Looks like I get to start the new month and the new year off, eh?
The majority of the country is still unusually cold, including NH. At 1:00 this afternoon it was 4 degrees and breezy. The cold I thought I had under control seems to have gotten a second wind and put a damper on today's run. I wanted a 6 miler on the trail, but was already running out of energy by the time I hit 2 miles, so made the turn for home right there for 4 miles total. Glad to get the run in, but I need to ease up and let this cold run its course, it's sapping all my energy...lol
I didn't feel like running this morning and told myself I would run later. Did a few things around the yard, a little work in the office and went for a 3 mile run at 11:30. Had lunch when I got back and did a little gardening by turning the dirt in a couple of sections and planted a short row of carrots, radishes and beets. Then cleaned a couple of areas for touch up painting and got them painted.
Rich - I'm in the minority again. That's OK this time. At least you got some miles in before deciding to turn back. Stay warm.
Art in AZ
Mesa, AZ
justrundan
Happy New Year everyone.
Still subzero here. DW & I took a weekend away, 16 below both nights. Yikes. No hiking for us.
3.5 miles on TM today.
Can someone remind me how to set my 2018 goal. Just not seeing it!
Dan
Happy New Year!
Dan - You weather sounds c-c-c-o-o-o--ld! Kind of puts a damper on exercising. One of our best friend's mother passed away because of blood thinners. Logically I understand the risks, but I'm not sure I've taken as much caution as I should. DW has always thought I'm a bit too intense when playing sports - I guess part of my brain just shuts down when participating in athletic events...
Az - You and your DH are amazing! Kudos for helping that young woman out! Nice Christmas presents for you and DH! The TV definitely helps when running on the TM, these days I tend to watch "Jeopardy" and other 1/2 hour shows. I'm generally emotionally done at 1 hour plus or minus, which is generally 6-8 miles. I've never liked doing intervals anywhere - kind of like vegetables, I know they're good for me, but...
Chantilly - Hope you're healing up. I know how much it can suck when you're not 100%.
Altair - Hope your winter training is picking up as you planned. Even running 3 or 4 times a week will help.
Art - You've been keeping up your runs nicely! Don't know about you, but it has been DRY this December. Yep, looking a lot like another drought year.
Rich - Hope you get well soon and your weather gets back to normal. It has been abnormally warm here and dry. If we didn't have the weather, what would we complain about? Led a hike yesterday where a woman only realized her 20 year old shoes weren't going to work as they started to come apart with each step she took. She was literally leaving tread behind as she ran back to her car to swap them out.
So, ended up taking a complete week off of running. We did travel to Atlanta to see DS2 graduate from Georgia Tech, so that contributed to the time off. Managed to squeeze in a couple of 6 mile runs on the hotel TM. But, left foot and achilles were still a bit wonky so took a few more days off. Consequently didn't catch back up to the pace bunny. Managed to complete 113 miles for December and finished the year at 2027 miles. Which gives me streaks of 28 months of 100 miles or more and 4 years of 2000 miles or more.
Ray
Wednesday, 1/3... took yesterday off to give my immune system a break, running with a cold just isn't that bright. Today I picked up the phone at noon to hear my buddy say, "I'm going skiing." Which meant he was going XC skiing on the trail, the groomer had gone through and time was a' wastin'. 4 miles of skate skiing that actually went really well. I'd been holding off skiing because it had bothered my sore heel last year and I didn't know what to expect. Glad I went, it ended up being a fun workout. And my cold feels better...lol
Art... have you seen the storm that's coming up the Easy Coast? The Weather Channel's calling it a 'Bomb Cyclone', but local forecasters are just calling it a Nor' Easter...lol Boston's predicted to get a foot of snow and 50 mph winds, inland where I am, 8 inches of snow and 35 mph winds. Temp's going to be about -20 after it moves through...lol You had a busy day on the 1st, got lots of projects done...
Dan... it is tough setting a goal this time of year, isn't it? Mine is to continue logging miles and stay healthy in the process...lol Some goal, eh? And run a marathon this year if I meet the first 2 goals...lol
Ray... who tries to run in 20 year old shoes? lol It must have been comical watching parts fly off her shoes as she tried to run...lol All in all, you had a great year. Not without setbacks, but considering your mileage, you're holding up really well. And running some fast times. Has your Achilles calmed down? My experience with an Achilles injury is the pain involved isn't a good indicator of the severity of the injury, what seems like a minor injury at first can get out of hand in a hurry.
I. Wasn’t very clear about ‘goals’. How do I reset my 2018 goal for the pace bunny so it can continually mock me with a reminder of how far behind I am?
Dan... Oh...
The 7th time I looked at it I figured it out. Also put in my May HM for a countdown. Now to find a beginner HM plan.
2.0 on TM today, 10 below at sunrise. High of 30 on Sunday, maybe get outside
Runs in the rain
Today I finally joined the "More Miles Than Degrees Club" with 2.16 miles in one degree temperature! Weather today is colder than it has been in years. I wore many layers, felt warm but face stung a little when ever the wind blew.
Long distance runner, what you standin' there for?Get up, get out, get out of the door!
HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!!
Thurs Dec. 28: 8 mile run outside.
Friday: We left AZ. Spent the night in Albq so we could visit with DS and DIL. Nice dinner, they are fun to be with.
Sat: Our drive from AZ to OK got colder and colder. Glad we brought our cold weather gear. I was surprised how frigid it became, although nothing close to MN weather but cold is cold, right? Checked into hotel in OK. We decided to just order/pick up pizza and buy some wine but the liquor stores close at 9 PM!! Are you kidding?!?
Sunday, New Year's Eve: Ran 6.2 miles on hotel TM.
The concert was held at WinStar World Casino in southern Oklahoma, about 70 miles to Dallas, TX from here so pretty close to the TX stateline. Lots of people at the casino. it's HUGE too!! Apparently in the race of being the biggest casino......we were told often. Anyway, We are not 'casino people' so spent much of the time before the concert just looking around and having a light dinner that was overpriced but it was delicious!! I'm sure it was like that everywhere just because it was New Year's Eve. The venue was nothing special, we sat about 4 rows from the stage but the chairs were all brought in, and DH was definitely VERY DISAPPOINTED that the concert only lasted 1.5 hrs!! Considering the distance driven and ticket price, I suppose too. But I suspected it was past their bedtime too, LOL!! Playing the 'casino circuit' is probably a bit of a downer when you're use to playing in super mega stadiums/crowds. OH WELL! It was fun though, we danced a couple of times too. Afterwards, we checked out other places in the casino before leaving ..... before midnight.
Monday, New Year's Day: After breakfast, we left for Albq. After checking into hotel, we Had dinner with DS and DIL again, actually to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Weather was so much warmer!
Tues: Ran 5.1 on hotel TM.
Wed: REST
Thurs: 3 miles outside.
Fri: REST and drove down to Phoenix for my trail race tomorrow. Feeling good. Stayed with a dear friend in Tempe, AZ.
RR: San Tan Scramble 26k, Jan. 6, 2018.
What can I say? It was an awesome course!! I was running so well, just around my goal time (under 3:15). First loop was great, perfect weather. Jogged all the hills till the LONG STEEP one around mile 8. Jogged and walked to halfway, then it got steeper so walked to the top. Everyone was walking to the top, the steepness was unreal, technical, rocky and deep crevices but it was fun as much as it was challenging! Made it. Went through the start/finish again for the second loop but we turn before the steep hill so that was a relief, LOL!!
I should have stopped and ate something at the start/finish aid station but I thought I could hold off till the next aid station, about 5 miles away. Not a smart decision ........and the temp rose to about 70 degrees. I felt well-hydrated ......just didn't eat enough prior to the race and that morning. My sugar level plummeted and my energy went downhill so fast that I got a headache. I slowed down and took alot of walk breaks. Just felt awful. Lots of runners that I had passed begin to pass me, asking me what was wrong and offering gels ........ was grateful for their help but I could not even think about gels without wanting to puke. Made it to the aid station. I asked if they had ibuprofen, they had NONE!! I sat in the shade for about 10 minutes, ate.....well, forced myself ...... to some of the P&J, watermelon, oranges, bananas ......finally felt better so I walked about 1/2 mile before I could feel like running again. The energy kicked in and I ran the last 1.5 miles. Went to med tent to ice my "still not totally healed ankle" and right knee. The breakfast burritos never tasted so good!! Finished time: 3:44; 2nd out of 3 females in AG (surprising, HA). Stomach was in distress the rest of the day but did manage to eat a decent dinner later that evening. Body felt good, amazingly I don't feel sore or stiff. I know it happens; it was a good effort. Loved the course.
Next is the 55K Antelope Canyon ultra in Page, AZ, Feb. 24th.
Sunday and today: Rest day.
Hope to get in a short run tomorrow.
Monday, 1/8... backing up to the Friday the 5th, I ended up cleaning about 10 inches of snow off the driveway. The Weather Channel called the storm a 'Bomb Cyclone', but local forecaster labeled it what it was, a Nor' Easter. Saturday the 6th, daytime temp was -16 degrees and windy, forget it! lol Which brings me to...
Sunday, 1/7... NOAA predicted a 10 degree high for today and 30 for tomorrow, I decided to XC ski today and bundle up against the colder temp. Heckuva plan, but the snow was too cold for the wax I'd put on my skis and they wouldn't go. In fact, they'd actually stick in the snow and I'd have to fight to keep from falling...lol A very ugly 2 miles...lol
Today, 1/8... followed through with yesterday's plan to run the trail today. Same luck as yesterday, even though the trail had been groomed and hammered by snow machines, the snow wasn't packed enough for solid footing. 4 miles of running in the soft footing with walk breaks when I needed 'em.
Dan... 7's your lucky number, eh? lol Good luck getting your miles in, it ain't always easy, eh? lol
Altair5... congrats joining the more miles than degrees club. I suspect I've joined that club more than once, but never kept track. It can be tricky to dress properly when the temp's headed for the other side of 0, you did well...
az... too bad about the Hall and Oates concert, I really enjoyed their music back in the day. You were busy over the holidays, but in a fun way, eh? I've read that a runner can run out of Glycogen running at half marathon effort, do you think that's what happened in your 26K? Sounds like you experienced a fair amount of discomfort, like hitting the wall. You were smart to ease up 'til you felt better and nice that you were able to run it in at the end.
Tuesday, 1/9... warmer air's moved in for the next few days and I took advantage of the heat wave by XC skiing 6 miles on the trail. I'd like to get out for a run on the roads, but there's still lot of ice and snow in the breakdown lanes. Forecast highs in the 40's and 50's should take care of that, so it won't be long...
Wednesday, 1/10... 3 mile railtrail snowshoe run today. Temp hit 34 degrees today and I wanted to get out and run a few on the roads, but it didn't work out. Hoping for a better outcome when I try again tomorrow...lol
Thursday, 1/11... 5 mile road run today. Temp was 42 and no wind. Nice...