Tuesday was supposed to be track night. But Roman and Greg were both too tied up with work stuff, and Erin has hurt her back. Since it was just going to be me, I decided I'd just run in the hood, doing some repeats on the street. Something different.
I warmed up a mile, running to the end of Townsley and back. Then I started at the mailbox and ran the other way down Everett (to where it dead ends) and walked back. I did that 4 times. On the fourth time, I jogged back, then kept going toward the end of Townsley again, picking up the pace, to get another mile in. So it was about 3 miles total.
I think it was beneficial. I'm not sore today, so maybe I could have done a few more. I haven't done any "speed work" yet this year, so I just started with 4 repeats. I'm happy with how strong I felt.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Busy Week
Last week was a busy one with work since Christen was on vacation. But I survived. I was pretty exhausted by the end of the week and didn't make it to the run Friday morning. I was dressed and everything, but my body said no.
Saturday morning I ran with Kristie. She came to the house and we went on a two mile run-walk. I said for her to set the pace and we could of course walk whenever she wanted to. I think we made it almost to a mile. She did great and we talked for about an hour and half afterwords too, which was awesome, about running, mountain biking, and just general funny stories around those subjects. It sounds like she wants to want to go again some time. I'm not sure what her running plans are. But, I look forward to going again with her.
Sunday I ran 8 miles. Greg and I went out to Miami Whitewater. I don't think he wanted to go that far initially, but decided that he could probably run at my pace that far and be fine, even a week after the race. So he chugged along with me. It was a rough run for me. Started out really bad, one of those 'how am I going to do this for 8 miles' kind of runs. At about mile 4 I finally loosened up and thanks to some downhills got my breathing under control. The rolling hills there are nice. I pushed it when I could and slowed down when I felt I needed to. Again, like at Sharon Woods, no watch. I have mixed feelings about the run. It was hard. I tried to push when I felt like it would be a good time to push, and I suppose I paced it ok that way. There is a long steep hill at the end which really took it out of me, like hills always do. So that was a bit demoralizing, but all in all, I guess the 8 miles was a healthy and fun 8 miles. And, it was a lovely sunny day! The wind was c-c-cold, but the cut of the land around the trail blocked it sometimes. A lot of the wildflower grass areas have been burned back. Not sure why that is. It was very stinky through those parts though.
Great start to the week, the 8 miles! But I think I'm getting sick... bleh.
Saturday morning I ran with Kristie. She came to the house and we went on a two mile run-walk. I said for her to set the pace and we could of course walk whenever she wanted to. I think we made it almost to a mile. She did great and we talked for about an hour and half afterwords too, which was awesome, about running, mountain biking, and just general funny stories around those subjects. It sounds like she wants to want to go again some time. I'm not sure what her running plans are. But, I look forward to going again with her.
Sunday I ran 8 miles. Greg and I went out to Miami Whitewater. I don't think he wanted to go that far initially, but decided that he could probably run at my pace that far and be fine, even a week after the race. So he chugged along with me. It was a rough run for me. Started out really bad, one of those 'how am I going to do this for 8 miles' kind of runs. At about mile 4 I finally loosened up and thanks to some downhills got my breathing under control. The rolling hills there are nice. I pushed it when I could and slowed down when I felt I needed to. Again, like at Sharon Woods, no watch. I have mixed feelings about the run. It was hard. I tried to push when I felt like it would be a good time to push, and I suppose I paced it ok that way. There is a long steep hill at the end which really took it out of me, like hills always do. So that was a bit demoralizing, but all in all, I guess the 8 miles was a healthy and fun 8 miles. And, it was a lovely sunny day! The wind was c-c-cold, but the cut of the land around the trail blocked it sometimes. A lot of the wildflower grass areas have been burned back. Not sure why that is. It was very stinky through those parts though.
Great start to the week, the 8 miles! But I think I'm getting sick... bleh.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Beautiful run in Sharon Woods
Today has been a crazy work day...so I'm taking a break to write. Ahhhh...
Wednesday morning I had to take Greg over to the motorcycle shop to pick up his car before work. I thought since I was in the area, I'd do a run at Sharon Woods. I haven't ran there since my first run after the marathon two Octobers ago...and that ended with a two and half month IT band injury/recovery. Of course that was in the back of my mind. But what I was really interested in was enjoying the spring morning.
I'm not going to run with a watch for a while. I've come to realize that I might be too focused on time. I judge everything on it, and consequently have damaged a couple of things: my morale and my fitness. A lot of runs are disappointing because I don't hit a certain pace. That in turn hurts my motivation and I run less, which in turn hurts the fitness. Voila, a vicious circle I had no idea I was in. Yep, I was very deep into my watch times with absolutely no advantage to me.
So when I got out of the car Wednesday, the skies were moving. Big, blue-gray clouds looked like they were bumping into each other. This must be my most favorite atmosphere to run in: right before a storm. It's as if you get energy from all of the energy stirring in the sky. I started out around the pond, taking it very easy. My legs were still pretty tight from Sunday. My right lower calf hurt like hell. I stopped a couple of times to try to stretch it, but stopping hurt even worse, so I just kept running easy. Eventually it worked itself out.
Sharon Woods is not an easy run. There are a lot of quick and very steep ups and downs. It's actually a great place to train I think. The off-camber path can be a little rough on the knees, but there are also some wooded paths that are fun and not tilted. Plus there are always plenty of people around, so running by myself I feel comfortable. I think I'm going to try to go there a little more often.
It's also a beautiful run–a very nice change from the uninspiring neighborhoods I usually run through. The tufts of green plants coming up along the sides of the path contrasted against the brown leaves. And the squirrels were everywhere. I saw 6 right off the bat and thought I wonder how many I will see today...I should count! So I did, and got to 36. It was funny. Most of them had their heads in the ground and would pop up at the last minute when I approached.
As for the no watch thing, I have to admit, when I got to the .5 mile marker I automatically checked my naked wrist. I wondered how fast/slow I was going, and thought oh I must be going so slow. But with no numbers to verify this, there was nothing left to think about except how I was feeling. I was feeling great! My legs hurt, but this was a recovery run and I was enjoying the spring air. The same feeling happened at mile 1 and again I was simply happy running. It was wonderful and I honestly felt like a runner again.
Work is kicking my ass but I'm really determined to run tomorrow morning. Now hurry up and come back, spring!
Wednesday morning I had to take Greg over to the motorcycle shop to pick up his car before work. I thought since I was in the area, I'd do a run at Sharon Woods. I haven't ran there since my first run after the marathon two Octobers ago...and that ended with a two and half month IT band injury/recovery. Of course that was in the back of my mind. But what I was really interested in was enjoying the spring morning.
I'm not going to run with a watch for a while. I've come to realize that I might be too focused on time. I judge everything on it, and consequently have damaged a couple of things: my morale and my fitness. A lot of runs are disappointing because I don't hit a certain pace. That in turn hurts my motivation and I run less, which in turn hurts the fitness. Voila, a vicious circle I had no idea I was in. Yep, I was very deep into my watch times with absolutely no advantage to me.
So when I got out of the car Wednesday, the skies were moving. Big, blue-gray clouds looked like they were bumping into each other. This must be my most favorite atmosphere to run in: right before a storm. It's as if you get energy from all of the energy stirring in the sky. I started out around the pond, taking it very easy. My legs were still pretty tight from Sunday. My right lower calf hurt like hell. I stopped a couple of times to try to stretch it, but stopping hurt even worse, so I just kept running easy. Eventually it worked itself out.
Sharon Woods is not an easy run. There are a lot of quick and very steep ups and downs. It's actually a great place to train I think. The off-camber path can be a little rough on the knees, but there are also some wooded paths that are fun and not tilted. Plus there are always plenty of people around, so running by myself I feel comfortable. I think I'm going to try to go there a little more often.
It's also a beautiful run–a very nice change from the uninspiring neighborhoods I usually run through. The tufts of green plants coming up along the sides of the path contrasted against the brown leaves. And the squirrels were everywhere. I saw 6 right off the bat and thought I wonder how many I will see today...I should count! So I did, and got to 36. It was funny. Most of them had their heads in the ground and would pop up at the last minute when I approached.
As for the no watch thing, I have to admit, when I got to the .5 mile marker I automatically checked my naked wrist. I wondered how fast/slow I was going, and thought oh I must be going so slow. But with no numbers to verify this, there was nothing left to think about except how I was feeling. I was feeling great! My legs hurt, but this was a recovery run and I was enjoying the spring air. The same feeling happened at mile 1 and again I was simply happy running. It was wonderful and I honestly felt like a runner again.
Work is kicking my ass but I'm really determined to run tomorrow morning. Now hurry up and come back, spring!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Core
This morning I got up kind of early and did some core stuff while paying a lot of attention to some curious dogs. Or maybe it was that I got up to play with the dogs on the floor while also throwing in a couple of core exercises. That was probably their perspective :) Harley especially loves it when I get down on the floor to stretch. In my face. Wet beard. Pet me pet me pet me...here I'll roll over so you have easy access to my belly!
I stretched a bit...that felt good. Then I did the ball pass from holding it between my legs to over top of my head. It's a core exercise. I did some wall pushups. And some leg lifts and extensions I did in PT. And some more stretching. And then side reach thingies...man I need some names for this stuff. Here's a maybe somewhat cohesive list:
Stretched
Exercise ball overhead leg pass 2x (That's what I'll call it. For now.)
Straight leg lifts while on my back
Leg extentions while on my back for 10 seconds (still a bit sore from the race)
60 wall pushups
Side reaches while standing
A lot more stretching
I think that's it...feel like there was something else leg-wise, but oh well.
I didn't make it to track tonight, thanks to work. I did make it to BW3's for a short break and dinner...and now I'm back at work. It's going to be a long week.
File should be saved by now...back to work I go.
I stretched a bit...that felt good. Then I did the ball pass from holding it between my legs to over top of my head. It's a core exercise. I did some wall pushups. And some leg lifts and extensions I did in PT. And some more stretching. And then side reach thingies...man I need some names for this stuff. Here's a maybe somewhat cohesive list:
Stretched
Exercise ball overhead leg pass 2x (That's what I'll call it. For now.)
Straight leg lifts while on my back
Leg extentions while on my back for 10 seconds (still a bit sore from the race)
60 wall pushups
Side reaches while standing
A lot more stretching
I think that's it...feel like there was something else leg-wise, but oh well.
I didn't make it to track tonight, thanks to work. I did make it to BW3's for a short break and dinner...and now I'm back at work. It's going to be a long week.
File should be saved by now...back to work I go.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Heart mini is over...and 2.5 hours of bike fitting fun
What a very fun weekend. Hanging out with friends all weekend is definitely my favorite thing to do. Then throw in a race and it's pretty much perfect.
We had some rain for the Mini, but it wasn't ever a downpour, so that was nice. And this just means that the weather for the Pig will have to be great!
Everyone did so great. Greg and Casey ran their asses off. And so did Jess. And Daryl did great and blew his training run paces out of the water! As for me, I am sooo happy that my knee issue went away and I was able to finish. I was worried my mystery knee pain would bring me to a halt. However, my knees held up, even on that very challenging, hilly course. That was great and a relief. My lack of training/fitness leaves me nothing to be proud of though.
When I scheduled my bike fitting at the Trek store to be the Monday after the race, I didn't know how perfect the timing would be. It was a nice shift. I loaded my bike in the car (it was POURING, plus I just cleaned and lubed my bike, plus my roof rack seems to be a little loose) and headed down to the Trek store to meet Nick. First he put my bike up on their level trainer which is by some mirrors. Then we went over some questions about how often I ride, what kind of riding I do, injuries, etc etc. After that I laid down on a mat and he did some PT-type flexibility/range of motion measurements. He laughed at the flexibility part because I went way further than most people so he knew that wouldn't be an issue during the fitting. Then I stood up and he just looked at my posture and how I stand. He noted my right shoulder might be a little lower than my left. Also, my shoulders are 38" wide, and my bars are 40". I guess they should be 38" but he said it's not a huge deal. It was a bit awkward standing in my bike shorts as some guy walked around me with the single purpose of looking at my body and how it is put together, lol. After all of the measuring, he put the stem adjuster on my bike and I hopped on.
First was pedaling and seat height. I'm a toe down pedaler, which is bad. He taught me about how my feet should be level and how since I point my toes down, that might be part of some of the knee pain I get from biking because I'm over extending. He adjusted seat height and seat front-back adjustments. Once that was all good, we worked on the front. The goal was to get my back flat and reach good. After many many many adjustments, it was pretty much accomplished. He rotated my bars and adjusted my shifters and the angles of everything. The process was me pedaling, Nick standing back and watching, and then him making very small adjustments to things. Then it would happen again and he'd evaluate how I'd look. Over and over and over again. I also gave feedback to how I felt. Sometimes the adjustments were so slight I didn't feel them. He also adjusted my cleats on my shoes. I had no idea they adjusted! One was turned out some and the other wasn't straight either. I could really feel that difference when I got back on the bike. That might also effect my knees. Hopefully, the adjustment prevents my foot numbness issue I have. The pressure point might have been too far back rather than on the bony part.
So, 2.5 hours later, after he got everything exactly how he wanted, I got off the bike and he wrote all of the measurements down. He'll email them. I need a new front stem in order to get the angle and length that was decided upon. He's going to have to do some digging for the part because my bike is "old" and they just aren't made like mine is anymore. Ha! It really isn't that old...bikes must be like computers. I am looking forward to going out on a ride and seeing how I feel!
We had some rain for the Mini, but it wasn't ever a downpour, so that was nice. And this just means that the weather for the Pig will have to be great!
Everyone did so great. Greg and Casey ran their asses off. And so did Jess. And Daryl did great and blew his training run paces out of the water! As for me, I am sooo happy that my knee issue went away and I was able to finish. I was worried my mystery knee pain would bring me to a halt. However, my knees held up, even on that very challenging, hilly course. That was great and a relief. My lack of training/fitness leaves me nothing to be proud of though.
When I scheduled my bike fitting at the Trek store to be the Monday after the race, I didn't know how perfect the timing would be. It was a nice shift. I loaded my bike in the car (it was POURING, plus I just cleaned and lubed my bike, plus my roof rack seems to be a little loose) and headed down to the Trek store to meet Nick. First he put my bike up on their level trainer which is by some mirrors. Then we went over some questions about how often I ride, what kind of riding I do, injuries, etc etc. After that I laid down on a mat and he did some PT-type flexibility/range of motion measurements. He laughed at the flexibility part because I went way further than most people so he knew that wouldn't be an issue during the fitting. Then I stood up and he just looked at my posture and how I stand. He noted my right shoulder might be a little lower than my left. Also, my shoulders are 38" wide, and my bars are 40". I guess they should be 38" but he said it's not a huge deal. It was a bit awkward standing in my bike shorts as some guy walked around me with the single purpose of looking at my body and how it is put together, lol. After all of the measuring, he put the stem adjuster on my bike and I hopped on.
First was pedaling and seat height. I'm a toe down pedaler, which is bad. He taught me about how my feet should be level and how since I point my toes down, that might be part of some of the knee pain I get from biking because I'm over extending. He adjusted seat height and seat front-back adjustments. Once that was all good, we worked on the front. The goal was to get my back flat and reach good. After many many many adjustments, it was pretty much accomplished. He rotated my bars and adjusted my shifters and the angles of everything. The process was me pedaling, Nick standing back and watching, and then him making very small adjustments to things. Then it would happen again and he'd evaluate how I'd look. Over and over and over again. I also gave feedback to how I felt. Sometimes the adjustments were so slight I didn't feel them. He also adjusted my cleats on my shoes. I had no idea they adjusted! One was turned out some and the other wasn't straight either. I could really feel that difference when I got back on the bike. That might also effect my knees. Hopefully, the adjustment prevents my foot numbness issue I have. The pressure point might have been too far back rather than on the bony part.
So, 2.5 hours later, after he got everything exactly how he wanted, I got off the bike and he wrote all of the measurements down. He'll email them. I need a new front stem in order to get the angle and length that was decided upon. He's going to have to do some digging for the part because my bike is "old" and they just aren't made like mine is anymore. Ha! It really isn't that old...bikes must be like computers. I am looking forward to going out on a ride and seeing how I feel!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
A Letter
Dear Knee and IT Band,
Hi, how are you? Well, I know how you are, actually. You are loud complainers, both of you.
Anyway, just wanted to say hi and ask for you to feel good tomorrow during the Heart Mini. Knee, please don't blow up. You are feeling better today! That's good! I'll take it easy on you tomorrow. IT Band, I'll roll you some more today. Stay loose, dude. Stay loose.
Please cooperate so I can have a fun 9.3 mile run with all of my friends, and not feel more left out than I already do.
Thanks,
Steph
Hi, how are you? Well, I know how you are, actually. You are loud complainers, both of you.
Anyway, just wanted to say hi and ask for you to feel good tomorrow during the Heart Mini. Knee, please don't blow up. You are feeling better today! That's good! I'll take it easy on you tomorrow. IT Band, I'll roll you some more today. Stay loose, dude. Stay loose.
Please cooperate so I can have a fun 9.3 mile run with all of my friends, and not feel more left out than I already do.
Thanks,
Steph
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Knee Woes
For whatever reason, my left knee has decided to stage a huge protest. After yesterday afternoon's run, I noticed it was tight and hurt. Then when I got down on the foam roller, I could barely do my right side because I couldn't use my left leg to help propel me. I still chalked it up to just being oddly sore. All night it hurt and woke me up. And this morning it was no better. I can't put weight on it to get up or sit down, and it hurts to bend it.
I guess I'll see what happens. I wouldn't be able to run on it right now, but maybe by Sunday it will be better. I'm really really hoping. I feel sucky right now.
I guess I'll see what happens. I wouldn't be able to run on it right now, but maybe by Sunday it will be better. I'm really really hoping. I feel sucky right now.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
HMTD31: Run in the Rain
1. I'm sick sick sick of working at the flavor house. April 11th can not come soon enough.
2. I want a vacation. On that vacation I would like to get up with the sun and spend my time walking around outside, sitting and staring, and going for leisurely runs in beautiful land.
3.0 miles is what I did in 29:44. I should be happy.
2. I want a vacation. On that vacation I would like to get up with the sun and spend my time walking around outside, sitting and staring, and going for leisurely runs in beautiful land.
3.0 miles is what I did in 29:44. I should be happy.
Monday, March 14, 2011
HMTD30: 7 Hilly Miles
Sunday around one o'clock I ran from the house in the hilliest direction I know: to Duke Blvd. (I suppose I could do hill repeats over there some day!)
The weather wasn't as nice as it had been Saturday, but it was still a very pleasant run. I had on my make me faster tights and then two layers of short sleeve shirts with arm warmers. And my headband. Perfect. The sun came out from behind the clouds a couple of times and warmed me. I think it's going to be warmer for the race this weekend...maybe even shorts weather!
I felt really good in the beginning. Pace felt easy. But up one hill and my pace dropped a lot and I felt tired. It's the state of things now. During the boring stretch on Duke, after sucking wind up the bigger hill, I couldn't stop comparing myself to myself back in the fall. For a while it was me, the empty road and disappointment. But I pulled myself out of it with the hope I have for the Pig and thinking about maybe doing more fun trail races this summer. My knee started hurting pretty bad at mile 5 - IT band pain. I rubbed the side of my thighs while I was trying to fall asleep last night and found the tightness no problem. Foam roller here I come!
The race this weekend is going to be fun fun fun because a bunch of awesome people are running it: Daryl, Jess, Roman, Casey, Greg, Joe (half), Anne (5K)... That might be the most people I've ever known at a race! Despite my lack of fitness, I'm still really looking forward to running with everyone...or at least starting with everyone as the case may be. I don't have any goals; I'm not in a good enough shape for anything but a finish. I want to finish strong and feel good – that will make me happy. And I'm so curious to see how everyone is going to do! I hope everyone does great and we have good weather! I'm looking at this as a training run towards the Pig. Then we'll see what I can get done for May 1! Woohoo!
The weather wasn't as nice as it had been Saturday, but it was still a very pleasant run. I had on my make me faster tights and then two layers of short sleeve shirts with arm warmers. And my headband. Perfect. The sun came out from behind the clouds a couple of times and warmed me. I think it's going to be warmer for the race this weekend...maybe even shorts weather!
I felt really good in the beginning. Pace felt easy. But up one hill and my pace dropped a lot and I felt tired. It's the state of things now. During the boring stretch on Duke, after sucking wind up the bigger hill, I couldn't stop comparing myself to myself back in the fall. For a while it was me, the empty road and disappointment. But I pulled myself out of it with the hope I have for the Pig and thinking about maybe doing more fun trail races this summer. My knee started hurting pretty bad at mile 5 - IT band pain. I rubbed the side of my thighs while I was trying to fall asleep last night and found the tightness no problem. Foam roller here I come!
The race this weekend is going to be fun fun fun because a bunch of awesome people are running it: Daryl, Jess, Roman, Casey, Greg, Joe (half), Anne (5K)... That might be the most people I've ever known at a race! Despite my lack of fitness, I'm still really looking forward to running with everyone...or at least starting with everyone as the case may be. I don't have any goals; I'm not in a good enough shape for anything but a finish. I want to finish strong and feel good – that will make me happy. And I'm so curious to see how everyone is going to do! I hope everyone does great and we have good weather! I'm looking at this as a training run towards the Pig. Then we'll see what I can get done for May 1! Woohoo!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
HMTD29: Spinning
I spun for an hour last night after I got home and played with the dogs for a bit. It went well. I'm not sure if my cyclometer is set right now that it's on the back wheel. I will have to check on the trail with the mile markers when I get out there some day. Or ride to the end of the street, which I know is a half mile. It's still at least a gauge of effort comparatively. I did some intervals and while doing them I tried to keep my speed above a certain mph for a half mile. It got harder to do that as the intervals went on, so that is good.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
HMTD28: 4 miles
This morning I ran 4 miles. There really isn't anything too special about the run. It was a pleasant cold temperature. I felt pretty good. Had some hard times breathing. Things are growing, if anyone is wondering. My lungs were full of it and I was hacking for about 2 hours after the run.
I went down Montgomery Road and then into the neighborhood that is behind the old Shell station. I haven't been back there in a while. There are some really cool homes and some really awful homes – quite a mix. It's pretty entertaining to look at.
First, coming into the neighborhood, there is a house on the left whose owners must LOVE black and white. The driveway going to the attached garage is a checkerboard of black and white tiles. The driveway to the detached garage in the back is painted white. There are a bunch of yard knick-knacks that are all painted black and white, such as a little fake well. The entire house is trimmed in black and white, and brick is white. The mailbox is too. It's pretty crazy. I don't even think I've seen all of it while I run past. It's kind of like trying to look at a house with too many lawn ornaments: you simply can't take it all in.
There is an absolutely gorgeous dark wood siding house that is tall and new with a 3-car garage. It had to be a case where they tore down the previous home and built this one. I love love the color of the wood. I imagine it's a lot of maintenance, but it looks so welcoming and cozy (even though it's a large house).
On the back stretch of road is a house that looks like it's trying to be in Florida. It's peach, and there are facade walls in the front to make kind of a court yard. It reminds me of a small scale house that could be seen from our apartment in Florida. There is also a humongous water feature off to the right. It's so big and odd looking – as tall as the house!
Those are the ones that stand out to me now. It's just funny to me how unique so many of the houses are from one another. And it kept me entertained looking around and thinking about them. That neighborhood's loop is about 1 mile. So tacked on to the 1.5 to the Shell station, it was a perfect 4 miles when all done.
I saw today in my facebook feed that the Heart Mini is 13 days away. Huh.
I went down Montgomery Road and then into the neighborhood that is behind the old Shell station. I haven't been back there in a while. There are some really cool homes and some really awful homes – quite a mix. It's pretty entertaining to look at.
First, coming into the neighborhood, there is a house on the left whose owners must LOVE black and white. The driveway going to the attached garage is a checkerboard of black and white tiles. The driveway to the detached garage in the back is painted white. There are a bunch of yard knick-knacks that are all painted black and white, such as a little fake well. The entire house is trimmed in black and white, and brick is white. The mailbox is too. It's pretty crazy. I don't even think I've seen all of it while I run past. It's kind of like trying to look at a house with too many lawn ornaments: you simply can't take it all in.
There is an absolutely gorgeous dark wood siding house that is tall and new with a 3-car garage. It had to be a case where they tore down the previous home and built this one. I love love the color of the wood. I imagine it's a lot of maintenance, but it looks so welcoming and cozy (even though it's a large house).
On the back stretch of road is a house that looks like it's trying to be in Florida. It's peach, and there are facade walls in the front to make kind of a court yard. It reminds me of a small scale house that could be seen from our apartment in Florida. There is also a humongous water feature off to the right. It's so big and odd looking – as tall as the house!
Those are the ones that stand out to me now. It's just funny to me how unique so many of the houses are from one another. And it kept me entertained looking around and thinking about them. That neighborhood's loop is about 1 mile. So tacked on to the 1.5 to the Shell station, it was a perfect 4 miles when all done.
I saw today in my facebook feed that the Heart Mini is 13 days away. Huh.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
HMTD27: 3.8 miles...after a long week
Well, it's Saturday, and I hadn't done anything since last Saturday. As mentioned briefly in the previous post, I pulled my lower back while working on my bike. It ended up being really bad and left me unable to do anything for a week. And what a long week it was. I hate that I missed a week of training, especially after two very good and promising weeks. Oh well, challenges are good.
The turning point in my back getting better was finally going to the doctor and getting pain meds and a muscle relaxer. It would have probably gotten better faster if I could have just taken a day off completely and slept on the drug. But I took it every night, and with each pill, it got better. Once again, I am reminded how fortunate I am to live without chronic pain.
So, today my back just feels like it's sore from shoveling or yard work, so I ran 3.8 miles. I didn't expect my run to go well at all. Not only was I not biking or running last week, but I was barely moving. I couldn't walk upright and did as much activity as one does while having the flu. However, I managed to run easily at a 10:20 - 10:30 pace and got it down to 10:12 by the end. About half way through the run I stopped to stretch, and then got a wonderful rejuvenation which caused me to pick up the pace on the way back very nicely.
I am really happy to be feeling almost 100% again. It's been a very discouraging week.
The turning point in my back getting better was finally going to the doctor and getting pain meds and a muscle relaxer. It would have probably gotten better faster if I could have just taken a day off completely and slept on the drug. But I took it every night, and with each pill, it got better. Once again, I am reminded how fortunate I am to live without chronic pain.
So, today my back just feels like it's sore from shoveling or yard work, so I ran 3.8 miles. I didn't expect my run to go well at all. Not only was I not biking or running last week, but I was barely moving. I couldn't walk upright and did as much activity as one does while having the flu. However, I managed to run easily at a 10:20 - 10:30 pace and got it down to 10:12 by the end. About half way through the run I stopped to stretch, and then got a wonderful rejuvenation which caused me to pick up the pace on the way back very nicely.
I am really happy to be feeling almost 100% again. It's been a very discouraging week.
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