It's after noon on the west coast and no one has started the dailies yet?  Y'all lounging on the couch like I am?  

Although I ran the Deception Pass 50K yesterday (race report MAY be forthcoming), I do have a 9-miler on the schedule for today (easy, natch).  But I think my couch has some sort of force field around it making it impossible to get my ass up.  However, if I make it 9.5 miles, then I will have run 2012 miles in 2012!

qotd: what has been your highest monthly and yearly mileage?

Monthly: 270 (October, 2011; last training month before the Javelina Jundred.  Helped that there were 5 weekends in the month, so lots of long runs).

Yearly: 2,265 (2011).  I won't beat that this year, however, if looking at elevation gain, this year blows last year out of the water!  (162, 687 feet for all of last year; 232,329 feet so far for this year).

QOTD: 352 miles for October.  I'm almost to 3000 miles for the year. 

Awesome Kelly!

After an eventful 14 miler yesterday (turned an ankle in my new Hokas 0.5 mile up the Miwok trail and then ran 13.5 after picking myself up off the ground, nashing teeth, and limping for a bit), I rode to the coast over the Santa Cruz mountains to rest the ankle (it really hurt standing up at first, but eventually warmed up and was decent) -- 42 miles, 4200 feet up and down.

QOTD: Per Strava -- I have done: Cycling -- 2885 miles, 335,000 feet in 72 rides (202.5 hours -- about 40% of that in September) ;

                                                       Running -- 690 miles, 140,000 feet in 88 runs (102.5 hours)

Hi. I am Sue.  I am new to running it's been 6 days since I have run.  All I can blame it on was laziness and letting other things take priority (which aren't).  Well over that hump.  Ran 20 today 10 which was a totally new trail for us so very cool.  Weather couldn't have been any better.  Sunny and 50s. 

QOTD:  Nothing too impressive to talk about.

Had some decent running for the week including some tempo, hills, and pace work. Broke my post injury rule of not running more than 5x in a week but this morning's snow was just too beautiful to resist. I took it easy and added a few little walks. I think I'll survive.

Nice run yesterday out a Gov. Doge state park. Quality place to run.

Heading out shortly to meet some of the guys at the pub to watch the Packer game. Fun.

QOTD--Ah yes mileage. Maybe my biggest mistake though I know better is/was to get caught up in those numbers. Better off to think of what you actually do with those miles. I've had 60 mile weeks that are really nothing and 35 mile weeks that were quality training and didn't leave me overly tired yet I covered some specific training goals.

QOTD--Ah yes mileage. Maybe my biggest mistake though I know better is/was to get caught up in those numbers. Better off to think of what you actually do with those miles. I've had 60 mile weeks that are really nothing and 35 mile weeks that were quality training and didn't leave me overly tired yet I covered some specific training goals.

Hear hear.  I'm REALLY trying to wean myself from the numbers game, but it's tough.  I sometimes beat myself up when I don't hit a particular mileage goal, but it's often because I need more recovery since the miles I DID run were challenging.  

9 or 10 miles, which I might log as some of the worst ever. Short description in three words: Hypothermia, frost bite.

Longer version:

Was not the best day for me to begin with, as I noticed already on the first bigger hill, but I toughed it out somewhat. Went well through the swamp, but those trails were way overgrown (as usual) with Mountain Laurel and Rhododendrons, and as I constantly brushed against them, they dumped huge loads of water onto me. By the time I hit the next uphill, I was totally soaked, shoes and mittens included. And as it was not my best day, I walked much of that uphill which I usually run nonstop. So I cooled off a bit - in a not so light drizzle around 30 degrees. It was much colder on this side of the mountain than on the other side where I had started.

As I ran along the ridge, I noticed that the wind had picked up, and the gusts made me shiver, despite running on a nicely technical trail. When I got to the huge boulders which require walking and jumping, I was already basically an icycle. I could not feel my legs below the knees any more, or move my hands. Great, now that I was on the slowest part of this loop.

I made it to the turnoff to the connecting trail down the ridge, stumbled down an almost vertical section, and then hit the gravel road leading further down. If I had hoped running on this road would be easier, I was to meet my Waterloo now. That downhill through the merciless wind did not do anything to warm me up. Just the opposite, I was shaking while running. So after about 1.5 miles, I tried to get my phone out and call DH to come pick me up (no signal or car access any earlier), just to find that the phone did not turn on. Frozen? Who knows. I was just about to hurl it into the still wet Rhododendron brush when I realized that there was a $100 deductible on the insurance for this phone. Darn.

I continued on to the next intersection with another gravel road and tried again, and this time, the phone turned on. Called DH and was saved.

Phew!

My toes and fingers had turned white-ish, and it was quite painful to thaw them. They still hurt during DD's evening performance of her dance school.

Not sure if I'll be running tomorrow...

Later in the evening, I realized that some of my "disaster" was certainly caused by my lack of motivation today, and I am thankful to have made the experience. If I was to run a race under similar conditions, I now know that the mental part, being prepared, motivated, and anticipating adversity, is just as important for successfully mastering a longer run under such circumstances as the right gear and clothes. The bad run has definitely given me something new to work on!

QOTD: I have never kept track of my miles until about a year ago or so. So my max for the month was 222 in September, and roughly 1600 miles year-to-date. Nothing spectacular.

After Saturday's run I was curious to see how I felt today.  Sore but not so bad.  After a kids Basketball Game, and a Waffle Breakfast at a secret Santa  Event, I agreed to do a 6 mile trail run with one of the 25 year olds from the shoe store.  We definitely went faster than I would have on my own! 

My Hip flexors are complaining tonight....

QOTD:

2011 will likely be my highest mileage year.  Looks like I'll break 1000 miles this year according to MMR.  I was 900 after the first week of December.