SORE!

WOW, I feel like I have been in a long fight and lost!  I have never been this sore or tired after a race, not even Chicago.  Yesterday was so bad that after hobbling around the grocery store and eating lunch, I took a nap.  For those of you who know me, I have to be in BAD shape to take a nap mid day with it being gorgeous weather outside (50s in december, YES YES YES).  I even popped a few advil as well, and even that didn't touch the pain.  I am not sore like injury sore,  more just I used every muscle in my body for 10 miles sore.  My hubby at one point yesterday looked over at me hobbling around and wincing and asked, why do you do this to your self ? He is an on again off again runner, but never has raced, so he truly doesn't  understand.  Even though I am in pain, I am still smiling about how much fun that run was and planning on my next one.

The worst part probably? My toes.  Gross picture alert!  Don't scroll down if you don't want to see some gross toe photos!  You have been warned!



The first pic is from that day.  I had these huge blood blisters on both big toes from my feet getting wet and then rubbing for about 9 more miles.  The second pic is from last night.  I tried popping them and nothing came out, so I gave up. I don't see any running happening for a few days till these get better. I am talking with my trail nerd friends to figure out how to not have this happen again as they were pretty painful.  Any advice is welcome!  I plan on doing more of these runs for sure and would like less pain this next time if I can avoid it! I don't have issues with blisters or calluses during road races unless it is marathon or raining.

I have also had many questions about how I run with stella on those trails.  I noticed that in several of the pics of other canine pacers/runners that the dogs were loose. I was not comfortable enough to do that on my first race. I did NOT want her to be the cause of someone having a bad race.  Her being loose would be ideal, honestly.  Then her position wouldn't be hard for me to deal with at all.  She always pulls the first few miles of any race, and as with any race, even though I have her on a hands free leash, I ALWAYS pull her close till she calms down. I don't want anyone to hate me because of my dog.  As the race spreads out and I can comfortably let her go to her natural in front of me position, I will.  I sometimes leave races with her with horrible shoulder issues, because of those first few miles.  My right shoulder is pretty sore as I type this, but it was all worth it.  The biggest problem I had with this race was the fact that she wanted to go balls to the wall down EVERY hill, and I am a downhill running wuss. I have this big fear of falling down a hill and not stopping till I  have broken every bone.  She does not understand that mommy wants to go slow and even walk most of the time.  The few times there were no runners around, i did let her go so she could just go at her own pace and then leashed her back up at the bottom of the hill.  Otherwise, I have to just hold her close and verbal tell her to hold up.  Now going up hill, she is AMAZING!  She just puts all her weight into her harness and pulls me up.  Of course I am not letting her drag me, I am doing my part, but that extra pull up sure does help.  Plus, just having her there, even if I am having to manage her, is a big mental bonus.  If I were out on that trail without any music or podcasts, by myself as I was for the last few miles, I would have come unraveled and probably given up.  Plus, when we got to the really deep mud, she really pulled me through and out of it.  Then I would just laugh at how ridiculous we both looked covered in mud with big smiles on our faces.  Just as i smiled the whole race, so did she.  She appeared to LOVE every minute of it.  She LOVES running and I can't wait to do another one with her.  

Okay off to drink more water and take more advil :)  Happy monday y'all!

Alternative Chili Trail Run 10 miler 2015- My first Trail nerds race

I had always heard of the Trail Nerd's races, but they are all in KC, and let's face it,  I am not a trail runner.  Based on my performance and the aftermath of my first sort of technical, but mostly just hilly 25 K, I had kind of sworn off trail running.  We don't train much on trails around here anyway, since we have to drive to the few we have, and Konza doesn't allow dogs (and for a good reason).  I would love to do more trails just to get a change of scenery, but I will admit, I am just lazy when it comes to going somewhere to run.  Heck, my whole marathon training cycle was done on the same gravel roads out by our house.

Enter my crazy trail running and obstacle course chasing running friends Pat and Mel.  They had done a trail nerds race and LOVED it.  I didn't have anything for December, and there was a 10 miler that just fit perfectly with my long runs that they were both doing.  I was a little worried because my training had been pretty low key up till this point.  I haven't done any hill repeats, and my long run/easy run route has 0 hills.  Plus, you throw in the word "technical" and I get a might bit nervous.  Being a good running friend though, I signed up, mainly because this group allows canine pacers at the races, but also who can beat beer and chili post race with two of my favorite crazy running friends?

My training or lack of has been pretty good as far as I had slowly been leading up to 10 miles.  I was feeling good after a speedy fartlek session monday, well,until I got the email from the race director which contained the following sentence:

• At mile 6 or so, after a long down-hill along a ridgeline, there will be 2 signs that'll say SLOWER-DANGER.  You need to heed this warning,  especially if you are a faster runner; it gets extremely steep and rocky here before a tight-right-turn…and we’ve had some broken bones at this location, in past races.
• 

Uh, broken bones? Whoa, wait a minute!  Then I started watching the chatter on the Trail nerd's FB page about the mud and how bad it was in places.  Hmmm.  What have I gotten myself into?  After a mini panic attack and a virtual snap out of it by Mel, I finally calmed down and thought to myself, this is going to be fun, just go with it.  How bad can it be with stella ella by my side?  I have NO goals other than to maybe not have broken bones and finish with a smile.

I swear, we didn't plan on dressing alike, honestly

The morning started early with a 5:30 am wake up to get ready to drive to KC.  We had an hour and a half drive to get to the trail head and pick up our packets.  I had NO clue how to dress, so since it was feels like 27 when we got there, I went with gloves, a long sleeved tech T, tights, a hat and ear warmers.  I also still felt cold due to the wind blowing, so I put my arm warmers on under my shirt.  I don't know why, but it did help me stay warm till my body made it's own heat.  I am sad to say I lost one of my gloves on the trail, but when I warmed up, I tied my warm warmers on my waist band for stella's leash and shoved my ear warmer band in my pack.  I decided to go with my hydration vest, and one pack of cliffshots just in case.  I opted for one 10 oz bottle of Nuun water, so I could put stella's new collapsible water bowl in the other pocket.  I am sure those trail runners thought I looked like a pack mule.   Most of them were in shorts and long sleeved Ts, and not much else.  I wish I could be that confident that I would stay warm!

Now let me start by saying this was our first truly technical trail that included mostly single track trail, with a few larger grassy sections.  We had tons of rain last weekend up until monday, so I amazed they were dry at all.  Mostly, they were leaf covering mud, rocks and sticks.  There were some very steep hills, some very tricky down hills, and some very fun switch backs.  This first pic was from the start of the race.  You can see all of the rocks poking out of the leaves.  Sometimes I would forget about them, and totally biff it.  I can't tell you how many times I almost fell.  I learned a lot about picking up my feet.  I also learned about mud and water crossings.  I will for sure be getting better trail shoes for the next one.  After my feet got wet from the first crossing, my shoes and socks started to rub and my feet became bloody blister minefields that pretty much hurt the entire race.  It's amazing how you can just push the pain to another place and keep going.  

I learned so much on this run.  We had fun.  We almost fell multiple times.  We got mud all over and almost lost shoes. I pretty much smiled the entire race, and when I got done, I couldn't wait to sign up for another one!  At some points I couldn't believe i was doing the things I was doing.  Like one time, the trail was straight up, or so it seemed, and muddy.  Like super slick muddy.  I was able to hold onto stella's harness and she went up ahead of me.  We did that several times, her slowing down to steady me. Or when we had to use ropes to make it up the steep trail.  Or when we ran along a ridge line that went straight down if you stepped off of the trail (I couldn't look down, I am afraid of heights).  I got to talk with several people on the trail who were SUPER nice. Honestly, I  have never met such nice people at a race or at any event.  They gave me tips for my next one, complimented me on how I did (I came in 143 out of 153 but they didn't seem to care, I finished and that was good enough) and told me about upcoming races that Stella and I needed to do.  I stayed with a couple for the majority of the race, until the end when they stopped to fuel (i had fueled at mile 5), and we talked the whole time.  I was really worried about getting lost, but the trail nerd crew had that trail marked SO well that I finally got the courage to go on by myself and never got lost:)

We both ended up covered in mud, with medals, a cool calendar, a collapsible water bowl, and a trail nerd's hat.  More than that, we got a ton of confidence that we can both do hard things, and that we can master some pretty technical trails.  We also got a cool 10 mile sticker and a Trail nerd's sticker that have been proudly displayed on Sir Stubby, since the weather was warm when we got home.  I feel like i have been in a fight as my right hip is killing me, even after soaking in the whirlpool tub tonight.  I seriously feel just as sore as I did post Chicago.  Tomorrow should be interesting, and I anticipate having to take a few days off of training to rest and recover.  I honestly can't wait to do another one of these races.  You can't beat the nice people and swag and FREE race pictures.  

Have a great weekend and check out a Trail Nerd's race if you are in the KC area!

In the holiday spirit and bad weather time

Now that Thanksgiving is over I can officially be in the Christmas spirit! Pandora radio is blaring Christmas tunes, and the decorations are up!  Something about having a little one around that is so excited for Christmas just gets you in the mood.  He is super excited for Santa this year. and so are we.  We have been watching every Christmas movie on tv including Polar Express and the old Rudolph the Red nosed reindeer.  We even got the tree up and decorated the day after Thanksgiving.  Yeah us!

Let me go back to Thanksgiving, real quick, because as always, my hubby was an amazing chef.  We tried brining the turkey, a tradition we will forever do from now on.  I hate turkey and this was the most succulent and tender meat I have ever had!

He even went all out and made two home made pies complete with fresh made whipped cream.  No wonder I have gained 8 lbs recent!  I don't care, his home made food is to die for!

Glad our guests were dog lovers.  After stuffing our faces we all watched Despicable Me 2 with little red, and snoozed while the dogs snuggled and the ice pelted.

Ignore the muddy nose prints on the door and the cluttered deck.  See the ice?  I hate ice.  We had a sort of ice storm that night and throughout the rest of the weekend into monday.  Little red even got a day off of school, and me off of work, due to it downing power lines and making roads a mess.  We got lucky and only had a few power outages, nothing major.  Some were without power for the entire weekend.

I finally got a run in outside on Sunday.  I had 9 miles on the books and was NOT looking forward to milling it.  I had done almost 5 miles on friday on the mill, and had one of the worst runs ever.  Between indigestion and a toddler not wanting to leave mommy alone while she is on the mill, I just wanted nothing to do with it.  My luck happened that we got a ton of real rain.  While that meant slush and mud on our gravel long run road, it meant that the main roads we travel on to get to the gravel would be ice free.

my leg and mel's leg. You can tell that stella runs right behind me!

After 9 miles, two potty breaks and lots of mud later, I returned a very happy camper with a large load of muddy laundry to do but all in all, worth it.  Our last race of the year is this Saturday, and while I haven't really been on many trails or hills for that matter, I am so excited.  I love running races with my dog, since she trains with us, and I can't wait for the fun of one of the Trail Nerds races.  I have heard such great things about their races plus they give great swag and FREE pictures!  I will finish with a big smile on my face even if stella and I are covered in head to toe mud.  I am glad we can get outside for the rest of the week, since the weather has turned nicer and a tad bit warmer, and I look forward to some easy runs after monday's tough fartlek session (which is meant to be fun but somehow turned into work).  

The best part about running at night during Christmas time?  Seeing all of the lights!  This is the park by our house.  Our city goes all out and even has new lights this year that are so wonderful to see,  Have a great rest of the week and hope you are having a great holiday season!

Pre Thanksgiving post and photo dump

It's that time of year again!  I have been trying really, really hard not to dial up the christmas radio and just jam out.  I am getting super excited for this holiday because heck, my kiddo is super excited and thanksgiving is only tomorrow!  We have to drive around the neighborhood every night because people already have their lights up and little red LOVES lights and decorations.  The park will be lit up by the end of this week fully and he begs me every night to drive through and check.  He is getting me SO excited for the Christmas season.

This week has been so much fun thus far!  We got to drop Uncle Cayce at the airport in KC and visit the T-Rex Cafe and afterwards, walk around the Legend's mall (which is an outdoor mall space).  I was kind of worried about going to the T Rex cafe based on the yelp reviews.  I didn't see much over a 1 star review but I kept my expectations low and was pleasantly surprised.  Plus earlier this summer, andrew was a little scared by animatronics animals at the Rolling Hill's zoo in Salina, and I figured there would be many in this place.

Yeah, the place was a money suck, and yeah we had to wait to be seated even though it was empty, and yeah it took a while for our food to come out BUT, we had TONS of fun.  They have a huge gift shop with lots to look at that kept us entertained while we waited, we ordered very simple dishes that were very tasty, and our waitress was super nice and helpful.  While waiting for our food, we did the scavenger hunt and found all of things on our list, which took up most of the time we would be waiting for our food.  At the end, because of the wait for our appetizer, they took that off the bill and honestly, for the amount of food we got (including a commemorative cup with an icee), the bill wasn't bad at all.  

We even decided to do the build a bear workshop, which of course was build a dino instead of bear.  Meet Salvy, the red dino, AKA little red's best new friend.

 After dinner, we walked around and looked at the christmas decorations.  Little red had so much fun looking at the trees all lit up, and we had fun stretching our legs before another 2 hour car ride back to home from KC.  The weather has been unseasonably warm for November which helped make the walking even more enjoyable.

Then last night I had this on my plan!  Well, it was originally for monday, but since we went to KC, I switched monday to an off day, and last night to a speed work session.

I was a little worried about several things, one being my ankle, two being the wind, which was sustained at 16 mph and coming from the south.  My preferred repeat gravel road is a north south road, but we made it work.  We did our 600s into the wind and our 400 recovery after that was walked.  Then we headed back north for the 400 and 200 intervals, and ran those recoveries at a slow jog.  We ended up doing over 6 miles, and I am happy to say my ankle is only a tiny bit sore today.  I have decided to run exclusively in my Kinvaras, since I am having so much luck with them and my ankle/shin issues.   I hope this keeps up, because I just bought new ones on sale from Sacouny to keep back for when these wear out:)  I just couldn't pass up free shipping and 20% off!

I wanted to close out this post by saying what I am thankful for.  I am not sure I will be able to post tomorrow as we have company coming over and my hubby has mucho cooking to do, which means mucho keeping little red out of the kitchen for me.  It's hard to narrow it down to just a few things.  I honestly live such a blessed life and am lucky to have many family members who love me, a great hubby, great friends and the best little red headed baby and dogs.  We are thankful and blessed with good health, a roof over our heads, and  jobs that give us money to live comfortably with.  Other than a few blips here and there, this year has been exceptionally wonderful and drama free, and I am super thankful for that.  I hope this continues into 2016:)  

Have a great thanksgiving and happy turkey trotting to all of those running tomorrow!

 

Happy Birthday to me!

Happy birthday to me!  My mom put this pic on FB this morning.  I was suppose to be a christmas baby, and I ended up being a thanksgiving baby, thanks to me being born a month early.  Back then, they didn't use ultrasound regularly, and mom actually had to have an xray before I was born that determined I would be a c-section baby, since I was breech.  Note the similarities, my own son was breech:)  Guess it is genetic.
The hubby had to work today, so andrew and I slept late (wow 8:30 after going to bed before 10) and went to town and shopped.  We hit up my ever favorite Target, after a short stop at Menards for dog food, and to look at christmas stuff (andrew's fav thing right now).  We also stopped at my favorite coffee shop, so I could have some birthday coffee, and again checked out the Christmas decorations that up already.

My mom went all out and had me a whole HUGE bag of work out clothes including pants, shorts, tank tops and a couple of cute winter weather tops.  She finds the best deals, as everything was marked down and all either target brand or old navy but not at full price.  She is a shopping deal ninja!

I ordered my present from tony and andrew in advance, and it arrived just in time for me to do a quick 3 mile run last night in the dark.  I had been wanting a new head lamp, one that didn't come from home depot, so when I saw the newest one from Nathan in the latest Runner's World magazine, i was so excited.  Then I looked up the price, OUCH!  Lucky for me, they had one that was still quite amazing with most of the same functions, yet a little cheaper.  I found it on amazon at a great price, showed the hubs quickly ordered.

This pic does not do the amount of light it puts out justice.  This is an area of my running route that is VERY dark, as in no street lights and lots of trees.  You can't see your hand in front of your face on a cloudy night.  The nathan headlamp honestly lit up the entire road, and I had no issues seeing at all.  The other function that I LOVE is that you can change the brightness you need by a wave of a hand over the sensor. I also love that it will strobe when oncoming cars are headed towards you, so they can see you. I try and wear both passive and active light options, so this is a bonus for being seen.  

I can't wait to use it more next week on my nightly runs.  And now to go finish celebrating my birthday!  Hoping to have a long run tomorrow as this cold is slowly exiting and the coughing hasn't gotten any worse.  Have a great weekend everyone!

  

sickly part two

Whelp, I have a sinus infection.  Took the pharmacist's advice and got in with a dr today.  After going over my symptoms and finding fluid in my ears and some very sore sinus cavities, and declaring my lungs to be clear, the decision was made that it was an infection worthy of some antibiotics and some cough meds.  I also get a nifty steroid to inject up my nose.  I kindly said no thank you to anymore sudafed.  Last night i was up to 1 am, very anxious, not at all sleepy. I am a lover of sleep thank you, so please don't take it away from me!  I had decided, since the cough had gotten worse, to forgo my long run.  That was after much messaging back and forth to my running friends and coach.  Since my cough isn't productive, I felt like my lungs were okay, BUT until I had a professional opinion, I wanted to wait until I started running again.  I have a 10 miler coming up and I would like to think I will be in some sort of shape for that, even if I have 0 goals other than to finish with a smile on my face.

It was a busy weekend though minus the long run.   The weather, although windy, was gorgeous!  I got a short run in saturday with stella ella who has been going slowly insane.  Lots of frisbee has been played but running is what wears her down.  The hubby and I tackled lots of projects around the house, including leaf  jumping in raking.  Little red was actually helping at one time with his tiny rake that grammy got him.  The whole endeavor wore him out so much that he was asleep by 7 pm last night!

He also LOVES to vacuum up dog hair, so I let him.  Takes twice as long when he does it, but we make it a game and a chore I dread gets done.  Now if I can just figure out how to make laundry a game, I am set!

We also tackled a much needed to do project.  Little red got this train table last year from Santa.  We had left it downstairs, and over the course of the year, he lost interest in playing with it.  He still loves setting up tracks all over our bedroom, so we hypothesized that we could move it upstairs to his bedroom, thus making it new again.  We hoped  maybe he would start setting tracks up on it instead of all over our bedroom floor. So far so good!  He played with it quite a bit last night, and had fun enjoying his "new" room.

 AND, we moved his toy bin from our living room up to his room.  We are hoping if he plays in his room more that maybe he will also some day sleep there (YEAH right, who am I kidding:)

I am hoping these drugs kick in and i can feel like a human very soon.  The worst part about this has been the pressure in my sinuses.  It is so bad that I have had lots of pain in my teeth and jaw as well.  I am glad I took off work today to get looked at, and got to set  my fears aside that this was headed to my chest. I still plan on taking it super easy this week, and deciding about a long run closer till the weekend.  The weather is kind of crappy this week, high winds and lots of rain, so may be running on the dreadmill some.  

Have a great week!  Here are some pics that the Tails on the Trail people have posted on their website.  I LOVE free pics!

Getting ready to line up.  Yes i am overdressed, but forgot my short sleeved shirt.  I need dog paw compression socks!  Pro compression, make it happen!

Sled dog taking off.  The pics from all of the runners with dogs were pretty funny.  The dogs all took off like shots out of a cannon!

Getting our second place trophy and bandana.  Love the bandanas!

Cheesing for the photographer!