I’m Baaaack…

It has been awhile and now I have to woo my reading audience (all three of you) back into my life. My last posts kind of ended with my disaster race in Steamboat last June. I know I should be over it, and I am almost. I have had a nagging hamstring/bum injury leading into and beyond that race. I spent the summer working hip exercises and cutting speed work from my life. Things got better and I found that hills allowed me to run slow and pain-free! Now I want to run another race and I want to pick up the tempo just a bit. I am trying to be smarter and remember some things I learned:

1) I am not 25, 35, or 45. It’s ok to push, but respect limits.

2) Keep up the hip exercises (#1 cause of female running injuries). Rehabilitation Exercises

3) Start the speed work earlier and ease in slowly.

4) Keep life in perspective and have fun. Remember to play!

I just stumbled across this great video on post-run recovery. Check it out.

Another Day Another Run

Even Mia got tired and that is hard to do!

The hubby and I ran the Ice Cave Loop today which is a 8.4 mile loop off the Rampart Range Road heading north. Very isolated unless you count the 100 or so Air Force Cadets decked out in camo carrying guns….. Apparently this is the sight of their  summer war games.  I guess it is something you get use to living in a military town. Anyway, great run but very hard. You can’t get excited about the down because it only means eventual up! Way more up than down if you ask me.

Still loving the shoes!

Making Discoveries

Tested a new trail today. I think the view was worth it don’t you? I drove just out of Woodland Park on Highway 24 to Edlowe Road and followed it approximately 3 plus miles to the Catamount Institute Trailhead Parking. I ran slogged  the trail 2 miles to  where Vayhinger splits off from the Elder-Fehn trail. Followed Vayhinger for a mile where it meets up with the Ring the Peaks Trail at the North Catamount Recreation area. Then followed the road for about 3/4 mile where on the left you hook up with the Timber Pine Trail (also part of the Ring The Peaks trails) which then takes you back to  Elder-Fehn/Vayhinger almost to the parking area. Sounds complicated, but is is so well signed and I love loops.   It is a lot of up and down, and this loop is about 6 miles. But for those of you training for the Peak, it is 9,900 plus feet at the highest point. Worth the drive to check it out!

Moving On

New shoe training grounds. Mt Ester to Crowe Gulch.

New Shoes!

Happy dog!

Okay the 1/2 in Steamboat was a train wreck. I’m over it, really, time to move on.  

So what does a girl do to “get over it? You buy new shoes of course! Let me introduce my new La Sportiva Fireblade Mountain Running Shoes (it’s on the box.)

We are going to visit my daughter in Calgary in a couple of weeks and she is planning 5 days of hiking and camping. Thus the shoes – sturdy enough to hike, yet light enough to trail run.

I tested them today and so far they have passed with flying colors. My foot is narrow and these fit very true to size. Love them! Visit my friends at Colorado Running Company in Colorado Springs and they will hook you up with a pair!

We have been talking about our next girl party race goal and have narrowed it down to two mountain races. We are thinking either  Lead King a beautiful Western Slope 15 miler or the Golden Leaf 1/2 in Aspen. How could you lose with either location? I have never trained for a high altitude race with lots of vertical altitude gain and loss. I will have to research and develop a new training plan. Any ideas?

At the top of my list working on being injury free. I have had a bum bum since November and thought I could race through it. NOT! Doing self-diagnosis, I think it is a hamstring issue. Insertion point perhaps? I am working on stretching, foam-rolling, and strengthening that area. Hopefully when I go to Canada I am going to get a full work-up/diagnosis at the Running Injury Clinic where my daughter works.

Right now speed work is out and I am doing a lot of slow mountain running , yoga, and core work.  LOVING  it!  On all three of my runs this week I have been on trails and have not run into a single person or Mountain Lion. Does it get any better, I don’t think so.

Count Down

Two days til’ race day! WhooHooo! Unfortunately I have been sick this week. I work in an elementary school which is a germ brewery. I have not been sick all year and the first week there are no kids I get sick. I don’t think my body knows what to do with a sterile environment! What is a quick fix for coughs, colds and lack of energy?

I’m so excited Mike brought home my new hydration system. I am trying out the Nathan Sprint. It is a hand held water bottle with a one way valve so no messing with openings and closings. I always do my races with a Honey Stinger (or two) diluted in water and sip the whole race. I can’t handle gulps at water stations very well. This has worked well but I was always fumbling trying to get the flask in and out of the little carrier tucked in my waistband. If I didn’t get the lid closed, I would have honey water dripping down my shorts! Yuck! I will let you know how it works!

From the Pages of the Runners Book of What Not to Do

I can still smile!

Yesterday I was a total rookie. I made almost every mistake a runner can make, and I should known better. First a little background. We have had almost two weeks of rain, for us in Colorado that is rare. We have not seen the sun (sorry Seattle) for what seems like months. Yesterday around 3pm the sky cleared a bit and I jumped on it. Packed myself, and Mia (dog),  in the pickup and drove to the mountains. In what, a 10-minute time span, the sky had once again clouded up and looked pretty dark. I started running thinking I could beat any rain that might fall. 25 minutes into the run it looked bad and turned around. Just then all h**l broke loose; lightening, thunder, rain AND yes, hail. Did I mention Mia is terrified of thunder?

I would like to share the wisdom I gained yesterday:

1)    When running at almost 10,000 feet dress correctly, not cotton sweatpants and always have a hat in case of hail. As a matter of fact, if it looks like rain, reconsider your options!
2)    Don’t go running blindly into a stand of trees without looking up, you could run into giant branch and cause brain damage (or a huge bump on the head.)
3)    Try not to be the tallest object on a ridge in a lightening storm.
4)    Don’t wish for someone to drive by to rescue you because chances are they will just keep on driving. Doesn’t matter if you are being pelted by razor sharp hail and lightening bolts are dancing around your feet. Just be happy that people are friendly, they did wave as they passed you!
5)    Don’t drive on slippery, muddy roads in a front wheel drive pick-up.

We did make it back to the truck – alive, but Mia is still not speaking to me!

Three days to Steamboat!

This is my house! I put this in because I was happy to be home.

Of Dogs and Thunder

A Colorado thunder storm brewing!

I made the mistake of starting to plan my lunch early in the day, before the thunderheads started rolling in. By the time 4:00 rolled around it was looking pretty stormy, but I decided to brave it anyway. I drove about 5 miles to my favorite trail, Schubarth Road, to run a 6-miler. I love this trail for many reasons

1) I rarely see anyone else

2) It is dirt

3) The views are amazing

4) Great hills and altitude (9000′+)

However it was just not meant to be. By the time I got there the lightening was bouncing all over and being that close is just not a good idea, that and I could not get my dog to get out of the truck. No way, not moving. thank you very much. She HATES thunder. So being the flexible person I am, went home and did hill repeats on the treadmill. A minute and a half at 7% as fast as I could, back down to 2% for a minute and a half then a complete stop for a minute and repeated this sequence 10x. Finished up with 6 one minute sprints. Only added up to  3 miles, but I felt like I had worked hard.

We finished the night watching the season finale of the Biggest Loser. We don’t have a TV, so we watch it on the computer a week late (thanks for that addiction Katelyn.) Is it just me or is Helen just a little over the top skinny? From 280 to 117 that quick, are you kidding me?

13 days until Steamboat. About now I always start questioning if I have done enough and and thinking of all the should haves……

Views of the Day

View #1 from my Sunday run. Need I say more...

View #2 My yummy Mother's Day Banana Split. This pictures does not do it justice. Fresh strawberries, bananas, homemade hot fudge sauce, butterscotch, and whipped cream. Kind of looks like a scary face!

coruscate \KOR-uh-skayt\ , verb: 1. To give off or reflect bright beams or flashes of light; to sparkle. 2. To exhibit brilliant, sparkling technique or style.

Spent the evening with my buddy J. Bean for an evening run and dinner. It was stinking hot! Probably close to 80 degrees. This highlander does not function well at those temps! Remind me of this when I am complaining about the cold runs in the winter.  I always have to rethink hydration this time of the year.

I noticed what picky runners we have become. We plan our long runs according to wind speed and direction (always at our back) and yesterday we decided we needed “sun” routes where we will have lots of shade from the high altitude rays. We have our hill routes, our flat routes, our lazy convenient routes,  and our long “let’s get out of town” routes (to just to name a few.)  Do I dare bring up the issues of picking out what to wear. Does running seems to get more complicated the longer you do it?

Which, believe it or not, leads me to the title of this post. I was actually searching an on-line thesaurus for a word replacement for picky and stumbled on this word of the day “coruscate”. This is for you J. Bean, you ooze coruscation!

Of Evil Balls and Magpies

Can't you just see the evil lurking?

It had the beginnings of a great weekend - a wine tasting/40thbirthday celebration for a friend; Saturday morning breakfast with the family; shopping with the sibs; and then it happened. Enter the balls. It all started as a good idea (doesn’t it always), an hour of core workout with my husband and friends, Yuri and J. Bean. Nobody mentioned the balls, little balls, big balls, yellow balls, red balls, blue balls. We spend an hour crunching, racing planks, squirming, slamming and bamming, tossing, and lifting. Most of this involved balls. It made me realize that there are other parts of my body that need attention!

Sunday is long run day as I have mentioned before. Yuri, J.Bean, Jessica, and Beth, along with our four-footed friends Mia, Sydney, and Zena ran the Greenland 8 mile loop. One of my favorite trails, great views and lots of ups and downs. The Greenland Trail Race will take place next week, which is a fun trail race if you are in Colorado or need a good reason to visit. Good luck Jess!

Came home and got in the hot tub which takes me to the magpies. Hoping for a peaceful soak, it lasted about 5 minutes. One by one the tree above my head started to fill with birds. Not just any birds, it had to be the loudest birds in the neighborhood, and they were calling friends to come look. All total I counted 10 Ravens, 6 Magpies and 1 Blue Jay above my head. I think they either loved my bathing suit or thought I was roadkill. Most likely the latter. The nose was amazing! Which ties in nicely with our discussion about the visiting the “natural” hot springs in Steamboat. Have I made my point now girls?

This week I am paying attention to some down time. Too much activity last week and my body needs some rest to get stronger and catch up. Steamboat is about a month away and I started stressing about meeting training goals. I need chocolate!