Slow Is Me: Nearly Ultra Time

Monday, July 28, 2014

Nearly Ultra Time

Yay, as I started typing the title to this post, FedEx knocked on the door with my new Under Armour shorts! Will be able to get a test run in them on Wednesday to make sure they don't ride up so I can wear them Saturday :) Shame I won't be able to test my other very exciting new thing that I'm very excited about assuming I can make it work.

Also J is asking please will I wear my brewery shirt (Acme Ale cycling jersey) to represent North Coast. Why might this be a problem for me? My Nathan hydration pack is pink and purple, my hair is half purple, my favourite running skirt is pink. My jersey? Red! This is rubbish. Also highly unimportant, but I can't help it if I like things to match. Wannabe-ultrarunner problems. Maybe it's a sign to get a new pack? Although I really haven't had this one long. I need to do longer races so I can leave a completely ready-to-go pack with a crew and justify having two. And all my pony things match, so why not my running things? I promised to test it on Wednesday and see how it worked anyway.

T and I went for a run this morning - very motivated to hit the trail in time to be back in town at the gym by 7.30 to set up for our strength class. Other than occasionally bumping into myself, the bruises aren't bothering me any more; hiking last week was pretty painful, especially the downhills. Pony did a nice job of smooshing me, but I got lucky with nothing broken (and the black eye never materialised, though any pressure on the bridge of my nose does makes me see spots). Here's how they look five days post-trample:

Knee also kept twinging at trot on yesterday's ride

Nothing like laying in the dirt wondering if you just broke your femur, and realising that since you're not screaming it's probably okay, then looking up to see that your pony did come back to check if we're going to play. And he was perfectly behaved on the ride home to redeem himself. I need to look into a spot tracker type thing, I could so easily have been knocked out, or been somewhere with no reception and actually broken my leg and then at least they would have a rough idea of where to come looking for me. Anybody have any experience with one of these gadgets?

Squeee, Salt Point in four and a half more sleeps (half being the fact that I rarely get much 'sleep' the night before a race no matter how many legs we're using). Then I WILL be an ultrarunner :)

3 comments:

FunderJuly 29, 2014 at 9:42 AM
The gnarly bruises look much improved!

I've got a spot gen3, and I like it. It lives strapped to my camelback, actually (some people attach them to the horse, some people attach them to the person - husband strongly prefers to find me and not my horse, hmph.) It doesn't work everywhere I play - it really does need a clear shot of the sky for several minutes to get locked on to a satellite, so it's not going to do much in the redwood forests where you usually run. It works great in Nevada, but rather poorly in the western Sierras.

Good luck at Salt Point!!!
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

Oh! The Places You'll Go!

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

Slow Is Me

Motivators..

Monday, July 28, 2014

Nearly Ultra Time

3 comments:

Trails

Countdown!!

Rocko :)

Sunsets