12/14/2008

I really wish that I could have gotten a picture of the wind today. It was gusting up into the 40+ mph range. The sand and dirt that were blowing would have given you a facial that Joan Rivers would be proud of! Anyway, Aubrey and I figured we would wait until the wind laid just a little. So around 5pm or so we headed out to 1585 and the wind was still about 20mph. But it wasn't too cold........yet. We planned on doing the same thing as yesterday by parking our cars 5 miles apart and then just running with the wind at our backs. However, my Xterra's battery cable had other ideas. It just didn't want to start once we got our there so we just called off the run for tonight. Also, about the same time, the cold front from up north blew in and we felt the temperature drop about 20 degrees while we were working on the car. We'll see what we can do tomorrow after I put in a new battery cable.

12/13/2008 Whoo Hoo

Ok, so Aubrey joined me this afternoon and we ran a fantastic 5 miles out on 1585. The wind was pretty outrageous so we parked his car at the first mile and then ran east to my car 5 miles down the road with the wind at our backs. It was really nice! My legs felt really good and so did everything else. I was actually able to kick it up for the last 200 yards to a 5:03 pace! Anyway, we are heading back out tomorrow for a little longer run for me and then Aubrey will catch on to the back side of my run. Hopefully 8 or 10 miles will happen for me. I'll let ya know. Hopefully I've beaten the African Sleeping Sickness! We shall see!

12/12/2008 Lazy Man Sittin!

I've had the last two days off................and haven't done shit but sleep! I've been completely exhausted! I'm wondering if we've had an outbreak of African Sleeping Sickness here in Lubbock!?!? Today marks the one week point since I've run. Last Friday I ran the 10 miler and then I went back to work. It's been really busy and I guess it's just worn me out! I am sitting here trying to kind of force myself out the door for a few miles before work tonight but it just ain't happening. I am just going to put it down to a "well deserved break" and not sweat it. I have Bandera coming up in a month!! I think that my base is good enough to handle any mileage jumps I may have to make in the next couple of weeks, which is good, because I am going to HAVE to make those mileage jumps. Aubrey says that he wants to run tomorrow so that will be a good motivator. He can meet me for the back half of my run, that way I can go longer. Anyway, the plan is to get back into it tomorrow! I have 6 days off after tonight so it should be doable. Now if I can just get over this damn guilt!

12/9/2008 Zach's Big Band Concert

Tonight is Zach's first band concert. Obviously it will be Christmas music that is played, among other things. He's in the 6th grade and it's his first year in band. He's a percussionist and he's actually pretty good. I don't get to go to the damn thing cuz I gotta work ,which sucks big-time!! Kelli is going to video it for me so I WILL actually get to see it in some form or fashion. Sometimes I really hate working!

12/8/2008 Rainy days and Mondays

Rainy days and Monday always get me down! That's actually a bunch of bullshit but I liked the song growing up. LOL It definitely is Monday today and it definitely IS raining but I be feelin ok. No running today simply because I'm tired from working last night. It was busy again, as usual. I thought I would get up a little earlier this afternoon and plod out a few miles but with the rain I am going to have to pick the kids up at school. They don't have far to walk but Zach has percussion equipment and I don't want it to get wet. Costs too much! Aubrey and I will try again in the am to see if we can get out there but Mondays are usually hell at work so I will have to play it by ear. Bandera's not too far away so I need to get some good runs in.

12/5/2008

Well, Christmas is just around the corner so I am trying to get as many runs in as I can before the holidays take their usual toll. I always try to keep running but sometimes the snacks and goodies get a little too enticing! Today's run was fantastic! I ran a nice, simple 10 miler with my Ipod out on 1585. The temperature was pretty cold but I made short work of that with my North Face pullover. I love that damn thing! So glad it was on sale that day. haha Anyway, I seem to have completely recovered from the leg "thing." I just keep using the roller and it seems to keep my troubles at bay. I am going to start strength training the legs big time and hitting the hills out at the lake. I think some hill repeats would do my legs some good.

12/4/2008

MAN, IT'S CHILLY OUT THERE!! About 39 degrees minus some for wind chill. I bundled up (cuz I'm a puss when it comes to cold) and headed out to 1585. I had originally planned to just put in about 4 miles again and ended up running 6 instead. I just felt pretty good so I kept going. I hit the foam roller before AND after my run and my ITB's are feeling ok. I plan on getting out a little earlier tomorrow and running but I'm not sure what kind of mileage I am going to put in. I guess I'll figure it out while I'm out there.

Okay, so Kelli and I want to go tomorrow night and see the movie, Twilight! We've been wanting to go since it came out but haven't had the time. If you haven't read the books, you need to! They're really amazing. They are actually written for older teens and younger adults but Kelli and I both have read the entire series and thoroughly enjoyed them.

12/01/2008

I got the 4 miles in this morning. The weather is better than yesterday, that's for sure. It is, however, still freaking cold. It's about 25 with the wind chill which made for a very brisk run. This was only the second run for Aubrey in a month so he is just now getting back into it. Depending on how work goes tonight we'll put in some more miles in the morning. I still need to figure out what my next race will be. I think I am going to take December off and start looking at January for my next one. Maybe Ghost Town 38.5 in January and then Rocky in February. Are there any other good races out there in January?? If you guys have any ideas, let me know!

11/30/2008

So.........I don't mind running in the cold and I don't mind running in the rain. I do, however, mind running in the cold AND the rain. I planned on putting in a few miles this am with Aubrey but by the time he got to the house there was a pretty steady rain coming down.........and it was 39 degrees. Hell no! I've got to make a quick road trip to pick up the kids from my parents and if the weather is better when I get home I'll run but I may have to wait til tomorrow am.

11/27/2008 Happy Thanksgiving/Turkey Trot

Race time was 0900 this morning. It was absolutely gorgeous outside, about 45 degrees with no wind. There was a SHITLOAD of people out there! I love how no one really runs at all during the year but then the whole family comes out to run the Turkey Trot. Weird! Oh, well. Anyway, I actually felt pretty good out there today. I ran the 12K or 7.5 miles, whichever way you want to look at it. I really didn't have any issues with pain at all. I got kind of tired towards the end of it but I expected that. Overall, I kept an 8:50 pace so not too terribly fast but once again, that's not what I am out there for. I ran with a friend from work, a little bitty pharmacist named Kimberli, for the first 3 miles of the race and then she left my ass in the dust when I stopped for a drink at an aid station. She is going to run Whiterock in Dallas on 12/14 and is totally stoked. It will be her first marathon. Her longest run so far is 11 miles and man, can she run. I wish her the best of luck and I know that she'll have a phenomenal time there. Whiterock is a fantastic race with all the bells and whistles. Anyway, everyone have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! Peace!

11/23/2008 Madeleine Diva

Not sure if I'm going to run today. I have been advised that maybe some rest will do me good and I tend to agree. On a lighter note, we have a new family friend. We picked her up yesterday afternoon late. Her name is Madeleine Diva, she's a dachshund puppy born on 9/24/2008. Cute as hell! Enjoy the video!

11/22/2008

After a nice breakfast of homemade French Toast, Lite Syrup, and Turkey sausage I headed out to 1585. Before I went out though I made sure to hammer my ITB's with the roller. It didn't help too much. ha The lateral aspect of my right knee, which is the insertion point of the ITB, was pretty sore after about 2.5 miles and I had to take it pretty easy the last mile and a half. All in all it was a good 4 mile run but I wished I could have gone farther. It is absolutely gorgeous outside too which didn't make going home any easier. Anyway, obviously, I have more work to do on the ol' IT bands. That which does not kill us, makes us stronger. Toes felt good though. haha

11/21/2008

Alllllllllrighty then. The toes are almost back to being pain free but the nails have yet to fall off. I am ready for that. I wish I could go and have them fixed so they never grow back again. They just get in the way anyway. ha Ok, so my legs have been back to normal for the last 3 days or so which is fantastic and more than I could have hoped for considering how they felt during my last loop of the race and the next day. I am rolling them out at least twice a day so I guess that's what's helping the most. I plan on a nice little recovery run tomorrow, not sure how long yet. Also I signed up for the 12K at the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. I'll keep ya posted.

11/18/2008 Getting better...........physically.

Ok, so this morning I got up and there was pus under two of my toenails on my left foot and then both of my big toenails had large amounts of serous fluid under them. So I used an 18g needle to make short work of all the problem areas. They definitely don't have the pressure under them that they did have! My shoes are extremely comfortable so I don't know exactly what caused this major nail issue but oh, well. I will survive. So still trying to figure out exactly what happened at the race for me not to finish other than the fact of being a big wuss. I really don't think of myself as a wuss but I really do wonder what would have happened if I had actually gone back out on the course with my legs, ankle, and foot feeling the way they did. Would they have perked up and felt better or have disintegrated even further?? I will never know. I guess I am upset that I didn't summon the gumption to find out. That won't happen again.

WTF!! Ork feet!!

If there is ever any question as to how nasty runners can be..........just check these bad boys out!! SEXY!!!

Let's start this off by saying, first and foremost, that I had a wonderful time. Both running in beautiful country and also getting to meet so many good friends. Aubrey and I headed out on Friday morning around 0200 and drove to Arizona in my Xterra. It took us about 11 hours and 15 minutes. Not too bad. We actually got there early enough that we got to set up our tent right beside the headquarters. I was able to pick up my packet around 5pm and I was really pleased with the bag o' stuff. I got a really nice tech shirt from North Face and a set of black fleece Moeben sleeves, plus lots of other cool stuff. The pasta dinner hit the spot too and I got to meet a bunch of other runners which is always fun. I finally got to meet Tony of irunultras.com, one of my friends from the blogging world. It was really nice to meet him in person finally. Congrats on your finish, Tony, you are one tough mofo!
So anyway, Aubrey and I headed to bed pretty early that evening and slept really well. I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed by 0400 and they had coffee for us to drink too, which was straight from the gods! After slamming a couple of Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme pies and washing it down with coffee, I was ready to go. The race started at 0600. We were pre-warned to not go out too fast on the first loop. So I didn't............I thought. I really felt great going out, enjoying the company of the different people on the course and just stretching out my legs in such gorgeous terrain. I loved the saguaros! They were really cool! Anyway, I made it around the 15.3 mile loop in 2:59. I grabbed a chocolate Boost and refilled my hand bottle and took off again. On the second loop I was able to catch up with Tony and his gang. We played leap frog for awhile and then I finally pulled ahead and would stay that way until the 4th loop. Also on the second loop I caught up with a fellow nurse from San Diego. Her name was Chris and we got to gabbing since we were running pretty much the same pace at that time. She got to talking about her friend that was running up ahead and we figured out that her friend was Jill, the gal that I ran with quite a bit at Rocky Raccoon. I caught up to her and we enjoyed catching up on our races and such. So on and on I went, finishing the second loop in around 3:09. Another Boost and a bottle refill and I was off again. I also stopped at the aid station and grabbed a couple of bean roll-ups. I really did a good job of fueling I think. I used the new GU Roctane as my primary fuel source and really liked them. I also changed clothes before I took off which seemed to help revitalize me a little. The third loop was fairly uneventful. I did run into a baby tarantula and thought he was pretty cool. Some other runners said that they had seen a rattlesnake and a coyote. I think I would rather deal with the baby tarantula. ha Anyway, at the end of the third loop I still felt pretty good, finishing it in about 3:40 or so. I was getting excited about finishing the 4th loop so I could have Aubrey out on the course with me as my pacer. It gets pretty lonely out there after awhile. About a third of the way into the 4th loop it started getting dark so I turned on my headlamp and listened to my Ipod for the first time during the race. This, however, is the loop where "it all went to hell in a handbasket" for me. I wish I could figure out what happened. I felt really good going into it but about halfway through the lap my right ITB just absolutely seized up on me. It was really, really tight. Then my left one started up. I really don't know what happened. My legs were absolutely gone. Even my right Achille's was starting to freak out. I was able to continue walking at a decent pace but it hurt like freaking HELL. The only thing I could think about was getting back to headquarters and using the foam roller on my ITB's and getting some Advil into me and see if that would help. The people that I had passed quite a bit earlier were catching up and passing me. That never really bothers me in a race cuz I ain't in it to win but it was really disheartening because it let me know that I wasn't moving very well. Tony caught up to me and we talked for a minute and then he was gone again, looking strong. He had had some heat issues earlier on but after the sun went down he was all over it. Anyway, I plodded along and eventually made it back to the headquarters. Aubrey and I talked about my predicament and decided that rather than really risk serious injury, I would call it quits and take the 100K buckle. Not at all how I planned it and I'm still not sure what I would have done if they wouldn't have had the 100K buckle option. This was my first stab at this distance and I decided out on the course that 100 miles is "a long fucking way to run!" I will definitely give it another whirl in the near future though. I have so many mixed emotions about the decision that I made too. I had so many friends really encouraging me to continue on and wanting to see me do well that it really made dropping at 100K difficult. However, considering how fucked up my feet are right now, I think I made the right decision. My feet are swollen double and my toes look like vienna sausages. I am fixing to lose about 8 toenails too. My ITB's don't feel too horribly bad today but are definitely fatigued. I will take about a week off and then pick it back up again.

For anyone wanting to consider Javelina as a race for 2009 I can highly recommend it. The aid stations and volunteers were top notch! The course is gorgeous and not too terribly tough. Make sure to do your heat training though. The heat wasn't really a factor for me, it felt just like home.

Ok, so, my plans for my next attempt at a hundred miler (don't know which one yet).
1. I guess go out slower. I thought I did but I guess it was just a little too fast.
2. I am going to start doing lots of strength training for my legs. I'm really tired of my fucking ITB's going crazy on me.
3. Continue to fuel and drink appropriately. This was one of my strongest points during Javelina. No stomach upset or bonking, energy-wise, at all!
4. If you have any other ideas of what I could do.....LET ME KNOW!!!

11/10/2008

Man, this month is really slipping by. Craziness!! I got up early this morning and helped get the kids off to school then hit the road for an easy 6 miles. The weather was perfect and my legs felt great. I thought about going further but decided it wouldn't be beneficial OR detrimental so I just packed it in at 6. I may or may not run in the morning, depending on how my night at work goes. I work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights and then off for 5 nights. Ready to rock and roll in Arizona!

11/8/2008 Buffalo Wallow

A 9am start brought cooler temperatures but it warmed up pretty quickly. A little too quickly actually. I wore a North Face pullover and a pair of CW-X tights and it was too much. Oh, well. Overall it was a good run. I finished in 2:09 so not the fastest but that's not what I was out there for. Just getting some more miles under the ol' belt before Javelina next Saturday. The hills, as usual, were pretty intense so I walked most of the long uphills. It's so hard to incorporate a walk/run with everyone around you "racing" to the finish. You can easily get caught up in the throng and take off way too quickly. I did well, I think, hanging back and taking my time. I'm not sure what kind of mileage I am going to put in tomorrow but I don't think it needs to be very far. I am really going to hit the foam roller this week too so I am nice and "kneaded" for next weekend. Anyway, more later. Ciao!

11/7/2008

I got off my ass this morning and Aubrey and I ran a nice little fast-paced 5 miles. I felt great, the weather was absolutely gorgeous. It was only about 30 degrees but no wind. Tomorrow morning is the Buffalo Wallow out at the lake. A very hilly half marathon. I believe it's touted as the "Most Challenging Half In The State!" Not sure how they qualify that but oh, well. It definitely IS a tough course. Some of the hills that we will be running on are part of the bike course and running course of the Buffalo Springs Lake Ironman 70.3. Should be a nice run though. I'll let ya know.

11/3/2008

Another 6 miles covered this morning after work. Probably 8 tomorrow morning if I have a good night at work. The Buffalo Wallow is this weekend out at Buffalo Springs Lake. It's a half marathon with the West Texas Running Club and it's a really nice hilly run so I definitely plan on doing it. I think that will be the longest run I will go for at this point in time. I am totally stoked about Javelina coming up. Aubrey will be going with me and both crew and pace me later in the race. Should be some kinda fun! The race director has created a blog to keep everyone updated which is VERY cool! The site is javelinajundred.blogspot.com. Check it out.