33 in Chi-town...

After a really difficult week last week in which I was feeling overstretched and stressed by everything, I felt a huge sense of relief when I left work on Friday to head out for a weekend in Chicago with K. We (I) opted to take the airport shuttle to the hotel rather than the train in an attempt to make things as easy as possible (the memory of me hauling my luggage UP the hill to our hotel in SF from the Bart station was still fresh in my mind). After dropping off the first passenger, we cruised into a nice party district on Rush with restaurants and bars overflowing with pretty people. Lo and behold, our hotel was right in the middle of all this. K was obviously excited about the prospects of this, but he also knows me better than that. We quickly checked into our hotel then headed out to explore the neighborhood and find a place to eat. In an effort to avoid a significant wait, we settled on a fun sushi restaurant nearby. K managed to keep me out past 10pm, but not by much. :)

The original plan for Saturday was to sleep in a bit and then go for a run along Lake Shore Drive. However, my body clearly told me in no uncertain terms that it needed rest after such a physically and emotionally exhausting week, so I ended up sleeping in a bit longer than I was expecting on Saturday morning. We opted for an early lunch to avoid the crowds at Giordano's for yummy stuffed pizza. It was a smart move because the line was out the door when we left! We then hopped on the bus from N. Michigan to go to packet pick-up for the race. The expo was held at the same place as it is for the marathon (McCormick Place) and I had a flashback of my emotional meltdown there for the marathon in 2006 when I was sick. The expo was held in one of the smaller rooms than for the marathon and it was relatively uninspiring...other than finding out that I would have a chance to meet Ryan Hall after the race on Sunday. What a great birthday treat!

After the Expo, we went to The Art Insitute for the remainder of the afternoon. What a great representation of art from so many different periods! I wish we had more time to take it all in. I was excited to see so many of my favorite artists though. Definitely a must do if you visit Chicago.

After the museum, we walked over to Millenium Park to see the Crown Fountain, 2 large glass block towers at each end of a shallow reflecting pool. The towers are really cool because they project different images on them (with water coming down each side).

We also saw the infamous "Bean" also known as Cloud Gate. It is a steel elliptical sculpture which reflects back your image in a very cool way.

After being on my feet way more than I should have been on the day before a race, I was pretty worn out and ready to eat. We met up with Phillip, a fellow P*Dipp who happened to be in town for a conference, and set out to find a place to eat/drink. We passed sculptor J. Seward Johnson’s 25-foot tall “God Bless America,” his tribute to artist Grant Wood’s “American Gothic,” which overlooks Michigan Avenue anchoring the Magnificent Mile at the river.

We settled on dinner at Rosebud on Rush (which was across the street from Giordano's where we had lunch and the line was still out the door!). After relaxing at the hotel for a couple of hours (and letting my food settle), I remembered that run that I was supposed to get done today. The smart thing to do would have been to let it go, but I clearly don't always do what's smart when it comes to running. So, at 9pm, tired, I hopped on the hotel treadmill for an easy 6-mile run. Then it was off to bed with an early birthday wake-up call on Sunday.

I ran the 2 miles from our hotel to the start line at Grant Park (this was part of my plan to extend the race into my long run for the weekend). What a beautiful shot of the river on my way to the start!

As I arrived, I passed the elite runners warming up in the start area and immediately saw Kara Goucher who was "the" elite runner in this race. She was very friendly posing for pics as she was warming up. She gave a short interview before the start and said she was using this race as a training run for the World Championships. I saw her on the course later when the course ran parallel for a bit and she was FLYING! It was so amazing to see how fast she was going. She won in 1:08. Amazing.

Okay, back to my race. My initial plan was to use this as a MGP run for St. George. I had hoped to run with the appropriate pace group, but couldn't make my way over to them because the corral was already packed by the time I got ready to line up. Oh, well. My Garmin was off again in the early miles because it told me that I went through the first mile in 7:58 (too fast) but I didn't hit the official mile marker until 8:33 (much better). The pace felt fine for the initial miles, but I was aware that I didn't have the mental focus to sustain it. I checked in with myself and asked myself "Do you really hurt?" because as we know I don't like to hurt, but no, nothing really hurt per se (at that point at least) and I wasn't running beyond myself effort wise. I was aware that I was not running my "easy" pace where I could just zone out though and I don't think I wanted it badly enough to maintain a focused effort. During my check-in with myself, I also realized that my legs just felt dead. Um, duh. It wasn't until much later in the race when I was trying to figure out how things had gotten so far off track that I remembered that little 34 mile jaunt I took in the Sierra Nevada mountains two weeks ago. Oh, yeah. And, that explains the pain in my foot that reoccurred halfway through the race. Ah, it's all coming back to me now. My body has apparently not recovered from Tahoe yet! And, really, it is unrealistic to think that it would have. For a smart person I can be really stupid sometimes. Once I put all the pieces of the puzzle together, I backed off and just focused on getting through the rest of the race.

What did I learn though? Well, I learned that all of this mileage has taught me to run when I am tired, although I have been so sucked into the easy runs that I have not been running at the faster paces that I need to. I re-learned that I have a lot of work to do on the mental aspect of my running. I learned that I need to stick to my training plan when I have an ultimate goal in mind. I am worried that I may just have compromised my training for St. George by running Tahoe during my "recovery week." My body feels wrecked right now. I'm not quite sure what is going on with my foot (the one that started becoming an issue during the later miles in Tahoe). I didn't have any major problems running last week until the race on Sunday. It doesn't hurt to walk on at all and it's not sensitive to touch, but it is swollen and hurts to flex. I am looking forward to a much needed massage tomorrow. This week is a recovery week and it comes at a perfect time for me. I'm going to take a few extra days of rest to mentally and physically regroup. Right now I have dead legs, a fat foot, and a broken spirit. And a goal race 2 months away...

Fortunately my pity party about my race was short-lived because I got to meet Ryan Hall afterwards. I absolutely heart him. I gushed when I talked to him. He was very kind.

After getting cleaned up and taking a short nap back at the hotel, we had lunch at an Irish pub nearby because I wanted a good ol' burger after running. It was a beautiful day in Chicago and we spent the afternoon strolling (well, hobbling for me) down Michigan Ave. We've been there just a handful of times now and still haven't done nearly anything on our to-do list! There is so much to do there - sports, culture, food, museums, outdoor festivals, shopping, architecture, beach, etc. Although, I could never live there. In addition to the obvious weather differences, Dr. Pepper is not a standard item to order in restaurants. When I asked for one at dinner on Saturday night, the bartender looked at me funny and quizzically inquired, "Dr. Who?" :)

Happy freakin' birthday to me.

"A Glimpse of Heaven, A Taste of Hell": Tahoe Rim Trail 50k race report...

We arrived in Reno on Friday afternoon and made the short drive to Carson City where we immediately went to packet pickup at the Nevada State Capitol Legislative grounds. Packet pickup and the subsequent pasta dinner were nothing special, although it is notable that the dinner was served outside when it was 90-100 degrees. We were not expecting this kind of heat! I started to worry about how warm it would be for the race on Saturday. Since we'd be at a higher elevation, it was slightly cooler - before the race the race director said it would be in the mid 80's. Still not ideal running weather though.

But, I wasn't really expecting "ideal" anything though considering this was a last minute decision for me to run. I had not done any specific training for the race. Heck, the last time I did a trail run was at Jemez in May! I was relying on the strong base that I have built with fall marathon training over the past 2 months to get me through the race. With the elevation profile, I knew I would do my fair share of walking so that would help too. My strategy was to walk the climbs and run the downs and flats. I wasn't out to set any records in terms of time. I just wanted to enjoy the experience and the beautiful scenery.

I definitely ran the kids race here with the 50k distance. There was also a 50-mile and 100-mile run (which was actually the National Championship 100-mile Trail race). As we were milling around the start area before the race on Saturday morning trying to find Stephanie, K said he didn't see her, but he saw plenty of "crazy people." It was definitely quite intimidating to be in that crowd of runners with their Western States, Bighorn, etc. shirts on. I tried to separate myself from them saying I didn't look like them when K made his "crazy" comment, but as I reflected on it more during my first few miles, I conceded that I am indeed part of the crazy.

The race started and finished at Spooner Lake State Park (7000 feet). We found Stephanie shortly before the race was to begin (6am). I was happy to see a friendly face and wish her well.
As the race director was warning us of the expected warm temps and reminding us to stay hydrated, I tried to take a sip of my water, stupidly for the first time just seconds before the race start since replacing the bladder in my hydration pack the night before. Nothing was coming out so I tried to get K to suck strongly on the tube to try to get the fluid moving. Still nothing. By now the race director had started the race and the runners were off. And I was still at the start line. After at least 5 minutes or so, we finally got it working and off I went. Thankfully, I caught up to the back of the pack about a half mile in.

Unfortunately, the course immediately started climbing 1,500 feet within the first 4 miles or so. My calves were not happy about that either and made that known to me. I stopped to stretch a few times, but I was still trying to work my way back into the pack so I didn't want to stop too long. My calves were tight and my feet were numb for about the first hour of the race. Not a good way to get started. But then we hit a nice 1/2 mile downhill section to Marlette Lake (7823 feet) and it felt great to run and stretch my legs out after the climb at this point!
It was short-lived though as we immediately started climbing again on dirt roads to the Hobart Road aid station at 8120 feet. The theme of the aid station was Irish and they were offering Irish Whiskey and beer here along with the regular aid station fare. By this point, I felt more comfortable since I think I have caught up to the back of the mid packers and I stop worrying about running by myself at the end after my delay at the start. This is the first time though that I start to realize that either my Garmin is off or the distance is wrong because my Garmin said this aid station was 7 miles from the start, while it was listed as being 6 miles from the start. It is more typical for my Garmin to underestimate the distance when trail running due to the trees and switchbacks, so I was surprised to see that it was overestimating. I'm not worrying too much about it at this point as I still have a long way to go regardless, but this will become a bigger issue later.

After a short climb out of Hobart aid station, I was greeted with my first real majestic view of Lake Tahoe and the mountains as we climbed past Marlette Peak and Harlan Peak. Wow.
The next section was my favorite section of the course from a running perspective. Sweet, single-track downhill to the aid station at Tunnel Creek Road near the junction of the Tahoe Rim Trail at Twin Lakes. In the back of my mind though was the knowledge that I was going to have to run back UP this section later. I tried to push that awareness to the back of my mind though and just really enjoyed this stretch of trail.

After the Tunnel Creek aid station (7806 feet), we embarked on the infamous Red House Loop of 6.3 miles which took us to the low point of the course with an elevation of 6800 feet. What goes down must come back up though with a difficult climb in sand back up to the Tunnel Creek aid station. Then it was back up to Hobart again. As I was heading back to Hobart, K called to check on my progress since unfortunately there weren't any aid stations accessible on the 50k course for him to meet me. I felt fine, but had the growing realization that this course was going to be longer than the 31 miles that I had signed up for. I let him know that my Garmin was reading close to 21 miles, but I was still a couple of miles out from Hobart and from there it was still another 10 miles back in. I had the pleasure of bursting a man's bubble after Hobart when he was on the phone with someone telling him that he only had about 6 miles or so to go (that was when I knew it wasn't just an inaccurate reading with my Garmin because his was telling him the same thing as mine). No, sorry. It was 10 miles from when we left that aid station.

We then headed up to the high point of the course at Snow Valley Peak (9,214 feet).
There were some beautiful views up here! Here's my attempt at a panoramic shot:
I got through this last climb knowing that it was the last one on the course and it was followed by a downhill into the finish. I had to really watch my footing though in the first mile or so out of the aid station because there were rocks to negotiate so I couldn't really let out my stride. Not that I really made much of a stride to let out at that point.

As I made the descent from Snow Valley, I was bordering on meltdown mode (well, to be honest I was probably IN meltdown mode). I was ready to be done...and would have been soon if the darn race was 31 miles like a true 50k is supposed to be. My legs felt surprisingly good, but I was noticing problems with my right foot when I tried running. I was scared of risking a serious injury, especially considering this was a fun run for me and my goal race is still several months away. I finally hit the final aid station at Spooner Trailhead (7150 feet) and sponged down with water to cool down. I had about a mile and half to go until the finish. And it was such a welcome sight once I got there, especially once I saw K off to the right. Immediately after finishing I was offered a bottle of water and a cold beer. Too bad I don't drink beer. It made a nice souvenir though because the label was custom made for the race. The finisher's shoot might have been the nicest that I have been through because it was covered by a tent with chairs immediately after the finish line. So I plopped myself down while K enjoyed my beer and we cheered in the finishers, including Jane, until I was ready to move again.

After surveying the damage, I am pleasantly surprised with how good I feel post-race. The chafing on my legs and my right foot were what hurt the most during the latter stages of the race and after the race. But, my legs actually feel fine, which is in stark contrast to Jemez when my quads were screaming at me for days afterwards. My right foot is still hurting when I flex it, but it seems to be less than yesterday so I'm not too worried about it. I can bear weight on it, so I don't think it's anything too serious hopefully.

I told myself after the race yesterday that I wasn't going to do another mountain race and I thought I meant it this time, but I'm already backing off of that again and I'll probaby do another one. I don't think this course was as difficult as Jemez, as reflected in my finishing time which was an hour faster on this course. But, it was obviously still a challenge with the altitude and the ascents. And, I'm just as proud of finishing it.

Doing what I want v. what I should...

Well, we had a rare weekend at home this past weekend filled with running, friends, and relaxing (while watching the Tour). It was a nice change of pace for us since we have been traveling so much. However, that won’t last as long as previously thought because I threw a curveball into our plans when I decided that I wanted to run Tahoe Rim Trail 50k this weekend. I registered for the race way back in February when I was deep in the midst of trail running. For a variety of reasons, it slipped off my radar for awhile, but I still couldn’t bring myself to cancel our hotel reservation. I checked flights sporadically, but couldn’t really find any great deals so late in the game. I had been quite ambivalent about going until the past week or so – I knew the logical, rational thing to do was not to go based on financial reasons, our busy schedule, and training goals, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling of wanting to do it. After finding frequent flyer options that would make it possible to go, the final push over the edge was getting an extra day off for winning an award at work last Friday. That sealed the deal for me. So, we’re going! I’m sure I’ll probably have moments when I’m out there on Saturday when I question my decision. After all, I said after Jemez that I wouldn’t do another mountain race again, but then again I retracted that statement once my memory started to fade. Stephanie (50 mile) and Jane (50k) are running this weekend as well, so think good thoughts for us on Saturday.

In other running news, I have been more consistent with my running in the past couple of months than I have ever been. Despite all of our out of town adventures, the weather, and life in general, I have only missed a handful (fewer than 5) of my scheduled runs. While I’m definitely not a mileage monger, I am maintaining a respectable weekly mileage which is higher than is typical for me, especially when my race is still 12 weeks out. It’s all been about slow, easy runs for base building so far, yet I can’t help but wonder if it’s all really going to come together for me in terms of my BQ goal. Some days a faster pace seems easy, while some days a slower pace feels hard. We start doing quality workouts this week, so we’ll see how that impacts things. I’m really eager to add in some cross-training (biking, swimming, weights) somehow to break up the monotony of running 6 days/week. It seems hard to do though without sacrificing some mileage or more time.

I have a birthday looming a couple of weeks away. I can’t say that I have thought about it too much other than planning a trip to Chicago for that weekend. K has a big birthday this year – 30! But, mine doesn’t stand out too much, other than the fact that 33 puts me one year closer to the “Advanced Maternal Age” threshold of 35. Still no plans on that front though.

I’m still really bitter about how much more we are paying in taxes since getting married (so maybe we should have a kid to get the tax break!). I have been having an additional $300/month withheld from my paycheck. Think about that folks, $300/month that you were used to getting is just now gone without getting anything extra for it. Grrr. This essentially canceled out my cost of living increase that I got last fall. And, with no salary increases expected for the next year either, I am not happy. This prompted a discussion with K about our finances last night. K makes more money than I do and always will, just by nature of the different fields and organizations that we work in. Yet, about 20% of my monthly income goes to pay my student loans for the career that makes me less money than he earns. As I said, GRRRRR. Work should really pick back up for me after one of my key staff members leaves next week. More stress, more doing what I don’t like to do, and less of doing what I like to do. Let’s start the 20-year retirement countdown…

"Go love your own city"

I saw a guy wearing a t-shirt while we were in SF that said "Go love your own city." I definitely fall more in love with that city with each visit, and this trip was no exception.

I spent the morning yesterday running around the city again, literally. I was considering doing my long run with the San Francisco Road Runners Club since they had a variety of distance options available. However, part of their route included what I did on my Friday run, so I opted to run on my own to explore some other parts of the city that we hadn't seen yet. I tweaked a run that was recommended by KJ and headed off...

Haight-Ashbury
Golden Gate Park
The Pacific Ocean
The Coastal Trail (I've never seen the Golden Gate Bridge from this side)
The Presidio
It wasn't a great run from a running perspective, but it was a beautiful one!!!!

After our run, K picked up lunch from his trip to North Beach then we headed down to Pier 33 for our Alcatraz tour. This was the third time that I have gone through it, and it is still just as interesting as the first time. The audio tour is so well done that I don't mind going back.
We were on the last boat off the island for the day and got back to the Wharf to join the crowds that had been gathering throughout the day for the holiday festivities. I generally don't do well in massive crowds like that (especially since I didn't get a post-long run nap), but I managed. We lucked out getting a table for dinner at The Hard Rock Cafe in much less time than we were initially told. Everything was absolutely packed! We had a fun dinner then ventured through a few shops on Pier 39 while trying to stay out of the cold (yes, COLD) until the fireworks started at 9:30. The fireworks display was definitely quite impressive!

We made the walk back (UP) to the hotel with the throngs of people leaving the Wharf after the fireworks. Those hills really did a number on my shins - so much so that today turned into a day off from running since I am sensitive about that area since I've had problems there before.

We were jolted back to reality this afternoon when we hit the 100 degree temps back in Austin. UGH. I'm thankful for the respite we got while in SF, no matter how brief.

So, what's next? Well, after traveling 8 of the past 11 weekends, we're home for the next 3 while I try to remember how to love Austin. Chicago is our next trip, then (at least) one trip per month through the end of the year.

What a day!

After a "slight" flight delay on our way through Vegas yesterday, we made it into SF in the early evening. We had decided to ride the BART into town from the airport, with the closest stop about 8 blocks from our hotel. But, what K did not realize when he put together this plan was that those 8 blocks were UP Powell street from the turnaround for the cable cars. Way up. Lugging our luggage behind us...and me in heels. I could have killed him. We're staying in a nice, historic hotel atop Nob Hill, which I guess makes it worth it.
I started today off with a great 6-mile run that turned into a 7-mile run which was a great opportunity to see some familiar and new sights. Here's a few pics from my run:

The Golden Gate Bridge hiding in the fog:
Fisherman's Wharf:
Alcatraz:
Cable car (on wheels):
Bay Bridge:
AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants:
Chinatown:
The weather was perfect for running too. Temps in the 50's, not too windy, sunny skies. With the summer weather in Austin, I had forgotten what it felt like to run so effortlessly. I saw paces on my Garmin that I haven't seen since the heat took up residence in Austin. It gives me hope for Utah in October.

I really enjoyed myself while running and exploring this morning. I kept asking myself "With Colorado last weekend and California this weekend, why exactly do we live in Austin?" The weather was perfect and the scenery was great. Don't worry, I know all the reasons we live in Austin. I just had a wistful moment...or two (or three...).

I came back from my run in great spirits. After a quick shower, we headed out for the day's adventures. We had a few hiccups as we were trying to get on our way, but we eventually ended up taking the cable car down to Fisherman's Wharf. From there we decided to rent bikes for a couple of hours as a way to get over to the Golden Gate Bridge, which was K's one must do for the trip. We stopped at The Palace of Fine Arts on the way. I absolutely love it there. It's so beautiful and serene.Naturally we hit a few hills along the way to the Golden Gate Bridge, and I tried to channel my inner Lance (with not much success at times). It was a nice ride though, but actually riding over the Bridge freaked me out a bit because it was so darn windy out there! It was a great experience though.
After dropping off our bikes, we had dinner at Cioppino's, an Italian seafood restaurant on the Wharf. Then, we headed over to Ghiradelli Square for a bite of chocolate. We were so cold walking around though!!! We picked up the cable car again and headed back to our hotel. I'm definitely pretty wiped out from all the running, biking, and walking. Not the best thing to do before a 20-mile run in the morning. Oh, well. The weather and scenery will get me through it.

So, what's on tap for tomorrow? Long run in the morning, Alcatraz in the afternoon, and fireworks of course in the evening.

I love this city.

Great weekend Colorado style!

Well, we wrapped up our Colorado weekend with a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park this morning. We got a relatively early start because we were planning on a hike/trail run of several hours. However, that didn't exactly happen. As we were driving through the park looking for where we were planning to start our adventure, I saw a sign for riding stables. Hmm, that sounded interesting. We got a little lost from where we were planning to go, and as K was turning around to start heading back there I suggested checking out the place for the horseback riding. He didn't seem too keen on it initially, but he humored me. We got there shortly before the next ride was going to set out, so we joined in on the fun. Now, K and I aren't exactly riders, so this was a new experience for us. Fortunately, the horses were generally so well-behaved that we didn't really have to do much, although I did have a few issues with mine. Cruella, as she was called, liked to stop and eat whenever possible and I was instructed not to let her do that so I had to continually pull her head up (which was even tied back somewhat so that she couldn't eat). She ran me through a few tree branches and scared me when she stumbled slightly and went down. But, otherwise, it was a nice way to view some of the Park for a couple of hours. The weather was fantastic again, so we lucked out. There's so much to see and do there, so I'm looking forward to going back when we have a little more time.
We had brunch at Mary's Lake Lodge, which was recommended to us as a place that the locals go. It was delicious! Afterwards, we headed back to our hotel to check-out then went into downtown Estes Park to pick up our pictures from our rafting trip yesterday. Here's a couple of them:
So, now we're at the airport getting ready to head home. No sooner will we get back and unpack than it will be time to pack again as we are heading out to San Francisco on Thursday afternoon. I heart Colorado. And, I definitely heart SF. Life is good.

I heart Colorado!

Wedding two in our back-to-back wedding weekends is done. And, it was another one where we just barely made it in time for the ceremony! This time the delay was due to the closure of DIA due to thunderstorms with severe lightning as we were flying into Denver on Friday afternoon. All flights were put into a holding pattern so we spent about 45 minutes circling the area. Despite the delay, we still thought we could make it...until we were diverted from the main road to Estes Park due to standing water on the roads from the previously mentioned thunderstorms. Once that happened, I gave up hope that we'd make it in time for the ceremony...but, thankfully, the wedding started a few minutes late which gave us just enough time to slip in for the ceremony which was held overlooking the lawn of The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park (yes, the hotel that inspired Stephen King's "The Shining").
What an amazing venue with the mountains in the backdrop!
It was a beautiful wedding for a beautiful couple, Jane and Gareth. The reception was held at the Stanley Concert Hall. I've never seen a bride have more fun at her wedding than Jane! It was a fun time for all.
We started today with a brief stroll through downtown Estes Park for the requisite souvenir shopping. We then headed over to meet our bus that was taking us up to the Cache La Poudre River, north of Ft. Collins, for our white-water rafting adventure. Now, when I told K that I wanted to go rafting (and left him in charge of looking into it and making reservations), I had something more relaxed and scenic in mind. I didn't really have a good idea of what I was getting into until RP shared some stories of rafting from her childhood in CO at the wedding last night - I got the impression that it was highly likely that I was going to be thrown from the boat, and she even indicated that the current may have to "spit" you back out. After seeing how quickly the water was moving and getting an overview of what to do if the worst happens during our safety demonstration, I was definitely ready to back out if I could. We were going to be going through Class III rapids, with the water at its highest point thus far all year. And, that water was COLD! Thankfully, when we loaded onto our boat, I was in the middle which turned out to be the best place to be because the front took the brunt of the incoming water while the back seemed to have a bumpier ride. We rode two sections of the river, and after my initial anxiety wore off, I had fun of course.
To top off the day, we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Estes Park called...
The name was enough for me to want to go.

Up next is Rocky Mountain National Park tomorrow for a trail run.

The weather is just beautiful here (temps in the 50's-60's with no humidity)! I'm not looking forward to returning to the 100+ degree temps in Austin. I still haven't sold K on the possibility of moving here though (I lived here for a couple of years when I was a kid and for a year during my last year in grad school). I'm already planning a trip back...

O-H-I-O

Wedding one in our back-to-back wedding weekends is done. We headed out to Ohio after work on Friday for K’s niece’s wedding on Saturday. We were scheduled to arrive pretty late on Friday night, but that turned into very late due to flight delays. After getting into bed a little before 2am, I was concerned about how I was going to get my 16-mile run in on Saturday before all the wedding festivities without much sleep. I managed to get up in the morning with barely enough time to get my run done on the hotel treadmill for us to get to the wedding in time (we saw the bridal party outside the Church getting ready to head in just as we arrived!). This was the first Ohio wedding that I have been to, and it was definitely a different cultural experience for me in a lot of ways. I realized just how different our wedding was from what K grew up with and what his family was used to. I wouldn’t have done it any other way though (and K knew that). Thankfully we had a few hours in between the ceremony and reception, so we were able to go back to the hotel for a quick nap which was much needed.

With a few more hours of sleep on Saturday night than Friday night, I was able to get up without too much difficulty on Sunday morning for a quick 6-mile run back on the treadmill before we had to check out of the hotel. I think it’s pretty funny that I have run more on the treadmill in the past month due to all of our traveling than I ever have because I have always been afraid of falling off and never really tried it beyond once several years ago. At least I’m getting all of my runs in! We spent a few hours on Sunday afternoon with K’s family before heading back to the airport for our evening flight. We got home relatively late and didn’t make it to bed until about midnight, so I decided in advance that I was going to run in the evening today instead of getting up at 5am to run 12 miles with our unofficial Monday morning run by Carolyn. That’s just not enough sleep for me to run and have a full effective day at work.

I’m happy that this is a short week since we are taking off early on Friday to go to Colorado for Jane’s wedding. And, next week is another short one too because of the 4th of July. Gotta love that. K actually goes back to work tomorrow after a month sabbatical (he took his first one in September for our wedding and honeymoon). Must be nice, huh? It’s been nice to have him home though to take care of chores and errands for the past couple of weeks.

Resurrection...

K declared my blog dead earlier this week, with good reason when you look at the stats…28 posts so far all year – 13 in January, 4 in February, 6 in March, 5 in April, 0 in May, and 0 thus far in June. I’m intrigued that he has continually observed the recent lack of postings and perhaps even expressed some level of concern about it? During our discussion this week, I noted that I think the appropriate question to explore (rather than just commenting on the lack of activity) is why I haven’t posted. Now this is something that I have thought a lot about lately. K attributed it to lack of time and energy, but it’s more than just that. As I indicated in one of my last posts, I have been keeping to myself a lot lately and just haven’t felt like sharing. I am still struggling with this, but feel like I have made small steps to reconnect a bit more. I have also enjoyed the protection in some ways of not putting myself out there for others to react to, in part because I have observed my own sometimes very strong negative reactions lately to the blog posts of others. But, at the same time, that prevents me from getting support from others when I want or need it. I was reminded today by someone important to me (thanks, P) of why I started this blog in the first place – yes, it started out as a way to manage my running neuroses but it was also meant to be a means for me to keep my friends updated on what’s going on. Sometimes I think I forget the scope of who may read this – it’s more than just my Austin running peeps, it’s also my friends from college and graduate school who are spread all across the country that I miss sharing with on a regular basis. So, let's give this a go again...

Well, what's new? Geez, where to start. We've done quite a bit of traveling in the past few months - in fact, we have been out of town more weekends than we have been in town since April. And, we're not done yet. We will be attending weddings out of state this weekend (Ohio) and next weekend (Colorado). I still haven't unpacked my big suitcase from our Singapore trip, which is laying in the middle of our living room. Not sure when I'll get to it either, especially since I have a smaller suitcase to use for these next two trips. :)

(Rather than a long, delayed recount of our Singapore trip, I'll just post the pictures when we get them all uploaded.)

My running has come full circle from trail running back to road running with the goal of qualifying for Boston. For a multitude of reasons I had been falling out of love somewhat with trail running during our training for Jemez in the Spring. With the reintegration of speedwork and road running during the 5k/10k PR group, I found myself ready to go back to the road (at least for now). I was ready to run faster again and be accountable to my watch (which is exactly what drove me away from road to trail in the first place). I'm training with Carolyn's Wednesday morning group right now, and I'm making a serious effort to become a morning runner this summer (although the early morning humidity seems to be even more oppressive than the soaring afternoon temps). I have been committed and focused on getting all of my runs in (about 50 mpw for the past few weeks), even while we were traveling. I have no idea who this girl is getting up at 5am to run as I have never, ever been a morning person. I know some of you are just flabbergasted by this new behavior. Me too.

I have felt like I have been slogging through my runs in the past week or so, which is okay I guess since we are in the base-building period and I'm not supposed to be concerned about pace. But, damn, I've been struggling with the humidity in the mornings and seriously seem to be running slower than ever on my easy pace runs. During our MGP workout this week, my only goal was to keep my pace under 9min/mile, which I was able to do without too much difficulty - but getting it down to 8:30ish in this weather is going to be a struggle. I did have a major confidence boosting run on our last day in Singapore about two weeks ago. After a week of running on a treadmill outside in weather conditions quite similar to Austin, I did a 16-mile run on a treadmill in air conditioning at 8:34/mile pace which felt amazingly easy. And then I got on a plane for 20+ hours but that's a different story...

I am bracing for a downward spiral at work, as one of my key employees will be leaving next month. This means that I will essentially be doing the work of 4 people, which is obviously totally manageable. HA! It also means that I have to take back over the primary supervisory responsibilities of my staff, which is not something that I am looking forward to. And, unfortunately, with how slowly the wheels of bureaucracy work, I am unlikely to get any relief by the end of the year. Seriously. So much for our fantasy trip to Paris for Christmas!

K and I have been enjoying our lives as DINKS (dual-income no kids), and still have no plans for kids (or pets) anytime soon. However, we are frustrated by the higher tax rate we are suddenly responsible for now that we are married. And, to make matters worse, K still hasn't gotten the mandatory pay cut removed at work, and it looks like I won't be getting any salary adjustments (not even cost of living) for the upcoming year because of budget cuts due to the economy. So frustrating.

But, all in all, we're good. I'm good. And, I'll make an effort to start sharing more of that again.

Faster, really?

Well, this was unexpected. I was pretty pleased with my times when we first did tonight's workout two weeks ago, and I had no hope that I would be able to exceed those paces during tonight's workout...but that is just what I did. I know, I know, I need to stop selling myself short...

Anyway, the workout consisted of 400 at mile pace followed by 200 at faster than mile pace x 4. Here's how it went down (goal based on 6:30 mile for 3:40 BQ marathon):

Goal Tonight Previous
1:37-1:38 1:32 1:35
:48-:49 :41 :45
1:37-1:38 1:35 1:35
:48-:49 :43 :45
1:37-1:38 1:35 1:38
:48-:49 :43 :45
1:37-1:38 1:31 1:36
:48-:49 :42 :45
If I remember correctly, it was pretty warm when we did the workout two weeks ago, but I think it was probably hotter tonight so I'm even happier about the faster times in that regard. Next week is our last workout of this group. Even though I won't PR (nor did I expect to), I got what I wanted out of this group - get reacquainted with speedwork after a year without it, regain some road speed and confidence about running at a faster pace after a year of slower trail running, and get ready for fall marathon training which begins next month. Mission accomplished.

This weekend will be about trail running though as we head out to the Guadalupe Mountains for our last long, long run before Jemez in a few weeks. Unfortunately the trail race that was on our schedule for last weekend got canceled due to the bad weather. K and I headed out to Smithville around 5:30am on Saturday only to find the sky frequently lit up by lightning bursts. If it was just raining, then I knew we would still run, but the lightning was really scary and made it a different story. We were planning to head to Houston after the race, so we just ended up getting there much earlier than expected which turned out to be a good thing because of the torrential rains that hit and flooded many of the roads later that afternoon. Fortunately, things cleared out just in time for us to head downtown for the Reds vs. Astros game in the evening. Sunday was another early wake-up call since K had us running a 5k there that morning. K won, while I did not have a good run. I was essentially napping in the car until 10 minutes before the start and did not do a warm up (because I did not care). Not smart because my shin pain flared up and I had to ease up significantly...which was easy to do since the humidity was stifling! Note to self, don't consider running the marathon there for time. Despite my abysmal performance, I still managed to squeak out 3rd place in my age-group. I would happily trade an age-group award though for a PR.

Hitting the pace...

Tonight was another workout with our PR group in which I hit my paces. I am still basing my workouts off my BQ goal, so I'm amazed when I actually meet the goal pace in these workouts since I feel like it is pretty aggressive for me right now.

Today was one of those days when I really would have preferred to have a relaxing evening at home. We need to go to the grocery store. We need toilet paper. But, it seems like there's just not enough time to take care of everything that needs to get done. K got home a little after 5 and he could tell that I had my "I don't want to go to the workout tonight" face on. He's seen it many times before. :)

But, we went. And, I backed into a car right outside of Rogue as I was parking before the workout. At that point, I really, really had no motivation or interest in running, but we were there so what else was I going to do? We went to the Eastside track for a 1.75 mile hilly warmup followed by 10x300's at mile pace with 100 recovery. My goal was 1:13-1:14 (6:30 mile pace). My splits ranged from 1:11-1:14, with more in the 1:11-1:12 range than the 1:13-1:14 range. I know it's going to get even harder to hit those times as the temps start warming up even more. I am running mostly by myself in this group, and I miss having a running partner to pace off of and keep me going (miss you Sadie!).

I am very much looking forward to my massage tomorrow night. I saw Ann about 3 weeks ago (I usually go every 2 weeks) and she said that I was in a lot better shape than I was the previous time she saw me. I don't think she's going to tell me that tomorrow night though. I know there is gonna be some pain as she works everything out.

Thursday is our workout with the Jemez group. Most of us are running Rocky Hill Ranch on Saturday, so it probably won't be too intensive. K and I are both running the 25k at RHR on Saturday. K wants to try to practice running even splits for a 5k (rather than starting out too fast like most), so we found a 5k to run on Sunday in Houston while we are there. Another busy weekend ahead!

"A family affair..."

As Steve said at the awards ceremony for the Rogue Rush 5k today, it was indeed a family affair for K & m this morning. But, that doesn't mean I had a good race.

It was slightly chillier than I was expecting this morning, and I might have opted for a short sleeve shirt instead of my singlet and brought along something warmer for pre and post race if I had bothered to check the weather forecast. That was my lax approach to this race. I commented to K as we were leaving how much easier it is to run a 5k than the distances that I have been doing in terms of preparation. Usually when I leave the house for a long run I am loaded up on nutrition and fluids along with a change of clothes and shoes to prepare for hours of running out in the woods. But, today I didn't need a thing. It was kind of nice actually.

The race was up in Williamson County. The course went through a neighborhood, with the start and finish at a local school. We had asked Ruth and Carolyn about the course earlier this week and were told that it was pretty flat with a few turns. So, I was expecting flat. Um, not quite. The first mile was a pretty fast downhill mile, while there was an uphill into the finish with a few other slight up's and down's thrown in for good measure along the way.

I have been having a slight issue with my right lower tendon area since our hill workout at Ken's Loop on Thursday night. The uphill's are really aggravating that area, as well as my calves. It had my attention, but it didn't bother me too badly during my warm-up this morning. A few minutes before the start, I finally told K that I was feeling about a 25 today. That would be 8's, which I know I can run comfortably. It would not be pushing myself though. K encouraged me to shoot for a faster time, how about 23? Um, no. I am not in 23 shape right now thank you very much. I have been in the past, but not now. But, thanks for thinking that I could. :)

So, off we went. Indeed, the first mile was quite fast due to the downhill (although I felt that I ran it a comfortable and steady pace), and I freaked out once I saw the mile split and realized that I would be on PR pace if I could sustain that. Um, no I can't. I slowed considerably in mile 2 and 3, thanks in part to a few uphill sections, a lack of focus and fitness, and yes, not wanting to hurt. I walked a water stop. All that being said, I managed to hit my anticipated time of 25. Well off my top 5k times. In light of that, I didn't feel too deserving when I found out shortly after I finished that I placed 3rd in my age group.

K ran well, and I am really proud of him. He has only done a handful of runs on the road this year and a few speed workouts, and he can still run a sub-18 5k with relative ease.
K & m at the awards ceremony

Let's try this again...

K just left shortly ago for the gym. I was craving some destimulation (is that even a word?), so I just shut out the noise and visual stimulation for a little bit. Now, I've got Patty G. playing, and I'll try to give this blogging thing another shot.

First of all, I am bursting with joy and happiness for our dear friends Holly and Chris who welcomed their new baby, Ruby Hope, into the world late this afternoon. They are alone, far from home right now. They have had such a difficult journey getting to this point and, unfortunately, there are likely to still be many challenges still ahead. But, for now, Ruby is finally here. Surrounded by so much love. I wish we could be there to share in this with them. See, I'm not a lost cause - I can still be drawn out by something meaningful and important. Much love to all three of them.

Much to my surprise, I am actually going to run a 5k tomorrow. I don't think I have run a 5k in 2 years?! A 50k yes, a 5k no. As part of the PR group, I was never actually intending to run any 5k/10k races during the program. It's just not part of my larger goals or training plan right now. K, on the other hand, loves the shorter distances and has been eager to get back to that to see what he's still got (which is a hell of a lot more than most of us even on our best days). For whatever reason though, he had decided against running the Rogue Rush tomorrow until earlier this week. I had a good speed workout on Tuesday night (400 at mile pace followed by 200 at faster than mile pace x 4). I hit all my times - 1:35, :45, 1:35, :45, 1:38, :45, 1:36, :45 (goal at 6:30 pace: 1:37-1:38 for the 400's and :48-:49 for the 200's). So, I figured I might as well give the race tomorrow a shot, especially since I would be up early anyway to go and support him. I am by no means expecting a PR tomorrow though. That isn't negative thinking, it's just a realistic assessment of where I am and where I was when I got my 5k PR a couple of years ago. I have only run 85 miles on the road so far this year. 85, that's it. Some of you run that in a week! I don't have any expectations, and I have no idea what pace I want to try to run. I don't like to hurt, remember? And, 5k's hurt. I'm going to try to work on my mental game and keep pushing even when it hurts. If I can do that, the race will be a success - no matter what the clock says when I finish.

I could really use some time off from work. Since our honeymoon last September, I have only taken 1 vacation day (that was for Palo Duro in October). I did not take any days off for the holidays. I have been the one working when everyone else was taking off (Christmas Eve, remember!) because I knew I had to hoard my time off for everything coming up. I am so ready for it to be my turn. And, it will be soon. Here is an idea of what we've got coming up...

April 18-19: Rocky Hill Ranch 25k in Smithville then to Houston for the Reds game
April 23-26: Trip to Guads for Jemez training
May 2-3: Home - Maze 10k
May 9-10: My mom is coming to visit for Mother's Day
May 14-17: Jemez 50k in New Mexico
May 23-June 7: Singapore
June 13-14: Home
June 19-21: Wedding in Ohio
June 26-28: Wedding in Colorado
July 4-5: May take a trip for 4th of July weekend, but may also just relish a weekend at home
July 11-12: Home
July 17-19: Tahoe 50k
July 25-26: Home
August 1-2: Maybe Chicago for my birthday - RNR Half-Marathon

Seeing it all laid out like that is a bit overwhelming, but also exciting. We also realized this week that ACL is the same weekend as St. George in October. I think K got slightly resentful upon that realization, but I reminded him that my date with St. George has been 3 years coming. Depending on the headliner for Sunday, I think we may end up cutting the trip short to make it back home for a few of the Sunday shows. Hmph.

We also realized this week that we have to tighten up our purse strings a bit right now in order to be able to do all of these things. K having to take a pay cut recently (in an effort to keep the company afloat) hasn't helped matters. Running shoes (road and trail), training programs, race registrations, travel to training runs and races is expensive! I guess it's all about what you choose to spend your money on - I used to spend it on clothes and shoes. Some people spend it on booze and late nights out. I run, that's what I do.

I think K will be happy to see that I blogged when he gets home...hope you are too.

What's really going on...

I promised K that I would blog today. But, even now as I sit down to write, my heart just isn’t in it. I haven’t blogged much at all for the past few months. A lot of things have happened, but I just haven’t really felt like sharing I guess. I think this is part of the larger issue of how much I have been hibernating lately - much more than usual. The call log on my cell phone and the sent mail folder in my email account would clearly illustrate that point as well as the lack of blog posts. I/we just haven’t been very socially engaged lately. Part of that is because we are always so busy it seems and tired as a result of work, running, maintaining the house (cooking, cleaning, laundry), etc. My emotional resources are just zapped, and I feel like I just don’t have the energy to give to others (outside of my professional life). People tend to drain me. I also think my friendships with people have changed within the past year. Maybe it’s really me who has changed? The wedding last year really hit home the point that everyone is busy with their own lives, on their own path that seems to be more and more different from mine. Kids, houses, training goals, careers (or lack thereof), relationships… Sometimes I just find it hard to relate or for others to understand where I am at.

I don’t think this is the blog post that K was expecting. He often asks me “Aren’t you going to blog?” after something has happened. He already knows everything, so I’m always a little taken aback when he says that. I finally asked him this week why he was so eager for me to blog again. Essentially he said so that he will have a better idea of “what I am really thinking.” His point being that if he asks me a question, then I will generally give him a brief response, while I tend to be more open in my blog posts. Point taken. It reminded me of having been described as “guarded” by others in the past. In all of my relationships, I would say that I am the most open with K (good thing, huh, since I’m married to him!). I’m an off the charts introvert though, which means that I am constantly in my head. Always thinking, processing, analyzing, evaluating, considering, planning. That’s what I do. And, in part, I think it’s what makes me a good psychologist.

So, that’s where I am right now. My life is good. I am happy. I am just keeping to myself a lot more at the moment. Maybe that will change or maybe it won’t. I don’t know.