Resting and pondering the 5-0 miles that is....

Well, here we go again with sporadic updates. I swear time been like a rocket lately. Haven’t really had the opportunity to take a moment to really take in anything, it’s all been a blur until the other day when I realized that we have a major holiday THIS week! After replaying voice mails, emails, and notes, I managed to jot down a grocery list for all that I’m suppose to make for three separate family gatherings starting with breakfast on Thursday. We are so blessed to be part of a large family, keep in mind this is just the hubby’s side of the family, too. We’re not talking about my side of the family, but it’s not much different. He’s got three sets of grandparents and they all live in the same county which works in our favor for traveling but foodwise, it can be a bit of challenge. By the end of the day, the best we could do is waddle around like penguins!

And this should be a good time to put in some extra miles to offset that extra helping of grandma’s delicious gravy but I’m afraid that will not be the case for me. I have done almost no running(2 or 3 miles here & there) since doing the 50K run to take a break in hope that it will cure my IT Band issues. The problem’s been minimal, I could continue running but I thought it was time give it some much needed rest. So I’ve been taking it easy, still attending the spinning class twice a week and doing the hip strengthening exercises twice a week as well. Yesterday was the first time I felt the best, felt balanced in both legs. I’ll take a few more days off until Saturday where I’ll try 6-8 miles. And I also pulled out of doing the Seattle ½ marathon this Sunday. As you might have noticed that I removed the link off my sidebar last week when I came to terms with my decision. I’m totally calm with decision, no achy feelings about it. I’m just thankful that I got in a 2nd 50K before the end of the year. That’s enough to satisfy me for awhile. Now I did add another ½ marathon(Christmas) to my list happening next month, so we’ll see how that works out. Again, I’ll play it by ear.

I also would like to address something that came up several times in the comments to my previous post. The topic can’t be ignored, well I probably could but then that wouldn’t be very nice to the folks that live, breath, eat 50 milers because they’re either clinically insane or it really is exciting, rewarding, and fulfilling as they claim! I won’t lie and say I never given it any thought because there’s a few times, it has entered my mind but yet to speak of it until now. However, the thought of going another nearly 19 miles after a 50K is a bit daunting but exhilarating if I think about the exploration side of it left to do. The interest is there, a great goal for later in 2008 for training purposes. So I’ll have to learn more about White River before I take the plunge as far as the terrain, elevation gain & loss. The timing is ideal, end of July. But is it ideal for a first timer?? And I know I’ve been warned by BackOfPack, talk about preying on a docile newbie to the ultra madness!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and many thanks to you all for reading and sharing road/trail journey with me.

Ron Herzog 50k report

For some reason I’ve been too darn lazy to write a recap of yesterday’s trail run. The event was a blast, don’t let me throw you off there. I really enjoyed myself out there and had a good run.

I went into this race without any real goals, mostly just to finish and check off one more 50K run for the year. I’ve been itching to enter another trail run before the end of the year to confirm with myself if that’s what I truly enjoy. And I realize that I didn’t put in the training like I did for the Cle Elum 50K in September, but I knew I was strong enough to pull through. Let’s see, with my IT Band acting up, last Tuesday was my last run of 7 miles and 15 miles Saturday before that.

Friday night, my little one and I spent the night at my in-laws in the Seattle area so I wouldn’t have to get up extremely early Saturday morning to drive to Granite Falls. I had all my stuff ready that all I had to do was get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, and head out after my alarm went off at 6am.

I arrived at the trailhead a little after 7 am. Saw some familiar faces, chatted until race time, plus paid extra attention to the IT Band by stretching it and stretching it. I was feeling a slight touch of irritation to the side of my knee, but that was all. 8 am, we’re off up a logging road. I was relieved about leaving my water resistant jacket behind because it was warm enough to remove my gloves and headband before the 2nd mile. It wasn’t raining, but with the clouds overhead, it looked like it could pour buckets any minute.
I was indecisive at first about climbing the hills, whether I should hike or jog(run) it. Eventually I settled with jogging, better on my breathing. Jess M and I stuck together until midway(aid station), we chatted about different races, she gave me ideas of which new races to enter, itb issues, family stuff, trips, etc. About five miles into the run, I was dealing with a new issue; my left groin/hip area was tight, almost painful. I tried rubbing it out, pounding it with my fist, but wouldn’t let up so I took it easy until it started working itself out during the next three miles. Much to my relief, no itb noise. By time we entered the brush whacking, a.k.a tank trap section, I was feeling good, no kinks or soreness! We took a wrong route at one point, following these tape markings straight into the wood with no path/trail to the edge of a ridge! Luckily we didn’t spend much time there, we hurried back and found the right path eventually. We worked our way back by passing 4 people to get back into our position were in before we got lost.

I really didn’t mind the shoe sucking mud section even though I lost my left shoe at one point. Though the twigs, rocks that were glued to my sock didn’t feel good(blisters) because I stepped in the mud with my sock when I stepped out of my shoe stuck in the mud. I did the best I could by squeezing off the excess mud before pulling my shoe back on, didn’t get all. We had lots of variety in this part of the course, forking a creek, dealing with tree blow downs, overgrown mess that slap you in the face, all an adventure.

Jess and I separated at the aid station, she got her water, took off, while I did that plus change into dry socks and shoes, then eating my PB&J sandwich on the fly. I felt good for that first descending section, then back to the climb I was started to feel it, less energy. But I pressed on, passed some early starters. The last downhill section is where my IT Band started to complain a bit, not majors, so I backed off the pace, took it easy, pass a couple more people. I was still having a good time until I reached the pavement section, it was like HELLO! My IT Band was ok, but my groin/hip pain was back making it difficult to extend my stride. That felt like the longest portion of the course. I was glad to be done!

The good news was I felt no pain or strains after I completed the run, a very good sign in my book. And the best news of all, I even surprised myself. A new PR, 5h 47mins!! Results here.

I’m sorry to say no pictures. I know! I remembered to bring the camera but dead battery. Bummer! Not only did I not bring the extra battery, but also the charger! So you’ll have to head over to "Trail Scat" because he’s got some awesome images from the event.

Until next time, happy runnings.

Alive and well!

Quick update to say that I’m still around!

I’m happy to report that my ITBand is feeling much better these days. The pain is gone, no stabbing pains to the knee for a whole week now. I’ve been taking extra time each day to stretch the problem area, doing hip strengthening exercise that I found on several internet sites, and cross training(spinning classes). Cut back on the running to every other day as well. Progress is good.

Now the decision about the 50K tomorrow. Well, I signed up and am proceeding to go forth with it. This could be my undoing, we’ll find out. My plan is to take it easy out on the course. From what I’ve been told, the course is on the friendlier side, not too technical with major climbs and descends. I simply just want to go out there and have a blast!

On to other news, work has been busy and just wrapped up a 4 day training course. But now that I’m back to my regularly scheduled program, I’ll be catching up on blogs and commenting again.

Still trying to shake it...ITB issues that is.

As you can see from my previous post, I was a having a bad week last week in terms of running. And the timing didn’t help matters at all. The weather was perfect, little rain and lots of sunshine. As if there is a good time for incurring an injury that puts a holt to your running activities, that statement didn’t make sense. But you know what I mean. It probably wouldn’t have bothered me the same as if the weather was terrible all week long and life on the home front was quiet. However, this was not the case at all. With some added pressure at work, and dealing with family issues(relatives), plus five days of ZERO running can really bring out the emotional side of me!

As with work, it’s all good, the pace has picked up, exciting things are happening and I am coping with the tempo rather well…but as you should know there’s always one that doesn’t adapt quick enough, therefore causing a few sputters.

Family, huh, the same culprits trying to cause a stir. Only this time they’ve succeeded in striking a sensitive nerve of mine. It’s all immature, selfish, spoil, and stupid; mind games by the same old THREE that seem have nothing better to do than keep tabs about gifts, invitations, getting ‘news’, cards, dinner invites…blah, blah, BLAH! I don’t have time for this nonsense and so I have always ignored it, used my fuel for rather more interesting and useful missions than idiotic family drama! Running has always been my release valve, but this was all stacking up over the course of last week each day because I couldn’t find another outlet. By Friday, I had it up to here(to my head), exhausted, almost lifeless!

By Friday, I was withdrawing pretty bad. My body, everything in my body was asking; where is the running? Where is the damn running to unleash this dirty load? All I kept thinking was about how I was going to handle the situation because even though I wasn’t responding to it or confronting the problem in any fashion, it was on my mind. I have had it! I was craving a run to think things through. I kept myself going by telling myself to keep busy. I made an appt for a massage later in the afternoon after work as another way to loosen up the sore ITB. My IT Band was feeling much better(Chiropractic seemed to help a lot) but I wanted to give myself at least another day to rest before doing a trial run on Saturday. But the time stood still and I’d caught myself staring at the walls of my office with pin-pointed pupils without blinking that afternoon a couple times before heading out for my appt….trying to stay positive about everything.

Saturday morning I woke up feeling fresh, pain-free, and energized. All signs pointing to a GO as far as running! I didn’t waste anytime. The dense fog and the chilly 37 degrees F didn’t deter me away from heading out before 7 AM. Those first few steps were bit a rough, uneasy, with lots of anticipation for fear of the pain showing back up before I hit the first mile. It was all relief. Each step I took gave me a warm euphoric feeling that made me calm and relaxed. Time flew by. The first hour felt like minutes. Finally, I was able to process my thoughts clearly. This unsure butterfly feeling that hung over me like a storm cloud began to lift. Every breath left more peace and quiet in my heart. Aw, this was comfort, my escape that transports me away far enough to see what’s going on, to see the whole picture to help me make the better decisions. Two and half hours later I was finally home, on the front porch stretching.

Sunday, I played it safe by cutting my recovery run short as soon as I felt the first sign of ITB trouble to the same leg. I was happy enough with three miles.

Today, I’ve been spending most of my ‘free time’ thinking about where my running life is and where I’m going with it. I’ll be the first to admit, I haven’t been the smartest with my running lately. In fact, I’m probably one of the worse when it comes to handling an injury. It’s either all out or nothing…it seems. Almost like a drug addict experiencing a relapse. Take this past Saturday in particular, I probably should have kept the mileage under ten miles or even half of that…but instead I took it to mere extreme by taking a full plunge until I was physically spent. Anyways, I’m still thinking, even with a (new)nagging injury, there’s still ample opportunity to do another 50K in a couple weeks…it’s part of my wish list on the sidebar there. As you might ask, had I had sufficient training…that’s probably a big fat N.O. But what the heck…it won’t be the first time I’ve done that.

Sidelined....

I want to lace up my shoes, refill my hydration pack, and get out the door! I want to greet and taking in the autumn nature. I want sail amongst the leaves along one of my favorite routes up 3rd Street, maybe even earn me a runner partner; a choc lab who sometimes greets me by running out of the trees as I start up the hill towards the lake. She’s such a good dog, runs either on my right or left side like she’s been with a runner before, and always meets me about the same spot. I even started packing a treat for her. Not very good with names so I started calling her Brownie(doesn’t sport a collar or tag). I may never know where she makes her home but I always look forward to her company, especially on days when I’m dragging. She’s my motivation factor. A comforting note is that I do know that she’s well fed and groomed by her muscular form, silky shiny coat and her happiness. And I bet she’s waiting for me…I just hope she’s patient and doesn’t give up on me as I normally run that route on Wednesday evenings. I didn’t this week.

Zero running since Sunday’s five mile recovery effort. I’ve been nursing an inflamed IT band. Stairs, hills, slopes, basically any walking surfaces that isn’t horizontal are my enemies right now. This really aches my heart especially after a strong run on Saturday. The burning friction on the outside of my left knee is not easing fast enough despite countless stretching every night since Sunday. And I’ve been sneaking in some at my office desk throughout each day. Monday was the worse day, limp, limp. I was walking normal again Wednesday, but the pain is still there. And today, the pain is almost gone, but when I did a few test jogs, Painful! Let’s see, I feel like I’m taking the right steps as suggested on numerous websites; no running, icing, new shoes, stretching to target the it band, but relief is slow.

Made an appt with my chiropractor after work today. I’m crossing my fingers that an adjustment to my hips will be the answer.

I need my drug(running). Give me a swift, trudging on my feet, autumn day! Give me a crispy air! Give me a hellish hill full of huff and puffing. Give me my magic run…just let me have my run back!!

I so want to come back through the sliding glass doors from a run and to hear my 3 yr old daughter look up at me and say something to the effects of “mommy, you’re all sweaty!”