Mid week update

Here's a short list of a few things that I've done in the past few days:

1) Cycled on high desert hills. Riding with Husband is always a big plus and the view of the mountains never gets old. However, when riding in the desert, one must always beware of "goathead" thorns which are death to road tires. I think he was checking his tires for thorns when I snapped this photo.

2) Got back in the pool and swam. My training lately has resembled duathon training rather than tri training. I figured it was time to rectify that. Actually made it to the pool in the morning before work. Go me!

3) Registered for local HILLY sprint triathlon. The website claims it's the most difficult sprint in New Mexico; they say that the only part that is flat is the swim. Yikes!After much deliberation, I decided to go for it. This solidifies my need to continue training hills.

4) Cleaned up my snorkel gear. We have a trip to Hawaii on the horizon and my snorkel gear has been in the garage for a few years. Got it out, rinsed it off, cleaned up the mask, and it's good to go. Crazy excited about the trip, but I've still got a while to wait.

5) Ran Hills. The rest of my run group was doing track work, but my training plan called for 4 miles on a hilly route so I went out solo. I think the route that I picked was perfect. Next time I might just do that first hill several times, but it was nice to mix it up a bit and do something other than a straight out and back route.

How about you? What have you been up to?

Weekend Wrap-Up (includes Race Report)

After my hilly double on Thursday, my legs were tired. and sore. and did I mention tired? I went for a 4 mile recovery walk Friday morning and that was about it. I thought about swimming, but it never got past the thinking-about-it stage.

Saturday morning, I went for a 4.4 mile easy run. My legs were still sore. I came home afterwards and stretched a bit and used the foam roller. I was a little concerned about some tightness that I was feeling in my right calf; felt like it was on the verge of cramping.

This morning I got up bright and early for the Women's Distance Festival 5K. . Start time was 7am sharp and since I hadn't gone to pick up my packet on Saturday, I needed to be there at about 6:30am. Before leaving the house, I used the foam roller again.

Arrived to a sea of red shirts. These were the "Women-in-Training." Wow. There were a lot of them. Right before the race started, Misty came up to me. I hadn't seen her in ages. Well, at least since sometime last fall. Misty, if you are reading, just a shout out that you look great!

Ran the most of the race with my running friend. Didn't quite finish together, as I had a bit more of a kick at the end than she did, however we both finished with 5K PRs. I haven't seen the official, but my Garmin had 27:52 which is the first time I've been under 28mins. Woot! I'm quite happy with that. For a long time, I was finishing right around 30 mins, it seems like I'm at a different level of fitness these days which seems pretty amazing for someone in their mid-forties, if you ask me.

Updated: Official results are posted and they have me at 27:50, an 8:58 pace. Yeah, baby! Found a photo of me finishing from the race site and am posting it even though I look like a dork. I'm gritting my teeth because I was trying to get in under 28:00, trust me, I was smiling on the inside.

This is my third time to do this particular race. It's one of my favorites because it's a women's only race and a lot of women are out there for the first time at this distance. I think that is very cool. They also have a tradition of giving chocolates and a flower at the finish line. This year they also gave away several loaves of healthy bread as raffle prizes. I ended up walking away with a yummy whole wheat cinnamon roll. And the race shirt this year is a women's specific technical shirt with a really cute design. Score!

But the fun didn't stop there.A few hours after the race, Husband & I went out for a bike ride. We ended up doing 17 miles total. If you've been following for a while, you have probably realized that I live about a mile above sea level and it's easier to find hills than a flat route around here. Even so, that first hill was particularly tough for me!

I took a photo from the mid-point of our ride to give you some idea of the area, but I think I'll save that for another day.

Hill Sprints

Yesterday was another double day. Cycled 10 miles with two hills in the morning. Then we did hill sprints with the run group in the evening. I did a double day on Tuesday as well, cycling the same route in the morning, then doing a 4 mile easy run in the evening.

Anyway, lets talk about hill sprints. The format was warm up, 10x20sec up the hill FAST, mostly walking back down, then cool down. I need to figure out a better way to capture my data. I probably should use the lap button so that I can see the pace each time up the hill, but I didn't. Instead, I do have a graph of pace by distance.

You can see the warm up ahead of the sprints, then the each sprint up the hill, and the walk back down and the cool down at the end. You can also see that I tried to pick up my pace at the end of the cool down (much to Coach's dismay) so that I had the feeling of finishing strong.

I have to admit, hill sprints are one of my FAVORITE running workouts. Somehow, even though I am way back of the pack when running on flat surfaces with the group, I am solidly middle of the pack on hills. Not sure why that is. Maybe it is more a measure of strength than speed? Sporttracks summarized my run with the following stats:

• Walking: 23:04min/mi for 0.46 mi
• Jogging: 11:00 min/mi for 1.54 mi
• Running: 7:62 min/mi for 0.79 mi

I was clearly pushing it up the hills and my legs are reminding of that this morning. A recovery walk is on the agenda. And if I make time, I think I'll go for a swim as well.

Happy Friday everyone!

Mid-week meanderings

With the Bosque fully closed, the choices seem to be running around the neighborhood (bleh) or running on the partially shaded acequia (irrigation canal) path. Seems like a no-brainer, acequia path for the win! However, I remember now that there is one disadvantage of running near water, especially in the evening. Ran last night and now I'm covered in mosquito bites! Definitely need some bug spray if I'm going to continue to run there.

The weirdest thing has happened with regard to cycling. I'm actually finding that I don't hate it right now and even looking forward to it. The bike path is closed an therefore I haven't been riding as far. Perhaps I have found the sweet spot for me. Long enough and hilly enough to be challenging, but not so long or hilly to be miserable. So far, I've ridden on Monday and Tuesday both this week. Today I'm giving my legs a rest though.

Speaking of cycling, I've decided that my bike needs to be spruced up/personalized a little bit. Stay tuned...

The pool was crowded on Sunday. I went at my normal time, when I usually find one or two open lanes. Every lane was full, some already had folks doubling up. I scanned the lanes with one person and decided to join someone who was walking across the lane. Before I finished one lap, the person started swimming and swimming WIDE with flapping arms and legs. Blah. In trying to find the bright side, I chalked it up as good triathlon training.

When I got home from my long run on Saturday morning, I signed up to run a 5K this Sunday. Should be fun. I'm treating it more like a speed work day and less like a race; I'm still planning to do my long run on Saturday.

I'm still debating whether or not to sign up for the Patriot Tri (two weeks after Live.Love.Tri). Hopefully I'll make a decision one way or another this weekend and either sign up or cross this one off my list.

June Tally & Thursday hills

June Numbers:

• Miles by feet: 56.1
• Miles by seat: 112.2
• Yards in water: 4550
• Sick Days: 3
• Too Smokey to Workout Days: 2
• Best 400 swim: 8:37
• Hill workouts: 8
• Bike Flats: too many to count
• New tires installed: one

Thoughts:

• Tri training is off to a good start. :-)

Plans for July:

• Tri training
• Decide on Patriot (to do or not to do)
• Lots of hills
• Possible 5K (stay tuned!)

Thursday Hills:

This was my morning cycle profile. I wanted to do one more repeat, but didn't get out the door early enough and had to cut it short at three:

And this is what our evening run looked like:

Yikes. That was intense. But one of my best workouts ever.

When I went to bed last night, I honestly thought that I was going to get up this morning and do more hills on my bike. Hahahahahahahaha. Let's just say that the body had other plans. Went for a nice 4 mile recovery walk instead. It's probably best to let my body recover from that double hill workout day before I tackle more hills anyway.

Three Things Thursday - Fast, Flats, and Furious

FAST: I recently purchased a pair of Kinvara 2 running shoes. They are considered to be a transition shoe, sort of in the middle between standard running shoes and minimalist shoes. Many people are getting them to run faster, but my interest in them has primarily to do with the potential to reduce injury. One thing I noticed beyond how lightweight they are was that I had to go up an extra half size beyond my normal running shoe. I've talked to others, and most of them seem to be able to wear their regular size, but a few folks, like me, had to size up. Anyway, once I got the correct size, my impression has been extremely favorable. They are lightweight, comfortable, and my first run in them was amazing. I'll do a more thorough review once I've been running in them for a while.

FLATS: After a series of front flats (don't get me started on how awful that has been), I finally decided to put new tires on my bike. They are due anyway and at this rate, I've put way more than a front tire's worth of new tubes in front so it seemed it wouldn't hurt. I got the front tire put on Tuesday. So far, still holding air. YAY! I'll put the rear tire on sometime before this weekend. Until then, I have one bright blue and one fade blue tire on my bike.

For what it's worth, my go-to tires are Vredenstein Fortezza SE from Performance bike store. They have great reviews and are one of their top sellers and the price is terrific especially when they have them on sale. What sold me on them initially is the fact they are described as having a "puncture resistance system that reduces flats by 80%." One of the nasty things about riding in New Mexico is the abundance of 'goathead' thorns that plague cyclists around here. Fingers crossed that fresh new tires will put an end to the flat streak.

FURIOUS: Due to extreme fire danger, all the trails are now closed in the mountains and the bosque, including the paved bike path. This means we are forced out on the road for our runs and rides. While I agree that this was the right thing to do, what has me furious is that they are still selling fireworks!! Apparently there is some issue with the laws; it seems that nobody has jurisdiction to ban the sale of fireworks. All they can do is ban the use. Of course this makes no sense to me. All it takes is one idiot to set off a bottle rocket in the woods and next thing you know our city will be on fire too.

Run, Run, Bike, Swim

SYTO Virtual Race - The Boring Runner hosted a Virtual 5K this Saturday. I probably broke the rules by running on Friday instead. Oh well, I'm a rebel like that. Not really, it's just that I had a 6 mile run planned on Saturday at an easy pace, and I wanted to try to push it for the virtual race, so I ran the 5K on my own on Friday. The wooded trails are closed due to fire danger so I had to run in a mostly sunny area. It was freaking hot! If I actually had thorns, I'm sure I would have sweated them off. Final time - 30:33. Let's see, it wasn't fast and I don't have any pictures. In fact this is probably my most boring race report, maybe that counts for something?

Group Run - So I skipped the group run on Thursday because it was 101 deg when I left work. Ummmm. No thank you, that's a little too hot for my preferences. I ended up cycling that day instead (and hence did the SWTO run solo Friday morning). Well, I didn't skip the run Saturday morning. Met with the group and ran 6 miles. The last few miles were miserable because it was really warming up, but I'm sure it was better than running on Thursday evening would have been. This week I'm going to try to run solo in the mornings on Tues & Thu so that I can skip those evening group runs. This time of the year is miserably hot!

Cycling Success - This morning I went out for a 10 mile ride with a hill repeat thrown in the center for good measure. I've done this route a few times, but this was by far my best ride. I felt decent on the climbs, confident through the corners, and generally strong throughout. Next week I'm going to add in a few more repeats which will spread the distance out to 14 miles. Overall, I feel like this is a good route for my training.

Another Swim Time Trial - You know how I mentioned that my last few timed 400s were consistent at roughly 9:00? Well not this time. I finished in 8:37. Yeah, baby!!! To say that I'm pleased is an understatement. :-D

Three Things Thursday

Up in Smoke: While parts of the country are dealing with flooding and/or too much rain in general, we're dealing with the opposite, drought. So far we've had less than a quarter inch of rain since the beginning of the year. Granted, we usually don't get too much rain, but that is a ridiculously low amount. There are already several wildfires in the area, so over the past week, all of the wooded running trails have been closed down due to extreme fire danger. That makes me sad. We can still run on the paved trails though, which is good. I'm thinking that it may be time to try a rain dance....

Who's on First?: Getting ready for my bike ride yesterday I realized that my front tire was flat again

so I decided to fix it properly rather than top it off and hope to make it through my ride. Flipped my bike over, found the offending thorn and removed it from the tire, took off the wheel, took off the tire, removed the tube, replaced the tube, started pumping it up. Hisssssssss. What the?? Then I realized that I had put the bad tube back in, the new tube was still neatly wrapped up with a rubber band on the ground! Finally got the new tube in, and the tire inflated, and was on my way. But geeeez, am I a moron sometimes or what?!?

Splish Splash: If I do sign up for the Patriot, it's a seeded swim time start, so I need to submit a time. Timed another 400 in the pool this weekend. Two weeks ago, I got 9:00 even. This week, 8:59. Those aren't stellar times for someone on a high school swim, but for a middle aged recreational triathlete, not so bad. Hey, I'm consistent if nothing else!

Mulling Things Over

So, the only race I have signed up for is the live.love.tri in August. It's an all women's sprint triathlon and should be a lot of fun. There is another race two weeks later, the Patriot, that has similarities, and one significant difference, that I'm thinking about signing up for again. At the moment I'm torn. If it was a no-brainer, I would have signed up already. But it's not.

Comparison:

• Live.Love.Tri is reverse format: 5K run, 10 mi bike, 400 M pool swim.
• Patriot Tri is standard format: 400 M pool swim, 16 mi bike, 5K run.
• The same pools is used.
• The same run route is used.
• The bike route is significantly different. The route for the Patriot longer, and it heads out in a direction that makes it more hilly. And those hills are what's holding me back from jumping on it.

Thoughts:

• Two races two weeks apart seems good from a training perspective. Train, then taper for first race. Race, then use recovery after 1st races as taper for second race.
• The fact that the format is reversed from the first to second race keeps it interesting; especially important since the location is basically the same
• I'm not a fan of hills on the bike. Really not sure I want to go 6 miles further on the bike *and* toss in that climb.

Clearly I haven't decided yet, but I'm thinking it over. Patriot sold out last year, so I can't wait too long to make this decision if I end up deciding to go for it.

In other news, I had a tempo run fail this evening. It turned into a survival run. I don't know what the problem was exactly, but the 93 deg temp with mostly sunny run route certainly didn't help. I need to get serious about running in the morning again.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Eau de Chlorine: Ever see that t-shirt that says "Chlorine is my perfume;" I need it to explain the strong Chlorine scent emanating from my body for 24 hrs post swim. Is it just me, or is it darn near impossible to rid yourself of the chlorine scent with just one washing?

Freaking Wind: Last night the wind was fierce. 40mph sustained winds with 60mph gusts. I was half expecting the house to picked up only to find myself transported to Oz. We lost power (no surprise) and it actually didn't look too bad outside this morning in the aftermath. However, there was a layer of sand all over everything in the kitchen that must have blown in since the window was cracked. Yuck.

Father's Day: We had a pretty nice father's day, if I do say so myself. Went to lunch, kids (I use the term loosely, they are 17 and 19) went with him grocery shopping to help out, and we spent the evening at the ballpark. Go 'Topes!

Cross-Training: Spent several hours this weekend doing yard work. That counts as cross-training, right? Well, at least it should. I was sore and tired afterwards. Have another round to do next weekend, then hopefully can just enjoy the backyard for the rest of the summer.

Confidence: Hopefully I won't eat these words, but I'm gaining confidence about the sprint tri in August as my endurance is slowly coming back. I don't think it's going to be a fast race, but I think I'll be in good enough shape to actually enjoy it. I'm even thinking of signing up for another one, slightly longer course, that's a few weeks later.

Hills Make You Stronger

Nobody likes them, but everybody benefits from them. Yes, I'm talking about hill training. Whether it is tackling a hill or two on the bike, or doing hill repeats as a run workout.

This week I've had my share of hills. I've been trying to incorporate at least ONE hill even on my short bike rides. What I'm noticing is that over time, the hills are getting easier. That's a direct result of not shying away from them in the first place. And the weird thing is that now I look forward to tackling the hill when I head out on my bike. I certainly didn't expect that when I first started, I *hated* the hills.

Yesterday, our run group did hill repeats. The format for this particular workout was 1 mile warm-up, 6x60sec uphill FAST pace. Then a 1 mile cool down. I was very pleased with my performance on two accounts. First, I hit the same distance each time (.12 miles), didn't fade on the 5th or 6th one. Second, my hard pace averaged 8:30-8:35 consistently. Granted, it was only a minute each time, but that's faster than my 5K pace and hitting that pace window consistently on this workout made me happy.

How about you? Do you do incorporate hill training? And have you noticed improvement as a result?

Wednesday Wisdom

I may not be much faster than I was when I started this whole running, triathlon, etc journey several years ago, but I certainly am much smarter. Here are are a just few things I've learned that I wish I had known from the beginning.

• Listen to your body. - It's not a sign of weakness to skip a workout when you are sick or injure. It's the smart thing to do. Running when you are truly ill won't help you recover. Nor will running on an injury. Many times it makes it worse. Take a few days off and let your body recover, it's worth it in the long term.
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! - All year round, and especially in the summer, it is important to stay hydrated. Athlete's lose hydration when they sweat. It's important to replace those fluids (and salt) otherwise you may experience symptoms such as fatigue, fainting, puking, or muscle cramping. Trust me, it's not fun.
• Track the miles on your shoes - When I first started running, I figured a pair of running shoes should last a year. Sure, it made sense to me back then, but shoes don't break down based on time, they break down based on mileage. Running on worn out shoes leads to injury. I like to change mine out at about 400 miles, but that depends on the shoe.
• Socks matter - When I started running, I ran in loose cotton socks. This led to blisters. I've learned that running in the correct socks is important. You don't need to spend a lot on socks (I've been very happy with socks found at Target), but you do need to wear some made from a wicking material (I like coolmax) that fit your feet snugly. I've also found that I'm fond of injinji socks when cycling.
• Be comfortable when you run - A few ladies have asked me which is better for summer: Shorts, Skirts, or tri shorts? Tank tops, t-shirts, or athletic tops? And my running friend who is beginning to train for triathlon wants to know what's best to wear to the pool. The answer is "you tell me!" When I started on this journey, I thought there was one right answer. I saw a lot of women in form fitting athletic tops and running shorts, so that's what I wore. Over time I've learned that whatever is most comfortable for each individual is the right answer. And I've learned that for me, the better answer is loose tank tops and skirts.

Those are just a few things that I've learned the hard way over the years. What would you add to the list?

Sunday Snippets

• Thursday bit the bullet and ordered a pair of Saucony Kinvara 2 shoes. I can't wait for them to arrive!
• Missed two workouts last week (Wed & Thu) due to the smoke. Despite this, I managed to pull off one swim, one walk, three bike rides, and two runs along with two forced rest days. Not too shabby.
• Currently suffering from a cold. And achy body from bike ride. And sun burn from a place I couldn't reach to put on sunscreen. This is not a good combination. Next time I'll definitely ask for help with the sunscreen. Ouch.
• I had to toss out a pair of DeSoto tri shorts that were worn in the back. I was wearing them to get use to tri shorts on the bike again. I'm glad I didn't decide to wear those to the pool, it would have been obscene. Yikes!
• A while back I mentioned having trouble with my ipod, a gen 4 nano that won't hold a charge long enough to get through more than a few albums. I didn't want to buy a new ipod, because I like this one (except for the battery issue). Well, I found a place that will replace the battery for me. So I will be sending it off...
• My garden is doing well now. After inspecting the perimeter, we figured the rabbits were getting through by the side of the gate or possibly through the gate itself which had larger holes in the fencing than the rest of the garden. A friend helped me secure the gate with chicken wire to keep the rabbits out. No more bunny damage. Yay!
• I go through phases where I create "quick and dirty" quilts for Project Linus*. Sometimes I'm busy with it, sometimes I take a long break. Well, you could say I'm busy with it again. I have completed seven toddler-sized quilts in the past two weeks. I'm hoping to get to 12 in the next two weeks, then take another break from it.
• My running friend decided to register for Live.Love.Tri. I'm so excited! Today I was supposed to meet her at the pool. But I'm feeling too cruddy. We'll do it next weekend.
• Stocked up on orange Accelerade. My favorite is tri berry, but I haven't been able to find it locally. The orange is pretty good though, reminds me of summer days when I was a kid, buying a push-up bar from the ice cream truck.

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*Project Linus is a not-for-profit organization that creates blankets (quilts, afgans, fleece throws, etc) for children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need. These handmade gifts of love are intended to provide a sense of security, warmth and comfort.

Smoke gets in your eyes

On Monday I went out for a short 8.3 mile bike ride. I was racing against the wall of smoke heading our way from the wildfire in AZ. I barely beat it, but I'm glad I did. It was particularly bad that evening.

Tuesday I met my running friend for a 4 mile run. It had been hazy and smoky all day, so instead of a tempo run we decided to just run easy. My eyes were stinging and her throat was burning when we were done. Stupid smoke.

It's all about which way the wind blows. This morning the skies are blue! If the blue skies holds up through the day, I have another bike ride planned. But if the smoke returns, I might call "uncle" and let this be my rest day.

Smoky Skies

We've been under an air quality alert since Thursday. Smoke started rolling in on Thursday evening from some wildfires in AZ. At the worst, visibility was poor, there was a light ash fall, and a distinct smell of smoke even in the house. At times it gets much better than that, but it has been hazy all weekend. The alert says that if visibility drops below 2 miles, it is unsafe to exercise outside. At 3-5 miles, they urge folks to use caution. I assume that visibility of >5 miles means everything is considered safe.

All of this smoke caused our run group to cancel for Saturday morning. I've been running with one particular lady who has returned to running after a 2 year break. I noticed that I could see the mountains, albeit not too clearly, and they are a good 12 miles away or so. I figured that meant it was safe. The two of us decided to brave the smoky skies and went out for a 6 mile run. We talked triathlon the entire time. She's thinking of doing the Live.Love.Tri as well. If so, it would be her first. I kind of hope she decides to jump in; it would be great to have a friend to train with.

Now, you know the saying "it's just like riding a bike", right? Where exactly does this saying come from? For me, regaining bike fitness just isn't all that easy. Yesterday afternoon, Husband was heading out for a 20-25 mile bike ride. I wanted to join him, but that seemed way too far for me. I ended up turning around short of 5 miles and logged a mere 9.3 miles for myself and that was plenty. Perhaps it had something to do with the 6 miles I ran beforehand or the smoky skies, but I really think it's a matter of cycling being more difficult for me than the other two sports.

I wonder if "it's just like swimming laps" might catch on. For me, swimming seems to come back much more easily than cycling. Today I was able to completed a 1600 swim. That's twice as far as I went on my first swim (of the return to swimming) last weekend. I also decided to time myself on a 400. My time actually wasn't too far off where it was when I stopped swimming late last summer. If I can knock off 5 seconds per 100, I'll be back to where I was. Not too shabby for having taken a 9 month break from the pool.

Brick + Rest

On Wednesday (Day 9), I did a brick workout. Cycled 8.3 miles, then immediately switched to running shoes and ran 1.5 miles. Even though it was a short brick, I was quickly reminded why bricks are important as my legs felt like jello straight off the bike.

I appreciated all of your comments on my last post. Thursday morning, which would have been Day 10, it was crystal clear that I needed a rest day and I needed it now. I struck through the word "Run" on my training plan and replaced it with "Rest."

So here is where I am at. I want to achieve 3x week running, 3x week cycling, 2x week swimming plus 1x week rest. The only way this is going to happen is to plan to double up twice a week. For now, I'm aiming to swim+run on Saturdays. If I plan to bike+run one day per week as well, this should all work out.

Happy Friday!

Day 8 & May Tally

Yesterday I met the running group for a 3.5 mile trail run. This morning I'm beat! After thinking about it, I realized that it was my 8th day in a row of some sort of exercise (run, bike, swim).

Side note, Husband & I *did* go out for a bike ride on Monday, but the weather didn't cooperate as well as I would have liked. We were out there in 25-35mph winds. Nice when the wind is at your back, not so nice when you are riding straight into a headwind.

Today, the plan is to cycle after work. Unless I figure out how to better double up, my triathlon training doesn't have any rest days. On the one hand, it sort of seems like switching up the sports gives certain muscles time to rest. On the other hand, my heart/lungs aren't getting a day off. So I'm not sure this training plan that I have devised is such a good idea.

If you are training for multi-sport events, how are you handling rest?

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May Tally:

• Walk: 8 mi
• Run: 54.4 mi
• Bike: 42.8 mi
• Swim: 1800 yd

A little this, a little that

RUN

Met with a running partner Saturday morning. The rest of the group was meeting at 7am at a spot across town. The two of us decided to meet at 8am at a place closer to home. Her schedule had seven miles, mine had five. We figured we could compromise and shoot for six.

Unlike last weekend, it was actually hot while we were out there. Uggg! And as it turns out, she forgot her hydration. Double uggg! For some reason, I had decided to bring a fuel belt with two bottles of accelerade instead of my handheld with nuun. That was more than I needed for a 6 mile run, so I let her have one of my bottles. Our route brought us back to the car at 5 miles. Rather than head out for one more mile, we decided to call it a day. Next weekend, I think we'll try meeting at 7:30 and aim for a more shaded route.

SWIM

Later that morning, I took my son out to investigate three local gyms. He's looking to get a membership just for the summer. One thing we learned is that you can't simply go by the advertised rates; two of the gyms have "hidden" fees and one of them has an unadvertised special for students for the summer. One of the gyms, however, has a pool. I have a membership at that one which allows me to renew on a month-by-month basis. While we were there checking out prices for him, I went ahead an renewed my membership for June. Having paid for it, surely I will get myself to the pool!

In fact, I decided to bite the bullet later in the afternoon and get wet. Didn't bring a watch. Simply aimed to get in the water and go for an 800 yard swim. That is exactly what I did. No more, no less. This morning my shoulders are a little sore, but not too bad, and I'm even thinking about heading over there again today!

BIKE

Husband & I are both off tomorrow and we've talked about going out on a bike ride. The weather forecast calls for a cooler day that we've had over the weekend (this is good), but more wind (this is not so good). Hoping that we will be able to head out in the morning before it gets too bad. Fingers crossed.

Gaining momentum

So far my workout week has looked like this:

Mon: Rest/Buy Car

Tue: 3.5 mi trail run with wind

Wed: 8.7 mi bike ride with wind

Thu: 3.5 mi pavement run

Fri: 9.6 mi hilly bike ride with wind

I realize that none of these distances are very far, but I'm gaining momentum and it is starting to look like multi-sport training. Swimming is still missing, but I sense that will be added in soon. Fingers crossed.

I am *really* getting tired of the wind. But as much as I despise it, I'm thankful that it's really just an annoyance and isn't destructive/deadly. My heart goes out to all of those families affected by the recent tornadoes.

Mid-week training update

I missed my optional run on Monday because I was busy buying a used car after work. Boy, that process seemed to take forever! Anyway, ended up getting a 2008 Honda Fit with about 40K miles on it in excellent condition with a certified pre-owned warranty. It's tiny, but has impressive cargo space. It's cute. It has good fuel economy. It's perfect for our needs. I'm very happy that the car search is over.

Tuesday afternoon the wind was just awful again, 30 mile per hour sustained winds with gust of who-knows-what. Coach sent an email that his allergies were terrible and he couldn't make it. Usually when that happens, most of the group doesn't show up. I texted that lady that I've been running with and asked "Are you up for running in the wind? I will if you do" and she responded "See u there." There were only two others that showed up. I feel pretty hard core about getting out there and getting my run done in that wind.

Today I have the choice of a run or cross-training. If it is super windy again, I will run. However, if the wind isn't too bad, I will cycle.

She rides!

Well, I finally did it. Pumped up the tires, did a quick bike inspection, geared up, and went out on a short easy ride. It was windy and I didn't let that stop me. And you know what? I actually enjoyed it!

I chose an 8 mile route that has a little bit of climbing to get to the turn point, just enough to make this a good work out, not so much that it's discouraging. Here is the elevation map:

Now, if I can get out on my bike a few more times this week along with the running, I'll be off to a good start for triathlon training. Yes, I know I still need to add in swimming, baby steps people, baby steps.

Six Thoughts Sunday

1) RUNNING:

My running continues to progress. I got out again on Thursday morning for a 3.2 mile run accompanied by a half mile walk. And met with a friend Saturday for a 5.1 mile run and then took the dogs afterwards for a one mile walk. Running is continuing to get easier, although it's still more of a struggle than I would like. I just need a little more time.

2) TRIATHLON:

My triathlon count down clock is now under 100 days and I *still* haven't been on my bike or in the pool. I've had good intentions, just haven't quite gotten out the door for that part of my training. Hopefully I will get my act together soon!

3) GARDEN:

A friend of ours came over to help figure out how the rabbits were getting into the garden. It was determined that the gate needed to be reinforced with chicken wire. The gap on either side of the gate was too large and so was the fencing of the gate itself. After we got that resolved, I put in a few plants as rabbit bait and waited to see if they got nibbled or not. I'm happy to report that no further rabbit damage has occurred! YAY!! I've replaced 9 of the 16 plants that got eaten and planted seeds in the remaining locations.

4) USED CARS:

I found a car listed that I'm interested in, but it hasn't been available to see/drive because it's being reconditioned. Hopefully it will be available on Monday. I didn't know what reconditioning meant, but apparently it is sort of like detailing (plus replacing any worn parts) with the idea being that the seller spends some money to get it in as good of physical condition as possible to make it attractive to potential buyers. They will call me as soon as it is available. Fingers crossed that this is the one.

5) RACES:

My local running friends keep asking what I'm training for next. I have a triathlon on the calendar that I haven't been training for and no running events lined up at the moment. I'm not going to plan to do any running races of any sort until I feel like I'm ready. There are plenty of 5Ks or 10Ks this summer/fall that I can choose from once I get my base fitness back. Until then, I'm running, not training.

6) WEATHER:

Sometimes I think Mother Natures is menopausal; it certainly would explain the crazy weather. On Monday it was sunny and hot, 80+deg, seemed like summer was well on its way. By Wednesday, it was overcast and unseasonably cold (low 40s in the morning) and windy again. This is a problem because we can only have heat or cooling (not both) set up at any one time. For Mother's Day, Husband hooked up the cooling because it seemed to be the right thing to do. And I was really appreciating it early in the week. But with the cold spell, and no heat, I was walking around the house shivering for a few days. Seems that today will be in the 70s and we will be back to 80s again by mid week.

Tale of Two Runs

My run schedule has me doing four running days per week with one optional. And there are cross training days that have consisted of lots of excuses. But I digress.

Yesterday after work I went out for my local 2 mile hill course. It's short, but the hill makes it a good workout and its something I like to do when I'm short on time. Running that hill seems to make me stronger. Anyway, it was 80 degrees outside and while I realize that it will take time to regain fitness from my off time, I did not expect that hill run to kick my rear the way that it did!

Today I have an easy 3 on the schedule and I was planning to join the group after work again. But after yesterday's run I was thinking that I really should try to run in the morning instead. This morning, at a cool 50deg, I went out for my run. Oh what a difference! I'm not sure I was moving much faster, but it didn't seem to be nearly the struggle as the run last night. It was quite enjoyable actually.

Another 3 on the plan for tomorrow and at this point I plan to do the same thing...run early.

Weekend Wrap-Up

• Completed my "long" run on Saturday. Not pretty, but got it done. Today I have an optional short run on my calendar. I hope to find time to get it done after work. But if not, that's okay.
• Went to Carmax with Husband and sold the old car. We ended up getting roughly half of what the car would be worth (per Kelley BB) if it were in excellent condition. This is actually more than we expected given that that the cost of repair needed to get it in good working condition was over 50% higher than the value of the car. They are likely to sell it wholesale for parts; apparently the parts are worth more than we realized. Nice.
• While we were waiting for the appraisal and offer, we test drove two cars. I've made a matrix comparing the various vehicles that we've looked at. This has turned out to be a handy way to objectively compare pros/cons and various features, costs, etc to determine the best car for the situation. I think I've determined what I want to buy. Now I'm waiting for the right car to become available at the right price.
• My first attempt of making the garden thief-proof apparently was a fail. Garden thief continues to munch my plants. Count is up to 15. Grrrrrrrr.

Random Stuff

I was going to title this "Random Stuff that nobody probably cares about, but is what's on my mind so I'm blogging about it anyway" but that was too long. You've been forewarned.

• I managed to run Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday as planned. Yay me! I should be running again right now, but none of my running partners could make it this morning so I'm on my own. This means I'll wait a little longer so that it can warm up a bit.
• I planted my garden last weekend. Half by seed, half by plants. Something is getting in an has eaten (at last count) NINE of my chile plants. I am NOT happy about this. It's fenced in, so either the creature is getting in by the gate (most likely) or is climbing the fence (less likely). I didn't have this problem last year, so this has taken me by surprise. Not a pleasant surprise either.
• As of last night, Son is home for the summer. As of today, he is should be looking for a summer job. Fingers crossed.
• Daughter is just finishing up her junior year of HS. Almost a senior and thinking about college. Times sure flies.
• The car that Daughter primarily drives is in need of $$ of repairs. If it were in excellent condition, it would be worth $. Car will be sold rather than repaired. Which means we are down one vehicle. Also means the kids are now sharing one 19yr old vehicle which happens to have issues and might not make it through the summer. So.... I've spent the last week looking at used cars. In case you are wondering, car shopping is definitely more fun when you actually WANT to buy a car, not when you NEED to.
• The desk in our computer room collapsed while we were moving it back after I painted that room. First off, it was really scary when it happened because everything started falling off toward me and all I could hear was the sound of crashing, smashing, breaking. So just when I thought the room was about to be back together and in use, we need to find a new workstation. Oh well.
• I've yet to get back on my bike or into the pool. I've thought about it, I just haven't done it. Baby steps. I'm trying to get back in the habit of running first, then I'll add the others. At least that's the plan.

Mother Nature: 0, Lisa: 1

This spring has been incredibly windy. Yesterday was no exception. After work, it was a pleasant 74 degrees. Unfortunately, that was accompanied by steady 28 mph winds with gusts up to 35 mph. Oh how I despise the wind.

I was seriously contemplating bailing onmy my run. Just another example of that whole getting out the door thing. But Husband happened to come home earlier than usual and basically told me to deal with it. That was the push I needed. I put on my running clothes and headed out to meet the group.

And I'm really glad that I did. I went out 3.5 miles easy with a running partner. I didn't feel as strong at the end as I did on Saturday, but I felt okay. And this morning my legs are actually a bit sore. The good kind of sore.

The plan moving forward is a 3 mile run this evening. Then another 3.5 on Thursday. Friday is rest/cross training. Saturday will be my "long run."

I can do this.

Saturday shorty

I ran on both Tuesday and Thursday. Each run was short (under 3 miles) and a struggle. My cardio fitness is basically non-existent right now. If running was always that hard, I'd hate it. But I know that if I just keep it up, it will be easier in a few weeks.

This morning I met up with a few others from my run club that have been struggling with their recent workouts for one reason or another. We slogged out 4 miles and I was able to finish (relatively) strong for a change. I'm feeling encouraged.

Patience, grasshopper, patience.

Coasting

"If you are coasting, you are either losing momentum or headed downhill." - Joan Welsh

When I first started getting serious about fitness, I discovered that the hardest part is getting out the door. I've told this to others who are trying to start a new habit. And after a few months hiatus, I'm re-learning just how true it is. Right now I feel like I'm coasting, and it's difficult to regain momentum.

• This weekend I thought that I would ride my bike. But it was windy and cold. So I stayed inside instead.
• Last night I thought that I would get up early in the morning and swim. This morning I decided to sleep instead.
• Tonight I should be joining my running group. Now I'm thinking of going to a baseball game instead.

Logically, if I want to have a good experience with the triathlon in August, I need to get serious about riding my bike and swimming. And now that my knee is going better, it's time for me to get back into a rhythm with running. It's good to know that even after a long break, I can get up and run a 5K, but I'd like to run one well and that is going to take some work.

I'm thinking if I can just get a few good workouts under my belt, I'll have the momentum that I need to get myself out the door and get in gear again...

Run for the Zoo - Good, Bad, Ugly

Preface

• I decided on Thursday to run this 5K simply because my knee didn't hurt anymore on my test run. I knew it wouldn't be a fast race; I was just happy to be running. On the way to the venue, I told husband I wanted to come in under 32 minutes. That would be a good 4 minutes slower than my last 5K, but was probably a realistic goal given my lack of training over the past 2 months.

The Good

• I started, I ran, I finished.
• My Garmin says 31:53, so I hit my time goal (barely). [Edit: Official results have me at 31:49, 10:12 pace.]
• Well organized race with lots of volunteers.

The Bad

• It was cold and windy, of the low forties and 25mph variety.
• It was a real struggle to hit my time goal; I have clearly lost a lot of fitness.
• I didn't really have fun. I usually do. I blame this on the weather.
• I wanted to finish strong, but I had no energy left at the end. I tend to judge all runs by how I feel at finish, so I have categorized this as a bad run in my mind.

The Ugly

• Nada

She Runs! Slowly...

The long awaited test run went swimmingly on Thursday, at least from a knee perspective. My lungs, however, were none to happy. That's what a 7 week break doing not more than feeling sorry for yourself will do to you. Here are my splits. For reference, the first and last half miles are mostly flat, the second half mile is up the hill, the third is down the hill.

Decided to join my running group this morning for a 4 mile "easy" run. I am incredibly out of shape! Nothing about this was easy and I kept getting slower and slower. But the knee didn't hurt, so it's all good.

Yesterday evening, we went to packet pick-up/late registration for the Run for the Zoo and signed up for the 5K!! It is likely to be one of my slowest 5Ks, but I'm so happy to be running again that I simply don't care. I'm running again!! Yippee!!!!!

Three Things Thursday - Shingles, Easter, Knee

1) Shortly after my last post I started not feeling well. Then got some weird rash. Then went to the doctor and was diagnosed with Shingles. So I've been on anti-virals and dealing with the painful burning rash that is essentially adult chicken pox. You're jealous aren't you?! Hey, if nothing else, it has distracted me from the wait on my knee

2) During this shingles episode, but after I was no longer contagious, I traveled to NW Ohio for Easter/mom's 75th birthday. It was cold, grey skies, rainy when I arrived. Actually decent over the weekend. Then cold, grey skies, rainy when I departed. I'm glad I went. I'm also happy to be home.

3) Today is the day that I will test my knee running for the first time since the injection treatment. If all goes well, I will attempt a 5K this weekend. If it doesn't go well, I'll wait another week and try again. Wish me luck!

Sunday Musings

It's been 1.5 weeks since my last injection. I'm expecting to be able to resume running at the 3-6 week mark, so that's 1.5-4.5 weeks to go. Time seems to go by really slowly when you're an injured runner. And while I'm happy for all of you who are running and racing, it's also hard to read about everyone else's running adventures. So I do apologize for my recent lack of comments and hope you are all doing well.

I had high hopes for spending a few days cycling this week, but the weather has not cooperated. The wind has been horrific. I'm not talking breezy, I mean all-out gusty nasty non-stop 25-40 mph wind. The kind that knocks over heavy patio furniture and trashcans and blows cushions and trash all over the yard. Sigh.

The one day that wasn't windy was the day we had tickets to see the Isotopes, our minor league baseball team. That was fun. We had also gone to the season opener. I'm hoping to go once or twice a month when they are in town. Fun stuff.

My cross training has been of the home maintenance variety. I gave up on finding a color for the great room for now and am focusing on another section of the house. Today I'm planning to start painting the office. But before I could even get started with that there was come cleaning up to do and some wall repair. Plastic containers to store stuff and plaster/sand paper are my new friends.

I made a last minute decision to fly to Ohio to visit my mom and other family for Easter, which is also her birthday. Husband and Daughter are unable to come with me, so I'm traveling solo. I'll miss them, but I feel good about making this trip. I don't get back very often.

This brings me to my last topic. I have two ipods: a shuffle and a nano. The shuffle doesn't have a lot of room for songs, but it's the one I run with. I change up my playlist every so often, clip it on, and go. The nano has my full music collection. It's the one I take with me when I travel. Lately the nano battery life seems to be unacceptably poor. I'm considering getting something to replace it, but it's not as easy as it seems. The newest nano is more like a shuffle and the touch screen doesn't seem very easy to use. The itouch is too big. Why o why, must they constantly redesign these things?

Why Tri?

It has been nearly three years since I last did a Tri. I had pretty much convinced myself that I'm a runner now, not a triathlete. So why did I decide to sign up for this one?

1) It's an all women's race. I've done a few all women running events and there is something empowering about those events. Many women who are intimidate by other events will try something in an all women environment. I wanted to be a part of that again.

2) It's a short sprint. The bike segment, my nemesis, is only 10 miles long. No matter how hilly the course is, I can get through 10 miles. And it also means that I don't need to be training any crazy long bike distances. Totally manageable.

3) It will give me the motivation I need to get on my bike and into the pool. I don't love cycling or swimming the way that I love running. Without something to train for, my bike and swim suit end up neglected. But both of those activities are good for my body and quite doable with my knee issues.

4) It really sounds like fun. I had a few questions about the race. The race directors emailed me right away and added was "It is going to be SO fun!" I'm definitely getting a fun vibe from this event, and you must know by now that I'm all about fun.

5) The timing is right. I have a good 4 months to get ready. I don't need to panic about taking a break from running or not being in swim/cycle condition at the moment. I have plenty of time to get ready.

I'm sure the seeds of self-doubt will start sprouting at some point, but I KNOW I can do this. And it's going to be loads of fun!

I'm in!

Edited to add: The last time I completed a tri was in Sept 2008. I feel like a beginner again since I'm starting over...

This weather blows

Yesterday I went on a 3.2 mile walk. I was going to go for another walk today, but we're experiencing 40+ mph winds. Um. No thank you. I'll just stay inside.

Instead of moving my body, I'm investigating possible events a few months out. I started by contemplating whether I might be able to pull off a 5K at the Zoo run on May 1st. Then began looking at other 5Ks and 10Ks during the summer. There are several options out there, I should have no problem finding a race or two once I'm running again.

Then I stumbled across something very interesting. An all women local triathlon, on the short end of the spectrum for sprint distance (3 mi run, 10 mi bike, 400 yd swim). This event isn't until end of August and the proceeds will be going to help a camp for children with disabilities. It has been a few years since I've done a triathlon. This might just be the event to reel me back in; I'm genuinely intrigued by this one.

Of course that would mean that I need to actually get onto my bike and into the pool. Both things have eluded me. But with an event to aim for, perhaps my motivation to cycle and swim will return.

P.S. I've been trying to catch up on folks' blogs, but the blogger site keeps crashing on me. Anyone else having this problem?

Wordy Wednesday

This morning I received the third and final injection for my left knee. This means two things. First, I am on forced rest as is customary for 48 hours post injection. Second, I should be good to resume running in 3-6 weeks. In the mean time, I just need patience.

I am happy to say that I walked for 5 days straight. This totaled 11.4 miles or just under 2.3 miles per day. Three of those days involved hauling my mass up a hill. I must day that I really feel it in my glutes. Clearly walking uses different muscles than running!

The interior painting project has turned into an anxiety-ridden disaster. Okay, maybe not a total disaster. The kitchen turned out nice, although arguably I still have some areas that need touch ups. Next on my list was the Great Room. I have spent two weeks, a stack of paint chips, hours of agonizing, and multiple failed attempts applying paint samples to walls only to find myself back at square one with regard to color choice. This morning I decided that I need to step away from that all together and work on another section of the house instead. And this my friends, is how one ends up losing interest in home improvement projects...

New month, new focus

It's time for me to do my monthly stats. Honestly, I stopped keeping track in the middle of the month when it became obvious that a running break was on the immediate horizon. Now it seems that there is really no point in looking back and dwelling on what might have been. Instead, it's time to look forward.

Started the new month off with a 3.2 mile walk with a friend along the acequias path. First time getting out in two weeks. What a beautiful morning too. I've missed that path. I didn't take any pictures, but it was serene and peaceful. We've already made plans to return next week.

This morning I decided it was time to head up the hill with these guys. They loved it, of course.

I feel bad because I haven't taken them out for awhile. Luckily, they don't hold grudges. If you ever want a lesson in enjoying the moment, spend some time with dogs. We were rewarded with this view on the way back down. As it turns out, I've missed that too.

I can say with certainly that my knee *is* getting better. However, it will be another month or so before I can run again. I've been thinking about what kind of exercise would be best for the next month. Part of me thinks that I should get back to the pool. But I'm just not excited about swimming right now. It requires getting up extra early and is generally a hassle to fit into my schedule. If you don't love it, why bother?

After the past few days, I can say that I *am* excited about getting out and walking again. So are the dogs. I think that's going to be my focus instead of swimming. And I'm going to try to take a lesson from the dogs and enjoy the moment.

Enjoy your weekend, whatever it entails!

Three Things Thursday - Paint, injections, and exercise plans

Preface: As anyone who's ever been benched due to injury or illness knows, it's hard to blog or read blogs when benched. I'm trying to find topics that might be vaguely interesting and avoid getting trapped in the "woe is me" space. Please bear with me as my blogging and commenting may be sporadic for another month or so.

1) Last weekend I painted the kitchen. This is something I started, then stopped almost 5 years ago. During that time, the color that I picked out no longer was available at the place I buy paint. So I had to choose another color. It's all done except for some touch ups and a small area on one wall that I will take care of on Friday. Next on my list is the great room. I've been struggling with color selection for that one. I think I'm going to get some color samples to paint onto the wall to help make the final selections in there. The little swatch cards just aren't big enough. Anyway, it's a big room with some complicated surfaces (adobe bricks and lots of wood detail) so I hope I don't stop mid-project for five years again.

2) Yesterday I received my second injection for my left knee. Apparently I didn't look so good when he came into the room because he asked what was wrong. Last time, the injection really hurt (not the needle so much, but the pressure in the joint from the gel). He quickly said "Let's try it with numbing medication this time." This involved an injection of numbing medication immediately preceding the HA injection. MUCH BETTER. I think I will ask for numbing next week as well. Right now I'm icing my knee. I think it should be good enough to finally be able t get out for a walk tomorrow.

3) I have been reading A LOT about arthrosis of the knee aka osteoarthritis aka degenerative joint disease. One of the things that strikes me is that when it comes to exercise, the experts recommend "short and frequent" stressing the importance of finding the right balance between rest and exercise. What strikes me most about this, is that I have been approaching running in a "longer and less frequent" manner. When my knee is run-ready again, I just might try something on the order of 5 days per week with runs in the 2-3 mile range (long runs maybe 5-6) at first and see how that goes. I had been running 3 days per week with runs in the 4-6 mile range (long runs 6-9). If more frequent shorter runs works better for me, I may also need to change my focus to 5Ks and 10Ks instead of half-marathons.

Thursday Thoughts

I started the Euflexxa injection series for me left knee yesterday. So there will be no running for me probably until end of April. Maybe next week I'll blog more about my knee and what these injections do to help. Today I want to blog about something else - my experience with running skirts!

The first few skirts that I bought were inexpensive champion brand from Target. I still like these for walking the dogs, but they aren't ideal for running because I find that the undershorts ride up. Chafing anyone?

The next few skirts that I bought were the Running Skirts brand. I haven't tried the athletic skirts (with undershorts), just the running skirts (with briefs). Now I happen to think they have the cutest skirts on the market with so many wonderful designs to choose from. However, the design with the pockets on the side doesn't work for me. I can't put too much in the pockets for fear of the skirts falling down. Also, the last skirt that I bought from them, I found that the briefs ride up. Blah. If I get something else from them in the future, I think I would try the capris or atheletic skirt.

Last fall I bought the lotta breeze capris from Skirt Sports. I love the design and this cut is quite flattering. I have a black one and am interested in possibly getting it in some other color,. I also tried a black gym girl skirt and while it fits well, I don't particularly like the cut on me. Blah. That was disappointing because I've seen it on other people and thought it looked cute. I guess it just doesn't suit my body type.

My marathon friends (fellow winter warriors) bought me a pink Brooks PR II skort. They chose it because it matches the sporthill top that I wore most weekends running with them. I actually LOVE this skirt and am seriously thinking of buying one in another color. I even wore it on spring break to the pool as a bathing suit cover and got compliments, reassuring me that the cut on this one is flattering.

So that's a summary of my skirt experience. Ladies, which skirt brands are your favorites or least favorites?

Monday Miscellany

As expected, my old Garmin decided to resurrect itself (at least for the time being) now that I have a new one. I don't regret my purchase one bit though because the old one is clearly on its last legs and cannot be trusted. For now, my Husband is using the gimpy Garmin and I have a brand spanking new one to call my own.

I clearly have been afflicted by the spring cleaning bug. So far I have emptied an entire dresser from our office/sewing room (had fabric in it, I kept about half, but put it in bins in the closet), the top shelf of the cabinet in our master bathroom (had towels we weren't using), the middle shelf in the hall closet (had dish towels that we've never used...my mom keeps buying them for us). I've also devised a plan to paint two walls in the kitchen while Husband is on business travel next week. And I chose a color for the fireplaces/bancos and two walls in the great room. I'm not usually this ambitious. I'm blaming it on the "supermoon".

I woke up at 6:15 Sunday morning and baked banana cake from scratch. Sounds impulsive, but actually I have planned this for an entire week. Bought the bananas and buttermilk and cream cheese last weekend. Let the bananas ripen all week while we were gone. Oh my gosh, this cake is so moist and delicious!! Too delicious! I've already eaten an entire row single handedly from the 9x13 pan. Eek. At this rate I will gain 20 pounds by next weekend. So the new plan to take it with me this evening to my women's group Bible study and hope they find it equally delicious.

Calling the orthopedic office later today. Fingers crossed that I can start the injections this week.

Off to tackle Monday before it tackles me!

Six Thoughts Saturday

Sorry for going MIA. Spent the better part of the week in Phoenix with Husband and Daughter. We had fun. In summary we enjoyed some warm weather, saw a Cubs spring training game, visited the ASU campus, had a failed attempt at a second Cubs game (sold out - saw a movie instead), visited old town Scottsdale, enjoyed the Art Walk, and ate lots of yummy food.

Today Son is in transit from California to spend his spring break at home. Yay! We are very much looking forward to seeing him. It's unfortunate that the kids' breaks didn't line up, would have been nice having him join us for our little trip.

Tried out my spanking new Garmin this morning. I ended up getting another 205 for a great price from amazon. Tested it out on my run-stop-walk-stop-run this morning (Uggh. Stupid knee!) and it worked like a charm. This probably means that my dead Garmin will resurrect itself, that's usually how things work out.

Came home to some nice spring weather, albeit a bit windy. I've been wanting to paint the indoor fireplaces and bancos. We went to get samples from Lowes after lunch. I thought we had some good colors picked out, but clearly the lighting in the store is very different than the lighting in our house. May need to go back and try again.

I was expecting a call from the orthopedics office last week telling me that the insurance went through so I could schedule my injections. Heard nothing. I guess I'll call them Monday morning and try to figure out what is going on. I'm anxious to get started with that.

Spring break is the only time of the year when I have normal bathing suit tan lines. The rest of the summer I end up sporting the traditional athlete's tan (which is sort of like a farmer's tan). How many of you are with me on that?!

Six Thoughts Saturday

I've been having trouble with my Garmin for months. Now it won't charge or turn on at all. Yes, I already tried reseting it. Without the Garmin, I was forced to use the "MyTracks" application on my phone. While it's great to have an alternative method to track distance, but it's not particularly user friendly for that purpose. I need a new Garmin. This time I mean it.

We've had a couple nice spring days. I used one of them to do some work clearing out the veggie garden in preparation for this year. Spent another one doing some spring cleani'ng in our office/sewing room. Still lots to do on both fronts, but I was happy to make some progress while I had the motivation.

Haven't heard back from the orthopedic office yet. I'm expecting a call early next week to set up the appts for those injections. I'm soooo ready to get this started.

I was supposed to take a urine sample back to the vet to be sure Bandit's infection is cleared up. After chasing him around with a Tupperware container trying to catch him in the act of peeing, I finally gave up. At this point, I figure that it's either cleared up and he's fine or it isn't and we'll know when he has problems again.

I've been taking our recycling to the same place for years. I loaded up the car and went over there on Friday and to my surprise, the recycle bins were gone!! What?!?! I was able to find an alternate location, but it's much farther away. What a bummer!

I have mixed emotions about daylight savings time. On the one hand, I'm glad that we won't be racing the sunset after work anymore. On the other hand, It's going to be dark when I leave in the morning again. Ugh.

No Gnus is good news?

aka - "The glass is half full"

I managed to score an appt with my orthopedic doctor for this afternoon. I have no idea how I got in so quickly. Last year I had to wait a good 6 weeks to get an appt. For that matter, I was in and out of x-ray in 10 minutes (they had planned for a full hour) and the doctor saw me right away after that.

The good news is that my knee issue is pretty much the same problem that I've always had. It's a chronic condition that will need ongoing treatment. For some reason this last round only lasted 6-7 months. But it's not because something new is going on. And that is a good thing. And as he reminded me, being able to achieve 6-7 months free of knee pain with a chronic condition is considered success even for folks with average activity levels. I sometimes forget that I'm asking my body to do more than 'average'.

The not so good news is the timing. The plan is to repeat the series of three Euflexxa injections beginning week after next. Then I need ~6 weeks recovery time. That takes me to the end of April/beginning of May. And what is on May 1? The run for the zoo half-marathon.

This means that there will be no Run for the Zoo Half Marathon for me (hence no gnus). In fact there will be no spring races at all. But, I should be good to go for summer/fall. All things considered, I'm pleased to have a relatively unobtrusive treatment option (the good news). And the sooner I get started, the sooner I get back on my feet.

If it looks like a duck...

What I want to be doing is training for a half-marathon. What I'm doing instead, is training around a cranky knee. And the realization is starting to hit me. If I can't run long and I can't run on hard surfaces, what makes me think I'll magically be able to run 13.1 on a hard surface come race day?

[yes, I realize some of you have come to this same conclusion already, but I'm still deep in denial.]

Looking at my training last week, I can't help thinking that it looks like 10K training, not half-marathon training (stupid knee):

Tue: 4 miles "steady run"

Thu: 4 miles "easy run"

Fri: 2.2 miles "tempo run" aka "redemption run"

Sat: 5 miles "long run"

Saturday's run was wholly on dirt and my knee was okay. I purposely dialed back on distance to give my knee some recovery time. At the end, I felt like I could go farther. I toyed with the idea of adding extra distance, but I figured it was good to quit while I was ahead for a change.

Next week I'm going to try to run 7. If that doesn't work out for my knee, I may need to seriously reconsider what I'm training for. Perhaps instead of training for a half-mary I should actually be training for a 10K.

While poking around on active.com, I conveniently found a 10K in April on a relatively flat surface. Sounds like the setting for a new PR perhaps? Hmmmm. Thinking about it. Ducks aren't all bad.

Redemption Runs

I'm starting a new tradition on Fridays that I like to think of as Redemption Runs. These are short (2-3 mile) but hard effort runs that make me feel better about my knee situation. Last week it was up and down my favorite hill. This week it was out and back in 20mph wind.

But before I get ahead of myself, let me tell you about yesterday's easy four. Our running group has been meeting at 5pm. It's REALLY difficult to get there at this time, but we are trying to beat the sunset. Only three of us had shown up by 5pm/ We have a 'five minute rule' meaning that we don't start until 5 minutes after. This week three people showed up at about 7 or 8 minutes after. Of course, we didn't know that at first, because we took off at 5 minutes after.

The first person caught up to the group right away. The second person didn't know which route we were taking and never caught up because she went the wrong way. The third person chased us down, but we didn't see her until we got to the turn point. I certainly wasn't going to leave her out there on her own! So I slowed down, waited, and ran back at her pace. I also told her that I'd run with her on Saturday if she'd agree to run on dirt. Deal made.

Also, we decided that we should move the meeting time back to 5:15. That will make a world of difference to those who are struggling to make it at 5pm and still keep us running in daylight.

That gets us back this morning's redemption run. The path I took was somewhat of an L shape. The first part was slightly downhill with the wind at my back. Then onto a dirt portion with a crosswind. Turn around, still on dirt with a crosswind. Then slight uphill into the wind. And a little extra at the end for a cool down.

It's necessary to understand the route to make sense of the half mile splits. At first glance, it looks like I went out too fast, but knowing that the first half mile was downhill with the wind at my back, and the 4th half mile was uphill into the wind paints a different story. I'm actually quite pleased with how this run turned out.

So there you have it. A successful run (on many fronts) last night and a decent redemption run this morning. I'm ready for the weekend!

Thursday Thoughts

Had a good run on a dirt trail on Tuesday. What defines a good run? Minimal knee pain is a big factor. Really only bothered me on a few short uphills (I walked those segments). I was surprised when I looked at my splits. I don't remember trying to pick up the pace except at the very end, but apparently I did. This was very encouraging, especially after the long run failure this past weekend.


What I've learned so far about running and my current knee pain:

• dirt is good
• hills are bad
• hard surfaces are not good
• easy is okay
• long is not good

Taking these things into consideration, My half-marathon training plan has been modified. Cutting back on distance for my long runs, at least for the next few weeks. I will add some extra short runs though for time on my legs. I still need to figure out what I'm going to do about cross-training to keep my fitness level up.

Today I'm planning on another easy 4 after work. I hope it goes as well as it did on Tuesday!