Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Week in Review (July 29 - August 4)

Tuesday - Failed speed work. I was tired and not into it. Managed 4.5 miles, none of it was fast, it was all pretty horrible.
Wednesday - BodyPump. Still so weak. Spent most of the class glaring at sports bra girl who stands REALLY CLOSE TO THE MIRROR and spends the second half of the class wandering around doing free weights. I really hate her face.
Thursday - It's been raining for TWO DAYS, and since the sun finally came out, I of course headed out for a trail run on North Table Loop in Golden. I've been running a shortened counter-clockwise version, but decided I would run the entire loop - clockwise. I wasn't really sure how far it was, so I headed out and hoped to finish before dark. I seemed to be having more trouble than usual on this run, my legs just never warmed up. I barely got this done before the sun set. I'll know for next time.
Friday - Pizza and beer.
Saturday - I had planned on getting up at 4:30 for my long run. The kitty woke me up at 4 so I headed out then. I was out in the canyon 30 minutes earlier than last time, and I was hoping to beat the heat. I had packed a third bottle in my awesome Orange Mud vest so I wouldn't be panicky about running out of water.


Like the last time I ran this section, the run up the canyon was darkish, coldish (I wore arm sleeves for the first 10 miles of my run), and windy. Once I got onto the Colorado Trail it warmed up. I felt pretty much like crap right from the start and had to use the bathroom TWICE on the way out. I saw only a handful of bikes, and one of the men stopped to talk to me. He couldn't believe I was so far out and on my own. I didn't have set mileage in place, but I was still feeling "off" and decided to turn around at 12 miles. I was slower on my way back than the last time, and the canyon didn't feel as downhill. Ended up logging 24 solo trail miles.

Arm sleeves? In August??

Saw BILLIONS of sheep on the way down the canyon.
Stats: 24 miles, 3450' gain.
Miles 1-12 (11:57, 13:19, 14:14, 13:08, 13:20, 12:53, 20:04, 20:25, 17:19, 23:40, 22:59, 19:59)
Miles 13-24 (14:09, 12:46, 16:01, 19:42, 14:28, 11:08, 11:00, 11:46, 11:39, 11:52, 13:13, 11:30, 11:30)

I did NOTHING the rest of the day except sit in the basement, in the dark, watching Law & Order. For 8+ hours.
Sunday - After breakfast, I went to the gym (for the check in) and walked on the treadmill before heading up to Boulder for a quick hike. I was hoping to hike Bear Peak, but I didn't end up finding the right trail. I sort of wandered around up to Mallory Cave, and then hiked a bit of Mesa Trail. I stopped only because I was running low on water and I was starving.

That's Boulder in the background

After lunch on 28th Street, I drove around looking for parking. Did you know, that when an Ironman comes to a small town, PARKING IS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND? I ended up finding a spot only about a half mile from the finish area, which was also very close to where I would be volunteering on the run course. I wasn't on volunteer duty until 4, so I spent about two hours spectating.

Oh, Colorado
I have no idea how these athletes were doing so well under the conditions - a billion degrees and so hot. I was hoping to see my sister before I got on duty, but I didn't know where we were exactly on the run course (other than we were close to the finish). I changed into my Wonder Woman costume and thankfully got stationed in the shade. I saw my sister about 15 minutes after I started volunteering!

My sister!
I spent the next 4 hours handing out water. 100% handoff accuracy! Out of all the times I have volunteered, these were the best group of athletes. They were all very friendly and appreciative. I had a great time. I was DYING with this guys speedo. Not pictured is the front, where he had the state of Texas (but colored like a Colorado flag) over his crotch.


I saw my sister heading out for the last turnaround just in time to be off shift at 8, and I grabbed some snacks so I could watch her finish. She crossed the line just a few minutes after I got there, getting a new PR 13:41ish. She is amazing! I hung out with her and her husband at the finish, then we went for beer and food. I didn't get to bed until midnight (or maybe it was later than that).
Monday - Chaos.

Weekly Miles Run - 37.15 (4.5 treadmill, 32.65 trails)
Minutes of Cross Training - 60, plus the 4ish mile hike.
Minutes of Strength/Stretching - 60

Weekly Gain - 0.8 (121.4)
  • Pizza is so great!! Everything else was pretty much in check, so whatever on this. Dumb body.

Everything Else
  • Uh.
  • Edited to add - Oh, so I may have forgotten to mention that I registered for another 100 mile race. Ok then. This November, 3 weeks after NYC. The Big Cedar 100. Always making good, smart choices.

13 comments:

  1. I was not a volunteer at the IM Boulder (thought I was going to be out of town), but saw part of the bike (north of Hygiene) and then part of the run just north of water station #2. You are right, what an awesome group of athletes. I am sure I saw your sister, kuddos to her! Saw the 'beer speedo' guy a few times, easy to remember! Also did you notice that Beth (SUAR) is also in your 'beer man' picture, good shot! You have done some intense racing yourself so if you had the time and of course the interest, you could do this too. Thanks for your posts, I do enjoy them.

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    1. Good eye! I hadn't noticed that, although I recall seeing her on the course more than once.

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  2. OMG "I really hate her face." Good thing I wasn't drinking milk when i ready that!!! I laughed so hard my coworkers had to know what was so funny... (wasn't as funny when I tried to explain it. Whatev. LOL)

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    1. This is the same lady that set up her equipment inches away from me a few weeks ago when there was NO ONE ELSE within 20 feet of me. She is not my favorite person :)

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  3. Dangit, my comment disappeared.
    1. W is so fast.
    2. So cool that you volunteered as Wonder Woman, photo?
    3. I ran a few miles on solo, lonely trails for CLR and was nervous and intimidated. You are very brave.

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    Replies
    1. 1. Right?
      2. I didn't take one. Same outfit I wore when I did the Superhero half with E.
      3. Brave OR Stupid... :)

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  4. i'm really confused, are those actual sheep in the photo above where you wrote those are billions of sheep? I thought they were deer? I guess they were cleanly shaved. 24 solo miles on trails NBD

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  5. That orange mud vest looks really sweet. I keep thinking I should get one, but at the same time my mileage isn't really high enough to justify getting one.
    That would be pretty awesome and motivating to volunteer at an IM. Great job to your sister!

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    1. I love it so much! I had the Nathan Hydration vest for years, and really no problem with it. I am just too lazy to clean out the bladder! Bottles is the way to go! You might look at the Hydra Quiver, they have a single barrel option that's pretty inexpensive if you normally wear a belt :D

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  6. Nice work on the 24 mile training run. Doesn't look easy at all. Nice photos and I enjoy reading your blog.

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  7. Nobody else is going to mention the very last line where you casually sneak in some big news? Dude! Exciting!

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  8. Lately my body is being stupid as well. I'm pretty sure that I'm eating and running the same but I've been putting on weight. I'm sure the fact that I'm 6 months away from turning 50 has something to do with it.

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  9. November will be a huge racing month - good for you!

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I adore comments and I read every single one. Thanks for reading :)

Week in Review (March 19 - March 25)

Tuesday  (12,786 steps) - Work in the office. Since Ariel is in France, I had to hire a dog walker for the first time in a VERY long time (l...