It was a very long, humid raceless summer! The good news is that this year, during my annual summer trip to Europe not only did I manage to pack running clothes/shoes but I actually took them out of the suitcase and used them.
There is just no ifs and buts about it, I will never get used to the Texas summer with temperature and humidity levels so high that you feel you've just stepped in an oven. Forget running into that kind of weather.
I literally dragged through my regular Tuesday/Friday 5-mile loop with Sue's group at 6 am in the morning. I mean, how early does one have to wake up to be able to run through a 5 mile loop? Worst of all, I started retreating to the dreadmill. When I start using the dreadmill a whole lot, you know it's bad.
So... running in Switzerland, in Germany and back and forth across the border even, was a nice boost to my running self-esteem that had been tanking in the Texas summer. It was nice to know I still "had it". :)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Ragnar Relay from Santa Barbara to Dana Point
I was a member of team MILFs (Mothers Into Lifelong Fitness), what were YOU thinking? ;) My team was one of the 105 teams running the Ragnar Relay from Santa Barbara to Dana Point. The team consisted of 12 runners, divided in two vans, running178 miles in beautiful Southern California over a 24 hour period.
I was runner #6 in the first van. Our van covered legs 1-6, 13-18 and 25-30 the second van covered legs 7-12, 19-24 and 31-36. Unfortunately, the night before the race, we were told that we couldn't run leg 4 and then legs 19-24, due supposedly to permit issues but I have my doubts that permits were ever issued given the fact that those said legs were extremely dangerous to run (i.e. the PCH in Malibu). As it was, some of the legs we actually ran, were really dangerous! We had different options to make up our "lost" legs and we decided to pair up with a few of the runners in van 2 running their first legs.
My very first leg was running 5 miles into Ventura, CA my "hometown" in the US. I guess I must have been really excited because I ran my leg at a 7:32 pace. Since my second leg had been
eliminated (I was supposed to run on PCH into Santa Monica), I opted to run with my friend Monica, who was running her first leg in the middle of the fields off Pleasant Valley in Oxnard. We ran 5.5 miles at a nice steady pace. It was nice to have a running partner to chit chat with!
My last leg, was running 6.6 miles on a trail along Huntington Beach. It was beautiful! I was pretty sleep deprived by then and didn't really enjoy the run but I kept my pace steadily a little under 8, which I can't really complain about.
Both my official legs were on trails along the beach and although the scenary was breathtaking, the van with my other teammates couldn't shadow me (i.e. cheer me on, give me water, etc.) so it was a little lonely but I made it!
It was a great experience and I'll certainly do it again. It was disapointing that they had to cancel so many legs, it gave us a long break in the middle of the night, so I don't feel like we got the full experience but I did log a few miles and I am happy with that! :)
It was a great experience and I'll certainly do it again. It was disapointing that they had to cancel so many legs, it gave us a long break in the middle of the night, so I don't feel like we got the full experience but I did log a few miles and I am happy with that! :)
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Mud Run 10k in Fort Worth
Today, my friend Ardis and I ran the Mud Run 10k in Fort Worth. It was brutal but lots of fun!
The weather wasn't as bad as yesterday and it was even sunny.
The weather wasn't as bad as yesterday and it was even sunny.
I wasn't too worried about the race since my goal was to finish. I knew I could handle 10k and I knew I could handle the mud. I wasn't too sure about the weather and I definitely didn't know about the military-style obstacles!
It turned out to be a great race. Lots of fun, encouraging participants and volunteers. It was rough running in hiking shoes, mudy and wet but I made it through. :)
The obstacles ranged from going over a wall, to going up a rope ladder, crawling under wire in the mud and going underwater to pass under obstacles. Here are a few pictures of last year's race: photos I'll update the link when this year's pictures are posted.
I think it took me about 1h05 - 1h10, which isn't bad all things considered. Waiting on the official results.
Ms Stampede 5k
Yesterday, I ran the Ms Stampede 5k. My very first 5k in Texas. I wasn't really looking forward to it because:
1) I despise 5k's, I don't have any self-control and start way too fast and by mile 1.5, I am ready to throw in the towel
2) The weather forecast called for very cold and windy weather
I ran it anyway because I had signed up for it and because it was for a good cause!
It turned out to be a good race. Despite the cold and extremely windy weather, the run was pretty enjoyable. We ran against the wind for the first half of the race, which was really tough, but we had the wind helping us move faster on the way back.
I was pretty happy with my time (22:48) and best of all, everyone else was slower, so I won the race! :)
Official results: http://www.racechiptiming.com/files/MSSTAMPEDEADDISON.HTM
1) I despise 5k's, I don't have any self-control and start way too fast and by mile 1.5, I am ready to throw in the towel
2) The weather forecast called for very cold and windy weather
I ran it anyway because I had signed up for it and because it was for a good cause!
It turned out to be a good race. Despite the cold and extremely windy weather, the run was pretty enjoyable. We ran against the wind for the first half of the race, which was really tough, but we had the wind helping us move faster on the way back.
I was pretty happy with my time (22:48) and best of all, everyone else was slower, so I won the race! :)
Official results: http://www.racechiptiming.com/files/MSSTAMPEDEADDISON.HTM
Thursday, January 1, 2009
NYE 10k
On Thursday, I was supposed to see my orthopedic doctor to hopefully get the green light to start running again. Unfortunately, we had a showing and the house needed to be in tip top shape, never mind that it was 5 days after Christmas and that we are only about a week and a half before the movers come to box things up. I had to vacate the house with kids and dogs... so I rescheduled the appointment until next week.
In the meantime, I've been running (cough cough) and it has been going well. So much so that I decided to enter my first race post injury. The first annual DAC New Year's Eve 10k. You can't pass a race when it's a mere 5 minutes from your house. Well... maybe I should have because it was in the low 30s and the windchill definitely made the real feel below freezing. COLD stuff!
The race went great, I hit a wall around 5 miles but I pulled myself together and finished in 48 minutes and something. They didn't have numbers and definitely no chips but they did the "I hand you a card when you pass the finish line and you fill it out" kind of deal. I'll be curious to see what my official time is.
Non-the-less, I managed to finish 4th overall female and 1st in my age group, 26-35. I'd definitely run this race again, it was fun!
In the meantime, I've been running (cough cough) and it has been going well. So much so that I decided to enter my first race post injury. The first annual DAC New Year's Eve 10k. You can't pass a race when it's a mere 5 minutes from your house. Well... maybe I should have because it was in the low 30s and the windchill definitely made the real feel below freezing. COLD stuff!
The race went great, I hit a wall around 5 miles but I pulled myself together and finished in 48 minutes and something. They didn't have numbers and definitely no chips but they did the "I hand you a card when you pass the finish line and you fill it out" kind of deal. I'll be curious to see what my official time is.
Non-the-less, I managed to finish 4th overall female and 1st in my age group, 26-35. I'd definitely run this race again, it was fun!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! :)
Friday, November 28, 2008
Life after a stress fracture
Who knew it existed: life after a stress fracture! I've been back in the saddle for two weeks now. Well, it's more a reminder of my earlier days in voltige, I am only halfway on the horse! I started running again the week of my birthday starting slowly, painfully s-l-o-w-l-y! It's what I am supposed to do, or at least that's what everyone tells me to do. Well, excepte for my Dr. who doesn't really want me to run until the end of December... he doesn't really expect me to follow his advice though. Thankfully for me, his daughter is a runner, a serious one, not an amateur like me, so he understands.
In typical me fashion, I've put the horses before the cart - is that even an expression in English? - and I signed up for a race at the end of April. Nope, it's not Nashville, I am not running it this year, although my running partner Debbie is and I know she'll smoke it. It's actually a MUCH prettier race! I signed up for the Ragnar Relay in California with the team I was supposed to race with the Ragnar Relay in Texas. We'll be running from Santa Barbara, all the way down to Dana Point. I am so excited, especially given that we'll be running through Santa Barbara and Ventura. :)
I just need to keep taking it easy and s-l-o-w-l-y to make sure I can actually participate in the race.
In typical me fashion, I've put the horses before the cart - is that even an expression in English? - and I signed up for a race at the end of April. Nope, it's not Nashville, I am not running it this year, although my running partner Debbie is and I know she'll smoke it. It's actually a MUCH prettier race! I signed up for the Ragnar Relay in California with the team I was supposed to race with the Ragnar Relay in Texas. We'll be running from Santa Barbara, all the way down to Dana Point. I am so excited, especially given that we'll be running through Santa Barbara and Ventura. :)
I just need to keep taking it easy and s-l-o-w-l-y to make sure I can actually participate in the race.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Almost three months...
... since I last posted!
Well during that fateful 5-miler on August 10th, it appears that I managed to injure myself. My doctor at the Campbell Clinic sent me for an X-Ray, MRI and bone scan and I got diagnosed with a pelvic stress fracture. When the doctor initially talked about 6 weeks off, I looked at him like he had three heads and I started to negotiate with him "Are we talking about 6 weeks from today or 6 weeks form the injury?". Poor guy was shacking his head. Then at my check-up, when I told him I ran a mile at 6 weeks because I felt good, I thought he would strangle me. Thankfully his daughter is a runner so he seems to understand what a bunch of lunatics we are.
Long story somewhat short, after seeing a nutritionist, my ob, had a bone density scan at an endocrinology clinic, I was prescribed both Ensure and Depends. Just kidding! However, it was discovered that my vitamin D levels were very low so I am on a high dosage vitamin D regiment for 8 weeks and I'll see my doctor again at the end of December. Still not allowed to run though.
I've had to miss the Ragnar Relay Race in Texas, running from San Antonio to Austin. I was really bummed and I felt like I was letting my team down. Thankfully, they were able to find another sucker to take my spot. I also have to skip the St. Jude Marathon here in Memphis at the beginning of December. I already had signed up to run the 1/2 marathon as a St. Jude Hero, raising money for Team Thomas. That's another big bummer.
The good news is that during the month of October I completed a Lazyman Ironman. Basically, I had a month to complete an Ironman. It was great because it forced me to diversify my cardio workouts. I was forced to bike more consistently and horror, I even had to jump in the pool twice and do a never ending amount of lapses. Now if I could find something that would force me to strength train...
Well during that fateful 5-miler on August 10th, it appears that I managed to injure myself. My doctor at the Campbell Clinic sent me for an X-Ray, MRI and bone scan and I got diagnosed with a pelvic stress fracture. When the doctor initially talked about 6 weeks off, I looked at him like he had three heads and I started to negotiate with him "Are we talking about 6 weeks from today or 6 weeks form the injury?". Poor guy was shacking his head. Then at my check-up, when I told him I ran a mile at 6 weeks because I felt good, I thought he would strangle me. Thankfully his daughter is a runner so he seems to understand what a bunch of lunatics we are.
Long story somewhat short, after seeing a nutritionist, my ob, had a bone density scan at an endocrinology clinic, I was prescribed both Ensure and Depends. Just kidding! However, it was discovered that my vitamin D levels were very low so I am on a high dosage vitamin D regiment for 8 weeks and I'll see my doctor again at the end of December. Still not allowed to run though.
I've had to miss the Ragnar Relay Race in Texas, running from San Antonio to Austin. I was really bummed and I felt like I was letting my team down. Thankfully, they were able to find another sucker to take my spot. I also have to skip the St. Jude Marathon here in Memphis at the beginning of December. I already had signed up to run the 1/2 marathon as a St. Jude Hero, raising money for Team Thomas. That's another big bummer.
The good news is that during the month of October I completed a Lazyman Ironman. Basically, I had a month to complete an Ironman. It was great because it forced me to diversify my cardio workouts. I was forced to bike more consistently and horror, I even had to jump in the pool twice and do a never ending amount of lapses. Now if I could find something that would force me to strength train...
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