65 Days and A Wake Up
Alternate title being UUUGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
I die.
Time for the long run recap. This weekend the long run took place on Sunday instead of Saturday due to going to Vail Friday and Saturday.
Sidebar - Vail was fun but maybe a little too much walking before going to run twenty miles.
How about that for already making excuses?! Eh?!?!
Anyway.
Saturday night I did my usual prep work, filled my Nathan pack, grabbed a handful of Justin's Almond and Hazelnut Butters, some shot bloks, boiled some eggs for an easy breakfast...bing-bang-boom, off to bed!
My friend came and picked me up in the morning (bless her heart for only needing to run 17 miles but joining me for twenty. Bless you, I say. BLESS YOU!) We drove out to the Aurora area to pick up the Cherry Creek Trail, which thanks to my excellent navigation took us a little longer to find. Yay me! How do I survive trail races and trail running without getting lost?! NO IDEA.
So we parked at this outdoor soccer field, hit up the piddle palace, and with our empty bladders headed out on the trail! For about a mile or two! Until we had to look at the trail map on the phone because the trail kept splitting off without telling you which was way the right way! Once we pranced up and down that part of the trail trying to follow the dot on the phone, we figured it out and off we went again! I tried to be a little ambitious at first, wanting to just run. But then I remembered I'm outta shape. So I went back to my walk/run strategy of run 10 min, walk 3 min.
By Mile 5 I was already uncomfortable. The fun was starting earlier than usual. Whoop Whoop! Just kidding. It sucked though, for real. The back of my knee cap started swelling way sooner than normal (which I know, isn't normal at all...). I put all that effort into sports taping my two front knees but didn't think to do anything for the back of the knee...mostly because it usually doesn't start to bother me until I'm about 13 miles deep. I pulled to the side and decided to stretch out my hams to see if that would help...low and behold it actually worked! So note to self - stretch yo hams! All the day long!
(I'm going to give you the abbreviated version) So we (I) suffered to the turn around point at mile 10, hooped and hollered that we could finally turn around, and the wheels fell of for my partner. Me - the first half. Her - the second half. We are winners (She really is though... she is badass for real (not just saying that because she reads this (or am I? (I'm not.)))). We were touch and go there for a couple miles walking and stopping but then we decided to just get deep in the pain cave and get to the car as fast as possible.
So we're running and I'm following behind her when out of NO WHERE a snake flies out at me. He was 10 ft long, had crazy fangs, demon eyes....
Okay so he was maybe a few feet long and grey and I'm sure probably not poisonous but DAMN did he scare the crap out of me!
We continued on carefully for a little bit, and I got in front and we ran for a while longer. This time I'm jammin out to my music and in the zone when I cross this footbridge. And then a few feet away from the footbridge BAM!
I STEP. ON. A SNAKE.
This time he looked like he tried to bite me just a little bit and slithered quickly to the other side of the trail...where I launched myself after realizing what I stepped on. Gooood times.
So from then on my new goal was to haul ass to the car and get out of this snake infested land, but carefully trying to avoid running close by the grass. Which was hard because of all of the cyclists and runners/walkers out there.
Blegh, disgusting.
So we finally made it back to the car, sun burnt, wobbly, but finished.
Then I proceeded to be completely exhausted the rest of the afternoon/evening and the rest of this week so far. I did take a cold epsom salt bath to aid in speedy recovery so I can run *decently* at the marathon this weekend, so I actually feel not so bad this week physically. Little knee pain, little quad-ness. Mostly just tired as balls.
Segue - the marathon this weekend! So I haven't actually done anything active this week. Hooray me! Monday was an off day for running and I even planned on going to the gym for ab and arm work but I was so ridiculously tired that I didn't go. Yay paying for my membership since February but rarely ever going! Thanks body! Thanks 50 miler training! Thanks self for doing this to..your..self...
I'm pretty nervous about the race because of the bad memories I have from the Month of Half Marathons and the very last race in that month..the Black Squirrel. Black Squirrel is the sister race to the Blue Sky Marathon and it's on the other side of the reservoir. So, remembering the difficulty of B.S., I am definitely worried about the Blue Sky. At least the temps should be in the sweet spot with a high of 63! Jumping from 20 miles to 26? Suuuure, no problem when you've already jumped from 0 to 13 to 17 to 20. With minimal activity each week in between the long runs. FMRL (the r is for running. regular life is the bees knees).
New segue - me crying two days ago on the couch after work. Yeeeep. That happened for real. Ever been so frustrated with things than it breaks you down to tears? I put my workout gear on, even sized my jump rope ready to go do the wod when I thought about the actual movements. Lunges. Squats. Double Unders. Pain. So I pulled the plug on going. Then I sat on the couch and cried just a little.
I'm so fed up with this chunk of months. The quasi injuries keeping me from things, the training plan depleting my energy and time...withholding me from crossfit workouts for fear that I will hurt my knees more, my knees already hurt, the workout will tear up my legs and I won't be able to get good runs in, etc etc. (Before you get all up in arms about stuff, the knee problem is my fault for the way my training plan has gone.)
SO FRUSTRATED. I am ready to taper. To push myself as much as my body and mind will allow in 65 days, and put this race behind me. Get back to a normal day to day life where I can actually hang out with my boyfriend on Saturdays and Sundays without being too exhausted to function. To finally stop stressing out and feeling guilty about not going to the gym or missing a run. Or being able to make plans on a Friday night because I don't have to stress about waking up at the crack of dawn to go run 31 miles alone.
Segue!!!! (Trust me, I know I don't NEED to actually say segue when I segue...I just like doing it today. Deal with it.) So all of this complaining brings me to my 31 mile run I decided to place on October 25th. I plan on taking a vac day to knock that bad boy out so it doesn't interfere with a bachelorette party the weekend before, or the halloween party on the 26, or a wedding on Nov 1.
Someone promise to make me read this post when I decide to sign up for another one. Please. I beg you.
31 miles alone. Yowza that's going to be reeeally rough. I'm going to have to find a location and start planning out the logistics of getting this done. I just hope I can summon the mental strength I will need to keep myself going...
Welp, this ended up being pretty long (and NO pictures?! How dare I!). So if you actually hung in there through all that rambling, I say to you...go get a hobby or find something better to do than read this nonsense!
Just kidding.
Thanks for 'listening'! You're a good friend, who ever you are!
I die.
Time for the long run recap. This weekend the long run took place on Sunday instead of Saturday due to going to Vail Friday and Saturday.
Sidebar - Vail was fun but maybe a little too much walking before going to run twenty miles.
How about that for already making excuses?! Eh?!?!
Anyway.
Saturday night I did my usual prep work, filled my Nathan pack, grabbed a handful of Justin's Almond and Hazelnut Butters, some shot bloks, boiled some eggs for an easy breakfast...bing-bang-boom, off to bed!
My friend came and picked me up in the morning (bless her heart for only needing to run 17 miles but joining me for twenty. Bless you, I say. BLESS YOU!) We drove out to the Aurora area to pick up the Cherry Creek Trail, which thanks to my excellent navigation took us a little longer to find. Yay me! How do I survive trail races and trail running without getting lost?! NO IDEA.
So we parked at this outdoor soccer field, hit up the piddle palace, and with our empty bladders headed out on the trail! For about a mile or two! Until we had to look at the trail map on the phone because the trail kept splitting off without telling you which was way the right way! Once we pranced up and down that part of the trail trying to follow the dot on the phone, we figured it out and off we went again! I tried to be a little ambitious at first, wanting to just run. But then I remembered I'm outta shape. So I went back to my walk/run strategy of run 10 min, walk 3 min.
By Mile 5 I was already uncomfortable. The fun was starting earlier than usual. Whoop Whoop! Just kidding. It sucked though, for real. The back of my knee cap started swelling way sooner than normal (which I know, isn't normal at all...). I put all that effort into sports taping my two front knees but didn't think to do anything for the back of the knee...mostly because it usually doesn't start to bother me until I'm about 13 miles deep. I pulled to the side and decided to stretch out my hams to see if that would help...low and behold it actually worked! So note to self - stretch yo hams! All the day long!
(I'm going to give you the abbreviated version) So we (I) suffered to the turn around point at mile 10, hooped and hollered that we could finally turn around, and the wheels fell of for my partner. Me - the first half. Her - the second half. We are winners (She really is though... she is badass for real (not just saying that because she reads this (or am I? (I'm not.)))). We were touch and go there for a couple miles walking and stopping but then we decided to just get deep in the pain cave and get to the car as fast as possible.
So we're running and I'm following behind her when out of NO WHERE a snake flies out at me. He was 10 ft long, had crazy fangs, demon eyes....
Okay so he was maybe a few feet long and grey and I'm sure probably not poisonous but DAMN did he scare the crap out of me!
We continued on carefully for a little bit, and I got in front and we ran for a while longer. This time I'm jammin out to my music and in the zone when I cross this footbridge. And then a few feet away from the footbridge BAM!
I STEP. ON. A SNAKE.
This time he looked like he tried to bite me just a little bit and slithered quickly to the other side of the trail...where I launched myself after realizing what I stepped on. Gooood times.
So from then on my new goal was to haul ass to the car and get out of this snake infested land, but carefully trying to avoid running close by the grass. Which was hard because of all of the cyclists and runners/walkers out there.
Blegh, disgusting.
So we finally made it back to the car, sun burnt, wobbly, but finished.
Then I proceeded to be completely exhausted the rest of the afternoon/evening and the rest of this week so far. I did take a cold epsom salt bath to aid in speedy recovery so I can run *decently* at the marathon this weekend, so I actually feel not so bad this week physically. Little knee pain, little quad-ness. Mostly just tired as balls.
Segue - the marathon this weekend! So I haven't actually done anything active this week. Hooray me! Monday was an off day for running and I even planned on going to the gym for ab and arm work but I was so ridiculously tired that I didn't go. Yay paying for my membership since February but rarely ever going! Thanks body! Thanks 50 miler training! Thanks self for doing this to..your..self...
I'm pretty nervous about the race because of the bad memories I have from the Month of Half Marathons and the very last race in that month..the Black Squirrel. Black Squirrel is the sister race to the Blue Sky Marathon and it's on the other side of the reservoir. So, remembering the difficulty of B.S., I am definitely worried about the Blue Sky. At least the temps should be in the sweet spot with a high of 63! Jumping from 20 miles to 26? Suuuure, no problem when you've already jumped from 0 to 13 to 17 to 20. With minimal activity each week in between the long runs. FMRL (the r is for running. regular life is the bees knees).
New segue - me crying two days ago on the couch after work. Yeeeep. That happened for real. Ever been so frustrated with things than it breaks you down to tears? I put my workout gear on, even sized my jump rope ready to go do the wod when I thought about the actual movements. Lunges. Squats. Double Unders. Pain. So I pulled the plug on going. Then I sat on the couch and cried just a little.
I'm so fed up with this chunk of months. The quasi injuries keeping me from things, the training plan depleting my energy and time...withholding me from crossfit workouts for fear that I will hurt my knees more, my knees already hurt, the workout will tear up my legs and I won't be able to get good runs in, etc etc. (Before you get all up in arms about stuff, the knee problem is my fault for the way my training plan has gone.)
SO FRUSTRATED. I am ready to taper. To push myself as much as my body and mind will allow in 65 days, and put this race behind me. Get back to a normal day to day life where I can actually hang out with my boyfriend on Saturdays and Sundays without being too exhausted to function. To finally stop stressing out and feeling guilty about not going to the gym or missing a run. Or being able to make plans on a Friday night because I don't have to stress about waking up at the crack of dawn to go run 31 miles alone.
Segue!!!! (Trust me, I know I don't NEED to actually say segue when I segue...I just like doing it today. Deal with it.) So all of this complaining brings me to my 31 mile run I decided to place on October 25th. I plan on taking a vac day to knock that bad boy out so it doesn't interfere with a bachelorette party the weekend before, or the halloween party on the 26, or a wedding on Nov 1.
Someone promise to make me read this post when I decide to sign up for another one. Please. I beg you.
31 miles alone. Yowza that's going to be reeeally rough. I'm going to have to find a location and start planning out the logistics of getting this done. I just hope I can summon the mental strength I will need to keep myself going...
Welp, this ended up being pretty long (and NO pictures?! How dare I!). So if you actually hung in there through all that rambling, I say to you...go get a hobby or find something better to do than read this nonsense!
Just kidding.
Thanks for 'listening'! You're a good friend, who ever you are!
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