Thanks for Nothing, Mother Nature

Mother Nature gave me the middle finger today. When my alarm went off at 6:45 this morning, it was still raining. So I climbed back in bed with the dogs and slept until 9. It was raining when I got up the second time. Only a light drizzle, but everything was soaking from the last 24 hours. I resigned that, today, I would have to run at the gym. I was not pleased.

I knew there was no way that I could knock out fifteen miles on a treadmill. The boredom would kill me. Instead, I bargained myself down to an hour on the treadmill, an hour on the bike (counting for 5 miles), and whatever miles I have left on the treadmill. And it wasn't all that bad. I ran 6 miles in the first hour on the treadmill. I spent the next hour texting with a friend and shopping for a new cell phone case on ebay while biking. Then I went back to the locker room to eat a Clif Bar. That was a little awkward for me, kind of like I was sneaking a snack. Then the final 4 miles on the treadmill.

I was at the gym for 3 hours. I've never been there that long before. Towards the end, I felt like one of the women you read about in Cosmo; the ones who only eat a bowl of bran flakes a day and exercise for hours on end. Exercise bulimia, I think it is called.

In trying to be optimistic, I came up with 3 good things about spending this much time at the gym.

1. No tan lines. If you aren't in the sun, you can't get dumb tan lines.
2. Unlimited potty breaks. In a toilet that flushes. 
3. Water refills at any time. Don't mind if I do, refrigerated water fountain. 

Thankfully I finished, and it wasn't all that bad. However, I will be happy to never do it again!

Miles logged: 15.0

A letter to mother nature

Dear Mother Nature:

I was somewhat expecting for my run to be rained out today. And I must say, it was nice to sleep in this morning. But come on...when will it stop?? It has been raining for over 12 hours, without stopping. My back yard is, quite literally, a lake. I understand that we are in a drought and need the moisture, but this is ridiculous.

I need to run 15 miles tomorrow, and will be extremely pissed if I have to knock it out on a treadmill.

Please stop the rain before tomorrow morning.

Sincerely,
An anxious runner

Miles logged: 0.0

Malibu Marathon Here I COME!!!

I've signed up! 11/11/12 I'll be running my first marathon!!

Miles logged: 0.0

I Don't Mean to Brag

Well, actually I do. I ran 6 miles in 61:00 minutes today. That's just over a 10 minute mile and I'm pretty proud of myself! It feels so good to have a good run!!

Miles logged: 6.0

Running at Elevation

I was up in the Stanislaus Forrest this week and wanted to get in some exercise. I made two mistakes--one, thinking I could actually run at elevation, and two, running on a trail.

The elevation was about 5,000 feet, not enough to notice when you are standing still, but just enough to make your lungs burn when you tried to work. However, when the Map My Run voice came on at 23 mins and 35 seconds to tell me that I completed one mile, I knew the GPS signal wasn't working very well! And I ended up running like a drunk person (I swear I wasn't, the Napa visit was days ago!), weaving from side to side to avoid the rocks and pebbles that I could feel through my aqua sox. I ended up tossing them after the run, partially because they started getting holes in the heel, but also because they were so dirty, there was no way I was going to put them back in my suitcase!

The terrain--tiny pebbles are rough!

Lyon's Dam

Spectacular view

Miles logged: Who knows??

Runner's High

I'm on vacation this week, in California again, are you surprised? And since I'm vacationing, I worked this week of training in as a taper week. I had a couple of longer runs to get through before I left, but I didn't have enough time to actually get to them before I left home!

I'm back out in Northern CA, on our annual pilgrimage to Napa and the mountains (my blog from last year's vacation). And it has been great again this year. I went for another long run after a long day of drinking. Between miles 6 and 7, I hit a fantastic runners high. Maybe it was the change of scenery, or the beautiful weather, whatever it was, made me happy to be running again. I felt spectacular and remember a giant smile breaking out across my face. THAT feeling is why I run!

Miles logged: 10.0

Vacation

An Apology to My Readers

I was just reviewing some of my recent posts and realized that this blog has been less about running, and more about bitching than ever before. And I'm sorry. This marathon training (for which I have yet to sign up) has really been difficult for me. I will, however, attempt to do a better job at keeping this about the run.

I'm going on a much needed vacation (even though I was in Calgary a month ago) with a girlfriend of mine to Napa and Yosemite. I'm really looking forward to having some time to recharge, change scenery, and get myself motivated again.

I also have been asking around about new places for me to run here in town, and I think I've found a 5 mile loop that might just help me finish this marathon training!

Miles logged: 0

Nineteen

I'm still plugging along with the marathon training, despite hating it. I really tried to start my long run off this week with a good attitude. And I think I did pretty well, for about the first half of the run. I had a friend in town that texted me just after the 9 mile marker and I exclaimed that I only had 10 miles left. I was still doing well at that point, but it slipped quickly downhill from there.

I've come to realize that I think I'll be able to make it through the physical aspect of a marathon--it will be painful, but I think I can do it. I'm having a hard time figuring out how I'm going to mentally get through it. Boredom is killing me. Almost 4 hours of running, by myself, in a loop, is really really hard for me. I'm sure I need a new route, but I need something else...just not sure what it is.

Miles logged: 19.0

Fake it 'til you make it

If I just keep saying this to myself, it will eventually come true again!

Miles logged: 4.0

Guilt

Not only am I not enjoying running anymore, I also have the added guilt of leaving dogs at home all day. With my husband out of town, I'm the sole parent of two little weenie dogs. This means they are home by themselves for up to 13 hours every day. As I was running on the treadmill earlier, the only thing I could think of was their sweet faces waiting for me at home and how selfish I was to be at the gym instead of with them. And today was a short run day! As these weekday runs get longer (if I do end up completing the marathon training), then I'm going to have to figure something else out...either doggy day care, or coming home straight after work, then running later in the evening. Where will I find the time for it all?

Miles logged: 4.0

Eighteen

I didn't start out my morning as well rested as I had hoped. After 3 trips outside with the dogs in the middle of the night, I finally crawled out of bed for the big run at about 6:45. A cold front blew threw overnight (the last trip outside with the dogs, at 5:45, it was raining) and brought heavy winds and much cooler temperatures. I think it was in the upper 60s when I left this morning. The high for today is about the same as the normal morning low temp. What a relief.

I didn't feel that great this morning when I started; I was tired and felt overly full (too much carbo loading yesterday?), but the beautiful weather made me press on. By the time I got to Galatyn Park, they were about to start a 5k. Best part? No, not running through the finish line by myself, pretending I was the winner. The port-o-potties! No line? Don't mind if I do!

I saw a bit of wildlife today...about a 5 foot long snake! I originally thought it was dead, then I realized it's head was sticking up--NOT DEAD and SCARY! I made sure to stop and take a picture to prove I saw one (my husband claims to have seen a real live cougar there once, and I tease him that he really just saw a house cat since he can't prove he actually saw it).

I tried to take it easy today, since all this training has made running not fun anymore. When I needed to eat, I stopped and sat at a picnic table for a few minutes to regroup. I think it helped me not hate it as much. Though I really am having a hard time making the decision to actually go for the marathon distance. As exhausted and achy as I am, I can't imagine running another 8 miles on top of what I ran today! I had an OK run today, but at this point, I really don't know if I want to do this.

Miles logged: 18

Happy Labor Day

I didn't have to work today due to the fabulous Labor Day holiday, but I did have to run today. I take every opportunity I have to run outside instead of on a treadmill. But since it was a holiday, I allowed myself to sleep in, so that it was nice and hot outside for my run. I ran a different route than my standard 4-miler, hoping that I would encounter more shade and thus, cooler temps. What I found was dead animals and a pretty hilarious parking job. Apparently someone partied too hard last night and parked their SUV perpendicular to the curb, with the rear wheels on the sidewalk and the front wheels on the street. I was stupid and did not take a picture of this; I am sorry.

Miles logged: 4.25

You say Potato, I say Potato

My husband claims that I've been going around bragging that I was going to run an "easy 12 miles" this weekend. I've never insinuated that 12 miles is easy--shoot, I still struggle during some 3 mile runs. What I have been saying is that I "only have to run 12 miles," because that is my screwed up perspective now.  When training for a half marathon, I usually run 8 miles during a taper week, but for marathon training, I've had to bump it up a bit.

I still have a long way to go, and none of it is going to be easy!

Miles logged: 12