Saturday, September 29, 2012

Mission Accomplished

Official Time:  01:38:01.  Much chocolate consumed at finish line.

(Check my previous post to understand where that fit within my estimates.  Race report later.  Too exhausted now).

Friday, September 28, 2012

The Plan

Hot Choc 15K is tomorrow.  Let's review the situation.  My last LONG run was over three weeks ago.  I didn't run the entire time we were in Italy.  I'm still getting over whatever upper respiratory virus decided to infect my body.  I AM feeling well enough to run now and I even tested it out with a few short runs.  My legs are good.  My breathing, not so much.

So here's the plan:
  • Start at the beginning
  • Put one foot in front of the other until reaching the finish line
  • Consume chocolate
So simple, even *I* shouldn't be able to mess it up, right?!?

Here are some estimated finish times.  Under the circumstances, I honestly don't have any time goals, this is just a range of times that seem to be within the realm of possibility.
  • Our original target time:  ~01:38:00
  • Most likely time given the circumstances: ~01:50:00
  • If a miracle occurs, and I feel fantastic tomorrow: ~01:30:00
Husband picked up our packets for us yesterday.  We were one of the first 1000 to sign up, so we got a hat in addition to the jacket.  

I already had the brown hat from the promotional event that they did a few months ago and asked him to see if he could get the white hat instead.  And as you can see, he did.  SCORE!

Here's hoping 3610 is a lucky number for getting to the finish line without coughing up a lung.  Hot Chocolate Run, here I come!!


Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Yeah, so THAT didn't happen

Remember the 7 miles I said I was going to run today?  Well, the ick that I caught while I was in Italy has worked it's way from my throat to my sinuses and now to my lungs.  Maybe if I feel better tomorrow I will try a 4 mile run.  Or maybe I'll just show up Saturday and let the 15K be the first I've run in 3 weeks.  Or maybe I'll be too sick to show up.  At this point, I really have no idea what's going to happen. *sigh*

Here are a few photos from Rome.  I was feeling miserable while we were there, so I really wasn't able to enjoy it as much as I should/could have.  Still, we did a fair bit of walking and saw a lot of stuff.

Crazy traffic near the Vittoria Emmanuel Memorial

The Roman Colosseum

Michelangelo's Peita at St. Mark's Basilica

Scooters!
P.S. - Sorry that I haven't been commenting on many of your blogs lately.  I promise to be back to reading and commenting more regularly when I am back to running more regularly.  

Monday, September 24, 2012

Back (what, you didn't know I was gone?)

Was on a little adventure to Italy for 12 days.  Here are just a few photos from the first two parts of our journey, Venice and Florence.  Will post some from Rome later; I just haven't sorted through those yet.
Italy is all about fashion, even the pigeons are pretty

Colorful houses of Burano

Flower pots on a window sill

The Duomo

Ponte Vecchio

The view from our hotel room in Venice

Ended up getting some sort of upper respiratory infection when I was in Rome, and still feel kind of icky.  Mark ended up getting it too.  The running plan is to try to do 7 miles tomorrow.  Then maybe 3 or 4 on Thursday.  The 15K is on Saturday.  It's going to be "interesting"

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Under Trained

At this point I am resigning myself to the fact that I will be going into the Hot Chocolate 15K under trained.   I was hoping to have a chance for a long run over the weekend. . It didn't happen, and it's not going to happen before the race at the end of the month either. I have completed a few runs though, just nothing over the 4-5 mile range.  And while I expect to do a lot of walking over the next few weeks, there's no running in my short term future.

What is it that they say?  Better under trained than over trained?  I sure hope that turns out to be true!

Friday, September 7, 2012

Running Update and a Few Photos from Kauai

Running:  Over the past week and a half, I've run only 4 times.  Three runs in the 4-5 mile range and one that was cut short at 1.5 miles due to knee pain.  My knee was really bothering me in Kauai, I wonder if there might be some relation to the lower altitude, higher air pressure?  Feels better now that we're home and back at a mile above sea level.  I've also been having some back issues.  I have a short run planned today and hope that the whole body cooperates.

Photos:  Thought I would share a few photos from our trip to the beautiful island of Kauai. We stayed on the north shore, which is the most scenic part of the island but also the wettest. I'm already trying to figure out when we might be able to return.

Sunset the night we arrived

Flip Flops on the beach

Tunnels Beach - awesome snorkeling

Sailboat off Pu'u Poa beach

A sign in Hanalei

My fav photo - Husband at 'Anini Beach

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

August Tally

Numbers
  • Walk - 29.9 miles
  • Run - 49.9 miles
  • Bike - 85.0 miles
  • Swim - 2800 meters
  • Events - 2 ("Accidental" 5K, Reverse Sprint Triathlon) 
  • Trips - 2 (Indianapolis/Toledo & Kauai)
Thoughts

  • Given that I was out of town for about two weeks, these numbers are pretty good.
  • Had a blast at the Live.Love.Tri, it's by far my favorite event.  Also, getting an AG award at an "accidental" 5K was a pleasant surprise.

Plans

  • One more trip planned, probably won't be able to run at all during this next one
  • Hot Chocolate 15K at end of month.  Training for this is going to be "interesting"