Saturday, February 23, 2013

The birds chirp like it's spring.....

but it is definitely NOT spring.

I've been so tough this year. The final weeks of training for a January marathon were chilling and snowy but I was out there getting it done.  And then, getting back on the horse after a little week of rest in the cold and wind has been less than motivating.  Thank goodness I signed up for a May marathon back in December so I wouldn't have a choice but get back to training.

So....as I run....day in and day out...the birds chirp...like the sun is warm or something (maybe because we are closer to the sun at 5500 feet above sea level).

This weekend is a "lesser" weekend with two 10-milers back to back but they are Easy.  The moderate longer runs are every-other-weekend so luckily that happens next week. I did my 10 today but tomorrow's forecast is stupid.  Seriously. Stupid.  It's 29 degrees and snowing right now with 20mph wind...the snow is actually horizontal.  Tomorrow at 7am is supposed to be 19 degrees with 20-26mph wind so it will "feel like 4".  Great.  I'm super excited.  Cloudy. Cold. Windy. And snowing.  I can't even think about a treadmill (nor do I have a gym membership) but Wordquota and I had some hilarious discussion about the possibility today.  It ended with the vision of me on a treadmill at the gym with a bucket to snot-rocket in, while burping and passing gas.....with a sign on my back that reads "Treadmill Newbie.  I usually run outside....ALONE."
I'm sure either way it will turn into great Blooping material....outside or treadmilling.

On a brighter note, Thursday's Tempo was great.  It was 28 degrees with 10mph wind. So, chilly but at least the sun was partially out.  Warm-up and then 7 miles at marathon pace (goal is 7:40s).
1- 7:40
2- 7:38
3- 7:37
4- 7:42
5- 7:50 (not sure what happened on this one....zoned out I guess)
6- 7:40
7- 7:39
Wahoo.

Chin up kids!  Spring will come eventually!!!!

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Update

I've been busy so here's the quick and condensed version:

My upset foot is cooperating and getting better daily.  I rested 10 days after the marathon, then did 4 miles.  Then I started running every-other-day for a week, then everyday for a week (did 40 miles last week), and now I'm back into the workouts for the next marathon in 12 weeks.  Still have a little soreness on the top of my foot, but it's definitely going to dwindle away into nothingness any day now.

I did my first day of speedwork yesterday....and whew! Enough said.  Better luck next week I guess.

Took Sentry to the vet last week.  He has a freckle on his belly. Doc didn't like it so took a biopsy and said we should be aware that fawn dobermans are very prone to melanoma.  Boy, did I cry and cuddle with him and pray the next few days. I did alot of research and spoiled him with dog park visits too. Husband and I decided that if it was cancer we would not do chemo after all the reading...instead we'd let him be happy-go-lucky and his life would end when it's meant to. Test came back negative so it looks like my running buddy gets to stick around for a while longer. Super refreshed with that news.


On Sunday afternoon it was snowing a little, but we all wanted to get a run in.  So the 3 of us headed out.  Turned into a crazy blizzard!!!  Hail-type snow pelting us in the face stinging with every hit. And the wind was making this snowy mess come from the side instead of above.  Whatever.  Trudge on.  Two different cars stopped asking us if we'd like a ride.  "Nah. This is what we train for."  This was husband's first run in baconator conditions so he was having a great time.  We both laughed and after 15 minutes or so it had settle back to actual snowflakes with not such brutal wind.  Sentry kept pulling me under trees and would try to stop there.  Super funny.  He's kind of a wimp when it comes to stuff falling from the sky (he's been known to hold his bladder for over 12 hours for that sort of thing). Once we got home, we barely had snow in our yard so the storm must have been all north of us. Lame!

 Symphony weekend is upon me. So this week is crazy to schedule runs, rehearsals and concert (which all include an hour of driving each way). I've been doing a lot of practicing in preparation for a small ensemble piece.  Even though the piece itself is really not pretty at all, Sentry enjoys sleeping while I practice.


Happy Running!