Tuesday - I had planned a trail run after work but MORE afternoon thunderstorms and rain shut that down. So... went to the gym for a quick treadmill walk (just for the check in), and then (!!!) I actually did some Fitness Blender videos! I did the Upper Body Superset and Butt & Thigh workout (first time in ages I've done anything at home).
Wednesday - Run Club!!! The theme was Christmas in July, and it was pretty fitting as it was pretty dang chilly when we set out for our run. Pretty much the second we started the temperatures plummeted and we had some torrential rain and MORE thunderstorms. Of course, it stopped as soon as I got back to the store. North Face was the sponsor and I did not, sadly, continue my winning streak of winning the raffle (a $50 gift card!).
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| Last time I ran Bergen it was too foggy to see the view - isn't it lovely?? |
Saturday - Initially, I was supposed to be racing a half marathon in Keystone. Earlier in the week we found out that their permit got pulled, moving the race to Sunday and merging with another event that was only a 20k. Since the goal is all the half marathons, I decided to skip the race and roll my entry over to another race in August. A was due back and I ultimately decided to get in one last trail run.
Instead, I got up VERY early, like before 5:00 am to get in a "long run" before it got too hot. The forecast was highs in the mid 90's, which sounded Terrible. I thought I would head out to another "new to me" trail - Waterton Canyon leading into the Colorado Trail. I pulled into the parking lot just before 6 (it was about a 40 minute drive to get there) and there were already a decent number of cars in the lot. I had mentioned in passing on the Twitter that I might run 20 miles, but I figured I would see how it went and decide as I went. The first 6.7 miles are in the canyon on a very wide dirt road that is not closed to traffic (although I saw maybe 4 cars total the entire to/from on the road). The sun was coming up right as I started my run, but being in the canyon the sun wasn't high enough to heat up the road. The run felt very hard from the beginning. (After looking at Garmin data, that would be because it was a gradual uphill the whole way out). As usual, I took it easy, lots of pictures and walk breaks.
Finally, I got to the actual TRAIL and I perked right up. Have I mentioned that trails are MY FAVORITE??? The temperatures were still holding and I was feeling pretty good, and even when I got to a steep section (even the cyclists were walking up), I decided I would go for the 20 and turn around at mile 10. Where I turned around was a REALLY COOL section of trail. I hadn't seen anything so green and "wild" in a long time.
I checked my water bottles and thought I had rationed well on the way out and that I should have plenty for the way back. However... the air started to feel hotter and heavier. About mile 11.5 and I was sort of regretting going out so far. Then I realized... pretty much the entire way back was downhill. I cruised the downhills as much as I could and felt really great until I got back to the canyon. Did you know that it was the hottest and sunniest EVER when I got back? There were bajillions of people out and many of them did not even have water with them. My legs actually felt pretty good, and even with a lot of breaks, I think I maintained a fairly decent pace. I officially finished the last of my water at mile 19 (which was fine, I had 2 bottles of water in my car that I slammed when I got there).
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| Part 1 - In the canyon |
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| Part 2 - On the trails |
Miles 11-20 - 14:14, 19:35, 10:57, 9:42, 10:51, 11:46, 11:30, 11:57, 11:25, 11:21 (second half 2:03:18)
So the total time it took me was 4:42:41 with an average pace of 14:08. I wasn't in any hurry for this and there was 2500' feet of gain, so I'm very pleased with this. Oh, and the fact that I did 20 miles allllll alone. And did you know it was 87 degrees when I got back to the car at 10:45???? So. Hot.
My SIL brought A over in the afternoon. So happy to have her back! More pizza for dinner.
Sunday - School supply shopping. Which is just The Worst. A and I went to see Rio 2 (which was just ok), and then dinner with the SIL at Smashburger (which was delicious).
Monday - CHAOS. A very "shoulder heavy" workout, due to the wheelbarrows and shoulder presses. Also, I've realized I have flabby abs. Maybe, if I weren't so lazy, I would work on that.
Weekly Miles Run - 31.6 (2.1 road and the 29.5 on trails)
Minutes of Cross Training - 60
Minutes of Strength - 67 (better than the 0 from the last few weeks)
Weekly Loss - 0.4 pounds (121.4)
- I love pizza the most. I think this is probably what kills all my eating for the week. Oh wells.
- Had burgers twice this weekend, and they were both delicious.
- And donuts.
- And beer.
Everything Else
- I had a pretty great #21KidFreeDays. Unlike last year when I spent the bulk of time wallowing, I went out and did things. I was not home that much and I discovered a bunch of new places to run - and they are all relatively close to my house. Yay!
- I am so over the moon pleased with my Orange Mud purchase. I have used it on all my outdoor runs since I bought it. The fit is fantastic, I can hold all my things in there and it is SO EASY to keep clean. If you haven't checked them out yet and you are looking for a hydration system, it is WORTH IT. Check them out HERE.
- I have officially filled the rest of my 2014 race schedule (with the exception of one race in December where registration doesn't open until September). That means I actually registered for two MARATHONS prior to NYC, both of them in Colorado Springs. They were only $20 more than running the half, and I feel like getting more distance/time on my feet will help. They are obviously not "goal" races, but I would like to see where I'm at since I have essentially had my marathon training on hold for the last month, in favor of running trails.
- Sooooo. Now that A is back, I'm unfortunately back on the treadmill for the bulk of my runs. Wah wah wahhhhhhhhh.
- Nothing else!!
OMG! The food porn! I've been trying to figure out how to make sweet potato fries without actually frying them. Turns out, the recipes that claim you can bake them and have them turn out crispy are lying.
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