Tag Archives: Running mileage stats

Mileage Recap ~ Winter Trail Frosty (WTF) Half Marathon

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The first word is always the hardest to write.  Hmmm, ok let’s go for the utterly mundane and say I have completed my third half marathon.  I would have tried to bang this post out yesterday, but I was tired and hungry.  Oh so very hungry.  Where to begin…”It was the best of times, it was the worst of times….”  Oh very sorry, wrong story.

On Sunday I completed the Winter Trail Frosty Trail Half Marathon that took place in Papago Park in Tempe, Arizona.  I get a lot of junk email for different types of races. I searched for races that take place in January in Arizona and the WTF came up.  I thought it would be cool to do one closer to home.  This race is hosted by 131 Event Productions, who sponsor similar races across the country.  I guess it would be safe to say they are a franchise.  I signed up originally because I wanted to do another trail race.  I have done a few trails before with the last one, the Grand Canyon Half, in 2016.  So, I was ready to try another trail run.

About a couple of weeks before the race an update was sent out that mentioned something about insurance and injury and that the run wouldn’t  take place through the park but around the lake area closer to the city.  I was surprised and a little put out but it was a chance to get some miles in and to focus on PRing my fastest half time.

I had been good with hydrating and eating the whole week.  Focusing on good energy foods.  The morning of I did have this:

No, it’s not just ordinary toast…it’s cinnamon sugar toast.  I had it growing up as a kid and had been craving it so I made it for part of my breakfast.  The other part was a Kashi cereal that tastes like Captain Crunch™.  Don’t judge.  Packed about two gels for every two miles and headed out the door around 7:15.

Arrive at the venue and begin to drive to the parking lot only to see cars driving back.  A sure sign that there are no more parking spaces.  I was beginning to realize that  maybe I should have left a little earlier.  I found myself parking in a park down the road with others about a mile from the start.  Park the car and realize that I need to step up my game.  In other words, girlfren you need to start wogging to the start line.  I needed to get there because I wanted to get one last bathroom break in before the race starts.  Get to the start line and look for portos.  What!!??!!  Looking….looking…oh there…they…are….  WTFrack!  There were only six portos and the line was out the…well you know.  I mean come on!!!  Six?  Heck, women alone need six!  Now we have to share them?  So, there I stood and I’ll tell you I wasn’t happy.  If I someone shooting the shyster I know my ice eyes were beaming through the back of their heads.  STOP TALKING….”five minutes till race start” the announcer bellows.  No way was I going to get this done.  I made the call to get out of the line and go back to the start.  Once the race began I ran to the porto and waited for six minutes, then I started my race.  Yeah.  Awesome.

The race

The race was a combination of a quarter and half marathon.  The half marathoners (me) got to do the course…you guessed it, twice.  As my readers well know, there is nothing I hate more than a lapped run.  It’s boring.  Did I say it’s boring?  But sometimes you just have to deal.  I start running down a small path and the next thing I know it’s starts to go through the park!  A real trail run.  Uh, hmmm what about the insurance blah, blah, death, blah blah…???  Yes, ladies and gentleman, we have ourselves a real trail run. I was happy, but a bit shocked.  I sure as heck wouldn’t have worn my Hokas ya’ll!  But there I was hopping over rock and sand.  The majority of the trail was single person wide with a few concrete cross overs and some flat areas.  You know what that means right?  Here’s a hint:

Can you guess?  It was a caterpillar run.  Meaning, you’re only going as fast as the person in front of you.  A lot of stop and starting.  Awesome!  One thing I will say, the difficulty was higher than the Grand Canyon Half.  You had to be careful where you stepped and it was constantly up and down.  I was very careful on descending because I didn’t want to hurt my knee again.  That’s what got me in trouble last time.  It was a tough course.

Here is a picture I took on one of the few places that was flatter.  Mind you I was already halfway up the hill.

Support

This is where things get a little iffy and I really want to say something about this because I have noticed this happening in MANY events I’ve taken part over the years.  For the first part there was heavy support.  The trail was marked okay, not great.  They marked it with bright green tape (the route to follow) and orange tape (where not to go).  There were volunteer guides to set you on the right path at some of the more tricky parts.  After the first round, i.e. the quarter marathoners completed their race, the volunteers magically disappeared.  Now you would think, well you ran it once surely you would know where to go.  Not so.  Runners were getting tired and paying attention to foot strike.  I saw a lot of people get turned around at some of the more confusing points, myself included.  Then the ultimate no no, they took away some of the water points.  Look, I didn’t bring my water belt.  I train with one, but I look forward to running a race without one, especially if there is water support.  Right or wrong, we can discuss that in the comments section.  A lot of people had their belts or hydration packs.  Maybe I should have brought mine.  The water points were about every two miles for the first part of the race, but seemed to disappear the second half.  This is what I find at a lot of these events.  You have the fast people who will finish the race in one hour, but then the other 90% don’t.  The other 90% paid for this experience too and therefore, the event managers need to follow through and support until the last man or woman crosses the finish line.  Some of these races are expensive.  This one wasn’t too bad, but still the support needs to be the same for all.  Unless there are some stipulations in the event rules that state support cuts off after a certain time, support the runners.  I was really counting on one of the water points only to find it packed up and gone.  Not cool.  I will be writing 131 productions.

The finish

The finish was great and well supported.  They had lots of food and water to refuel and the bling wasn’t too bad either.  The medal was crazy big and a little heavy!  I wonder sometimes if you can get addicted to the bling.  My body was a little sore, but overall this was a pain free race!

I was pleased with my performance.  I was going to say I didn’t PR but I guess I did because this was my second trail half.  I ran 3 hours and some change for the Grand Canyon and I finished this run at 2:59.  Granted the elevation differences are not the same with two very different environments.  I came in 9th in my age group for this run.  Don’t get excited, there were eleven in my age group.

After the run I was really hungry even after eating cake and a banana at the finish, so I treated myself to Culvers.  I hadn’t been there in a while and needed something good!

And here I thought they did the pickle like that especially for me….no, it’s everyone.

I completed 27.45 miles this week bringing me to 5110.36 miles completed in my journey with 6204.64 gratefully remaining.  I hope this post finds you surrounded by the people you love.  Happy Miles to You!!

Once again I felt like I was on the moon.  I got in the car to go home and this was on the radio….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mileage Recap ~ 10 – 15 Oct…Week 14 Training – Keep Calm And Go Irish

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It’s hard to believe that in a week I will be in Ireland.  Roughly 10 months ago on a whim I decided that I would run the Dublin Marathon for my 50th birthday.  Thus began 8 months of training that will end next Sunday, 20 October.  While I was doing my initial planning I had to decide if I would run the race at the beginning of my trip then tour the country or at the end. To me it was an easy answer…beginning.  I wanted to be able to enjoy myself while traveling and this means being able to eat what I want, when I want.  If I toured first then tried to run the race I imagine that would have been 1) boring and 2) a big ‘ol mess. So, I opted to run first then enjoy myself later.

I believe my biggest hurdles are acclimation and sleep.  Anyone that has gone to a foreign country knows it takes a bit to adjust to the time change and I won’t really have enough time, only two days.  I have made peace with that fact that this may be…harder than I thought.  Meaning, this is going to be harder than I thought.

I searched the inter-webs and came across How to Adjust to Moving to A New Timezone – Bekins

Some take ways:

Before the flight

1. Slowly adapt to the new sleeping schedule.

Ok. I did think about this one, but my favorite line states (…a month or two weeks before) uhhhh ain’t nobody got time for that!  The article suggests changing your sleeping habits 15 minutes at a time.  I think I will give this a go for as much as I possibly can.

2. Rest for three days before you leave.

Ok.  Cats/house you’re on your own – peace out!

3. Cut back on alcohol, caffeine, and sugar before you leave.

What that he**!!  Do you not know it’s October Fest and almost Halloween????!!!  I have already bought my candy, and yes I have to sample!!

4. Drink plenty of water.

Done and done…I live in the desert.

During the Flight

1. Drink some more water.

If there is one thing I hate is having to go to the bathroom on the plane.  I’m not kidding either.  Transatlantic is the worst.  I’m tiny and I can barely fit in that tube – but I will have to do it because the flight is about 7 hours…..so drink water I shall!

2. Sleep or stay awake (depending on arrival time).

Oh don’t worry…I will.  Someone has to keep an eye out for shenanigans.

3. Reset your watch.

But it’s so much more fun if I didn’t…no?

After the Flight

1. Go to bed or eat breakfast (depending on arrival time).

I’ll be arriving in the morning, so eating it is…which there is never an issue.

2. Use melatonin.

Baaawwwwaaaawwwaa!  Nice!  I have the system of a horse, melatonin won’t help this gal cut some ZZzzzzs.

We’ll, there you have it ~ Important information about time change and travel.  I will do my best to make the transition as painless as possible.

My week 14 training was very much welcomed.  Time to start focusing on resting the body a bit and my long run was only 9 miles!  Hallelujah!  For the most part feeling ok.  I’m not at 100% on feeling great and there are some aches and pains.  Most runners will read that line and say “when are there not”, but it is possible to run with minimal pain.  There is going to have to be an in-depth after action review on this marathon and my training when it’s all said and done.  But like they say ~ the train has left the station, hop on board!

This weeks mileage came to 22.81.  I have 6386.71 miles gratefully remaining.  Happy Miles to You!!

There’s an Irish party in third class!!

Mileage Recap ~ 25 – 30 Sept…”Your Feet Will Take You Where Your Heart Is” – Irish Proverb

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Week 12 Dublin Marathon training is complete.

It’s hard to believe that October is here and my race is in less than a month.  I can remember just thinking about it as something that I wanted to just do, now it’s coming to pass.  I’m looking forward to it, but I don’t think I’ve reached the point of excitement just quite yet.  I’m excited ~ but not crazy excited.

One of the neat things about running this race is I am “meeting” different runners through Instagram who are running the same race.  I get to see their progress and the different types of training they’re doing to get ready.  Even funnier there is this one gal I follow and she is from Dublin and she will be traveling to run the NYC marathon on November 5th.  I’m going to Ireland and she is coming to NYC.  She is doing really well with her training and looks fabulous. It’s fun, almost like an electronic pen pal.  If you want to follow me on Instagram, it’s #11315miles.

It’s also been fun watching my running friends complete their marathons.  I love the bib tracking.  It’s almost like being there watching the race.  You can get notifications sent to your phone so even if you can’t “be” there physically, you can spiritually!  Lots of fun and I would suggest doing it to show your runner support.

This weeks training was fairly decent.  I’m on schedule and I can really feel myself getting stronger as a runner.  In other words the training is paying off.  I feel I could be a little bit stronger.  The training this time around has proven to be a little more difficult than in the past.  As I typed that sentence I was like…uh what?  Yeah, sometimes you don’t see the results you hoped.  Or maybe it’s the dreaded “A” word.  Never!  I refuse to say it’s age!  One thing for certain is it was just harder this time around.

The shorter runs were really good this week.  I had a steady pace around 11:21 and my breathing felt strong with no stopping.  This week’s long run called for 18 miles.  The first half of the run was really, really good.  I didn’t stop for a break and ran straight through for 12 before I started slowing down.  It’s funny to see the metrics on my Garmin because it shows where it went to crap.  What did me in was the foot pain. This time both feet.  Foot pain led to sporadic breathing that led to some upper back pain.   I would have to double over a bit every now and then just to stretch the back out.  I bet some people driving thought I was nuts.  It’s the damn shoes,so I bought new ones today.  Definitely its own blog post.  My arches were hurting so bad that I just couldn’t wait to sit down and rub them and get some relief.  I wasn’t going to be denied any miles so I kept on going.  I completed 18 miles with an average pace of 13:26.  Not sexy, but I did finish and that means more than my pace…at the moment.  One more long run then the taper begins!  Which means no more really long runs until the actual marathon.  I feel I need to have a taper party!!  I finished 32.66 for the week bringing the monthly total to 132.72 miles.  I have 6445.39 miles left on my mileage journey and I’m “feelin good”.  Happy Miles to You!!

 

Mileage Recap ~ 4 – 10 Sept…If you’re lucky enough to be Irish… You’re lucky enough!

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Week 9 Dublin Marathon 2017 Training is in the bag baby!  This week officially starts the looooong runs – and no I’m not talking about what happens when you’re dehydrated.  It was a good week as “they” say.  I’m not sure who said it, but I believe it was “they”.

This week’s running plan called for 4/7/4/16 and I’m happy to say I threw in a 4.5 on Thursday for good measure.  The temperatures at the beginning of the week where hot and my first three runs were a mere ok.  Saint Sebastian looked down on me Saturday morning because it was cool, breezy and overcast!  Thank you sweet Patron of Athletes!  Oh and Archery….this was the only photo I found that didn’t have arrows in his bloodied body….

I got up around 4:15 am and had my normal breakfast of two Eggo™ waffles, water, a cup of coffee, an Aleve™ and a sports gel (which I take 15 minutes before I go).  I ran with my water belt and carried 3 gels and some plantain chips.  I froze two bottles of water each with a Lime (great flavor) Gu™ tablet.  I tried the lime flavor this time around and it was great, I highly recommend it, as it wasn’t as sweet as the berry and didn’t leave that lingering aftertaste in my mouth.  I left those on the porch for my rounds, along with a free sports bar I got at last weeks Hero run (peanut butter and jelly ~ which sucked majorly).  I managed to get out the door around 5:45 am.  It was a little darker than I wanted, but I needed all the time I could get for 16 miles while it was still cool and overcast.

There were a lot of people out running!  Groups of runners young and old and then my long-lost friends…the cyclists.  It feels good to say my long run was successful.  I started off a little stiff, but into mile 3 I was feeling pretty solid.  There is no doubt the weather had a lot to do with my performance.  I have succumbed to the fact I am not a desert girl.  I do much better in the cooler temperatures.   My pace wasn’t really too much faster and I took a lot of breaks.  I was drinking so much fluid, so I made sure that I stopped each time I ran by the house.  My pains were minimal.  All the physical therapy has helped realign my pelvis and I’m feeling stronger in my core.  Not too shabby for an approaching 50-year-old.

Around mile 10 I started to develop some pain under my arms.  It wasn’t muscle pain but chafing!  A lot of sweating + the wrong shirt = what looks like 2nd degree burns.  Yeah….that was nice.  Apparently, St. Sebastian doesn’t do chafing.  There is no saint for chafing, so will hand that over to St. Jude, the Saint of Hopeless Causes (No…I’m not kidding…look it up Sparky!).  At mile 15, the sun…decided to finally say ~ “yeah you’re too slow…I’m coming out, let’s get this parade over with”.  At that moment, I became – a clock watcher.  You know, take two steps, look at your watch only to find you’ve only taken two steps.  But, I got it done in 3:21.

I decided to take myself down to the IHOP ‘ cause I could “ate a reverend mother for breakfast”.  I had hash browns, two eggs, sausage, crepes and four cups of coffee.  And so it begins…. and that was my second breakfast. I actually have my own IHOP mug at home.

So, what does all this crazy tally?  32.52 miles for the week with 6542.45 miles gratefully waiting.

When it’s good you can dance an Irish jig, eh?  Happy Miles to You!!

 

 

 

Mileage Recap ~ 28 Aug – 3 Sept…The 9/11 Heros Run

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I decided to change-up my running routine this week and run the 9/11 Heros Run sponsored by the Travis Manion Foundation.  1LT Travis Manion was killed while serving in Iraq.  The Travis Manion Foundation is one of the more interesting foundations, in that it places veterans in mentoring roles with community youth that need positive role models.  The meaning of their motto, “If not me, then who…” stands for their mission to Redefine Americans Character through mentorship roles.  The Foundation realizes that many veterans experience difficulty reintegrating back into civilian society.  Often they feel displaced in their own community and mentoring youth without good role models provides purpose.  From the website:

You can check them out more here:  http://www.travismanion.org/character-does-matter/

When I signed up for the race it asked the question who is the hero you are running for?  There have been so many heros of 9/11 and unfortunately, there will continue to be more in a conflict that seems to go on endlessly.  We are very fortunate to have individuals military/civilian that will step up when called to duty.  We see it in all facets of life not just military conflict.  Look at the Texas flood.  The United States if filled with GOOD people.

 

A few shots from this weekend.  I ended up running around a 10:25 average pace and 11th in my age group.  My daughter made the sign!  She is such a great supporter!

 

 

 

Week eight marathon training went well.  My training plan called for 4/6/4/14 which ended up being 4/6/4/3.1.  I had every intention of “making” up the other 11 miles….and that pretty much went out the window Saturday night.  Yes, I know tsk tsk, but it will be okay.  Just clicking my heels three times….there’s nothing like mileage!

If I have to hold my Guinness with two hands instead of one, I – will – be – okay.

This is a picture of Jason Momoa from GOT looking like he’s holding a Guinness…it has absolutely nothing to do with this post…moving on.

So yes, training was good and I will be back on track Monday ~ meaning no more “side gigs”.  Pace is remaining the same in the 10 – 11 minute window for shorter runs and around 11 – 12 for the longer runs.  I’m glad I took the time out to do something different.  Stats are as follows:  17.70 miles for the week ending August with 96.11 total miles.  I have 6574.97 miles remaining in this journey!  There is always sadness when thinking about 9/11. Especially for all the life that was lost.  Every day is truly a blessing, we never know when it will be our last.  Celebrate every day.

Leaving this post on a high note, I’ve been looking for music for my run.  I’ve been erring on the side of native…if you know what I mean. Found this little diddy…I’m in the back. (Just kidding)  Happy Miles to You!!

Mileage Recap ~ 20 – 27 August…Goodbye Sweet Water Belt, Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

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I have finally said goodbye to a trusty old friend, my old water belt.  I lost one of the pods (for good) and the other one has a tendency of falling out from time to time.  Plus, it’s a small one and it’s just not enough water to get me through until my next water stop on the long runs.  No more freaking out at mile 8 and reaching at the small of my back to see if the pods are still in tact.  No more scrounging around in that sliver of a pouch for a gel or whatever else I stuck in there…

It’s so sad…immediately I thought of this…She’s gone…what went wrong.

…I better learn how to face it…ummm She’s Goooooo ooooo ooonnnnnn nnneee.

Ok, I’m back.  Yes, she’s gone.  Only to replaced by the newer model:

I went to the local Big 5 Sports looking for a newer belt and came out with this.  I DIDN’T want to pay a lot for the belt and there really wasn’t a lot of choice.  It was this, the Camel Back™, or a Nike™ belt that was way too complicated and expensive.  This one cost me about 12 bucks and it did the trick.  It’s a little big, but it actually wasn’t that bad to run with as hydration belts go.  The pouch was nice and large enough to carry gels and some other things without being burdensome.  So, I feel like I did well here.  I tested it out for this weeks long run and it worked out great.  I could have tightened it a bit more, but for the most part it was good.

This weeks running schedule was 4/6/4/12.  I feel like I’m getting stronger and the runs are a little easier.  My biggest hurdle is the heat and dryness.  Although the temps are lowering it’s still dry and stagnant at times.  I blow through my water.  I prepositioned water and snacks and made my loops.  I reported last week that the loop I follow was about 5.5 miles but it really is at the 6 mile mark – or so the Garmin says.  Which is good for me.

This week’s long run was 12 miles.  I was out the door at 5:30.  I was good until mile 6, then I started to get a little winded.  Made my first stop and drank some of the freezing water I had, filled the water pod, made a mistake and the cat ran out the front door, chased the cat and nearly had my face clawed off, and then was back on the road for the remaining 6 miles.  I consumed 4 gels and half of a power bar during the run.  Gels….  I had minimal pain this run.  The feet started hurting around mile 11, but for the most part I felt pretty good.

My pace for the long run came out to 12:20…about what I expected and I’m pleased.  I did my cool down stretches and then I did something new…I took an ice bath.  I didn’t like it at all, but my muscles loved it and I had minimal pain recovering.  Nothing like last week.  This might be a good thing!  Week seven training complete for a weekly total of 28.14 miles (cool downs included).  Ready for week 8!  I have 6592.67 miles remaining on my journey!  Happy Miles to You!!

Mileage Recap ~ 26 June – 1 July…Have You Hugged Your Physical Therapist Today?

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I think everyone should go to physical therapy at least once a year in my humble opinion.  You most likely will be blown away at how out of balance your body gets with the normal wear and tear of daily life.  I first went to a PT after I had my knee surgery four years ago.  As I was doing my rehabilitation exercises my PT casually mentioned that it looked like one of my legs was longer then the other.  Upon closer inspection she mentioned that my pelvis was twisted.  In order to get myself in alignment not only did I have to do knee strengthening but pelvis stabilization exercises.  I have always had hip issues and this was most likely due to that fact.  I had also received an MRI about 3 years ago meant for the hip and you know how that goes.  It’s like taking your car for an oil change and the mechanic says “yeah we changed the oil but did you know your radiator has a leak”?  This was one of those moments.  I go into for the MRI for the hip and come out with a slightly bulging disk review.  Hmmmm.  I know if I just don’t think about it, won’t the diagnosis magically just disappear…….

Fast forward to the present, the doctor wants me to get a follow up MRI. Since I have been having a few niggles here and there I was nervous about the prospect of the bulging disk because I still was having pain radiate down my right leg from time to time and of course the left knee issues.  Good news – no bulging disk!  It was gone.  I was a little perplexed because the doctor told me if there was damage or the disk was herniated then it wasn’t going to fix itself.  So he gave me an order for physical therapy to “fix” what needs fixing.

I love my PT!  She first made me go through some exercises and evaluated me then measured my hips and said, yep your right hip is rotated 1.5″ inward.  Amazing.  So I’m way out of alignment and now I have to work to stabilize and bring the pelvis back.  I asked about the bulging disk and she mentioned that if it’s no more than 9 degrees it can correct itself.  That’s great to know.  She also mentioned that the new running shoes I bought, the ones where they watched me run then made a determination on the correct shoe, were wrong!  That sucks.  Because my arches are so high the “stability shoe” I have is incorrect.  So, I will need to purchase the right shoe before I get up into the longer runs.  There is plenty of information and research on how the wrong running shoe has caused major injury and damage to the body.  My personal mantra is you can skimp on everything else but never on the shoes.  You don’t have to buy the most expensive pair, but a good shoe and one that is correct for you.

I’ve been attending PT for two weeks now and I can tell a difference already in my pain level during and after a run.  It is really amazing.  During my last session I mentioned that my right glute was really tight and I started prattling on about foam rolling and the PT says with a huge grin let’s do some myofascial release! Yay…uh what is that?  As a registered yoga instructor I know about fascia.  Fascia is the thin sheath of fibrous tissue enclosing a muscle or other organ.  The collagen fibers that make up the fascia need to stay supple and be able to slide and move.  When muscles stay tight, the fascia clings to them, and both can become rigid over time.  That’s why it feels good to stretch, foam roll, tennis ball therapy and do yoga.  You may even have purchased an instrument for myofascial release and not even realize it!  For more on fascia read this article:  A Body Part You Never Knew Could Be Making You Miserable .

Back to myofasical release.  The PT tells me to go in this special room.  I’m excited because I think I’m getting a spa treatment!!  She comes back with a tool like this:

It looks like a shoehorn.  I realize there might be people out there that don’t know what a shoehorn is….I’ll give you a clue…it helps you get your shoe on…Google it my friends.  All the while I’m still smiling.  She then hands me the tool to inspect and she speaks in a kind voice, “see it has a little serrated edge at the top almost like little teeth”.  She hands it too me like a dentist hands a child the drill before getting a filling.  See Jimmy, it’s really not that bad, and will be over  before you know it!  Okay….spa treatment!  Then she smiles and says, “Oh yeah this might cause a little bruising”.

How could something so right go so terribly wrong!  My sweet PT went from all smiles to badass in 3 seconds flat.

It was like a bad European women’s wrestling match dream.  Spa treatment, spa treatment, spa treatment…I clicked my heals three times as I felt those little teeth digging into my right glute and I realized I wasn’t in physical therapy Kansas anymore.  PT smiles and laughs ~ “you thought you were getting a spa treatment didn’t you”!  I had to laugh…how the heck could she read my mind!

 

I’m not going to lie, it was damn painful.  I’m still feeling the “release” as we speak.  The only problem with PT is doing the homework.  You go and have these sessions, but then you have to be disciplined enough to come back and do your homework.  I would say I’m a C+ student at the moment.  I am doing the exercises, but I could be more disciplined.  Over all I’m pleased and hope this will make me stronger.

Running was good this week.  Still hanging at the 6 mile mark for the long run.  The long run was about at a 6 on the 1 – 10 scale with a pace at 11:57.  Slooowww and hot.   Logged 11.78 miles for the week.   I have 6736.58 miles gratefully remaining.  Even though it’s tough I had this song playing and so true.  Happy Miles to You!!

 

Mileage Recap ~ 21 May – 4 June

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I looked at my blog page and my countdown widget now says 4 months to go!  This is really going quick almost a blink of an eye.  I am in the very beginnings of training for the Dublin Marathon.  After my calf injury, again, I rested from running for almost a full two months.  During that time I have been strength training, walking and some riding.  I can’t tell you enough how much the strength training has been helping me.  Working on the core and legs have given me less pain in the knees and hips.

I started off just walking then I incorporated short bursts of running then back to walking and it really has helped.  I had minimal pain in the knees, especially my left, all the while building into longer runs.  So it seems to be working.  There is no pride here either.  If I started to feel little niggles I simply slowed down or started to walk.  The best part was my breathing.  I didn’t feel tired at all.  That was a fantastic feeling.  Although, it is starting to get very hot now, the long runs will have to happen in the morning…on a weekend ~ lol.

This upcoming week will be more of the same, building strength, and foot placement.  One of the nice things about starting from the beginning is correcting the errors.  I tend to slog along sometimes so when I’m doing that I mentally remind myself to pick up the feet and swing the hips more.  May has been my biggest month yet this year at 92.66 miles.  I had a total of 26.33 for this tally and 6786.02 miles wonderfully remaining.  I hope this post finds you well ~ Happy Miles to You!!

Mileage Recap~ 5 – 12 March and Figuring Out Aer Lingus

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I’m annoyed.  Last week while I was adding my post I inadvertently deleted my menus.  I had my posts in somewhat of a decent organization and just like that when I was trying to add the Dublin Marathon tab I deleted something.  The posts are still there, but it will take a while to put them where I want them to go.  So, my site is a little wonky.  Then that brings me to my next annoyance – Aer Lingus.

I wanted to be sure I would have the true Irish experience, even when it came to flying.  Sooooo, I had the great idea that I would fly Aer Lingus.

Let’s just say, these Irish eyes weren’t a smilin’.  This was not easy to do.  I went to the Aer Lingus site and punched in the travel dates.  Lots of choices came back and soon enough I was choosing seats, meals and put in my credit card!  Yay!  Done!  Then comes the confirmation email.  “Due to some complications, your request cannot be processed at this time“.  Oh come on!  You know how you’re excited to get something done then some little glitch happens and everything comes to a halt.  Next, call customer service.  If only I could find the number.  They had a bunch of numbers on the site and you had to choose the number from wherever you were calling, Europe, Asia, United States and so on.  This also wasn’t easy or straight forward.  I call the toll free number and I get in a hardy Irish accent “Thank you for calling Aer Lingus, we are experiencing higher than normal call volume at the moment“, do tell.  So I waited on the phone for 30 minutes, after the 30 minute mark another recording comes on and says maybe it would be best to email and then the email address is given so fast I couldn’t understand it.  Again, I’m searching the site to find an email address.  I finally Googled to find the address.  Why can’t sites be specific.  You have a problem here is the email address, so easy.  I send my email, but I figure I will try and call again tomorrow anyway.

I call the next day and I finally get through.  The gal on the phone was super helpful, got me booked and I sighed relief that it was over.  Only it wasn’t.  I get an email from my bank the next day.  FRAUD ALERT – someone in Ireland is trying you use your credit card!  Sigh.  I’m glad I called.  I let the bank and card company know, yes, I’m going to Ireland and I made the charge.  Isn’t it a little intrusive you have to verify some of the stuff you do?  I mean I see it both ways for security, but I can’t tell you how many times my card was denied when traveling and I would have to call them to verify, yes it’s me.  Lesson, call the bank and card company and let them know you will be traveling.  I almost want to say it’s none of your business where I am at the moment!  I’m glad though, I had two plane ticket charges because of the online submission.  Unfortunately, the representative never took off the ticket reservation I made on line.  It happens that the flights are a few different carriers under the Aer Lingus flag.  I will be flying United Air, British Airways and Aer Lingus.  I’m glad I got this part out of the way, but will be double and triple checking to make sure everything is still lined up.

This weeks mileage was pretty good.  I didn’t run at all this week, trying to get the fluid on my knee to subside and letting my back rest.  I have foam rolled, did yoga to stretch out my overly tight IT bands and glutes, and focusing on core strength.  It seems to be working.  There were a couple of days with some extreme pain but I can tell there is improvement.

More exciting news – I have broken the 7,000 mile mark!  I was looking at my spreadsheet and low and behold I have made it into the 6000s!

This week saw a total of 30.24 miles.  I rode the stationary bike for 6.2 and walked 3.57 and rode my bike 20.47 .  I have 6974.94 miles luckily awaiting.  Happy Irish Miles to You!

New Year – More Miles and the Danger of DuraFlame

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Aaaaannnnd we’re back.  Well me, I’m back.  January blew by.  It always seems that when the holidays are over, everyone is at breakneck speed–to get stuff done.  They don’t always know what, but by God we’re gonna get shit done this year.  That’s how January becomes one big crazy blur.  I used to make New Year’s resolutions.

I’m going to do this, and that, and this and oh yes, that!  Uh…yeah.  So I got tired of that crap.  I mean, you shouldn’t have to wait until the new year to decide – yep, this is going to be the year!  Just do it.  So I don’t even bother with that any more.kewpie-doll

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just think of an idea, see if it’s viable, I plan, then it’s off I go.  No hovering over the great porcelain god after a night of drinking on NYE celebrating all the “awesomeness” I’m going to do the following year. Just kidding, that was an extreme sentence above, I just wanted to see if you are still with me….ok put it out of your mind.

What was really extraordinary is this year started off with an “un-bang”.  Yes, I believe an infant just learning to crawl would have cleared more  mileage then I did in January.  First, I was traveling.  My daughter was still home from college and we went to Slot Canyon in Arizona (more of that in another post) and I went home to South Carolina to see family and my new niece.  Mixed in with that was an injury.  Nothing sexy like falling off my bike or running a big race and pulling a muscle.  No, that’s not how I roll.  No, I decided that I would tassel with a 6pk DuraFlame box on my way inside the grocery store.  It has been cold lately in the desert.  We do drop to freezing temps from time to time.  It doesn’t last long, but it’s chilly.  There isn’t a lot of wood for the fireplaces here.  You’ll see the prepackaged wood, about five pieces in a bag, but it’s a little pricey.  Burning a fake log, while not that esthetic, does give you ambience and heat.

I’m on my way into the grocery store and I see the box…so shiney, and six logs! You know how they stack stuff at the store entrance.

duraflame I pull a ballerina move by balancing on one leg, reaching down with my left hand to grab the box and throw it in the cart as I’m still walking into the store, mind you.  During mid swing, I hear a pop.  I drop the box and then I became really dizzy and my breathing became labored.  There are moments in life you know aren’t going to end well.  This was one of those moments.  I just stood there trying to gain my composure while my lower back was screaming.  I was hurting so bad my breathing was erratic and thought I would pass out.  I knew that I might be calling for help because I couldn’t move forward.  I stood there holding on to the cart with both hands for what seemed to be 2 minutes in front of the automatic door just watching it open and close because I was in its radar proximity.  Meanwhile, people just passed me.  WTH Ahwatukee?  After I caught my breath I hobbled in to continue shopping.    Long story short – I have been recovering for about 3 weeks.  I was able to get in some walks, a few short runs and a couple of rides.  I was really hoping to blaze out of the 2017 gates, but that didn’t happen.  Bonehead move for sure.  Some days you start the day feeling like Wonder Woman™ and then reality sets in:

clumsy

 

 

 

 

I’m starting off the year with 20.91 miles!  If you do make resolutions I hope you reach your goal.  I have a few goals for this year too….one is to do more miles than last year.  Here’s to all the Wonder Women out there..Happy 2017 and Happy Miles to You! 7042.73 left to go.