Take It To The Bridge (Rock 'n Sole Half Marathon Recap)

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My little bout with the plague left me unable to run for a week prior to the Rock 'n Sole half marathon.  I did everything I could to try to go to the start line healthy.  I slept 8+ hours a night, tried to eat well (even though nothing really appealed to me), I drank more tea than the Queen of England. It wasn't enough.  I felt a lot better by the end of the week, but I still had a horrible cough and couldn't really breathe through my nose, but there was no way I was throwing all that training (and all that money!) away by not starting.  I knew that there was no way I would reach my original goal of setting a new PR, so I needed a new plan - but let's back up a little before I get into the race itself.

Mr. R&R and I opted to pick up our race packets on Thursday night in hopes of avoiding huge crowds and long waits.  We easily found parking (in an area of the city with a notoriously bad parking situation) and were directed to the expo by a friendly, well placed volunteer.  The expo was large, full of interesting vendors, and very well organized.  It's probably one of the better race expos I've ever been to.  We stopped off on the way home for dinner, and I did something I rarely do in the days leading up to a race - I had some wine.  Let me tell you, it was the best my throat and head have felt in a while!

Friday morning brought a new challenge: a mandatory company breakfast.  I was not happy about that.  I'm a complete nut about controlling everything I eat the day before a race to minimize the risk of food poisoning or stomach problems during the race.  It's not like I could exactly skip it, so I spent most of the day feeling like I'd eaten a vat of grease.  After work I headed home, laid out all my race stuff, ate dinner, checked the weather obsessively, and called it a night by about 10pm.

4:30am came very quickly - especially since a coughing fit woke me up around 2:30 and it took an hour to get back to sleep.  Once the alarm went off and I was up for good, it was the usual routine: shower, get dressed, stuff a baggie of cough drops in the back pocket of my top,  grab small amount of coffee and a Clif bar to consume in the car, and get going.

We arrived at the starting village about 40 minutes before the gun went off which left us just enough time to drop our gear at bag and tag, stretch a little, and work our way into the starting corrals.  I was in Corral J based on the estimated finishing time I submitted at registration and Mr. R&R was in Corral I, so we confirmed our post-race meeting spot, wished each other luck, and went our separate ways.  The race was huge and the corrals were really crowded.  I did my best to tune out everything around me and try to get in a racing mind frame even though I wasn't really sure how it was going to go.  I had revised my goals from: run a PR to a few more manageable goals: a) finish the race b) don't wind up in the med tent and c) do not let the 2:15 pace group get in front of me. I even amused myself by assigning the c-goal the hashtag: #YouHadOneJob.  At 7 A.M. sharp the gun went off and the crowd began to move forward.  It took about 4 minutes for my corral to reach the starting line and as soon as my foot hit the chip mat, I hit start on my Garmin and started running.  The first 2 miles were a little uncomfortable since they were punctuated by coughing fits, but somewhere just after the Mile 2 water station, something incredible happened: all the congestion in my head and chest cleared and the coughing died down a lot!

Right around that point is where we began the climb onto the race's big landmark: The Hoan Bridge. And I definitely took it to the bridge.  I slowed a little, but never stopped running during the long climb to the top.  The view from the top was magnificent.  The sun was sparkling on Lake Michigan, there was a light breeze (which really helped dispel the reek of the sewage treatment plant under the bridge!), and I was feeling really good as I knocked back a GU at the water station and started back down the other side of the bridge.  I ran down the bridge and onto Lincoln Memorial Drive, riding a downhill and GU Roctane high through Miles 6 & 7 - two of my fastest miles of the race!.  Even the climb up Lafayette Hill, which I've never voluntarily run up before, wasn't too bad. I still prefer running down it, but there was a small sense of satisfaction knowing that I didn't walk a single step of that hill.

(source)

There's a saying in distance running: If you feel good during a race, don't worry, it'll go away. The high I had been riding bottomed out.  Mile 8 was a death march. I thing I spent a little too much energy climbing Lafayette Hill and I had to walk about a tenth of a mile to get my breathing back under control.  The only thing it made that mile even remotely tolerable was that I was running through an area where I trained for most of my first marathon, so it gave me something to think about other than how crappy I was feeling.  The water station in Lake Park was a welcome sight as I slammed another Roctane and turned back out onto Lincoln Memorial Drive.  This little section of road will always hold a special place in my heart because it will always remind me of the final few miles of my first marathon - it was the final stretch to "home".  The Roctane kicked in and I rode it, another downhill, and a bunch of  happy memories all the way to the 10 mile marker.  This was my fastest mile of the race at 9:37.

At Mile 10, the Roctane began to wear off again and the usual aches and pains of double digits started.  My legs were tired, my knees were starting to ache, and I was getting hot spots on both of my feet. The bullshit voice started making lots of noise, begging me to walk for a while, but I ignored it.  I was moving pretty slowly, but I was still running.  At about Mile 11 I could hear the 2:15 pace group coming up behind me.  I muttered something like "Oh, hell no!" as I knocked back a regular GU and reminded myself: #YouHadOneJob.  I decided right then that there was no way in hell that I was letting them get in front of me.  The pretty views from Lakeshore State Park were lost on me as I went way down deep inside myself as I pushed through the final miles.  We exited Lakeshore State Park onto a service road behind the Marcus Amphitheater and I could hear the finish line.  That lit a fire under me and I took the final turn and began sprinting to the finish line.  I crossed the finish line in 2:14:03.  Not bad for a sick girl...and the course measured .13 miles long by my Garmin!

I collected my medal, a bottle of water, and a banana before collapsing in a coughing heap on the grass.  Once I managed to pull a very sticky cough drop out of my pocket, I was back on my aching feet and went in search of Mr. R&R who finished in a fantastic 1:59:15.  We collected our gear from bag and tag, checked in to see how Yada Yada and Texas had fared, and began the painful, but very much worth it, creep back to our car.

All in all, this was a fantastic race.  The course was truly representative of the city since it wound through so many neighborhoods (Third Ward, Fifth Ward, Bayview, Eastside) and it was very well staffed with volunteers.  The water stations were spaced about every 1.5-2 miles, which was just about perfect and they were long, which went a long way in preventing traffic jams as long as you didn't try to hit the very first table.  There were also lots of enthusiastic spectators lining most of the course - including a guy who had his golden retriever standing on its back legs high-fiving runners as they came by.  Best. Race. Spectator. Ever.  Rock 'n Sole was also a very big race.  There were almost 3600 runners in the half marathon and another almost 2000 in the quarter marathon. There was also a 5k with nearly 2000 participants that started about half an hour after the half and quarter marathons. The first 5 miles were pretty congested as almost 6000 people poured through old, narrow streets and onto the Hoan Bridge.  Once the half marathon and quarter marathon split from each other it loosened up a lot and although there were always other runners nearby, I didn't feel like I was dodging around people like I had for the opening miles. The post race food options left a little to be desired (especially considering the hefty price tag on this race) and the location of bag and tag was a little ambiguous, but the only major change I would make would be to start the quarter marathon after the half marathon to ease some of the congestion.  Overall, I would definitely run this race again - and I'm already seriously considering making room for it in my 2015 schedule!

A Plague on My House (RNSHM - Week 11)

Just what I didn't need: The Plague has descended upon the Rabbits and Runs house.  

Monday was a fun day, or at least a fun night.  Mr. R&R and I attended the Food Truck Safari at The Zoo. We arrived at The Zoo around 6:30pm and did a quick cruise by the handful of food trucks before deciding where to start.  There were only about 6 trucks (all with hideously long lines) but we eventually settled on the Five Star Nachos truck.   I tried the bbq pork nachos which weren't terribly impressive, especially given the $8 price tag! 

 As neat as the concept was, I think they needed a few more trucks.  Once we finished our "dinner" we were free to roam through The Zoo.   Usually The Zoo closes at 4:30pm, so this was a unique opportunity to see the animals after hours and most of them were much more active than they are during the day, and since this was a members only event, there weren't very many people around either!

Tuesday, however, brought a text from Mr. R&R that he had suddenly been struck by chills, horrible body aches, and a stuffy head.  Uh oh...that sounds a whole lot like the flu to me.  By the time I got home from work he was curled up on the couch in a heap and pretty much didn't move for the next 48 hours.  I did my best to take care of him while trying to keep my distance as well.  

I was kind of excited to run on Tuesday night as I had new goodies from REI waiting in my mailbox when I got home.  I threw on my new tri shorts (Zoot Performance 6 inch), sports bra (Moving Comfort Vero), and sunglasses (Smith Parallel) and headed out the door.  The first 3 miles were interesting.  I took a slightly different route than usual and discovered a new-to-me long, nasty hill to run up.  I'm almost looking forward to using it for hill training in the future. 

I'd been running pretty hard for those 3 miles, so for the last mile I decided to: reset my watch, find a comfortable pace, and run the last mile without looking at my watch.  Not bad!

Wednesday was a rest day since I had a much needed appointment with The Mane Wrangler.  

I had planned on running or riding on Thursday, but I ended up falling asleep on the couch instead.  Ooops!

Friday was awesome.  It was my first week for summer hours at the office and despite having a minor crisis crop up, I managed to leave by 1:30pm and by 2:30pm my bike and I were on the Rail Trail.  I wasn't too worried about riding fast since I had plans for a brick-ish workout later in the day.  It was pretty much me and the geezer contingent on the trail and everyone seemed to be in a pretty good mood - except for one dude I can only describe as "A Raging @$$ Monkey".  I passed this guy on a beach cruiser shortly before the first road crossing.  No big deal, right? That's just riding. You pass. You get passed. You go about your business.  Apparently this guy didn't like getting chicked since he caught up to me while I was waiting for a break in traffic and proceeded to ride straight across, causing several cars to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting him!  I waited for a suitable opportunity to cross and passed the guy again.  He caught up to me at the second crossing and rode straight into traffic again!  I was was willing to chalk the first one up to inattentive riding.  The second one cemented my opinion of him as a Raging @$$ Monkey.  I was done watching him be stupid, so I upped the speed, passed him again, and made damn sure that there was no way I'd have to see him again.  I hit the turnaround point and headed home - with no Raging @$$ Monkey sightings.  I did, however, come upon an older man pulled off to the side of the trail, looking at the shrubbery with a great deal of concern.  I stopped to make sure he was okay and was informed that he'd seen a kitten dart into the bushes.  We spent a few minutes looking for the kitten (no luck) and when I took off, the guy asked if he could ride with me. Holy crap...for an older dude on a 3 speed, I had to work to keep up with him! I was running through my gears and pedaling my booty off!  We chatted for the remaining 6 or so miles until I turned off to go back to my car.  Gotta love when random people surprise you - in a good way - and I had my fastest outdoor ride of the year!

I got home, hauled my bike back downstairs, took a short nap, and then headed to the pool.  Okay, it doesn't qualify as an official brick workout since I got a nap in the middle, but still...  I planned on swimming 1000 yards and surprised myself by sticking around for an extra 200.  I'm still slower than most of the grannies at the pool, but I'm okay with that.  I've accepted that the swim will never be my strength, but hopefully I can find a way to enjoy it.

Mr. R&R and I went for a short run on Saturday to see if he was going to be able to hack his way through our planned 12 miler (last long run before Rock 'n Sole) on Sunday.  We didn't even make it a full 3 miles before he was completely toasted, so we called it a day and walked home.

I woke up on Sunday morning, prepared to slog through 12 miles on my own, only to discover that my throat felt like it was filled with rocks and dust.  Damn! Just when I thought I'd escaped Mr. R&R's plague.  I didn't have the fever and body aches, but I sure got all the respiratory symptoms.  And just like that...I knew I was going to be dealing with an unplanned taper leading up to Rock 'n Sole and likely having to revise every single plan/goal I had for this race.

I closed out week 11 with:

Swim: 1200 yards (40 minutes)

Bike: 14 miles (52 minutes)

Run: 6.76 miles (1 hour, 4 minutes)

Strength: 0

Total: 21.53 miles (2 hours, 37 minutes)

Sangria, Slurpees, and the Stupid Tax (RNSHM - Week 10)

RNSHM? What?  I'm no longer training for the Hartfest Half Marathon as of this past Friday.  I'll explain more below.

Monday was Memorial Day, and a very welcome extra day of the weekend.  Mr. R&R and I got a few things done around the house and then I took to the kitchen to stock the freezer with healthy heat and eat foods.  We've been so crazy trying to fit in training, working, etc., that we found ourselves going out for dinner far too much, so we decided to give this a try.  In the course of the afternoon, I managed to make and freeze 8 black bean burgers, 32 baked falafel patties, 3 meals worth of snobby joes, and 52 individually frozen balls of chocolate chip cookie dough.  Somewhere in middle of all of this, Little Brother stopped by to drop off a whole bunch of old albums for us to peruse.  Recently, my mom gave me her old record collection and Mr. R&R and I purchased a record player online and have become totally enamored with vinyl.  Favorites so far include The Beatles Sargent Pepper and Miles Davis' Kind of Blue.  He hung around for about an hour and a half, eyeing the things being loaded into the freezer with suspicion (if it's not processed to death, he won't eat it), before heading off to a Memorial Day barbecue.

I should have run 5 miles on Tuesday, but I'd slept like crap on Monday night and couldn't keep my eyes open when I got home.  I wasn't happy about it, but I took another rest day.

On Wednesday night, Mr. R&R and I went for a speedy 3 miles together.  I guess the extra rest day was worth it because those 3 miles freakin' flew by.   The pace was tough, but I had control of my breathing the whole time and I never had an "I can't do this" moment. It was glorious - and really couldn't have come at a better time since I've been a little down on myself about my inability to run fast lately.

5 seconds/mile FASTER than my 5k PR pace!

When we got home, I threw a couple of those baked falafel patties in the oven and within 20 minutes we were chowing down on delicious salads and watching Deadliest Catch.  That's my kind of fast food!

Thursday night was another ride on the Rail Trail.  I think the traffic gods were in a good mood or something because we barely had to wait at any of the road crossings!  I also started feeling comfortable on my bike again - and my speed showed it.  I'm slowly, but surely getting my bike speed back with every ride and rides like this one make me want to do nothing more than ride my bike for hours!

Friday night was another Swim Night.  I was in no mood to swim whatsoever, but I bribed myself with the promise of only swimming for 30 minutes and dinner out when I got home.  I was 5 kinds of train wreck in the pool - at one point I stopped my watch instead of hitting the lap button, so it never recorded the most comfortable 100 yards I've ever swam!  I dragged myself through the rest of the time and was more than happy to head home and de-chlorinate.

And as promised, I was rewarded with dinner at Habanero's - and 2 sangrias that immediately transported me back to Puerto Rico when I tasted them.

Friday night was also D-Day for me - Decision Day.  I'd emailed the race director of the Hartfest Half Marathon prior to Memorial Day inquiring about a course map, race day details, etc. - basically the standard stuff that's usually available on the race website, but wasn't in this case.  I'd heard nothing for over a week and was becoming quite concerned that a) the race was going to be cancelled altogether since I hadn't heard a peep from them since I'd registered months ago and/or b) that this race was going to be a total cluster$%&#.  The way I was seeing it was that it was either going to be a complete waste of some very hard training or possibly dangerous.  I wasn't pleased, but for a $28 registration fee, maybe I was expecting too much.  Earlier in the week I'd received an email about another half marathon happening in the area on the same day - with a 7am start time!  However, the fees for this race are much more expensive.  At this stage of the game, the price tag was $85 and would be going up to $95 the next day.  After much discussion with Mr. R&R, I decided that $28 was my Stupid Tax for not pursuing answers a lot sooner and we both registered for the 4th Annual Rock 'n Sole half marathon - thus the change to RNSHM!  

For my $85 I get a tech tshirt, finisher's medal, a free Summerfest ticket (which is worth $20 anyway), free admission to Polish Fest after the race, and something even more valuable in my opinion - a chance to run over the Hoan Bridge.  This bridge is normally part of a freeway, and thus closed to pedestrians, but they're shutting down one side for the race and they're doing it again in August for the USAT Sprint Nationals.  Essentially, this is my one and only chance to preview this part of the USAT bike course without zipping over it in a car.  Two birds. One stone.  Awesome.  

Saturday was "get stuff done" day at Casa R&R.  We started out a day that was mostly full of unpleasant tasks, like running errands and shopping for tile, with a little trip to the Zoo.  Since we're annual members, it was no big deal to wander around for an hour and a half before getting on with our day.  The animals, especially the ones from Africa, were quite active!

Pretty Birdie

Mr. R&R making new friends

And on a totally random note, the flowers we planted are not only not dead - they're actually blooming! 

Sunday was long run day and we had 11 miles on tap.  We were out the door by 10:30 and that wasn't a moment too soon since it got really hot and then poured later in the day. The first half was great!  We hit 5.5 miles and I felt like I'd only been running for 3 or 4.  Inevitably, we did slow down and have some rough miles toward the end, but all in all, it was a good run day - even if we did cut it a little short since it was getting so hot.  Oh, and after last week's near religious slurpee experience, I had taken to Facebook to proclaim that all long runs will now be followed by a ginormous slurpee.  I made good on that proclamation on the cool down walk home.

Mmmm....Slurpee

I closed out Week 10 with:

Swim: 800 yards (34 minutes)

Bike: 14 miles (51 minutes)

Run: 13.61 miles (2 hours, 23 minutes)

Strength: 0

Total: 28.11 miles (2 hours, 48 minutes)

My May Totals Were:

Swim: 1.66 miles (1 hour, 38 minutes)

Bike: 42.08 miles (2 hours, 39 minutes)

Run: 57.49 miles (9 hours, 41 minutes)

Strength: 0

Total: 101.23 miles (13 hours, 58 minutes)

Less than 2 full weeks to go! 

What was the highlight of your Memorial Day weekend?  

I Like My New Toys (HFHM - Week 9)

Well...I had a whole long post written for Week 9 - and then Blogger ate it!  Needless to say, I'm not happy about having to re-write a full post, so I think for this attempt, I'm just going to go with a summary.

Monday night was my cleat fitting appointment at Emery's.  I loaded up my bike over lunch and hauled it back to the office with me so I could go straight to my appointment after work.  When I got to the shop, I ended up having to pick out different shoes since the first pair I picked out didn't accept the kind of cleats that fit my pedals.  After trying on what felt like every other shoe in the place, I settled on the Pearl Izumi Tri Fly IV and they got the cleats bolted on and had me spin on a trainer while they made some minor adjustments.  After that, I headed home looking forward to trying out all my new toys!

Tuesday night was 5 miles with Mr. R&R.  The two miles and the last two miles were decent, but the one in the middle was a beast. I got an ugly side stitch and had to walk it off, which kind of wrecked my whole average.  On a positive note, at least I was able to get rid of the darn thing!

I finally got to take all my new bike toys out to play on Wednesday night.  Mr. R&R and I drove our bikes over to the Rail Trail for 14 easy miles.  The new helmet and shoes were everything I'd hoped they'd be and more.  Lots of nice ventilation in both.  The best part of the whole ride was that Mr. R&R's knee didn't hurt afterward!  That knee kept him off the bike most of last season, so let's hope that this is a sign of things to come.

I also did something else on Wednesday night. I registered for the USAT Sprint National Championships in August.  I have no illusions of earning a spot on Team USA that day, but it will be fun to compete in a national championship race in my city!  Now I just need to get cracking on the training.

Thursday was a rest day.  My legs felt like lead after the bike ride on Wednesday and I don't want to take any chances right now.

Friday night was Swim Night.  I drove myself out to the pool, swam just over 1000 yards (including testing myself for 400 nonstop yards), and was pretty pleased with how it went.  Open water swims are starting soon and my choices there are 400 yards without stopping - or looking like a complete idiot.

Saturday was spent dividing my time between the couch and a lawn chair in the back yard.  I really needed a "do nothing" day - and I got it.  The only useful thing I did was snuggle with Walter for an hour or so after his bath.

You'd think that by now I would have learned to do my long runs early in the day, but no.  The Hartfest Half doesn't start until 1pm (still not sure what the race director's logic is on this one), so that's about the time Mr. R&R and I set out to tackle 10 miles.  I have two words to describe that run: Slow and Miserable.  It was so hot out that our pace was reduced to a "slog" (one of my tri teammate's words to describe a slow job).  The best part of that run, other than being done with it, was the near religious experience I had while consuming a cherry slurpee on our walk home!

Since we already reeked, we decided it was a good excuse to fire up the grill and cook up some spicy italian sausages for our post race feast.  While they were cooking away, I hung out in my lawn chair reading and admiring our curious little visitor.

I closed out Week 9 with:

Swim: 1050 yards (31 minutes)
Bike: 14 miles (54 minutes)
Run: 15 miles (2 hours, 49 minutes)
Strength: 0
Totals: 29.71 miles (4 hours, 9 minutes)

9 weeks down. 3 to go!

Family, Friends, and Flowers (HFHM Week 8)

So, it's been 2 weeks since I've posted.  Sorry about that, but life has been one big blur of sorts lately between training, working, and general living and blogging sort of got pushed to the sidelines.  Here's my attempt at a recap of Week 8.  Hopefully I'll be able to catch you up on Week 9 later this week (before my recap of Week 10 is due if I'm lucky)!

Training Week 8:

After my 10 mile run with Mr. R&R the day before, I spent Monday night foam rolling my legs, doing dishes, and generally recovering.  By Tuesday I felt good enough to do the 4.5 miles my training plan prescribed.  I felt good enough to run negative splits!

Wednesday night was another Strider Fun Run at the same park as the last one I attended.  Once again it was chilly and windy when we started running, but that didn't really bother me much since I actually prefer cooler weather when attempting to run my ass off.  I took off like a bat out of hell and found myself as the 2nd place female at the one mile mark.  Unfortunately, I think the real speed demons showed up and I was passed shortly after Mile 1.  I really didn't mind getting passed by that woman - she was obviously having a better night than I was.  What did bother me was the woman who popped out of a side trail and pushed me into 4th. Yes, I know it wasn't a real race, so it's technically not cheating, but COME ON!!!!  The turn into the wind didn't help matters any since I didn't have my two human windshields this time.  I admit fully that the bullshit voice started whispering at that point and a few more women slipped past me.  The monster hill allowed a few more to get in front of me.  Grrr.  I tried to put the irritation out of my mind as I looped around the pond (the goslings are growing fast!) and pushed up the final hill.  As I came down the last hill, I was the 11th place female from what I could tell.  I saw one girl not too far in front of me, so I sucked it up, started running faster, and sprinted past her for 10th place.  That is why you never slow down as you approach a finish - someone might be gaining on you.

Afterward I was discussing the whole "woman who popped in off a side trail" with Mr. R&R and he said that another woman did the same thing later in the course.  For almost 2 miles there were no females in front of him and then all of a sudden, one popped in off a side trail!  What the heck!

Thursday of that week was my Friday since I'd decided to give myself a 3 day weekend.  After work, I had the opportunity to act as a running coach to two of my co-workers.  I took them out for 3 miles after work and it was a very different experience for me.  They're both very new to running and both run at very different paces, so the majority of the miles were spent running back and forth between them and motivating them.  I give them both credit...they were both struggling, but they kept going and when we finished they both said they wanted to do it again soon.  No bullshit voices there! It also made me incredibly grateful to the people who have coached me (namely Mr. R&R and the Iron Cheerleader) - this coaching stuff is tough stuff! I had originally planned to use the run with them as a warm up before hitting the bike when I got home, but when I walked in the door I found Mr. R&R all suited up in his running clothes and decided to join him for a couple easy miles.  My legs felt light and springy, and it felt good to run at my normal pace.  Afterward, we hit up a nearby Mexican restaurant where I may have had one more mango margarita than I should have - but it was my Friday!

Friday was a fun day for me.  I slept in, took my time getting a few things done, and then got to join Little Sister and Tiny (but growing like a weed) Nephew at the zoo!  We only spent about two hours at the zoo, but my nephew really seemed to like it. According to Little Sis, he really likes watching the fish.  I have to say, I was really skeptical about this claim, but as soon as we entered the fish building he was straining to get out of his stroller and Little Sis happily obliged.

He was mildly amused by this wily looking fellow

but as soon as she held him in front of one of the giant fish tanks, his little arms and legs began flailing everywhere and he was all smiles.  Once he grew bored (and Little Sis and I had enough of the shrieking school groups surrounding us) we moved on to the aviary with one purpose in mind: penguins.  We sped through the stinky, open aviary and headed straight for Little Sis' favorite animal.

Watching Little Sister show her son her favorite animal was really cool.  Actually, just watching her with him in general...well...let's just say it made me a little misty-eyed.

And the penguins put on quite a show for them.  One kept swimming back and forth in front of them, making Tiny Nephew shriek with laughter.

After the penguin show, we stopped out for a quick lunch before Little Sis had to take Tiny Nephew to his Grandma's and herself off to work.

My next stop on Friday afternoon was Emery's (aka: The Toy Store for Triathletes). After last summer's spectacular wipe out at the Shoreline Duathlon I had some doubts about the state of my helmet.  There are no visible cracks in it, but the general rule of thumb is that if you crash in a helmet, it's time to replace it.  I also wanted to replace my shoes since I've never been able to get rid of the annoying clicking noise under the right cleat.  When I walked in, the store was completely quiet and Brent Emery himself was available to help me out.  We discussed what I was looking for in a helmet as well as my price point and I soon found myself having Brent fit multiple helmets on my head.  Eventually, I settled on this:

Bontrager Circuit

Next up was new shoes.  Brent brought out several styles and helped me figure out what was best suited to my needs.  I originally wanted a triathlon specific shoe, but he helped me find one that was good for both road and triathlon riding - and made sure that I wouldn't bang my toes against the ends while I'm riding.  We figured out which cleat type I have (he had to look it up since I suck at remembering these things) and set up a cleat fitting appointment for Monday evening.

I drove home with plans to drive out to the pool and spend some quality time soaking up chlorine, but no sooner had I walked in the door than Mr. R&R called to let me know that his plans for drinks with his friend from out of town (The Groom from the wedding in Puerto Rico) had turned into a full on Usual Suspects reunion.  My pool plans were quickly abandoned and I spent the rest of Friday night catching up with The Groom (and getting to know his absolutely lovely wife, The Bride), Mr. Fix-It, Nacho Nurse (and their little girl), Dancing Queen, Maverick, and Who-Ha.  The only ones missing were Goose, Miss Placed, and Black Betty.  We've all kind of moved on to different places in our lives, so we don't get to see each other much any more.

I probably should have gone for a long run on Saturday or Sunday, but since we were a week ahead on long run mileage, Mr. R&R and I opted to spend the weekend ripping out the rotted old boards and railroad ties that surrounded the flower beds along the side of our house and replacing them with a new, brick border.  Sounds easy, right?  Let's just say that ripping out the old border was the easy part.  Next came leveling, re-leveling, and figuring out how to make a clean break in a brick in order to fit the allotted space.  By Sunday afternoon, we'd finally gotten both flower beds edged and popped in a few plants.  It's amazing how big of a difference a little change can make!

Let's Hope I Don't Kill Them All!

We also managed to find time to fire up the grill on Sunday afternoon in order to make a beer can chicken.  If you've never tried it, I highly recommend this method of cooking a whole chicken.  The meat was super moist and so tender that it was almost falling off the bones!

Looks obscene. Tastes Divine.

I closed out week 9 with:

Swim: 0 yards
Bike: 0 miles
Run: 12.95 miles
Strength: 0
Total Miles: 12.95
Total Time: 2 hours, 9 minutes

Spring At Last? (HFHM-Week 7)

It seems that Mother Nature might finally be getting her act together...well at least sort of.  The week started off pretty chilly/windy/rainy, but ended up gloriously warm and sunny.  I'm not normally a fan of 80 degree days in early May, but after surviving the Polar Vortex all winter - it felt pretty damned good to run in shorts!

Monday was a day of rest after last week's 9 mile odyssey.  The only productive thing I did was go to the grocery store!

Tuesday was chilly and windy, but I put on my running tights (and thermal shirt and windbreaker) and headed out for 4.5 miles with Mr. R&R.  My legs felt like they were made of lead for the first 2 or so miles, but they eventually loosened up and stopped whining at me.  I even surprised myself by not going out of my way to avoid some hills!

Wednesday's run was just a hot mess.  I was supposed to go to the track and run 8x400 @ 5k pace, but the track was occupied and the thought of running in circles made me twitch.  Mr. R&R proposed a 3 mile race pace effort instead and I quickly agreed.  The first mile was fine.  It wasn't the easiest pace in the world, but I was holding my own.  Somewhere around the 2 mile mark the wheels really started to come off.  To put it nicely, my gastrointestinal system decided to stage a protest.  I spent the last mile running when I could and walking when running just wasn't an option.  And of course, the GI issues lead to the Bullshit Voice rearing it's ugly head.  It's one thing to have to battle my body or my mind, but the two together can be a pretty lethal combination.  I was in a crappy mood for the rest of the night after that.

Thursday brought 70+ degree weather and sunny skies.  After being stuck in The Cave on the trainer for months, it was time to take my bike for an outdoor ride for the first time since I wrecked during the Shoreline Duathlon last August.  I loaded my bike onto the rack and Mr. R&R and I drove over to the Rail Trail where I planned to ride 30 minutes out before turning around while he ran.  I was definitely nervous as I mounted my bike.  It's one thing to be locked into the pedals while the bike is in the trainer and can't tip over.  It's quite another to clip in on concrete!  Fortunately, I managed to clip in and start riding.  

Please Cheesus, don't let me tip over

It took 2 solid miles before I started to feel remotely comfortable riding again, but after that I started remembering how much I enjoy watching familiar landmarks come and go, the wind in my face, and the burning feeling in my legs when I shift into a bigger gear.  I had no real speed goals for this ride since I hadn't been on the road in so long, but I wasn't terribly pleased at the measly 15.6mph average either.  I know I can ride faster - now I just have to get back there!

In addition to seeing lots of runners, cyclists, and a handful of rollerbladers, I came upon these two fellows hanging out near a giant puddle at the side of the trail around the 7 mile mark.  They were just standing there, completely nonplussed by the humans passing so close by! 

Hangin' Out on a Sunny Thursday Evening

My bike and I arrived unscathed back in the parking lot about 10 minutes after Mr. R&R finished his run.  I was beyond happy that my only souvenir from the ride was a chain tat (okay, really a chain ring tat) instead of road rash!

We stopped home long enough to unload my bike and change clothes before hurrying out to the market to pick up greens for Walter and Spot and stopping at Noodles & Company for dinner.

I should have hit the pool on Friday after work, but Mr. R&R was out with friends and I had the house to myself, so I used the opportunity to make a batch of turkey meatballs to stash in the freezer, clean up Walter and Spot's house, work on my mom's gift for Mother's Day, and hang out with my boys.

My Fuzzy Friday Night

Saturday was another sunny, warm day and Mr. R&R and I had 9 miles on the schedule.  It felt really strange to be in shorts and a tank top after weeks of tights and thermals, but it felt really amazing at the same time.  Our goal pace for most of our long runs has been between 10:00 and 10:15, but with the sudden rise in the mercury and not being acclimated to it, we revised it to 10:15-10:30.  It's a very good thing that we did, because it. was. not. easy running in that weather.  I felt like I was running a lot harder than what the pace that showed up on my Garmin, but somehow it all worked out.  Mr. R&R was kind enough to share his handheld water bottle with me so I didn't have to wear my much-hated hydration belt and the lovely people at the county Parks Department have turned on a handful of water fountains a few weeks early.  I looked like a bird at a birdbath when we discovered this.  I was splashing water all over my head, arms, and legs.  I'm sure I looked insane, but I didn't care!  I even felt good enough to push through an extra mile - marking the first time I've ventured into double digits since last September!  My shoulders are also burnt to a crisp.  Maybe next time I'll be smart and remember to use sunscreen.

After showers and naps, we were both famished...and we'd thought ahead  Mr. R&R fired up the grill and we had a delicious steak dinner - and I felt absolutely no guilt about the amount of gorgonzola sauce I poured on my food!

Sunday was Mother's Day and a planned rest day.  My mom and I had lunch, took a short (1.5-ish miles) walk, stopped for ice cream and generally had a lovely day together.  I think the highlight for both of us was seeing some Canada Geese with their flock of 10 goslings while we were walking.

I also got to give my mom the present I  made for her on Friday night. I haven't given her a homemade gift in at least 20 years!

And on that note...it's time to get ready for another week.  What was the highlight of your weekend?  When's the last time you gave a gift that you made yourself?

Weekly Totals:

Swim: 0

Bike: 14 miles 

Run: 17.5 miles

Strength: 0

Total Miles: 31.5

Total Time: 3 hours, 44 minutes