First long run in a month

...And it was hard. How can you lose so much fitness in a month? I gave myself permission to take walk breaks, and I don't think that is a good idea on a hot day when you are out running big fat hills. I ran 8.5 miles. My average pace was 15.05 per mile!!! Oh Good Gravy.

One very cool thing: At about 5 miles, two bicyclists were coming at me from the other direction. As one of them neared, he raised his hand and gave me a crisp salute! I smiled from ear to ear at him. What a nice thing to do. But after he passed, I started crying. I am not sure why. Maybe because I thought of my son (in Iraq), maybe because it was just a moment of silent communication between two nuts out in the middle of nowhere - getting our exercise. I thought about where we passed each other - no matter where you live, you would have to be at least 4 miles from home... I was running up hill, and he was biking downhill. It was special, I guess I can't really articulate why.

On hot days in the summer, I am going to have to get out earlier. I didn't hit the road until 8:30 a.m., and it was already 70 degrees then. By the time I got home, it was 89 degrees - and that is just tooooo hot for me!

-- I posted a picture I took during my run on Christmas Day - just because!--

Bike to Work Day

Today was Bike to Work Day at my workplace. I am the coordinator for the event there. It is fun to work on. I have someone who does the real work, like picking up the food and setting it up. I just show up on my bike and greet people for an hour or so... and try to drum up interest in advance of the event. It is fun.

So, 1 hour and 40 minutes of bike riding was my workout for today. And the ride home is a definite work out! Tomorrow is my rest day.

Running around

Yesterday was a rest day, and I enjoyed it. Today I ran a little over a mile and a half. It felt really good. The morning air was cool and crisp, and running in my neighborhood is an olfactory delight at this time of the year! I love to run past honeysuckle, roses, lavender, etc. It is fab-u-lous! I used to run this route routinely when I first started running. I used to think a mile and a half was a lot! It is enough to get a person sweating and breathing hard. It burns about 300 calories and it makes you feel like you did something, but not enough of anything to feel tired or sore.

My over all pace was just over 12 minutes per mile. I hate to admit that it felt fast to me! But that is the truth. Now, the other thing is that my Nike + iPod actually thought I was running slower than the Garmin. And here is my speculation on why that is: I absolutely believe the Garmin is accurate; but the Nike + can be "gamed" because it calculates based on footstrikes. So I can run in place and the Nike + will think I am really going to town, as long as it is counting a lot of footstrikes. This morning, I lengthened my stride and tried to really RUN, and therefore the Nike+ thought I was going slow.

Speaking of Nike +, for anyone who has one, they are doing the coolest thing. In October, there will be a Women's Half-Marathon to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. You just run your 13.1 miles wherever you are, whenever you want to, on October 21. You actually sign up, register, pay money ($45.) and get a shirt and a keychain when you are done. It sounds very cool and I think I may do it.

Have a great day everyone.

Triathlon

This is a picture of me and my twin daughters (I am the OLD one in the middle!) just before the start of the Tri for the Cure last August. I somehow talked both of them into doing the race with me. My daughter Laura actually trained. My daughter Megan (with pink skull bandanna) did not train at all. But I guess when you are 27 years old, you can go out and do a triathlon without training!

That race was my third triathlon. For some reason, I decided to try one in 2004. I have no idea really what possessed me to do it. But I loved it! And in 2005, I got my daughter Laura to join me, which was great fun. That year, my daughter Megan and her family surprised us at the finish line - which was a great moment, to hear "Mom!" "Nana!" and see that it was actually my very own family!!! As she stood and watched women finishing, she was inspired to do the race (just not train). Anyway, this is my triathlon history. They were all three sprint distance tri's. I don't know if I could do more than that.

So, I am now training for my 4th tri. I am not as excited this year. No one is training with me and it seems kind of anticlimactic after the half-marathon. I just need to find a way to put more fun into my workouts. I will do that!

Thanks to you commenters, I really so appreciate all your collective knowledge and support!

Brick

I did my first bike/run brick of the season this morning! And it even felt pretty good. The bike ride, of course, was wonderful. The run was actually OK. I rode 8.22 miles, and ran 1.96 miles.

I am going to have to figure out how to do this on my garmin. It appears that it is all one workout, I did separate laps for the bike and the run, but I don't think you can classify them as separate activities without downloading in between.

Yesterday morning I ran 3.1 miles. I really need to step up my mileage again. So far in June, I have run less miles than I have for probably 2 years. I have only run 20 miles in June. When I was training for the half-marathon, I was running 20 miles or more a week!

Have a great day everyone. And good luck to everyone who has races this weekend!

Rest Day

Today is a rest day. I am glad too. I am still sore from running 2 miles on the treadmill on Monday. Running a 10 minute mile on a treadmill is a whole different sport than running a 13 minute mile outdoors. I really LOVE slow long-distance running, and basically I don't even like running a moderate pace indoors. But I am sure I would get much better at running if I spent more time trying to go faster.

I ran 3.1 miles yesterday morning - outdoors. It was lovely. It was just at sunrise, the birds were singing, the air was crisp and cool, and I felt fabulous! And I was slow. Do I care? I am not sure.

Bikin' to work

I rode my bike to work today - and I took 7 minutes off my time!!!

The ride to work is 8.65 miles - 43:19 minutes
The ride from is 8.91 miles - 56:02 minutes

I think there is a difference because I work at a hospital and come in one door and leave by another, it COULD be .26 difference I suppose.

It was dang hot to ride up that big ol' hill at the end of my ride. By the time I pulled in front of my house, I was breathing so loud my neighbor could hear me! Oh well. It was a good ride.

Do you ever notice the different demographics on the bike trails? There are the jocks, turned out in their jersies and spandex. There are the recreational riders, in their shorts and tee-shirts, and doing stuff like stopping three abreast across the whole bike trail. Then there are what I call the "DUI guys" - guys going to work on their bikes, wearing work clothes with no helmets and looking angry. There is one particular demo that bugs me, but I will save that for another day... I am sure if I keep riding a lot, I will have to vent about this one.

Dreadmill

The intense heat (sorry to those in AZ, this isn't heat to you, but it is heat to me!) has made going to the gym sound a lot better. I actually hit the treadmill this morning for the first time in months! It is HARD running on that dang thing. I only ran 2 miles and it kicked my butt!

I found out why I was so delusional about my times on my nike+ ipod... it is indeed accurate on the treadmill. I just didn't realize that it wasn't accurate outside. So today, I will actually post my time

mile 1: 10:15
mile 2: 9:30

That is smokin' fast for this middle-age granny!

Tomorrow I ride my bike to work. The ride home should be challenging in the heat. But then I can think about how it would feel to ride 400+ miles through mountains in the heat next June!

Ride the Rockies?

I had breakfast with some of my friends this morning. One of them started talking about wanting to do Ride the Rockies next summer, but feeling that she couldn't do it! She is in great shape and has run marathons before, I really encouraged her to try it... and then I found myself saying "Gosh! I have always wanted to do that!" And then I found myself saying "Gosh! I should try to do that!" and then "Gosh, I am really going to think about this."

"What Is Ride The Rockies
The Denver Post Ride The Rockies is an annual bicycle tour that takes 2,000 cyclists on a 6-7 day ride on paved roads through Colorado's Rocky Mountains each June." from their website. The route is 422 miles this year. It varies somewhat each year because the route is different each year. Holy Cow. Can I really do this? I would definitely have to purchase a new bike. I have a mountain bike and a hybrid now. I would have to get a serious road bike.

I wonder, can I really do this?

Celebrity Collage

These people are delusional! Not only do they think I look like Rachel Hunter, but also L. Ron Hubbard!

First Brick of the Season

But it didn't work out the way I had planned. I drove out to a lake to do an open water swim, and had my bike on the bike rack, ready to go - after the swim. I didn't realize that the swim beach was fenced and locked and didn't open until 10:00 - so I rode my bike first. I don't think I will go back to this park for training. I didn't enjoy the bike ride much and when I was swimming the water was so choppy, it was nearly impossible to swim, so I cut the swim short after about 20 minutes.

Yesterday I took a little 2 mile run in the morning. I think I might start running short distances again. It is easy to do, and I can work on my speed. When I was training for the half, I never ran less than 3 miles... but I am not really training for a half right now.

I have not yet registered for the Tri for the Cure in August, I will register in July. My daughters both say they can't afford to register and I don't want to cough up $225. to register us all - but then again, I don't want to train alone for this tri. So, basically I am totally on the fence about the whole thing.

I am, however, registered for the Denver Marathon (half) in October, so I will need to start training for that in August. In the meantime, I am feeling rather lackluster. I thought the open water swim would excite me this morning, but I got so annoyed that I had to wait until 10 that I really didn't get all happy the way I usually do.

How's this for a bunch of rambling stuff? Just mulling it all over...

Thinking Bloggers Tag Game

WS tagged me, and I found it flattering (even though she was worried about insulting me because she referred to my advanced years!) Here's the deal:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.

And now, ta da! I have no links! This is pitiful. I have blogs I read, but all the running/tri/fitness blogs have already been tagged, so I would be forced to resort to linking to political, religious, or other blogs. Sheesh. See if anyone ever tags ME again!

So I went to the doctor this afternoon. My diagnosis was correct. The fall in December traumatized my posterior. The bottom line is, I need to take NSAIDs, apply heat, massage, and give time time. He did not advise me to stop running. I am riding my bike to work tomorrow, then I need to get back to running. I miss it. I really really miss it.

Thank you bloggers for encouraging me. I love to read about the things we do, the victories, the struggles, and pushing through in spite of seemingly insurmountable challenges. It is such a wonderful thing to put ourselves out there at the limits of our physical abilities.

6 Weird Things About Me

Javamom tagged me to do this over the weekend. here it is:

1. I love statistics and my mind works in ways that no matter what I do, I find a way to quantify it (which is not always helpful). I audited a graduate level biostatistics class last summer just for fun!

2. I have given birth to triplets (fertilization totally unaided) (see #1 above, the chances of this happening are 1/8,000).

3. I once killed a bear with a Buick.

4. Having been a flighty individual early in life, now I tend to stick to things long after anyone else would have stopped - sometimes I remind myself of a cock roach - the creature that will be left on earth long after everything else is extinct.

5. I won a bubble-gum blowing contest in my childhood.

6. I love all seasons, including snowy cold winter. I probably love winter slightly more than I love summer. No matter what season it is, I tend to say it is my Favorite!

- Thanks for the tag. I don't know who to tag, I think everyone who wanted to do this has done it. If you haven't and you want to, consider yourself tagged!

I am going to the doctor this afternoon to talk about my ischial tuberosities... or my butt if you would prefer. The thought of having someone poking at my posterior does not appeal at all!!! No wonder I waited so long to do this.

That's what I'm talking about!

Took a hike up Green Mountain today. What a gloriously wonderful day!

There are many wildflowers in bloom. The yuccas are also in bloom. There were flowers everywhere (and bugs!)

I tried some trail running, I really enjoyed it. There is a limit to how fast you can run on a little trail that is covered with rocks, so I didn't have the perception that I was s-l-o-w even though I was. It felt perfectly appropriate!

This is the view of my city from Green Moutain. Even on Sunday, there is the haze from all of us people driving cars everywhere.

I am so glad I decided to do this today. It is amazing what a nice switch-up in my normal activity does. It was also nice to actually use my garmin to navigate. I got hopelessly turned around at one point, and was able to find my way back to the main trail using my little garmin. Some day soon I am going to read the directions for that thing and really figure out how to use it!

Now I will get to work putting together the sweater I just knit... I don't think it is going to fit. Debbi, any advice?

Good Bike Ride

This morning... Good Bike Ride. 10.56 miles. Which took 1:04:01. Sounds like a slow ride, but it is downhill the first 5 or so miles, and uphill the second half. The last 2 miles are a killer hill which takes at least 20 minutes to climb.

Tomorrow I intend to do the run on Green Mountain that I talked about in my last post. I decided to wait and give it a full seven days without running. My pain has not abated at all.

Yesterday I finally broke down and made an appointment with my doctor - I can get in to see him on Tuesday of next week. Hopefully I will get some help with this pain. We shall see.

Self-Image

I decided on Sunday to stop running for a while. It is now Thursday, my body still hurts, but now my psyche hurts too.....

You see that picture above? When I am running, that is what I think I look like - that is what I feel like. It lasts most all day. I feel youthful and energetic and happy. Now, I know my actual image is not exactly like that, but for a 55 year old woman, I am happy with it. (when my mother was my age, she weighed over 200 lbs., smoked 2 packs a day, had a full set of dentures, and was a year and a half away from death)

Now a few days after making the brilliant decision to stop running to give my body a break, I am dragging around like an actual old woman. My butt is killing me! It is NOT better! It is worse! I have taken a couple of bike rides, and that is it for exercise.

I am going to go on a little adventure this weekend. I don't know if I can round up anyone to go with me, but I will try. I am going to walk up the steep part of a nearby mountain, and then run after it levels off. It is a lovely, lovely trail and I think it will do me a world of good to get out and feel like an adventuress instead of a dilapidated old woman!

When all else fails... read the instructions

Yesterday I rode my bike to work which was absolutely glorious! A late afternoon hailstorm got everyone off the trails, and I had theme almost to myself. One of the best things about living in the Denver metro area is the bike trails. They are practically interstate highways for bicycles! From my house to work, which is 9 miles each way, I only have to be on city streets for a mile or two. The rest of the way is a nice paved trail along the Bear Creek. It is really lovely. By the time I have gone a couple of miles along the trail in the afternoon, the front of me is covered with little bugs. I think it is cute. The bad part about my commute to work is that at the end of the day, and the end of the ride, there is a 2 mile hill to get to my house. It is intense, but good training. When I have done my triathlons, the bike portion seems relatively *easy* because there are no huge hills like that!

The title about instructions... I think I might have to read the instructions for my garmin. Yesterday I gathered data for my entire day... so the bike rides at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day are just little squiggly lines on either end of a flatline day at work! I thought that by hitting the start/stop button I was telling it to start and stop, but I think I might need to turn it off. Tonight I will read the directions.

Got this video from my friend...

My friend Holly who came out to see me at the half-marathon posted this little video on youtube.

I think it is cute. She was along the road at about 9 and a quarter miles. She probably saved my race. I was dying, and then I saw her and stopped to talk for a minute and then I got more energy. I had no idea she was making little videos of the visit!

Tomorrow I am riding my bike to work. I am so looking forward to it. I brought my clothes and undies and shoes and stuff today. It is all hanging in my office waiting for me to get there tomorrow. Love riding the bike!

Making a decision...

I rode my bike yesterday. It was a gloriously clear rocky mountain morning, I was out at sunrise with nary a soul in sight except the birdies, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. My stats were good enough for early in the season, and it was just a positive experience.

Today, however, I ran. In my first couple of steps, I felt yet another pain in the butt, but I ran anyway. I *only* ran slightly less than 4 miles... four hilly, moutainous, high-altitude miles (yes, I am looking for sympathy). By the time I left church later on this morning, my butt was killing me... like I could hardly walk. I am thinking of taking a month off of running and trying to recouperate from everything, and TRY with all my might to enjoy my swimming and biking workouts.

So, here is the long tale (tail??) of woe about my backside. I live outside of Denver, CO. You may recall that we got a ridiculous amount of snow last winter. The first storm dropped 3 feet of snow within 24 or so hours. I was outside on December 20, during the first storm, shoveling my driveway. My driveway is on a bit of a hill (as is everything around here), and as I was walking the newly shoveled bit, my feet slipped out from under me, and I landed with all my considerable weight on my tailbone - to concrete, with a wee layer of ice for cushioning. As I lay on my driveway, I realized that it wouldn't matter if I had broken bones, or even a life threatening emergency - there was no getting in or out of my neighborhood due to waist high snow everywhere. After a while, I got up and hobbled back into my house and prayed nothing was broken.

I was convinced I had a broken tailbone until I was telling a friend that I was sure of it because it really hurt when I ran my 6 miles that morning.... my friend burst out laughing at what an absurd idea that is. I realized he was right. I didn't have a broken tailbone, only a bruised tailbone. Soon, it was feeling OK, but I think I was running in a very compromised position due to pain and soon I had other pains. I thought perhaps I had ischial bursitis, but then the pain moved what seemed to be my femur... I decided for a day or two that I had a stress fracture of the neck of my right femur. But then I realized that I would be in excruciating pain, not the nagging, aching pain I was in.

The "bottom" line here is that I have had a pain in the butt in one way or another since December 20, 2006. And I am so stubborn, I have not seen a physician to actually diagnose what the problem is, because, as you can see, I am practically a physician myself with all these various diagnoses! For a time, I failed to go see my doc because I didn't want to be told to forget about the half-marathon - but that is now two weeks ago.

So, here is my plan... I will take 2 weeks to a month off of running and see how my body feels. I will eventually have to start again to train for the Tri for the Cure on August 5, but I still have plenty of time.

Whatcha think? And thanks to anyone who has read this long long thing...

Friday Night

I have been sadly remiss in posting. But then again, I have been sadly remiss in working out!!! I ran on Wednesday morning. I decided to drive to a nearby park and run around a lake several times - and skip the hills near my house since I am not needing to train on hills right now. I got to the park, it was lovely, but it started pouring rain and I opted to leave after a mile. Had I been training for my half-marathon, I would have hung in there and run anyway. But it seems that having that big goal out of my way, I am suffering from a lack of motivation.

Gas prices at $3.25 per gallon will motivate me to get on my bike and ride to work a couple times a week. I will find a way to get some runs and a swim or two in as well.

I can't wait to hear about Randy's race in Vail, CO. Good luck Randy!