Week in Review (December 9 - December 15)

Tuesday - Butt/thigh video during lunch. This was really hard. 5K at the gym after work.
Wednesday - Run club, with "ugly sweater" theme! A pretty warm evening for December. I even had to take my gloves off because I was too hot!

Thursday - 3.25 miles on the treadmill.  Upper body video while A was reading. Rhomboids are weak.
Friday - Literally ran to and from the doctor's office during my lunch break. After work A and I went to Jackson's birthday party! It was super fun playing "Monster Mini Golf"

Saturday - A had a Girl Scout thing in the morning, so I was able to get out on the Big Dry Creek for a run. The first five miles of this felt REALLY good. Then... I got tired. The weather was unbelievable. I was almost too hot in a shirt and capris!

I finally went to get my hair cut. I vaguely remember that when it is shorter it is not such a pain in the ass to straighten. Made bark (again), since we had yet another Christmas party with our friends.

Sunday - Don't remember the day. We took Batman Sour to my parent's house to meet their kitty. He is spending a few days there while we are on vacation. Batman Sour hid behind the couch, not much bonding was done. An easy run before bed in the basement inferno.
Monday - Lower body video during lunch. 3.6 not too terrible miles after work on the treadmill.

Miles Run - 22.02
Minutes of Cross Training - Nada
Minutes of Strength/Stretching - 71. A bit down from last week, but I missed out on a few lunch hours because I had to leave early so they were too short for a workout.

Weekly Gain - 1.4 pounds (120.8)

• I'm not really one to blame the holidays, but. A birthday party and another holiday party, and I'm guessing the beer, pizza and sweets accounted for the gain.

Everything Else

• Nothing much happening right now, but the next few weeks should be interesting. 

Week in Review (December 2 - December 8)

Tuesday - Upper body tabata video during lunch. 1.5 miles on the treadmill after work.
Wednesday - Actually got up early and did some stretching before work. My legs have been VERY tight and angry lately. Run club after work. I planned on only doing 2 miles but ended up running about 3.5 miles with a great group of people. Fun night, like usual, especially watching the Beer Mile World Championships!

Can you spot me in my INB sweater??

Thursday - Tried a run during lunch, no bueno. Had to drive down to the dealership after work for an oil change. I still will never understand why these things take HOURS.

Friday - I was able to get a 2.5 mile run before work. During lunch I did an upper video and some planks. I have officially become the weakest person on the planet. After work I went to happy hour with my (former) work bestie and some people from work.
Saturday - Rock Canyon half marathon. Since the race was in Pueblo, most of the day was spent driving and running.

Sunday - I seem to have completely lost my ability to sleep in. Got up and ran 2.5 miles.

Spent the day watching tv, going for a walk around Lake Arbor with A and taking the kids roller skating. Before bed I tried the 10 minute butt & thigh video I used to do and it was SO HARD.

How on earth does it look like this in December, in Colorado?

Monday - A pretty great 5K on the treadmill after work. While A was doing her reading and other homework I did the bicep/tricep video. Again, so hard. I'm so weak.

Miles Run - 27.33
Minutes of Cross Training - Nothing other than a walk with A.
Minutes of Strength/Stretching - 109 (HUGE improvement!)

Weekly Loss - 2 pounds (119.4)

• After completely letting myself go, I figure now was as good a time as any to get back into good habits. No Yogurtland OR donuts this week. Pizza twice, and still had beer.

Everything Else

• My work bestie had her last day of work last week. I will miss her!
• Things are not going well at work under new management. Hesitant to say more. I had an interview this week and have another interview next week. I do not want to go down with the ship!
• Pretty much nothing else.

Rock Canyon Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Saturday, December 6
Pueblo, CO
Half Marathon #120
Colorado Half #56
Weather - Overcast, chilly

For the longest time, the Rock Canyon half marathon was the only half marathon in Colorado in December. The weather is very unpredictable - last year this same weekend was the race I did in -2 degrees! This year, the forecast was substantially better, with a predicted high of 50 degrees. Woot!

My dad (he is the best!) came over at 5:45 so that we would have enough time for the 2 hour drive south to Pueblo. Drive was uneventful and we arrived and parked with about an hour until the start. A "no frills" race, there was nothing to do until the start, so we sat in the car until about 8:45 and then cycled through the bathroom line (indoor!)

It was not quite as warm as I expected and the sun was not out. However, L and I both braved the elements in our tank top and skirts. Clearly, everyone else was looking at a different forecast:

I pretty much lost my running mojo after New York. Training runs haven't been going well, and I haven't done much distance running. I just hoped to get through this one.

The race began with two loops around the park by Pueblo Zoo before heading out on the bike path. There was a steep downhill (that we would have to run up later) and then onto a nice path by the river. I was running decent, but I could already tell that my legs were going to fatigue long before I finished.

After the second aid station at mile 4 we moved onto dirt road. This section was tough to run on. It was rutted and there were a lot of loose rocks. I rolled my ankle a few times, but nothing serious.

Not sure why we were running on the dirt when the bike path was right there...

I saw L well before I got to the turn around. I estimated she was at LEAST 1.5 miles in  front of me when I saw her.

Around mile 7.5 was when we did a lollipop loop to head back. I had run into a Facebook friend that I knew was running. He was running with his son for his first half marathon. His son seemed to be having an easier time.

I actually managed to pass a few people in the last few miles. And thankfully, the course did not feel uphill in the last few miles like it sometimes does on a "flat" course.

So. What is there to say how this run went? Well, it went better than it probably should have, but not as good as I hoped. I took quite a few walk breaks. My legs, in general, seemed very fatigued. I was tired, but not in pain. I guess I have forgotten how to just work through that and when I feel uncomfortable I take a break.

No, really. We both ran in short sleeves and skirts. I wore gloves though.

Garmin Time - 2:21:32

Garmin Distance - 13.14 miles

Garmin Pace - 10:46

Official Time - 2:21:47 (they only used gun time)
Overall Place - 391/467

Gender Place - 189/241

Division Place - 41/48

Mile 1 - 9:46

Mile 2 - 10:38

Mile 3 - 10:10

Mile 4 - 10:48

Mile 5 - 11:11

Mile 6 - 11:00

Mile 7 - 10:29

Mile 8 - 11:11

Mile 9 - 10:26

Mile 10 - 11:15

Mile 11 - 10:51

Mile 12 - 10:56

Mile 13 - 11:23

Mile 13.14 - 1:15

Thoughts:

• Very affordable race. I think this was $40. I did not expect to get a medal at all, so that was a nice surprise. 
• Super cheap long sleeve shirt. SUPER cheap. For a "no frills" race, they should give you the option to skip the shirt and save a few bucks. This one will get donated. (White long sleeve shirt, the logo on the medal screenprinted small).
• The course is advertised as "flat" with just the one hill at mile 12.5. I agree, probably flat. Since most of my training is on the treadmill, which is for REAL flat, this did not exactly FEEL flat to me, but my Garmin data disagrees. The hill at the end is cruel.
• Well stocked aid stations. Gatorade and water at all of them, plenty of volunteers.
• Every mile had a marker.
• There were some snacks at the end, all I grabbed was a bag of Goldfish crackers.
• I didn't care much for the section on dirt road, but overall, the course was fine. It sure was flat and fast for L. She got a 2 minute PR!
• Would I run this again? If I were closer, probably. Not really worth the 2 hour drive.

Week in Review (November 25 - December 1)

Tuesday - Nothing...
Wednesday - Nothing...
Thursday - Happy Thanksgiving! A and I ran a turkey trot. After lunch I took the kids to see Big Hero 6 (which was cute), and then we had dinner with my parents.

Friday - Nothing. Ariel suckered me into a big of Black Friday shopping, which ended up not being TOO terrible. We went to my friends house for a Thanksgiving potluck. Delicious.
Saturday - Nothing... I feel like this day must have happened, but I have no recollection of what I might have done, other than taking A roller skating. Strange.
Sunday - Hey! I ran! 5 whole miles! Outside! On Clear Creek Trail! So, first real run since Big Cedar. I felt pretty good, even though it was the coldest EVER EVER EVER.

Monday - Did the butt and thigh video during lunch, and then ran a few on the treadmill at the gym after work. It felt a bit "hard" - and my legs were tired from the video, but it wasn't too terrible.

Miles Run - 10.31
Minutes of Cross Training - 0
Minutes of Strength/Stretching - 30

Weekly Loss - 1.0 (121.4 - OUCH!)

• Technically, I had a loss this week. Not really sure how. I did virtually no exercise and ate ALL OF THE THINGS. The body is weird.

Everything Else

• Oh lookie, nothing!
• It was pretty hard to take a full week off after Big Cedar. I have just been feeling run down and tired. I didn't get as much sleep as I would have liked, but other than the Turkey Trot I did with Ariel, I did nothing for 8 whole days. That's gotta be a record for me!
• I did score some decent Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals! I registered for two April races, a new running skirt, and THESE cool pants: 

Week in Review (November 18 - November 24)

Tuesday - 2 miles on the treadmill. Not the worst, but not great.

Wednesday - Upper body video during lunch.

Thursday - Travel day to Dallas! Eating, wandering around, last minute prep for Big Cedar.

Friday - Big Cedar!! I ended up running way less than I thought. I spent so much time at the start/finish line afterwards that by the time I left, it was already after 1 in the morning. I stopped at Whataburger to have "breakfast" and didn't get to the hotel until about 2:30. I had a few beers with my roomie before going to bed at 4 am. 4!!

Saturday - Obviously, I had planned on running a bulk of the day. Instead, I was woken up by housekeeping just after 10. Kerri and I drove over to the race so that I could get my drop bag. It was unreal how muddy the course was. We were able to see some 50K runners (many who dropped even THAT distance). We got lunch at the church with our meal tickets (a delicious burger), and then drove over to Truth Corner to get my stuff. It was so muddy just the few hundred yards we walked to get there. Kerri decided to drive back to Austin and I picked up a pizza and spent the rest of the night in bed, eating and drinking beer and watching bad tv.

Sunday - I had an 8 am flight out of Dallas. Everything uneventful and we landed early. I was home by 10. I ate and sat on the couch. Doing nothing is great.

Monday - Also a day of doing nothing.

Miles Run - 46.74

Minutes of Cross Training - 0

Minutes of Strength/Stretching - 23

Weekly Gain - 0.2 pounds 

• I ate all the things, assuming I would be running 100 miles. I didn't exactly get the miles done, but I sure got the eating done.

Everything Else

• OMG OMG OMG!!!! As you might remember from last year, I applied for the Runners Roost race team and didn't get selected... but THIS YEAR I DID!!! I found out Wednesday and it was the greatest news ever! So excited to represent in 2015!

• My work bestie got a new job... her last day is December 5. Happy for her, sad for me. Lots of terrible things going on at work so I'm on a mission to find something for the first part of the year. Hopefully I can find something less stressful.