WDF 5K 2013

This morning was the 27th running of our local Women's Distance Festival 5K.  For me, it was probably about the 4th or 5th time that I've done it. I love this event because it's so supportive and there are always several first timers running it.

I haven't been running very much lately and didn't expect to have a particularly good race, but I figured I could probably finish in the 29-30min range.

As it turned out, my finish time turned out to be 28:30, and I was pleased with that.

Love the race swag too.  They gave us a women's technical t-shirt and a small bag with reflection on it.  At the finish, we received a carnation and some chocolates.

I didn't stick around too long after the finish; I wanted to get home so I could get cleaned up and make it to church (which I did).  They have't posted the official results yet, so I'm not sure of my exact age group placing. I'll be interested in that detail.

Update:  Official results are now posted.  I was 8 of 17 in my age group, 52 of 163 overall.

Next up for me is another 5K in a few weeks.  And then the women's triathlon that I haven't been training much for due to my shoulder.  It's going to be an adventure, if nothing else...

Too much of a good thing...

Oh, hey.  When we said we needed rain, we didn't mean THIS much.  We've been lucky at our house in Corrales, there was a makeshift river running through our backyard leaving debris behind, but no standing water and no mud.  Some friends of our haven't fared so well.  Needless to say, I didn't go running this morning.  Although swimming may have been an option...

Rain floods Corrales | New Mexico News - KOAT Home

do run run run

I've been a good girl and giving my shoulder a lot of rest.  I've cut back on icing and anti inflammatory meds.  It's feeling better, but not 100%.  I may try a short swim next week.

I have been running, though. I've done 3 four mile runs this week.  All at an easy pace.  I've actually got a 5k on Sunday, but I'm still planning to run 5 or 6 miles easy on Saturday.  

Then I have another 5k a few weeks later.  Then the Sprint tri which I'm not able to train for properly because of the shoulder and I'm not even sure that I'll be able to do that event.  I'm just taking it one day at a time.  At the end of the day I need to remember that this is just a hobby and a way to stay in shape.

Caption This!

Guess I'm getting a little slap happy from sitting around with a cold pack on my shoulder.  Oh, and I now have two cold packs, this white one and a blue one.

Help me out and share some thoughts on witty captions for this photo. Here are a few of my ideas, but surely you can do better:

"Hey, I've got quite a chip on my shoulder"

"Arrrr Mateys!  Someone swapped me parrot with an ice pack!"

Putting it into practice...

How interesting that I posted on having a good day yesterday.  It was a challenging day to put it into practice, but I think I was successful in finding the positive in each of the challenges that came my way.

Challenge #1 - Shoulder injury

• The bad - I've been having significant shoulder pain since July 4.  I'm not sure what happened exactly.  I've seen the chiropractor twice and talked to the doctor.  They both suspect impingement syndrome, tendinitis, or bursitis.  Initial cousre of treatment is rest, ice, anti-inflammatories.  Rest for the next 3 weeks includes anything that requires me to lift/extend my arm past a certain point.  This includes both cycling and swimming and I have a triathlon on my schedule in just over a month. Uggh.
• The good -  I had it checked out early enough that the conservative treatment of rest/ice/anti-inflammatories *may* be sufficient for healing.  Fingers crossed! 

Challenge #2 - Dental appointment

• The bad - I'm an extremely anxious dental patient as it is and have been having sensitivity issues on bottom front teeth.  My normal dental hygentist is no longer at the dental office, so I had to see someone new who doesn't know me or my anxiety issues.  I told her about the sensitivity and anxiety and she used a topical numbing solution to allow her to clean those sensistive teeth.  She also applied a de-sensitizing agent to try to help long term.
• The good -  I brought up my concerns right at the beginning, and the appointment went very well.  I dont' have to go back for another 6 months!

Challenge #3 - Water problems still not completely resolved.

• The bad -  Our irrigation system is still not working right.  Everything is getting water at the same time though, and the garden should be separated from the rest of the plants in the yard.
• The good  - The water well/pump problems were resolved on Friday, it's just a matter of getting the details of the irrigation system sorted out. We no longer need to hand water outside or deal with a big hole in our backyard where they were working on the control valves.

On having a good day

I told my husband this morning that I was determined to have a good day. Within two hours, things weren't going as well as I hoped and I told him it wasn't working.  He quickly reminded me "but you said you were DETERMINED to have a good day.  So do it."

Which brings me to a very important point: what happens to someone is not within their control, but how they respond to it is.  Or as the wise Abraham Lincoln once said "Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be."

This is relevant to how we respond to our workouts as well. Lots of time I hear people talk about how they had a bad run or a bad swim or a bad day at the gym.  Maybe it was a race, maybe it was a training event, but somehow they judge their performance as not up to par and end up unhappy.

I think it's important to remember that even a "bad" experience can have good results.  Sometimes the bad experience is rich with learnings for the future. Sometimes getting out the door is an achievement in itself.  Sometimes a run isn't up to performance expectations due to a pending injury and listening to your body is just what you need to prevent a significant injury.

I hope everyone who reads this will choose to have a good day today. :-)

Craptastic Friday

Ever have one of those days?

Well it started off with a planned 5 mile run.  For some reason my shoe was bothering me. When I took off my shoe I realized why.  Apparently the back of my shoe had rubbed the back of my ankle raw.

I have not had that problem before and not really sure what went wrong.  But now I have a Bandaid on that spot and it seems to be healing up.

I turned on the water to take a shower and get cleaned up when....no water.

We live in a rural residential area and have our own water well and pump.  I tried hitting the reset button on the pump, but the tank pressure stayed at zero. No water means no flushing toilets, no watering the garden, no taking a shower, no washing dishes, no cooler, etc.  We are really dependent on it!

Long story short, about 12 hours and a lot of $$$ later, we had water again (along with a new pipe, pump, panel, water tank, etc).  We went out for dinner as we had missed a concert that we were planning to attend (couldn't leave the house until the guy was done and he wasn't done until after 8pm!).

In the midst of all this, we were having a problem with the irrigation system.  It couldn't be fixed until the water situation was resolved.  So even now that we've got water again, we've been having to manually irrigate until we get the irrigation resolved.  Hopefully that can happen early in the week.

Getting Somewhere

Serfas RX on top, Forte Contour XFC on bottom

Bet you're getting tired of me blogging about my saddle woes. Yeah, well me too. But short of telling you how I ran in a downpour yesterday (with a bit of hail thrown in for fun) and skipped my swim this morning because of a sore shoulder (not related to the hail), I don't have much to blog about.

So more saddle discussion it is.  Sorry

I decided that I should at least try out this Forte Contour saddle that I bought last weekend before taking it back. Looking at it more closely, I realize that even while it isn't much narrower in the front part of the nose, it's a bit squishier on the sides than my current saddle and it is a bit narrower further back on the nose.  Plus it's visually appealing, which is always important for something you put your butt on, right?  Ha. But seriously, I do like the looks of it.

My bike sporting the Forte Contour XFC, sans saddle bag

Well, this morning I went ahead and stuck it on my bike and gave it a test ride (9 miles). Initial impression: I may have been too quick to dismiss this one.  And that's actually a good thing, because it means this one may actually be a keeper.

I stopped about midway in the ride and adjusted the saddle position a little.  After that, I forgot about the saddle and just enjoyed the ride.

I think I'll test it out on a longer ride before I make a final decision, but so far, so good!

Saddle Woes

So I mentioned about the problem I'm having with the nose of my Serfas Women's RX being too wide for my comfort in my last post, right?  Well, it's really bothering me.  A lot.  Enough that I don't always like sitting on my bike.  And I like everything else about the saddle from a comfort perspective.  Just not the nose width.  It was a real problem last week when I rode three times in 6 days.  Not as much of a problem if I only ride once or twice a week.  But if I ride more often than that or longer distances, I feel almost like I have bruising where the outside edge of the nose contacts my body.  Ouch.

Well, I decided to try a women's saddle by Forte from Performance bike store.  It had decent reviews, isn't too expensive, and looks similar to the saddle that I have.  I had talked with customer service and they gave me measurements that led me to believe that the nose was significantly narrower than the saddle I already have.  So, I picked it up yesterday.  But after bringing it home and comparing side by side, it's basically the same width!  They must have measured the very front part of the nose not the mid section of the nose.  Anyway, this is not going to solve my problem, so it's going back.

Back to the drawing board.  I decided to email Serfas  and explain my problem.  They suggested that I try the Serfas Niva which they say is similar material, similar back, narrower nose.  I see that they carry it at our local REI, which is right across the street from performance.  I'll stop there when I go to return this other saddle.  But this time I'm bringing my tape measure!!!  I'm not buying it if it's not significantly narrower.  I'm starting to wonder, is it just me?!?  Is my build that much different from other folks??  Or maybe I'm just narrow in the pelvis and should consider a men's saddle?

There's one more that I'm going to look at while I'm at REI, if they have it in stock, the Selle Italia Lady Gel flow.  This one has good reviews for long distance riding.  I don't know what the dimensions are though.  Again, I'm bringing my tape measure so I can check a few things out before I buy.

This whole saddle thing is so confusing.  I hope I find something that works for me!

Staycation

Upon returning from Seattle, took some time off this week for a bit of a staycation.  Feels like our time off is almost over, but it's Friday evening and we still have a weekend to enjoy.  Here are a few things that we did while we were off.

Got in a couple nice bike rides this week.  Also stopped to get some new tires, but I haven't put them on yet.  I'm toying with the idea of getting a new saddle.  I have an older ladies Serfas RX which I like a lot EXCEPT that the nose is a bit wide for me which causes discomfort especially with back-to-back riding.  Any suggestions for a comfortable ladies saddle would be appreciated.  Btw, I'm thinking of trying a newer serfas rx.  The design looks a bit different, but I can't tell if the nose is narrower or not.

Doesn't show my saddle.  I wasn't thinking of it when I took this shot

(have a bike photo to upload, but having problems with blogger.  Will try later)
 Got a couple swims done too.  No photos for that.  But one of the days that I swam, we also went to the Isotopes ballpark to have someone show us club level seating (you can't get up there on game day without tickets).  I got a nice shot of the ballpark getting dressed up for the 4th of July game (star on the field, Isotopes painted red,white, & blue).

Isotopes Ballpark getting ready for 4th of July

Ran a few times too.  I have a red/white/blue shirt from Patriot triathlon from a few years ago.  I don't wear if very often because it fits tighter than I like, but figured it was good to wear for a 4th of July run.  Probably won't wear it again until next year this same time, but maybe I can cut the emblem out and put it on another shirt.  Has anyone ever tried doing something like that with a race shirt?  

Squinting because I left my sunglasses inside.

Also started painting our great room.  Ran out of paint ( I knew I would ), but I don't particularly feel like going to get some more right now so I guess I'm done with that for the day. Hoping to get it wrapped up by end of the weekend, but we'll see how that goes. 

Enjoy your weekend!

June Tally

Numbers

• 81.4 miles by feet (36.6 run, 44.8 walk)
• 94.5 miles by seat
• 1 new waterproof ipod
• 5400 yds in the pool
• 2 upper body strength workouts
• 1 trip to Seattle
• 1 bike event (quarter century)
• 1 run event (8k race)
• 1 infected bug bite
• 10 days on antibiotics

Thoughts

• A fairly well balanced month for a change.  And I swam! 

Plans

• Focus on tri training for upcoming sprint.

Areas of Focus

I think it's important for everyone to understand where they need to focus at any given time so they can devise training plan that works for them.  Depending on your goals, your areas of focus are likely different than mine.  But here's where I'm at right now:

Running Focus: injury prevention & base building

• I have a chronic problem with my left knee.  My goal is to be smart about running choices (surface, distance) so that I can extend the time between treatments.  It's been 7 months and I'm hoping to make it close to a year before I need to go back in.  This means running on soft surfaces, distance no longer than 8 miles, and ensuring plenty of rest days between runs.

Swim Focus: getting to (and staying in) the pool

• Successful swimming requires me to get up early (5am) so I can get to the pool while it's not too crowded and be done with my swim before work.  I have a bad habit of saying that I'm going to go, but then not doing it.  The waterproof ipod has definitely helped quite a bit by reducing the boredom. 

Bike Focus: base building

• I've been cycling about twice a week.  Just trying to get my base back right now.  In another month, I may start focussing on speed.  But for now, it's about time in the saddle.

What about you?  Any specific focus areas that you are working on right now?

a Little of This, a Little of That

Sometimes it feels like I don't get much done in my spare time outside work.  But when I look back on what was accomplished, I realize that I'm more productive than I sometimes realize.  It's just that it seems to be a little of this and a little of that, not a lot of anything.  Here's an example of things that I did last week:

• Got my waterproof ipod all set up
• Swam three times (with music!)
• Rode my bike once
• Finished two books
• Dropped off the recycling
• Got my handlebars wrapped with new tape
• Ran twice
• Set up internet & wireless at Daughter's apartment
• Did a bunch of work in the garden
• Walked the dogs nearly every day
• Did some upper body strength exercises
• Signed up for a couple of 5Ks
• Made a hotel reservation for upcoming trip to Seattle
• Participated in community service event whereby we assembled 500 sack lunches for the homeless
• Won $25 gift card in a drawing related to ongoing wellness challenge at work
• Visited the doctor for an infected bug bite, and started a course of antibiotics
• Went to a local minor league baseball game
• Got a pedicure

All in all, I'd have to say that it was not a bad week!

First Impressions

Yesterday afternoon, my AudioFlood waterproof shuffle arrived.  The package included a 5th gen iPod shuffle that had been waterproofed by AudioFlood, a set of Pyle waterproof headphones, a bonus swim cap, and a small piece of Velcro (not pictured, it had fallen on the floor).

The first thing I did was charge and register my shuffle.  Then I uploaded a genius mix from iTunes.  That part was pretty simple.

Next I messed around with the headphones to find which ear piece seemed best.  I went with the small round ones and removed the over-the-ear things. I spent a little time bundling up the extra cord, using a twist tie to tie it up.  Then stuck the velcro around that. Tested it out with my goggles - clipped the iPod to the back and decided to stick the extra cord bundle under my swim cap.  This whole process took a bit of time, but once I had it set up, it seemed like it would be easy enough to get going in the morning at the pool.

Tested the whole thing out in the water this morning.  Two words:  LOVED.IT.

I started off with a timed 400 and the result was 20 sec faster than last week.  Not sure if that's related to the music or not, but it certainly didn't slow me down.  I also lost count of my laps at some point.  I know I was swimming for~ 25 minutes, so it was probably about 1000-1100yds simply based on time. I could have easily kept going, but since I hadn't eaten before I left for the pool, I was getting hungry.

Swimming with music was so enjoyable that I'm actually thinking of getting up early to head to the pool again tomorrow. Who knew?!?

Monday Miscellany

• I hate summer.  And we are fully in the midst of it right now.  This past week was a scorcher, hitting 100 degrees most days during the week.  And our cooler has been acting up.  Husband was up on the roof during said 100 degree days trying to get it working properly.  It seems to be mostly okay now, but I still hate summer.
• I especially dislike running during summer.  Instead of a long run, my running partner and I decided to go for a bike ride Saturday morning.  It was lovely.  Maybe it's just the heat, but I'm getting to the point where I prefer riding my bike over running.  Go figure!
• I swam 4 times last week: Sun, Tue, Thu, Fr.  I'm pleased with myself for that.  But I didn't go at all this weekend or this morning.  I'm hoping that tomorrow I get up early and have the energy to go at ~5:30am. I went at different times of the day each last week, and from my small sample experiment, that seems like the best time to go.
• Speaking of swimming, I decided to go with the AquaFlood waterproof ipod shuffle with pyle headphones.  The total cost was $140 and it should arrive today.  I looked into other options, including a case for my existing ipod, but my ipod isn't working very well and I probably would have needed to replace it anyway.  Anyway, I'll be sure to share my experiences with this new toy once it arrives and I get to test it out.
• Watched two movies this weekend via Netflix that ended up being a bust.  The first was Frankenweenie, which made me cry and ended up being an unpleasant experience for me. I honestly didn't expect that reaction, but that's what happened. Then yesterday we watched The Tree of Life, which was just plain weird.  
• You may remember me blogging about apartment hunting for Daughter a month ago or so.  Well, we found something that seemed perfect for her, applied, and got it.  It was available beginning the middle of this month, Saturday we did the official paperwork and got most of her stuff moved in. 
• Last night I made hotel reservations for our upcoming trip to Seattle to visit Son.  Looking forward to it!
• I didn't end up doing anything yesterday because I wasn't feeling that great and it was hot. I think today is going to end up being another rest day. Hopefully will have my energy and enthusiasm back tomorrow. 

Back in the Swim of Things

This morning I went to the pool AGAIN.  Yes, that's the third time this week.  Since I ended up paying for a monthly membership at the gym, I'm trying to get my price per swim down to a reasonable level.  Ha!

I know I've asked this before, but does anyone have any advice about waterproof mp3 players / headphones?  I'm seriously looking at the Waterfi Ipod Shuffle.  I can get it from amazon for about $155 including headphones and shipping and could have it by Monday if I order before noon.  It has a 2 yr warranty, and would be familiar.  But is it worth it?  That's the big question.

There's another one that I'm looking at as well, by Audio Flood.  It's a little cheaper, different headphones.  Same 2 year warranty.

I have never like running on a treadmill because it's boring.  That's why I always run outside.  But lap swimming is equally boring and I don't have any other options for swimming, so I need a distraction.  I think music would help.  Any advice would be appreciated!

A New Favorite

Key hole cut out in back with contrasting trim

I found and fell in love with a Marika technical shirt with a key hole cut out in back and contrasting trim at Marshalls.  I searched for it online and now have it in three different colors!

It's a great summer weight, is longer than the average running shirt, and super cute.  To see what it looks like from the front, check out the photo I posted in my post about the Kenyan Run (I was wearing a purplish one).  I wore one of the other colored ones last night and tried taking an over the shoulder, in the mirror, shot of the back (which by the way is not as easy as it seems! LOL). Anyway, it's cute, right?

So other than the fact that I'm going to have some interesting tan lines from this shirt, it's perfect!  It's super cute with a skirt, but you'll have to trust me on that since you can't see my bottom half in this photo. Best part, I'm a bargain shopper and probably paid $55 total for all three shirts!!!  Woot!!

How about you, any new favorites lately??  Do you bargain shop like I do, or do you tend to pay full retail price for name brands?

p.s I swam again this morning.  I rock!!

Run-Bike-Swim

By golly, I actually had a weekend that slightly resembles triathlon training!

Saturday morning Run:  Chose an out and back trail route (7.8 mmk) for Saturday morning. This turned out to be good for two reasons. First, it was partly shaded on a hot morning.  Second, when I felt like quitting at 5.5 miles, I had no choice but to keep going to get back to the car!  There's a reason I chose routes like this: one way or another, I *will* get my intended mileage in.

Saturday afternoon Ride: I had grandiose plans of a medium distance hilly ride with Husband.  However, it was crazy hot (90+) and I was feeling it. This time we had a route that doubled back close to home a few time, giving me an option to bail.  And I took it.  At 9.5 miles, I was done.  He, on the other hand, continued riding for another 30 miles.  I guess I'm a hot weather wimp.

Sunday afternoon Swim:  I actually got into a pool and swam!  Not without a little drama though.  The two best options for swimming based on where I live are a gym with a pool that requires monthly membership for access, and a community aquatic complex that is significantly less expensive, but non-ideal hours.  Well, I tried going to the aquatic complex yesterday afternoon, but was turned away because they were at capacity.  Doesn't matter how cheap it is if I can't get in to swim, right?  So I headed straight to the gym and paid for a month so I could use the pool.  I even got a lane to myself!  So now to make it more economical, I just need to get over there and swim more often.  And you know what? That might just be the motivation I need to swim regularly.

Side note:  Still no rain!  More closures in the bosque and foothills due to extreme fire danger.  *sad face*

Edited to fix typos.  I oritinally edited this on my tablet which did some interesting word substitutions.  Note to self, blogs are best created wtih a keyboard!

Friday Five

1. Until this morning, I hadn't run since Sunday.  Yes, I confess, I didn't run on National Run Day.  
2. I bought some meal replacement shakes with the idea of having something quick / easy for days that I don't get a lunch break at work.  I'd rather eat a meal but I figured this was better than nothing.  As it turns out, I've been having one most days with breakfast (meal augmentation vs replacement) and they seem to be giving me more energy and curbing my appetite so I don't reach for unhealthy snacks as often.  Not how I expected to use them, but it seems to be working for me.  I bought two flavors, chocolate and vanilla.  I don't care for the vanilla on it's own, so I've been mixing half and half and I add them to a half/half mixture of milk and water.  I may blog more about this after giving it a bit more time.
3. Rode my bike Tuesday and encountered the biggest and most disgusting gnat cloud ever.  Must have gone on for a quarter mile.  I don't know what was up with that, but it was gross! 
4. I've been running almost exclusively in running skirts lately.  I go through phases on this, but right now I am enamored with running skirts.  I've even been wearing them when I walk the dogs.
5. My knee has not been bothering me lately.  I seem to have found the magic combination:  right shoes, right stretches, right trails, right distances, etc.  I hope it stays like this for a while!

My Weekend in Reverse - Saturday's Ride

Yesterday I posted about the Run with Kenyans.  Today I will tell you about the Tour de Cure experience.

Ride Info:  This is a ride to raise money for the Diabetes Association.  My father had diabetes and diabetes runs in his side of the family, so it's something that hits home.  Each riders needs to raise a minimum of $150 to participate.  The event offered full century, metric century, quarter century, and a "family fun ride".  We chose the quarter century.  If they had offered a half, we would have chosen that, but a metric was too far for me at this time.

Pre-Ride:  Packet pickup was on a Wednesday evening, which was not all that convenient for us.  We arrived to find out that we had not raised the minimum according to their records, but we had!  Called the office the next day to get that straightened out.  Signs of things to come?

The event site said that the quarter century was starting at 11:30.  Husband, running partner, & I were all riding together.  Running partner arrived early and found out we could start before 11:30.  We were still en route to the event, but figured we could get rolling by 11am.  In general, the earlier the better.  It gets hotter and hotter as the day goes on.

A reminder that this ride was held to raise money for the ADA

Ride:  Husband checked us in and they told us to "get on out of here" - meaning that not only were they allowing early starts, they were encouraging it. I forgot to print a map.  I took a photo of the course map that they had set up at check-in.  Good thing, because it turns out that I would need to reference it.

Photo of course map that I ended up referencing while riding

The ride started on a fairly busy street, which was a little scary, but then moved to a dedicated bike path for a while and a road with a bike lane.  We went through some scenic areas. The volunteers at the aid stations were enthusiastic.  The course itself, however, was not well marked.  We also *never* saw any SAG vehicles even though they were supposed to be our there. And since they didn't start everyone together at one, we were pretty much on our own to find our way.  We missed a turn or two on the way back.  Didn't see any any course markers for the last 4 miles or so.  We knew in general where we were going, so we eventually found our way.

At this aid station, they even mentioned that other riders were complaining about lack of clear course marking

I would also like to add that my running partner isn't a very experienced cyclist.  We decided that I would ride up front to set the pace, she would follow me, and Husband would sweep from the back to make sure we were both doing okay.  I wasn't sure she would be able to keep up with me, but she did pretty well except for an uphill section.  Other than that, I only had to stop a couple times to let her catch up.  Husband was helping her better understand how/when to shift her gears.  After this ride, she feels much more confident on her bike.

Husband, Running Partner & I 

Post-Ride:  They had hamburgers and hot dogs with fruit cups for us after the ride. I was hot and sweaty and sunburned.  We needed to rush off to packet pickup for the next day's running event. I couldn't wait to take a shower.  Hahahah!

Post race food

General Thoughts:  I'm not sure I would do this event again due to issues with course marking/support.  Being out there with Husband and Race Partner made it much better experience than it may have been otherwise. I should also mention that it was a successful charity event (just over 200 riders participated and in total we raised almost $50K for the ADA) and the volunteers were awesome.

After the ride, Husband explaining more to Running Partner about shifting gears