never too Old?

I try not to think about the fact that I am getting older every day....in my head, my perpetual 27-year old-self has not changed.  But then I catch myself dozing to sleep while watching the 10 p.m. news.  Or instinctively clicking on the Groupon for anti-aging treatment.  The worst was driving pass a crowded bar on St. Patricks day and asking, "Why are all these people drinking?  It's a Sunday!"  I hang my head in shame.

Even though I run faster at 31 years old than I did at 21 years old, I notice that I recover a lot slower.  This becomes glaringly apparent when I get sick.  First, I am not used to getting sick.  I don't think I got sick the entire time in college.  I may have claimed to be sick, but it was actually just a hangover that two Advil and a two hour nap would cure.  My last hangover was Halloween of 2011 - lets just say it took a lot more than a nap to recover from that.

Second, getting un-sick takes a ridiculous amount of rest and patience.  I find myself frustrated when I am not better after spending half a day on the couch.  This was the situation the past week.  I so badly wanted to run and bike and swim, but for two solid days I could barely open my eye lids.

I guess I just need to accept that I am getting old.  There are probably some unwritten rules about what is considered appropriate for each age bracket.  One would probably argue that sequined leggings should have been banned from my wardrobe since 1998.  But, when I saw these on the Clearance racks in Target, I just could not resist.  As my mom would say, age is nothing but a number!

5K Summer Series, #2

I reverted to some old habits during this race:  a fast first mile, a decent second mile and a dreadful third mile.
Old habits die hard.
When I stood on the start line next to Daniel, he asked, "6:18 pace?"
I agreed.
But then I found myself running sub-6.  And although I knew I was running too fast, it felt manageable.
Maybe on another day it would have been manageable.

Let me back-track to Monday.

Monday started off as a normal day.  I went running before work, had a productive day and went grocery shopping to raid the clearance section of meats and veggies that expire at midnight.
When I was driving home from the grocery store, absolute exhaustion hit me like ton of bricks.
I just needed to lie down.

Once I lied down, I did not get back up.
My 75% discounted, but needed to be ate immediately, meats and veggies did not get cooked.  I sent David out for fast food instead.  This is a never-seen occurrence.  Not so much the fast food, but letting food go to waste!

Around 10pm, I was suddenly awakened by throbbing, aching arms.
I woke up David, who told me I had anemia and needed a juicy steak.
I called my mom, who said it sounded like the flu.

My mom brought be both a steak and Tamiflu the following morning (and chicken noodle soup).  Although nothing made me instantly recover, I felt mildly better.  I slept the entire day.
I slept most of the day on Wednesday but by Thursday, I was able to watch TV in between naps and check my Facebook.  All my Facebook friends were alive.

Some people have asked me what I did with my kids during my 4-day hibernation.  As always, I utilized my help.  But, they also did a good job entertaining themselves.
It doesn't really take much to entertain them, a simple office chair in the kitchen will do the trick:

Hayden played with cars:

And Brenna huddled in blankets, just like her mother, and watched him.

such a good girl!



My mom warned me not to run over the weekend.
She said, "You don't want to relapse!  Take it easy!"
Even though she is always right, my brain convinces me that I need to do the opposite.
Like I said, old habits die hard, right?

A bunch of other things then proceeded to go wrong in the next day:  insomnia, bloating, lower back pain and a new blister.  I don't know how you get a blister from being bed-ridden.

This 5K is my favorite one of the series because it is a trail run.  It's not technical nor difficult, but a trail is a trail and it's always better than a road or sidewalk.   I decided that I was okay not winning this race and formulated two reasonable goals.  The A goal was sub 6:20.  The B goal was sub 6:30.

So you see now why it really made no sense for me to run the first mile in 6 minutes flat.
I will say what I always say, it just felt good.
That first mile always feels good.

The second mile felt okay too.  There were some tight turns and mellow dips that naturally slowed me down for a 6:12 mile.

The third mile is where my race spiraled out of control.  I started the mile with fatigue so I transitioned to my A goal.  I focused on keeping my breathing smooth and solid.  But as the mile progressed, my physical state withered.  I lost control of my breathing and found myself gasping.  My chest hurt, my heart rate was too high and my arms were tumultuously tight.  In between moments of telling myself, "I can't" and reminding myself, "I can", I focused on shaking out the arms and taking deep breathes as I transitioned to my B goal.

I think a well-performed 5K should hurt.
But I don't think it should hurt like that.

I got passed in the last mile which did help me achieve my B goal (6:29).

I finished second overall but only because the course was short - it ended at 3 miles exactly.  Had there been a .1 sprint, I would have come in third - this runner and I had an identical chip times, I only beat her with the gun time.  And, unlike me, she didn't look like she was meeting death when she passed the finish.

When they called me up for my award, I promptly grabbed my medal and went over to a bush to puke.
I would have felt sorry for myself, but it was poor pacing on my part.  You have to race according to your capabilities for the day, not your capabilities in general.

When I returned, the kids were excited to see me back in my running shoes that had collected dust on the floor next to the door all week.  They got in the stroller and sat in it for quite awhile.
I love that my kids love to run.
But they will have to wait until next week.

School

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, preschool was on the horizon! I specifically was trying to get Brenna into a developmental preschool program - but all I managed to do was get her on the waiting list.

So as we wait, I enrolled both kids in an ASU pre-school course. It's two hours every Monday and Wednesday morning. Half of that consists of snack time, because two hours is too long to go without food.


They encourage kids to eat their snacks with the appropriate utensil, and also encourage kids to drink out of cups (as opposed to sippies or straw cups). This means that Hayden comes home very dirty every day but aside from that, preschool has been very successful!!

In fact, ever since they started 2 weeks ago, Brenna has not thrown a single tanrum when I dress her. Sometimes she will pick out her outfit, encoaching on what could perhaps be considered "couture".


Although I am not claiming that I dress her any better, the other day I winced when I saw her backside in a pair of pants leggings that I selected for her. Leggings need to be layered, even on the best behinds:



It just makes me giddy when I say, "Brenna, would you like to get dressed?" and she smiles and comes and sits in my lap.
So easy!
So simple!

The ASU toddler preschool program is fantastic. It is run my grad students so each child gets a lot of attention - and ASU itself makes for fantastic stroller running...so much pavement.  You just need to watch out for all the other wheels (cyclists, skate boarders, rollerbladers, electric scooters, segways - it is quite crowded out there.


I am not the only one who has been running, the kids are still training for their upcoming 100 meter race. We were sidelined over the weekend when Hayden got sick. I knew he was sick when he fell asleep watching Dance Moms:

  Because,
   A. He has not fallen asleep on the couch since he was 3 months old.
   B. Who can fall asleep during the riveting and addictive drama of Lifetime reality TV???

The ART of Healing

The combination of less mileage + Active Release Therapy + K-Tape has been very successful on my leg. My legs, perhaps, feel the best that they have felt in a long time. I think after awhile of daily running, I forget that my legs are not supposed to feel tight and sore. It doesn't hurt normal people to bend over!

Now that the inflammation is gone, I can pinpoint exactly where my actual trouble areas are. The butt pain and leg pain that I had in my left leg are completely gone! I now realize that it was actually my other leg that was giving me problems. I was over-compensating.

I am going to continue to do the Active Release Therapy,
and re-build my mileage slowly.

It's nice to have loose, limber legs. I want to keep them this way.

On Sunday, I stuck to my bike and rode at South Mountain. This ride included going up South Mountain (4000 ft elevation gain). This is the nice thing about having running friends who cycle - you dont have to completely miss out!


The rest of the week looked like this:

On Monday I ran 5 miles. And I swam!
On Tuesday I biked 21, ran 3.5
On Wedneday I ran 6 miles. And I swam again!

Next time I update this I will be in California.
Yup...I AM TAKING A VACATION.
This is a rarity.

And to make it even more special < whispers > I am not taking the kids!

One of the kids happens to be sick.
She woke up on Monday with a burning forehead.


Somehow we made it two years without any illness so this is new territory for me. I gave her medicine and let her eat her breakfast on the couch:


And just for the record, that banana ended up on the floor 2 seconds after that photo was taken.

Hayden enjoyed the moment because this was the first time in two years that he was able to eat breakfast without someone trying to steal his banana. Sometimes, Brenna gets so aggressive that she actually grabs the banana out of his mouth while he is chewing it.


I didn't really find having a sick child to be difficult (at least, this time). She slept in, took long naps and I let her watch a lot of TV. Like mother, like daughter, that girl loves her television.