I keep missing the memo

Yesterday was Jersey day at one of my clients' and I was wearing a suit. Today, apparently was boy short day at the gym, and I was wearing my baggy running shorts. You know the strange thing? It was only boys wearing them...

Miles logged: 4.0

Music Monday: Give it 2 U

In honor of the end of summer, here's another song by the singer of the summer!

Artist: Robin Thicke featuring Kenrick Lamar
Title: Give it 2 U
Fave Line: "Runnin' through your mind like Jackie Joyner" (who I saw speak at an American Heart Association lunch once...she didn't talk much about running though).

Miles logged: 0.0

El Fin del Mundo

I know this is supposed to be a running blog, but I'm in the southernmost city in the entire world, in the middle of winter. I would not be caught dead running on ice and snow in sub zero temps, but I want to share my trip with you. So, this post will chronicle my adventures of not running in Ushuaia!

First of all, I'm really excited to be here as you can tell. We've arrived at the end of the world after spending several days in Buenos Aires. Now is our time to relax and unwind with nature. I'm fighting off a cold, which really sucks, but even more so when you are on vacation. Thank goodness for very helpful pharmacists or else I would be worse for the wear. 

Ushuaia was once a penal colony and has obviously weighed heavily in their history. They've preserved the original jail and have turned it into a museum, with each of the cells holding maritime, prison, and local art history. It was built like a starfish, with 2 story arms of cells. I noted that this setup is very similar to the way old folks homes are now being built. Coincidence?

Just like the Green Mile, right?

Some of the prisoners needed counseling, so I stepped right in with my long list of credentials.

We took a short cruise down the Beagle Channel.

The city of Ushuaia is in the background. 

Despite being the middle of winter, we got to see sea lions and penguins (I guess some of them didn't get the March of the Penguins memo)! After just enjoying Shark Week, I was half expecting to see a Great White shark crest and gobble up one of these guys, but we didn't see anything of the sort. 

And to round out a very exciting day, we took a night trip to Valle de Lobos for a once in a lifetime experience. With temps hovering around 5 degrees Fahrenheit and heavy snow, we drove 4x4's in the dark, rode in a dog sled, and went snowshoeing. 

My husband let me drive and I repaid him by kicking up snow in his face.

We had to have 13 dogs pull this load!

I did a little running in these snow shoes. However, they don't prevent you from falling into the snow very much. Perhaps Wilson rackets would have worked better.

And finally, today we hired a car to take us to the Tierra del Fuego national park. We were hoping to see some wildlife, preferably a fox (our driver had seen several of them on a recent trip), but we weren't so lucky. We were rewarded with amazing views and a fantastic day of sightseeing. 

The adventure unfortunately ends tomorrow, with a very long trip home. While this has been a fantastic vacation, I'm looking forward to getting out of the cold to get over this cold and snuggling up with my puppy. 

Miles logged: 0.0

Running in Buenos Aires

My husband and I are in the great country of Argentina, enjoying the city of Buenos Aires. I started this morning's run with tired feet from several days of sightseeing. Our hotel room doesn't have a tub and I'm too chicken to use the bidet to soak my feet; give me another day or two and I might just change my mind! But they do have breakfast included with the room rate, so that pretty much makes up for the other 2.

                               Breakfast of Champions! Dulce de Leche for my toast!

We started our run by going to Puerto Madero, a neighborhood flanking a canal of the Rio de la Plata. The water is brown, as we are at the river delta, but there is a beautiful Santiago Calatrava bridge named Puente de Mujer (bridge or woman). I told my husband that he wasn't allowed on it, but he insisted that other dudes were going across, so he did too.

                                                     Puente de la Mujer

     Proof that a man can go on it too!

   Argentinians do love their meat, but Jamon is a close second to beef!

                           Who knew that I would find the Voyage of the Mimi here!

We ran through some not so scenic parts of town, but for the most part, this is a beautiful city. The architecture is very European and the buildings are stunning. 

                        No idea what this beautiful building is

        The French Embassy

We also made it to Floralis Generica, an 18 ton stainless steel statue of a flower. The size of the sculpture was astounding. And and one point in time the petals would open and close with the sunrise and sunset, but the engineers that put it together screwed it up.

The last true "mission" of this run was to go to La Recoleta Cemetery to view Evita Peron's tomb. My plan was to sing "Don't Cry for me Argentina" when I arrived, but being on hallowed ground made me a bit more subdued than normal. The cemetery is absolutely stunning, bearing no comparison to the same mausoleum-type burials from New Orleans. 

From there, we made our way to Avenida 9 Julio, the widest street in the world. It has so many lanes, I could not even count them all (it was at least 16 across). It was very impressive and made me glad that we were not trying to drive it. 

                             This was in the middle of the Avenida somewhere. 

              I think you can only capture the size of the Avenida from above. 

We obviously took our time today, plus we started late and ran for several hours. So naturally, we got hungry. And what do you do when that happens? Stop for pizza and beer, of course! We were on a budget (I had a limited amount of cash into my fuel belt), but were able to get a hearty lunch in.  

                     Un Chopp de Quilmes

We had to be careful not to order too much to eat, or we would have ended up looking like this guy...

And finally, the run couldn't be complete without dessert!

            Yum! Alfajor!

Miles logged: 12.0

I'd Never be Able to Run that Far

Miles logged: 4.0

Recovery Runs

I hate recovery runs. I don't like getting up early both days on the weekend to knock it out in the heat. It sucks. I don't think I've run one in several years. I've struggled to get myself into the gym lately. Between an unmanageable workload and staying with my parents, it's been hard for me to get the miles in.

Since I only had run twice this week, I decided last night that a recovery run was in my future for today. After a long and difficult 16 miles yesterday, I thought an easy recovery run might actually help me recover. Boy was I wrong! Today's run amplified every ache and pain that I had acquired yesterday and has led to even more soreness in my legs today.

So, I googled "recovery run" to see what I had done wrong. Surprisingly, I didn't do anything wrong, but I didn't understand what a recovery run was supposed to do for me. According to Active.com, recovery runs don't actually enhance recovery. That little gem would have been helpful to know at 6am this morning when I was making the rollover and go back to sleep or turn off the alarm and get up and run decision. A recovery run, however, are supposed to improve fitness. I am now even more fit than I was yesterday thanks to my recovery run!

Check out the article here: http://beta.active.com/running/articles/a-fresh-perspective-on-recovery-runs

Miles logged: 4.0

Music Monday: De Musica Ligera

Since I'm in Argentina on vacation, today's Music Monday highlights one of the best Argentine bands ever!

Artist: Soda Stereo
Title: De Musica Ligera
Fave Line: "De aquel amor, De musica ligera"

Miles logged: 0.0

Music Monday: Wake Me Up

Artist: Avicii
Title: Wake Me Up
Fave Line: "Wish that I could stay forever this young"

Miles logged: 0.0

Camels are not Vegetarians

I'm sure you've never wondered what camels eat, let alone what a Camelbak eats. Strange thought, I know. Today, my Camelbak actually ate my back. I've been running with it for 3 years and randomly today it decides to rub off a large patch of skin on my back. The good news is that I didn't even realize it had happened. The bad news is that I found out when I got in the shower. 

I screamed bloody murder when the water hit my back. I expected my husband to come check on me, but he thought I just got hit with a blast of cold water. Hopefully this boo boo will heal quickly!

Miles logged: 16.0

It's Shark Week

It's Shark Week and it's the best week of the year! Make the most of it!

Miles logged: 3.25

Music Monday: Summer Love

Artist: Justin Timberlake
Title: Summer Love
Fave Line: "I can't wait to fall in love with you. You can't wait to fall in love with me. This just can't be summer love, you'll see."

Miles logged: 0.0

One bad week

It has been one hell of a week. It's been the hottest week of the summer, with temps over 100 degrees every day. I had to have 2 cavities filled. Our AC broke, while my parents were installing a new vanity in master bath. Oh, and I just received my jury duty questionnaire, which means I'll be receiving my summons shortly. Like I said, one hell of a week.

My husband and I have been living with my parents since Tuesday, when our AC unit went out. They have been so gracious and welcoming and are wonderful to let us stay here as long as we need, which could be as long as 7-14 days.

Knowing that we would be away from home for the long weekend run, my husband scouted out a place for us early in the week. The problem with the park that he discovered is that it was in full sun for most of the 2.5 mile loop. It is boiling hot, no matter the time of day, and I am super fair skinned, so this wasn't ideal. It was, however, not too far away and had smooth trails for my husband's bare feet. We were out the door before 7 and I quickly hijacked the run. The sun was rising and I was already tired of it, so we followed the shade. My hubby wasn't very pleased with me, but in the end, my focus on the shade saved us a lot of very hot miles. It was a miserable day and a miserable run, but we got all the way through our 15 miles! Hopefully we'll be home by next weekend!

Miles logged: 15.0