Y-Ow-Eeeee

Rut-ro. I have a problem. Desitin is now my friend :/  For my birthday, J bought me a cute running skort; I've wanted one for a while. I had a feeling there may be a problem with my larger thighs that currently wibble wobble wherever they like. I decided on a four mile run in RG on the loop T and I did on Monday. It's a hilly loop, with both short steep hills and longer sustained hills. We did it in 59mins on Monday, not pushing ourselves and taking a few puppy breaks where necessary, with us we had T's dogs, Ruger (three year old energetic lab) and Tessy (little Jack Russell who thinks she's a big dog). Yesterday I went completely by myself, no puppy protection, and decided I wanted to try out my skirt and new socks, with a goal of beating our Monday time. Success! New skirt makes me feel super fast. But, alas, I was right about the thunder thighs. I can now sympathise with small people who get nappy rash - this really really stings! I can also tell you, that when rummaging in the bathroom for something soothing to put on, aloe gel is not recommended. Logically, I should know this anyway, but now it's confirmed. I could feel the start of the chafe right about half way, so it didn't take long, but I was still as far from the car as I could be with no relief. I pushed on, and managed to knock a good chunk off our time, and chalked it up to additional mental training - am I going to throw away my completion for a few sore spots at Sonoma? Teaching myself to toughen up. The socks worked really well, no hot spots. Will try them again on Saturday's long run to get a better idea. With capris! On the plus side, I didn't fall down :)

And so it begins..

There's not a whole lot to write about so far, just getting back into the swing of running and increasing mileage while avoiding falling and injuries.. I fall A LOT! Three times in the last eight days (just on runs), not counting today's very painful rolled ankle (no serious damage as the initial *crack* and shooting pain led me to believe). My goal race is Lake Sonoma 50 mile ultra-marathon in April 2014. I am trying to do most of my training on trails, but am pretty convinced that one or all of the following things will happen:

• I will be eaten by a mountain lion
• I will be eaten by a bear
• I will be attacked by a mountain lion and finished off by a bear
• I will fall and not be able to hike out and be eaten by a) a bear or b) a mountain lion
• I will go exploring new trails, find a local 'garden' and be shot
• I will go exploring new trails, find a local 'garden' and be fed to the mountain lions
• and all possible combinations of highly improbable events...

Pretty much destined to be eaten by the local critters. Whilst for the most part, the wildlife here is pretty elusive, I seem to be a bear magnet. Mostly while horseback riding in lesser-used areas. One time I came across a bear in the forest, and spotted it (thanks to Rocko!!!) from a distance and was able to backtrack the way I came with no issues. If Rocko hadn't been there I probably wouldn't have noticed it until we were too close for either party's comfort, and I'm not on the team with claws and fangs! Usually while running I stick to the more commonly used trails, but in winter there isn't much traffic, and as my training progresses I will have a choice of running repeat loops (boring!) or venturing further afield. There are a few people that I can drag along with me, and we all have our four-pawed protectors so we'll see what happens. Lake Sonoma is close enough that on days I don't work I can drive down and run there a few times before the race, but at two hours each way it is not ideal (and throws rattlesnakes and wild pigs into 'things that might eat me' list).

So assuming I don't get eaten, or otherwise dead on my adventures, you can follow my (painfully slow) progress here. And anyone that wants to tag along on a run is more than welcome too :) Safety in numbers!!!

Cyd

ps - For those who read Bugsy's blog - I apologise that this is not nearly as interesting as his work, he is certainly a talented pony...