Tuesday, December 31, 2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014!


Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year!!!



My RUNNING GOALS are simple for 2014. Here they are:


  • Lose the weight I gained in 2013, so I can run more efficiently. 
  • Run the Resolution Run faster than 2012 (and faster than a 12:00 pace)
  • Complete the Tough Mudder Run in April (Norcal)
  • Complete the Rum Run 10K in May
  • Complete (run/walk) the Vancouver HM in June

My FITNESS GOALS are

  • Be able to do 25 chest to ground pushups
  • Be able to do at least one true pull-up/chin-up
  • Weigh 154 
  • Run 6 miles without getting heart rate to 178
  • Get body fat down to 31%
  • Run a 5K with a pace of 10:28 or better



Monday, December 30, 2013

2013: A year of BIG Dreams and HUGE setbacks

In 2012, I met 7 of my 10 goals.

In 2013, I met 2 of my 17 goals.

The difference was my career change. And what a change it was!!! I went from a Monday-Friday 40 hour job in an office cubicle, to a 60-73 hours a week job as a railroad conductor.

I worked that job March through September and had to cancel most of my races. A few were kind enough to transfer my registration to 2014 races. After that I had been diagnosed with a large complex cyst and told to NOT RUN for 4 weeks. That didn't help either.

I gained 10 pounds since last New Years, and a total of17 pounds since my Half Marathon in October 2012 (14 months ago).

But - this year was the most rewarding year career wise, I have ever had. Even though I had to quit due to medical limitations, and suffered depression for months after, I would still do it all over again. I loved every day I worked on the railroad and that is NOT an exageration. There were days I was tired, and even a bit stressed. But I still smiled EVERY day at work. Not many people can say they ever had a job like that.

I will regain my fitness. It's all good.


Sunday, November 17, 2013

Galloway Method to the Rescue

I had an ultrasound this week and the doctor said the golfball sized bloodfilled cyst I had that was causing a lot of pain had 'resolved itself' and then released me from my ban on high impact activities.

My first test run (of just 3 miles) went decently. No cramping at all. Of course, I was rather dismayed at how slow and hard that three miles went. Fitness levels have plummeted and made worse with a 10 pound gain.

Last night I read a woman's post on Facebook. She said that she had been having problems running long distances until she started using a Galloway technique. Of all the steps in that method, she chose to alternated 9 minutes of running with 1 minute of walking. This is kind of a turn off to me as I ran the entire distance of the half marathon last year. The idea of walking any part of a goal is kind of like admitting defeat in my mind. I asked the woman and some others about that and they said that it is actually very little of the whole, and eventually, you start going 11 minutes to 1 or 15 minutes to 1. You might find yourself doing the whole distance again without walks.

So, I tried it - and I worried - expecting a horrid heart breaking pace.

It was a cold and windy overcast day - 54 degrees is cold when wearing shorts and a thin shirt. In fact, it is downright chilly after a sweaty run when the breezes blow on your damp overheated skin.

I ran the first three miles stopping only at a stop light.

Then, I walked 1 minute VERY slowly. I know it is supposed to be a brisk walk, but I went slow to get my heart rate way down; to enjoy the beautiful fall foliage; and to minimize the actual distance walked overall.

Then, I ran for 9 minutes and found myself feeling rather refreshed. In fact, I was surprised the 9 minutes occured so quickly on two of the cycles.

I ran up all the hills. Even the nasty 52 foot elevation climb up over the freeway on a footbridge that was only 1/5th of a mile long. Both ways. That is STEEP.

My overall pace INCLUDING the walking was 12:28 minutes per mile. NOT impressive by any means. But, still better than paces I was running my first six months competing in 3 mile races. 

Friday, October 18, 2013

Update on Medical Issues

Had another blood test. That is three now in 8 days with elevated liver enzymes. Doctor ordered a liver and gall bladder ultrasound for first thing Monday morning.

The sad thing....I am not stressing the liver. I am not stressing the neurology exploration for my double vision.

I am stressing the pain I experienced from last Friday through Tuesday. I still get an occasional spasm (like when I sneeze) and I felt it today when running a normal gait with each footfall impact on the ground (and I stopped THAT right away!).

I am angry. I am livid.

The ER doctor told me my GYN should go in and take a look as he suspected adhesions and thinks it also might be that my endometriosis is back. He also told me my golf ball sized cyst could be an issue.

Likewise, the intestinal doctor CANCELLED his appointment with me once he saw that cyst, citing that was most likely the cause. He said he is leaving it up to the GYN to fix and to call if that doesn't work.

WELL!!! I saw my GYN yesterday. She did not even do an exam. Seriously. She didn't even press on my lower groin area or anything. She told me she saw the ultrasound and that it wasn't that big a cyst. She wouldn't remove it. It is a 'blood filled' hemo something that is of no concern as they don't normally get larger or twist or burst or leak. She also said she is fairly certain that my groin pain is adhesion caused from my hysterectomy 3 years ago.

And her long term solution? "Focus on pain management. Let me know if you need any more percocet."

EXCUSE ME?!?!?  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?

I have to learn to live with that kind of pain? 
To rely on a drug filled with Tylenol when I have very elevated liver issues ALREADY?!?!?

I told her the ER doctor said she can probably go in and clean up the adhesions. She didn't seem to like that and let me know in no uncertain terms that it was a waste of (her) time because surgeries cause adhesions. Cleaning it is a surgery. She would just have to go back in, in another 3 years.

And???

She said to come back in a month. We will do a follow-up ultrasound. If it is growing, we will discuss further and if pain gets uncontrollable again, give her a call.

*banging head against the wall*

As a note: I am NOT a wimp. I had both babies born at home without meds. After my hysterectomy my doctor got on me for NOT taking pain meds. I ran 8 miles of my half marathon last year with a bad knee. I can handle pain. But not THIS type of pain. I am looking for another doctor.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Life Wins Round Two. No running today.

Had a very rough night last night. I was feeling pain that wouldn't go away the last two days. Became a constant dull ache in the lower abdomen/groin area Friday morning, carried over to Saturday morning when I was woken by stabbing spasms there in the lower abdomen. The pain radiated both back and front. Walking (even gently) caused a slight groin pain with each foot fall. Standing from a seating position to a full upright position caused a pulling pain. Sitting down caused pain.

By the end of the day the stabbing pains were coming between every 5 minutes to as long as an hour apart for many hours, but were getting more intense. At 1:30 am it was more intense than labor for my two children at home was. How do I know that? Because when everything went 'white', for the first time in my life I literally passed out in pain. Came to quickly off the floor and was just a mess. Tried to get to my phone and another spasm hit immediately. I almost passed out again. I fought it so hard and grabbed my bed. Broke out in a full blown hair dripping sweat. Being home alone and scared as heck, I called 911 and paramedics got there very quickly. I had never called an ambulance for myself. I never rode in one.

In the ambulance, they hooked up an EKG (I guess women exhibit heart issues with lower abdominal pain??) and told me to relax and breath deep. Per the machine, my pulse was only 48. They put an IV in. I was not happy.

However, at the hospital I was given a pain med through the IV (BURNED!) and I was happier. It took the constant ache down from a 5 to a 2 or 3. The spasms were brought down from 7's and 8's to 5's. Enough to catch your breath and breathe through it but not enough to break a sweat or feel sick.

At 3:15 am and at 4:30 am I was given very nasty red drinks. At 5:30am I was given my first CT scan through a big donut machine. It was okay except the stuff they put in the IV. He warned me that it will make me feel like I just peed and make my skin all tingly. I giggled when I had that 'just peed' sensation but when my skin became a creeping burning sensation on my upper chest I was worried.  He said he forgot to mention it is like a hot flash on steroids.

Doctor told me that the CT scan showed no intestinal abnormalities or impactions. But he found a cyst that is '4.5 centimeters' on my remaining ovary. He said he suspects that is the culprit and ordered an ultra-sound. The ultrasound confirmed it to be a 'complex cyst' of 4.5 centimeters. I guess cysts can cause a lot of pain in the abdomen even though inches away from the area. Something about nerve endings. Too tired to understand it all.

I thought 4.5 cm was small and he explained it is just 'a little smaller than a ping pong ball' and is considered large. He stated I need to call my GYN Monday morning and they will need to go in laparoscopically and look at it because of my endometriosis past, as well as to look for adhesions from my 2010 hysterectomy, and to insure the cyst itself is okay as complex ones are sometimes "bad guys".

He also suggested a colonoscopy (NOOOOOO!!!) to insure the sites of where the pre-cancerous polyps were removed last year aren't scarred or developing adhesions.

He gave me a prescription for heavy narcotic pain killers. As a note - when I had my hysterectomy I was given 20 of the same type and my doctor called on day three post-op and was SHOCKED I had not taken a single pill since my first 24 hours home and then, I only took HALF doses when I did. I bet I have a jar of expired ones in my cabinet. Seriously, pain isn't something that normally kicks my butt as evidenced by my hysterectomy and my two natural births. Last night was SCARY.

When they released me just before 8am I realized I had no ride home. Thank God they now take credit cards and I had grabbed my purse. Took a 2.5 hour nap and woke up with that dull ache. Dammit.

NOT running my long run today.

TMI below!!! Do not scroll down unless you really want to know more.
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The dull ache feels like being very constipated and tenderness existed in my front groin area when touched. However, my bowel movements were absolutely normal and regular both days. No constipation or diarrhea at all. Urination was normal. I was able to pass gas here and then but it didn't help, didn't feel related and wasn't at all gasey. When the spasms occurred it felt like I was being broken inside much like when in labor. I would be resting and then cry out loud in sudden pain. The spasm pains are very short for the most part. They are just frequent and have now gone on for at least 28 hours.

I hated waking up from my two hour nap when I got home and finding a spasm woke me and the pain was still there.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Still Running - Despite Life

I saw the neurologist about my double vision/esophoria yesterday. She first wanted to know why I put it off so long and I was honest - doctor visits stress me out and most issues resolve themselves without the stress. My routine 50 yr check up resulted in 7 or 8 pre-cancerous polyps being removed and know I fear lunch meat. (See what I mean???)

The neurologist confirmed my double vision and ordered both a non-dye and a dye MRI of the brain, and a whole slew of blood work. This is just to rule out all the nasty things that 'could' cause sudden onset esophoria at the age of 50. There isn't any real concern. Just ruling things out.

First thing this morning I got a call from the MRI department - they are getting me in Tuesday.

Shortly after that I got a call from my general practioner doctor (who has had nothing to do with any of the double vision or lab work because this went from Opthamology to Neuroglogy). They said they were alerted to some of my lab results. The doctor would like me to come in at my earliest convenience. They had nothing Monday, Tuesday is my MRI's, Wednesday I am out of town so I am going in Thursday. I then asked, "WHY?" and was told the tests came back with elevated levels. I mentioned they were slightly elevated last year. They agreed but added this year they are above normal limits. Last year they weren't. Okay.

This stressed me out so I went to go run the nerves off.

Shortly into my run the neurologist called to tell me that my liver levels were off and to call my GP. I let them know I had already got a call from them and have an appointment in place. "Oh good!!"

I did my run and it was odd. I was overly concerned about my health. Running too hard? Running too fast? Should I even be pushing this hard? Am I damaging something????

Then tonight, I found my lab results online. YIKES!!!

ALT count - normal max is 32.  My count: 104
AST count - normal max is 36. My count: 60

Bilirubin count - normal max is 1.0. My count is 1.4 

My brother told me he has always had elevated numbers but not like that. My last counts were just under the normal max. I went from 31 to 104 in one year.

I still have more lab work that isn't in yet and that will take a few days.

This is why I don't do doctors! I went in for vision issues and come back with this scare.

TRYING TO BE POSITIVE THOUGHT OF THE DAY:  "5% of all healthy people have an abnormal ALT. Medical and mathematical statistics guarantee that. By definition, a "normal" test result range is the range that includes 95% of all healthy adults."

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Is Running What Caused My Double Vision?

Click on these dates to look at my entries last year on June 20th, and June 21st-22nd.

That weird burning pain on my head lasted many months on and off after that day. I would place ice packs on it and it barely took the heat off. Then, they disappeared. However, by then, my double vision worsened in the fall and now, is barely corrected with my prescription. After seeing three ophthalmologist, they all agreed - I have sudden adult onset Esophoria. This is typically caused by an incident such as injury or illness.

Currently, I am waiting for a call from the Neurologist and just printed out my old blog entry and my Garmin run stats for June 20th for the doctor when I see them.

Was that ocular migraine in May 2012 a precursor? I had never had one before and never had one after. Did I suffer some sort of stroke on June 20th? Was it a severer dehydration issue than the doctor assumed?

Should I not run hard or fast for awhile? Is it NOT related to my running?

This waiting is hard.

And yes - I ran earlier today....and it felt great.




Saturday, September 14, 2013

I'm Coming Baaaaack!!!!

I followed my eye doctors recommendation and resigned from my dream job this morning.  I have double vision and esophoria and it is aggravated with long hours, fatigue or stress.

  • I averaged 60 to 70 hours per week (excepting when marked off)
  • My work days were up to 11 hours 6 minutes long at times.
  • I was sometimes working until 1:30 am, after waking at 6am that morning.
  • Some of the jobs I worked were 3 day shifts that played havoc on sleep schedules

This all resulted in my eye sight degrading.

At times, my vision was sharp even when the glasses were clean. But at others, it was as if I were looking through glasses that had a thick layer of vaseline even though they were spotless. It wasn't safe to continue working in the railroad like that. Too many hours + esophoria = bad vision. 

The PLUS side of my resignation is that I get to start a running program again

With all those hours I was working the last six months, it was getting harder and harder to run. Today I put in applications for work everywhere, hoping I get 20-40 hours a week with a good company and I look forward to hitting the road tomorrow morning.

I need to.


Friday, August 16, 2013

August Doldrums

This happened last year and is especially troubling this year with less hours to get/stay fit. My current obstacles are (in order of impact):

1: My new job:  I am on call and most of my shifts are 11 hours and some are 13 if you include drive time. If I am out running along the river and get a call, I only have two hours to drive home, shower, change, prep for the job, make arrangements with our dog sitter, and then get my butt over across the river and into the big city. Traffic alone sometimes takes an hour and fifteen minutes to get there. So - I don't run any where but around my home or the hotel now. I try and stay close. Also, days I can run are MUCH fewer. Maybe one or two days a weeks. I worked FIVE 11 hour days last week, had a day off that I used for cleaning, laundry, shopping with plans to run the next day (after all - it was a scheduled day off) but instead, I got called in to work AGAIN.

2: The time of day I can run and the weather:  I am pretty much limited now to mid-day runs when I can run. August mid-day in the PNW is warm and unbelievably muggy. Today, I felt like I was drowning and my heart rate monitor showed I was definitely over exerting in a cardiovascular sense. I had to stop SIX times!!! That is unheard of for me. Depressing.

3:  Weight gain/loss of fitness: I am still within 5 pounds of when I got hired by the railroad, BUT I have lost a lot of muscle and cardio fitness. Pants are tighter and runs are much harder. It is a cycle that feeds into itself.


HOPE! 


I heard that in October I will have LOTS of time to run as being on call will have far less calls coming my way once all the crews are done with summer vacations and the weather is crappy enough no one lays off just to go have fun. So - it will be colder, wetter and darker....but I will be able to run again....if they are correct. Time will tell. I heard August would be better but it is proving worse.

RUN TODAY: 4.25 miles with a ton of hills. Pace? Snails were beating me.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

My First Duathlon!

Those who have been following my progress know that ever since I got hired by Amtrak that my running/training has been cut by over 66%. I have felt this in all my few runs with slower speeds and higher heart rates. Distance running has gone from happy 8 milers to hard 4 milers. But, I love my job and I heard that once my student status ends, and summer vacations are over, my hours will be much fewer and I will have more time for training again. Just hanging in there for now.

I went into the GIRLFRIENDS and DUDES DUATHLON knowing that I was not fit and I told myself it would be okay if I had to walk some of the route. Yet, I can proudly say - I wasn't fast, but I finished without walking.

Here is a quick summary of the race:

ARRIVED:

It was a cold overcast morning which couldn't have pleased me any more than it did. I LOVE cold dry overcast days for races. It is my FAVORITE weather to run in.

The parking was adequate at the time I arrived. I took my bike and followed the crowds to the bike pen. There the volunteers were SO helpful and SO friendly. They helped me figure out everything I needed to know and did so with smiles.

Here is a photo of my bike after I set up my station.


Here are some other bikes.



The volunteers wrote my race number on the back of my left calve and my age on the right. I started watching right calves during the bike segment when that competitive mode kicked in. ;)

THE FIRST RUN - "2" MILES - 19:02 official time:  

We got a late start. So late, I hadn't noticed my Garmin shut down and lost it's satellite reception. It was when I our small group of just 29 competitors began moving and I passed over the start mats that I realized it and started it all over again. It found reception faster than I thought it would, and it didn't seem to take too long, but I have no idea how much I 'really' missed distance wise.

  • My watch showed I ran 1.75 miles in 18:46 minutes with an average pace of 10:42 which is FAST for me at this time. I was running much faster 6 months ago. It will come back.
  • The official race info says I ran 2.0 miles in 19:02 minutes with an average pace of 9:31. NEVER have I even run two miles at 9:31. Not even at my fittest last year so I am guessing the race distance was off a bit.
  • Combining the info of my watch with the time recorded, the first leg was only 1.77 miles long
Note - These people ran FAST! I had imagined the participants were going to be similar to those in your local 5k and 10k runs. They were NOT. These people were fit and fierce. Even though I ran my fastest in a long time, I was 4th from last place in this leg. Not used to being so close to the bottom.

Here they all are pulling away from me! 



TRANSITION ONE - 1 minute 56 seconds: I ran in and found my bike easily. I took my time and drank some water, put on my helmet, then walked my bike out to the area for mounting.  


BIKE RIDE OF "18.5" MILES - 49 minutes and 2 seconds:  

This was my favorite part of the race and it was with all the Duathlon AND Triathlon participants simultaneously. The adjustments I made to my seat helped SO much. Other thoughts:

  • Garmin says this was 18.3 miles - pace = 15.05 miles per hour
  • There was a headwind for the longest straight part of the ride. 
  • I couldn't get my water bottle to work with one hand so I went without fluids for that entire 49 minutes.
  • At one point I realized I wasn't wearing my bike gloves and remembered I had stuffed them under my seat. I had to stop, step off my bike and (fortunately!) found them. 
  • I DID notice I was passing people up. THAT was interesting. Yes, I was being passed by a lot of people but I was actually passing people. I went from being the bottom 14% in the running leg, to the bottom 27% in the bike leg.  One younger woman who I had followed out and passed the last 5 miles told me I was "really strong" on my bike. I let her know she was "really strong" when she ran passed me later. lol
  • OH!!! I have to mention how AWESOME the participants were. I can't believe how many people were smiling at each other and encouraging others as we passed on our out-n-backs. Impressive! I of course gave out as many smiles and kudos as I could, too.
This is me coming at the camera. 
I noticed most others got angle shots. I hope I didn't scare him.



My proudest part of this leg was that other than when I stopped to look under my seat, my legs kept pumping hard the entire time. I didn't know I had that in me.

TRANSITION TWO - 2 minutes 13 seconds : When I stepped off my bike it felt like a muscle of tendon in my left butt cheek got pulled pretty hard and I cried out. Immediately an attendant rushed and asked if I was okay. I said yes, I was just really tight and would walk it off. The next attendant to see me asked if I was okay - coloring bad. Explained really thirsty (as I was downing my potassium drink). I took my time. No rush. Put my bike up. Took off the helmet. Ate some banana chips. Grabbed my water and WALKED to the start pads....took a deep breath and said, "Let's do it!" and ran out.

FINAL RUN - "3.1" MILES - 35:24 :  

My legs felt like lead and my feet felt like they were sinking into quicksand. People began passing me again. How on earth do they SPRINT after a ride like that? Then I looked at my watch and I was still running faster than my normal speeds. HOW?! Where did THAT come from?  Official leg pace: 11:23 

No headphones or ear buds were allowed....I had my player in my arm band speaker side up playing loud enough to hear it. It really helped. But....why was there so many others with ear buds???? Hmmmm.

I felt exhausted and like this 5K would never ever end. When I got to a water table I had hoped it was the turn around. Nope. Grabbed a Gu and kept going. I was tempted to walk (like so many in front of me) but I got into a zone where I wanted to go until I couldn't. So I slowed a bit instead.

My heart rate was getting too high coming up the last hill/curve to the finish line. A young woman yelled, "This is it! Push! PUSH!!" so I sprinted.

Can you tell I was really happy to be going through that arch?




My heart rate got to 183 for a few moments but dropped like a rock after and I didn't feel ill or dizzy. I felt pretty good considering.


HOW I DID COMPARATIVELY

2 mile Run results = at the 14% line of all 29 persons in the two mile run.
Bike results = at the 27% line of all 178 females for the bike leg.
5K results = at the 22% line of all 178 females for the 5K leg.

This is me immediately after finishing.


This is me as soon as I got home, posing with my bike in a dry hat. 
My running visor above was SOAKED


Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Running Off Kilter

Working for the railroad is challenging on your running schedule. VERY challenging. The hours are CRAZY and long. Plus as a student, I am studying a lot between my 5 to 6 trips a week.  But mostly, it is the screwy hours that are causing my running problems.


  • I am working more hours each week than I was before
  • I am away from home during my off hours several days a week
  • I am sleeping through daylight hours more than ever before
The good news about the job is:
  • I am walking far more than before
  • I am walking stairs more than before
  • My upper body is getting fitter with railroading (lifting, climbing, etc)
My few daylight hours off are dedicated to spending time with my husband (because we rarely have the same hours off now!); getting my uniforms washed, dry cleaned and ironed; doing normal laundry; cleaning; shopping; chores; pets; recuperating from the hours; and the few hours for just ME seem to be now those minutes in bed when I read before going to sleep, or when I can actually take time in a hot shower. 

My runs now average between 3 to 5 miles each and are HARD. I actually pray for red lights at intersections now!!! That is HORRID. I used to pray for greens so my runs wouldn't be interrupted. Also, now even the slightest variations in the level of the route feels like mountains and on one route (on a work layover in Spokane) I often have to stop after these little hills to get my heart rate back down. Of course, the summer heat isn't helping either. Those high heart rates are also a part of hydration issues. I do bring water now on every run, no matter how short and it helps.

I am not hydrating like I used to.

HYDRATION IS IMPORTANT!!! 

But, when you are working on a train and are not given any actual "breaks", you have to take what you can (sometimes in just a spare minute or two) and you don't want to have to pee during those long hours. In fact, what most people don't realize is that a conductor is CONSTANTLY working - even on the 10 hour runs. You are not only loading and unloading passengers and baggage, you are walking the train, assisting people, listening to the radio, watching mileposts and communicating to the engineer. If you miss a transmission or mile marker, very bad things could happen. Things that could result in deaths at worst, or your being fired, or just making for issues you don't need.

Today, it frustrated me to feel so miserable running just 3 miles. I then ran/walked an additional mile. 

I have a DUATHLON coming up just NEXT month. I fear that I will be in last place, as I am NOT fit enough to do this without walking or stopping on the jogging portions (let alone adding a 12,5 mile bike ride between the two 5K's). But, I AM GOING TO DO IT. Even if I have to crawl. :)


Monday, May 13, 2013

HUGE HUGE CHANGES!!!

My race plans for the year were tossed out the window. It was painful, but....I was offered a job to be a railroad conductor. A job I have dreamed about since I was a very young child. I couldn't turn it down.

There was 8 weeks of classes in a town in north Delaware. The homework was CRAZY and I literally studied most weekdays from 6am until maybe 9pm (including class time). I tried to squeeze in 6 to 9 miles a week. It was a challenge to do so. I am still running just 6 to 9 miles a week with the training schedule here.

It was lonely running those 8 weeks in Delaware. The trail near the hotel was asphalt and wrapped around a small lake. In my 8 weeks there, I saw maybe 4 others running it. TOTAL. No repeats. Also, no cyclists other than one I met at a intersection. She was on her way to work at Performance Bikes and explained the area there isn't very fit conscious. People who buy bikes typically buy cruisers for the shore areas.

My first day back at home (May 4th) I went and ran 3 miles on my favorite trail here. There was more runners at the Padden/Andressen intersection in ONE signal, than I saw in my 8 weeks back east. Lots of waves and smiles from runners, walkers and cyclists. It was so good to be home.

My job is amazing. Hard, but amazing.  Unfortunately, I work weekend mornings now. 


They don't offer many races on weekdays. 


I did get told I could have a weekend off in the next few months so I chose a Duathlon weekend in July. I hope I will be ready for it. You see, I am now a 5K runner all over again. I lost a lot of cardio fitness, although my legs and hips are stronger than ever.

Trust me - walking the full length of a moving and rocking two level train throughout 7 plus hours builds strength!

Next weekend I am going to a one time temporary two week training schedule that will KILL my running times. I will be in Seattle working 6pm - 6 am shifts. Knowing me, running after that shift won't be likely. :(

Good news is some bad news. I might be furloughed (temporarily laid off) around the first week of July through mid August. That would be ideal for my duathlon training and to regain my fitness. It will just really hurt the purse strings.

Still, it is all worth it. :)


Monday, January 7, 2013

1st race of 2013 - Woohoo!

It is a little 5K in Battle Ground, Washington put on by Get Bold Events, appropriately named the RESOLUTION RUN.

Weather was PERFECT for me since I always run hot - 38 degrees and dry. Overcast. No fog.  In fact, I was stripped down to just this thin T-shirt and carried my vest as other finished in the layers they started in. I can't do that. I get too hot. Must be all that extra insulation I have that they don't have.

I took 5 minutes and 15 seconds off my time from last years race!!! 

That made me very happy.

Funny, as I was only 4th place in my age group (50-54) of 13 women and it wasn't my fastest 5K pace to date. But, compared to this time last year, that is a HUGE difference and I am very proud.







DISTANCE: 3.09 miles
TIME: 32:47 minutes.
PACE: 10:35 minutes per mile
WEIGHT: 166.8 (yes, I gained 8 since October)



Saturday, January 5, 2013

26.2 Ways You Know You Are A Runner

For all those people who know the true meaning of the number 26.2

1. You know how many miles there are in a marathon.
...
2. Your weekly mileage is how much you run, not your commute to work.

3. You know how many miles you get out of a pair of running shoes.

4. You can convert Kilometers to Miles in your head.

5. You measure your running route in your car to get the exact mileage.

6. When someone tells you their age, you automatically know their Boston qualifying time.

7. You know Grandma's as the route from Two Harbors to Duluth, not the person.

8. You can drink, blow your nose and pee on the run.

9. The problem with the treadmill is there's no place to spit.

10. You have less than ten toenails and that's normal for you.

11. Body Glide is your friend. (IMPORTANT for Clydesdale's!!)

12. Ibuprofen is affectionately known as "Vitamin I". 

13. Navigating walkers, dogs and baby strollers annoys you because it interrupts your pace.

14. When you participate in an organized event, you know not to run in your race t-shirt.

15. You have a favorite energy gel and flavor.

16. The "Picasso" above your fireplace is last year's TCM poster.

17. You have pre and post race rituals.

18. The journal you keep is in miles and pace not feelings or thoughts.

19. When you look at the weather conditions, you calculate how many layers to wear.

20. The pride you feel after a good run is worth the pain it took to get there.

21. You have more t-shirts than you could possibly wear.

22. When you hear the word "bib", you think of race numbers not babies and Gerber food.

23. The "no carbohydrate diet" does not apply to you.

24. You know that Fartlek is not vulgar terminology.

25. A hill is an opportunity just waiting to be challenged.

26. You know the phrase "you're almost there" only applies when the finish line is in sight.

.2 Your vacation destination is determined by your race schedule.

"...a marathon is twenty miles of hope, six miles of truth...."

anonymous??

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Year!

2012 was fun and I did a lot of things I never thought possible. Trying to come up with a practical list of goals and hopes for 2013 wasn't easy.

Here they are: My 2013 Goals and Hopes

Note that I added not one but THREE half marathons for next year and added not just my first, but my first and second Duathlon's.

Why three half marathons? 
I am doing it for the shirt!


Other goals this year are to run about the same miles as this year, but to add 500 miles of cycling. I was told that cycling will help me with my hip strength and alignment. Things I need to combat my knee issues.

If all goes as planned, I will be adding another tattoo next year, after I finish my first Duathlon.  I might just add to the existing one. I might add a new one altogether. We'll see. First, I must finish one. The one in April looks very daunting and I truly fear I bit off more than I can realistically chew.

Albeit I am daunted by starting over, 
I am excited with this clean slate that is 2013.