Bye 2015

Happy New Year! A quick round up of what happened this year before I figure out how we're ringing in 2016!

Ordnance 100k, Jan '15. Photo by Jesse Ellis

Goals relevant to this blog set for 2015:

• Run every day (Part of a run streak challenge)
• Run <26:30 5k
• Run a 100 mile race
• Run 2,015 miles for 2015
• Ride 750 miles with Bugsy
• Complete Bugsy's first LD or endurance ride

Lake Natoma 50k, photo credit: stranger at the finish line :)

So how did we do? 

• I am about to set out for my final mile of 2015, which will also be the 365th day I've run this year! It's also the official end of the run streak, at least a mile every day since November 24th, 2014. 403 days. Since I always run on New Years Day, then we have Saturday trail run, then Sunday group run, so I guess it will be 406 days streaking.  
• PR'd the 5k at 24:37, so definitely smashed that goal! I also PR'd the 50k distance by more than half hour, and set two distance PRs.
• Completed Zion 100 within the allowed time
• Missed 2015 miles by quite a long way. I think I'll be finishing out the year with about 1600 miles. Well over 2015km though :)
• Bugsy and I just missed the 700 mile mark this year. Close, and we had some great rides.
• Bugsy completed both the Humboldt State Redwoods 35 mile ride, and the Cuneo Creek 50 mile ride. Huge success!

HRSP 35 - photo credit Elicia Kamberg

Other goals were reached, such as buying a truck and trailer. The truck came in October, and I completed it last night with the purchase of a really nice 2 horse slant at a great price with a late night road trip to be first in line. Yay for great friends willing to jump in the truck at a moment's notice to haul it home for me. Still sad that my 4runner's gone, it was most definitely my favourite car and I didn't realise how attached I was to it. But I finally have my own trailer, so I'll be happy :) Will post 2016 goals tomorrow, I have one last mile to run! Hope you've all had a wonderful new year, and I'll see you in 2016!

Grand Canyon trip on the way to Zion 100. Credit: Richard Handley (my dad!)

Lake Sonoma

Photo by Matt Trappe

Yippeee I got in to Lake Sonoma 50! It's a tough course, with no flat anywhere. 10,500' of climb, and 10,500' of descent. I have some hill training and heat training to do. It's actually the perfect run up race to San Diego 100, which will be hotter, but relatively less hill with only (only!) 13,470' of climb. For visual comparison of what I'm getting myself into:

Eeeep! It's also not unheard of for it to be pretty warm at Lake Sonoma, even hitting the 90s although it's only April. Guess I'll be hitting the sauna from mid-February...

LS50 is also a cupless race. One of the biggest problem with these races, and most running events in general, is the huge amount of waste generated. Ultra Adventures, who put on the Zion 100 as well as other events on my to-run list, are a zero waste event (those potties were interesting once there were a few miles on the legs...). Mendocino Coast 50k will also be a cupless race, featuring the same UltrAspire 6oz cup. No more non-recyclable dixie cups would be wonderful!

Dialing in my nutrition during training will also be a huge focus for me this time around. Fueling while training for Zion was pretty awful, thank you body for not bailing on me! Fortunately for me, S is a nutritionist and ultra runner, and shares tips with me on our Saturday adventures - I did point out that ideally I just need someone to follow me around and extract the bad choices from my hand before it hits my mouth. In the meantime I have to use my own brain, and am really shaking up my diet. I see a lot of fruit and far less cheeseburgers in my future... For example, on Saturday after a hilly 8, I had a banana on the drive home, followed by whizzing up 2 bananas, an apple, and a cup of strawberries with a cup or so of water. It took me forever to drink, but would have been even longer to eat! And there was meant to be an extra banana and apple in there. Yup, a whole lotta fruit, at least my sweet tooth is happy :)

It took me forever to figure out how to copy this picture over from Instagram, why can't I save my own photos? Much more effort than result, but now I know, yay smarts :)

Gearing Up

I just about have next year's racing schedule planned, for both myself and my horse.  At least, planned as much as you can in these sports. I planned on riding at Lake Sonoma in September, conditioned, checked tack, loaded a healthy fit horse, who promptly fell off the trailer and sliced his leg. Things happen. So when I say I have it planned, I mean lightly sketched in pencil and fully prepared to toss it out the window and start from scratch as needed...

First off, I really need a trailer. My 4runner is now for sale, which makes me sad but we really don't need 3 trucks and a car between 2 of us. (Yay, hubby is on the phone with someone now...) I could potentially lose my trail access from Bugsy's house, plus I can't rely on friends to come get us whenever we want to ride together. Yay independence!

I very much want to do a 100 miler next year, and it made sense to select from the WSER qualifying list. There's a few on there I'd like to do, and unsurprisingly there's a lottery entry for several. I have opted for San Diego 100 in June, which is going to be hot hot hot!! I already have a pacing and crew offers, and we hope to make a mini holiday out of it. I have a lot of work to do in between now and then. There is a four day application period next month, and if they receive more than 300 entries it will go to a lottery. Should I not get in, the back up plan is Pine 2 Palm in Oregon.

We had a great run finally finding the correct route for the Mendocino Coast 50k for the segment we keep going wrong on. Not lost, since both times we have found fabulous trails for training runs, but not the route we were looking for. It was quite the climb today:

Profile for Miles 9-16

Ignore the last mile on the chart, we ventured a little way down the next section, so the last mile is our climb backtracking up to the truck. From this point it's mostly down hill and flat all the way to the finish! There are some gorgeous trails in store for the runners. I took a little video on our way back (excuse the loud breathing - don't video when going uphill at the end of your run on a mostly uphill route...)

 I was trying to practice breathwork today.  Breathe for 3 steps in, and 2 steps out. Turns out I'm not great at counting, and moving my feet, and breathing, all at the same time. I would get the hang of it, be able to go back to chatting, then get myself all confused again and have to start over. Who knew such basic skills were so hard to combine. Guess that's my homework for the next couple of weeks :)

Changes Are Coming!

I had an incredible run today. In the world of running it wasn't anything spectacular, but it was fun, faster than usual, and just not that hard. I took one of my favourite trails, the bluffs and Staircase trail up to the pygmy forest. I had an early client in Mendo, so took running clothes with me, figuring I could change in my truck to run at JugHandle which I pass on my way home; if I got another client leaving me with a gap in my day I could run at Big River, which is right outside my window at work! It was cold enough for tights and to use my buff as a beanie, even though I didn't actually hit the trail until 10.30 (not looking forward to running at 5:30am tomorrow, brrr). There was ice in the puddles at the boardwalk at the top end of the trail, and plenty of frost elsewhere. A few tourists braved the chilly weather and were enjoying a hike, mostly bundled up with steaming cups of coffee - apparently we don't do Winter very well here haha. Unfortunately for them, a cold run gets things flowing, if you catch my drift. Slight apologies, tourists, for the snot rockets you were unfortunate to experience. Can I mention how effective it is for clearing airways on the run? Try it sometime, you will understand why this most unattractive of habits is regularly performed. To be fair if I had seen them, I may have waited until I was around the corner, and it's not like I hit them or anything extra gross. :D

New shoes getting to enjoy the view

I love love love my new Altra Superior 2.0s! I kept putting off ordering them, since when I upgraded my Lone Peaks I was disappointed, and I really enjoy running in the 1.5s. There is a slight increase in stack height, but the removable stone guard was not in the shoe. Since most of my trails don't need the stone guard, I haven't put it in yet, and the feel in these shoes is amazing. Yesterday S and I were route scouting (and not getting lost! Sorry for oversleeping and being 1/2 hour late - I am bad bad running buddy) for the Mendocino Coast 50k. We ran on dirt road, sand, trail, mud, dry pavement, and icy pavement. The only time I didn't love them was the short section of dry pavement. The super grippy treads were really soft, and it felt a little like having suction cups on my feet. I think they will wear down much faster than the 1.5s if I do too many pavement miles in them. All the more reason to squeeze in more trail miles, right? I might add in the stone guard for my run at Big River on Thursday and see what difference that makes. Hands down my new favourite shoe! Even though I doubt I will get any trail miles in the next few days (heading north to see my bestie, ride, and give massages) I might throw them in the truck just in case.

Superior 2.0 aka My Preciouses (preciousi?)

And the changes? Adjustments to my work situation, which are long overdue, will be giving me more time to ride and run, yet still extra cash flow (Pony shut your ears, we don't need to spend it on vet bills please and thank you!). It will be easier to get time off for races of both varieties, a little more flexibility for training time, and more time for private appointments. I am slowly relaunching my website, and working on a better location to see clients. For the moment I can do outcalls, and have limited availability at my home (no restroom here means it isn't a viable long term solution). Let me know if you're interested in an appointment.

Massage room at Stanford, Big River is my view!

One Year Streaking!

I made it! I began my running streak on November 24th, 2014, and I'm still going. I wasn't my smartest, and didn't connect that the 'streakaversary' day and Day 365 are not the same, so RSD365 was a measly one mile run/walk with our pooch. Today at least was a five miler at Big River with the FogDodgers. Initially I had riding plans, but courtesy of a skunk vs my buddy's dogs that got scratched. Due to last night's downpour (Yippeeeee!) the trails would have been super slick, and neither of our pony's are hoof placement geniuses so it may have been for the better that we didn't go. I nearly went back to bed, until I remembered it was Tuesday. I was hoping the rain would continue, not just for anti-drought purposes (still on a Stage 3 water emergency restriction) but so I can test my new rain jacket. I've worn it for a couple of rides, and this morning's run, but it didn't actually rain during any of those. Eventually! The sky at Big River was pretty dramatic when we set out, and an hour later back at the vehicles we had blue sky. A wonderful view for a year of running!

We've been route scouting on S's course for the Mendocino Coast 50k on our Saturday trail runs. We went the wrong route last time, but found a really fun single track through the woods that cuts out a section of rocked road. While not the race course, it's a good section for training runs and rides. I studied the map some more, got an improved map from S, picked the brain of the local bike shop owner, and declared that I knew where we went wrong and had a good idea of how to fix it. There was one tricky turn that I wasn't sure we'd find, and we actually stopped a couple of times to check the map and be sure we were on the right track. We finally came to the turn in the road, and I promptly do a happy dance through the woods singing out "I'm a good route finder". The bottom of the dirt road turned into single track, with a couple of options. Softly continuing "I'm a good route finder" we tried one route, only to come across a murder cabin (actually some kind of water level measuring area, but when you're in the deep dark woods it might as well be a murder cabin). We couldn't find more trail, so turned back and took the second option. This was another fun single track requiring a lot of attention on footing, particularly going across or around some dilapidated foot bridges. Oddly, the best condition one we saw was the only one with a sign cautioning two people only. There were lots of bridge building materials stashed along the trail (and some tiny solar panels?), but we can only assume they're letting the wood weather a bit to keep the authenticity :) We came to another junction and I figured out which of our three options we should take, proudly explaining my reasoning, which S didn't disagree with. All is well until I recognise a spot on the trail from a FogDodger run a few months back, having made a mental note at that time to come back and explore. I mentioned we may have gone wrong somewhere, and sure enough I had somehow brought us in a big loop and we were now a mile down the trail from where we started. Hey, at least if I'm going to go the wrong way I can get us back to our vehicles. Again, this is going to be a great training route, but still not part of the race course. I once again know where we went wrong (where I did my happy dance...oops) and will be setting out to explore again soon. Of course, fun had to be poked at S who, as the race director, should really know the route! Other than confirming this last section, we only have about a three or four mile section to explore through the Mendocino Woodlands. It's going to be a gorgeous course, and very runnable with enough challenge to keep things interesting.

Never know when you might need mini heavy equipment...

Lotteries

Forget the Great Red Cup Debate, this is the season of ultra running lotteries. This is the first year I have bowed to the lottery gods (and none of them care what I drink my coffee from...) Somehow all the races I want to do next year, except our road marathon, are lottery entry.

Gordy Ainsleigh - WS100 founder - credit: Luis Escobar

Western States 100 - is the big one, and my name is already in that hat. UltraSignup has a page where you can check the applicant list, and my name is among 3258 others when I checked at 1pm today (up from 3046 last evening). I can't see if there's any way to find out how many tickets each name has. Last year with two days to go there were about 2500 names, so it looks like it's an even bigger pool this year. For the 2015 race, a single-ticket applicant had a 4% chance of being selected. A guesstimate this year was around 3500 names with 9200 tickets... I'm really counting on low probability, preferring to have more experience under my belt before toeing the line. Just in case, don't cross your fingers for this one!

Way Too Cool - credit Myles Smythe/UltraSportsLive

Way Too Cool 50k - I didn't really care about this race until about 3 weeks before the 2015 event, then I really wished I could go. There is a LOT of runners at this event, which might drive me crazy, but might be fun. Those I know who've run it say it's different having so much company, but no problem. This year it falls 5 weeks before Lake Sonoma, so could be a great training run as long as I treat it as such. Which I'm not very good at...

One of the (many) hills at LS50 - credit Myke Hermsmeyer

Lake Sonoma 50 - My first attempt at an ultra, and my first trail race. (*Note - I don't recommend this race for anyone in that position...) Also, did I mention that 3 months prior I ripped my knee open and it didn't stop bleeding for six weeks? And that I had absolutely no clue what the heck I was doing...? First ultra, first DNF (of only 2), and I want to tackle it again! A relentless but beautiful course.

Bad memories of this hill (twice) at Headlands 50 - credit Lubor Ptacek

Miwok 100k - Between Sonoma and Miwok, I would probably prefer to run Sonoma. The bonus to Miwok is that a sub-16 hour finish is good enough to qualify for 2017 WS100, which would take care of that little task. At a month apart, if I trained really hard over the winter, I could possibly do both, blending recovery and taper with one long run in the middle (Mendocino 50k - April 23). Doable, but I'm less than enthused. Also, stairs...

The waterfall in Russian Gulch, Mendocino 50k

I haven't even really looked at events later in the year, since planning that far ahead is asking for things to go wrong, and it would really depend on how the first six months go. I have a couple races in mind that I would like to try my hand (foot?) at, as well as a few endurance rides that would take up some of my weekends. There are plenty more lottery races as well, but my poor brain can't handle it! With careful planning and some good luck, it would be feasible to do all the above. However, that's a lot of running and racing in a short space of time, and I think that was a big part of my slow recovery this summer. I have race FOMO!

Mendocino Coast 50k

Yippeee! Not only are we getting more and more running events locally, but now we have an ultra! There are now 4, maybe 5, 5k/10ks, a 5k/10/13.1m, and in April 2016 the coast's first ultra. Yup, a 50k on some of my favourite trails, hosted by race director Sid Garza-Hillman, my Saturday morning trails buddy. The course is going to be amazing, starting and finishing at Big River Beach, and follows the bluff trails overlooking the ocean, dropping down into Russian Gulch State Park where you'll run through the redwoods to the Russian Gulch waterfall. Climbing out of the park, there's more fun twisty singletrack (be glad you're going down that hill, not up it like we did last week!) cutting over towards Caspar Orchard, where you'll then head for the Mendocino Woodlands. More gorgeous trail will drop you off several miles up Big River, which will be your guide to the finish line. Most of the course is soft single track, and not technical. There are a few roots for the unsuspecting runner not picking up their feet - I know because I've found most of them at one time or another! It's challenging enough to be fun while still letting you appreciate the beauty of the trails in our area (and see how lucky we are to get to train here, hehe). Registration is hosted by Ultra Signup, and more information about the race can be found at www.mendocinoultra.com. Scrolling back it looks like the only bluff photos I have are from different bluffs trails, not those skirting the village of Mendocino that you'll get to experience during the race. (I know I'm spoiled, I don't take it for granted!) At least the other pictures will give you some idea of what's in store!

Still a runner... Just!

This has been me the last three weeks. I feel great after a run but I don't want to go and I won't and you can't make me! Then at the end of the day I'm grumpy and shuffling out a wimpy little mile to keep the streak alive. When I do get out and run it can be either great or awful. Saturday we did a five miler on kinda-rolling single track, and I was struggling to maintain what is a pretty slow pace even by my standards, and huffing and puffing away like a steam train. (Falling within the first half-mile and banging my knee didn't help, nor did the kick in the foot from a horse aiming at my horse, but even excluding these factors it would have been very hard). This morning I ran with the Fog Dodgers and a triathlete, H, is in town for two months while her husband is on internship. While I have a strong suspicion it was slow for her, the pace was comfortably not-too-shabby. Not fast,by any stretch of the imagination, but definitely a run not a casual stroll down the trail.

Overlooking Ten Mile Beach

I think part of my problem is missing going to places where I can get views such as the one shown above! The trails are not really what most people want to be tackling, and it just doesn't feel safe to go to a lot of my favourite places by myself. Maybe I'm being silly, but in the past I have not trusted my gut and it always led to bad things. The podcast I listened to that explained how most mountain lion attacks are not fatal did not help. Whilst I'm glad they are not fatal, I would really prefer zero mauling please and thank you!

Van Damme State Beach

I also think I may just still be recovering from my previous very tough year. Escalating from my first trail half marathon to a 100-miler in just twelve months may have been a little ambitious. Between training hard, working two jobs, and upping pony's mileage in preparation for him beginning his endurance career, trying to have some semblance of social life and seeing my husband for more than five minutes a day in passing, I completely zapped all my reserves. I'll feel really strong for a couple of weeks, then it's gone. I can't even link it to a particular tough work out, or long client-filled day. Happy bouncy running riding life juggler to wannabe slob who'd really rather stay in bed or in front of the TV (the what now?) with my best buds Ben and Jerry, and of course some Jennyburgers for my exceptionally high protein requirements (hah!). After a couple if weeks I can usually find my routine again, and so the cycle goes on. Thinking of the big picture, I am dropping from the 50-mile at Dick Collins to the marathon, and will not be going to Rio del Lago. After the marathon I am going to take a month or so off to try and really recover, eat the good food, drink extra water, try harder for quality sleep. Hopefully by resting, and then cycling back up slowly (patience, patience, can you tell I don't have much?) I can come back stronger and wiser ready to tackle the amazing races I want to conquer. (Western States anyone?)

My trusty steed

In the meantime, the next goal is getting Bugsy through his first fifty mile endurance ride healthy and happy. We're heading up to Humboldt Redwoods early on Friday so we can be well settled and rested to ride on Saturday. Definitely starting to get a little nervous. While I'm confident we're prepared and have been working up to this for some time, there's that niggling little voice in the back of my head reminding me that for better or worse, this horse is the way he is because of me. Please pony, help me to embarrass ourselves!

Derailed!

Since April of last year I have run a half marathon and a full marathon on trail, two trail 50ks and one 50k mostly paved, a 50 miler, a 100k, a 100 miler, took about 3 minutes off my 5k PB, ran my fastest ever ever mile, rode a 50 miler last year, and a 35 miler last month. I remained happily injury free, and kept ALL my toenails, barely even bruising them. A few weeks ago I took a spill off my horse, landing star-fish styly (no good story about galloping through the woods aboard my wondrous steed to slay a dragon and protect the town - I had no saddle, he jumped sideways, I didn't...). Success at jamming my toe hard enough for it to go black around the edges and painful enough that I took something more than arnica for the first time in three years. The toe hurt worse than the sublaxated shoulder, which other than when I was working, was just inconvenient at reaching things in high places - I'm already disadvantaged with my T-Rex arms. Ten days later we were trying to find a way around a fallen tree (didn't occur to us to carry saws in August), we came across a hornet nest and my riding buddy and I both got stung, and in the kerfuffle lost both horses. In the process of tearing off through the woods trying to find my horse, not paying attention to running form, and smacking the heck out of my leg, firstly to get the buggers off of me, and later to try and ease the stings, I injured my knee. Based on previous experience I have a pretty good idea what may be wrong, but I can't diagnose that without seeing a doctor. (Yes, very familiar with the problems of self-diagnosis and that it's not recommended and I'm not a doctor, so on so on).

Ouch! One massive leg

I tried to go to physical therapy, but you need a referral, and you can't get a referral without an MRI. Oh NHS, I miss you so. I stand by my previous statement when having to pass a thorough medical exam when I emigrated that I wouldn't be moving here if I was sick.

The streak is still going, just with lonely little single miles, mainly for my sanity at the moment. Even if I'm basically power walking the mile, I need that time to myself. I'm going to go for a short test run next week somewhere easy, and see how it's going. Most of the swelling is down, and it's not usually painful for daily activities. If anybody has been to PT for knee injuries I'd love to chat! If it doesn't seem to be getting better I will of course give up the streak, but for mental clarity that isn't an option until next week, just being very careful about it in the meantime. 

THANK YOU to all the people who were ready to search the woods for my missing horse. I found my buddy's horse pretty quickly but apparently home is not where my guy flees to. Since it was already getting dark I called two people who live on the street he does and where the trailhead is. Immediately there were ten of us (family, friends, and neighbours) ready to go with more friends down the road texting me to see if they could help, and many more that have since said they would have been right there if I had called and we needed to search for him. Luckily he was found very quickly, obviously realising he had gone the wrong way and was starting to head back for home again. It's very reassuring to know that people will come when help is needed!!!

 

RdL Week 6

6/29/15
Monday - 1 streak mile

Tuesday - 8.4 miles. I set our early from the FogDodger parking spot to run towards the lighthouse and back before meeting the others to head down through the park (too early to run the canyon by myself). J showed up right after me so we ran together for 3 miles. Once with the group, we headed down our usual route through the campground and along the creek. On days I want to run with others I shouldn't be in front, somehow I lost the group. The mosquitoes thought I was delicious so I didn't wait at the turnaround. I managed to run all the way up the hill again, and stretched a little when I got back to the truck, but started getting chilled so ended up taking off before the others got back. Sorry I missed you guys!

Russian Gulch - North trail

 Wednesday - 8.2 miles with a couple tempo miles. Bleh. I burned up too much energy trying to run up the first steep hill (made it more than half way - huge improvement for me). The plan called for three tempo miles, but I only had about two miles of reasonable enough footing to feel confident speeding up. I need to work on pacing, since I couldn't find a happy medium on my tempo pace and went too hard. Immediately after this stretch is another climb, and I think it was too much too soon. While I made it up the hill (run/walk intervals) I started feeling really sluggish and heavy legged. The last mile and a half back to the truck was really challenging to keep moving, even at a walk. Pushing too hard and not taking fuel (16oz water only) was not my brightest move.

Waterfall at Russian Gulch - very small right now

Thursday - 5.5 miles at Van Damme. Feeling pretty tired, and heading out of town for the day, so just one lap. Should have been 8-10 but felt that might have been pushing it.

Friday - 7 miles, JugHandle. First run with my new Suunto Ambit2 R (not as great as the Ambit2, but better than the Garmin). Not sure I love running with a heart rate monitor - more on that elsewhere. Got a little full of myself in the last mile, and of course the trail rewarded my gall with an unseen tree root to send me sailing through the air with a distinct lack of grace.

Saturday - 8.1 miles in Jackson State Forest with S. This was a very successful run for me, in that I ran the whole way, even with over 1500' of climbing. It got pretty hard sometimes, but I tried to keep my happy face on. A conscious effort to slow down and keep chugging away on the hills got me all the way around. Wheeeee.

Among the Redwoods at Caspar

Sunday - 15 miles. The FogDodgers route was at Caspar logging roads this morning. I set off an hour early, sticking to the road so as to limit the chances of being snacked on. 5 miles by myself, then repeating the route with the others. By 9:00 I felt safe enough on the single track, but was starting to lag, I think due to a lack of fuel. I took Tailwind in my pack, but didn't drink enough on the first two lops, and combined with a lack of breakfast it caught up to me on loop 3. I took a walking break and drank extra to catch up, which finally kicked in for the last mile and a half.

So happy to be on the trail

RdL Week 5

6/22/2015

Monday - 1 streak mile. Training plan starts today, but Mondays are rest days so I treated myself to a massage after work, and tried to make a chiropractic appointment. Bum hip is making itself known which usually means I need a pelvis adjustment. Ready to get started!

Tuesday - 8.4 miles. I set off early and ran out to Point Cabrillo light house before meeting others at 7 to run at Russian Gulch. Felt really strong despite a little stomach upset (poor breakfast choice), and even ran the entire hill on the way back (23 seconds slower than last time with a walk break in the middle). Technical difficulties at home meant that I had to call and ask to shower at the spa, and forgot to grab secondbreakfast so that was not ideal either.

Wednesday - 6.6 miles. I love running at JugHandle. It's beautiful, it's relatively safe, it's challenging enough to feel like you're trying. I felt good after yesterday's effort, and while pace wasn't fast, it was a typical easy pace for me. Surprisingly sweaty today, maybe from the conscious effort to hydrate recently? Wednesday is typically acupuncture day, and she pulled out the big guns for the PF in my right foot - Kidney 1. Most acupuncturists don't needle KD1 since many patients are freaked out by needles in the sole of the foot, and it hurts. It is incredibly effective though, so it's now part of my plan.

Thursday - 9.4 miles. Early morning run at Van Damme, then back out for another lap alone (after fellow runners checked to be sure I knew how to react if the mountain lion made an appearance). Added in some strides on loop two, which felt easier the more I did. I glanced at my watch as I was slowing down on the last one and it was at 6:30. Now to master the art of glancing at my watch and still not falling AoverT at the peak. Feeling really good this week! (Just went back and looked at Strava - the graph says I was momentarily at 5:50 - wheeeee!)

 Friday - 4 miles. A later run than usual, so feeling pretty sluggish. Easy run on the haul road, and tried exploring the short trail around Lake Cleone. It's a shame it's such a mess back there, it could be a nice little trail, but I don't think I'll be heading back there. Nearly fell through the boardwalk several times. I fall enough under my own power! Nice foggy sunset though.

Saturday - 7.6 miles (with 2020' elevation gain). Ran with S this morning, made sure to not eat Jennyburgers or drink inappropriate quantities of beer. Half the elevation gain is in the first mile and a half. Excellent way to warm up cold legs.... not! I had told S that I would run as much hill as he did, but that plan backfired a whole four minutes in! Still made it to the top of the chute in 13:30, which is much faster than my previous time of 17:xx. No spectacular views because we were right in the cloud at the top, but a great run.

Sunday - 13.1 miles. Tried a chocolate coconut peanut butter packet as fuel (approx mile 8) but it felt like it was stuck in my chest. Maybe if I'd taken it slower, and with more water, it might have been better. Along the beach and around Mendocino via the Headlands trail, then back to meet up with the FogDodgers to run the Big River haul road. One day I'll remember my bug spray. Last five was a bit quick for me, but made for a great workout.

Total for week - 50 miles, and 4500'.

RdL Week 4

Rebuilt staircase, no more death trap rotten boards!

6/15/15

Monday - Early morning strength class, different from the one I usually go to and will be feeling it tomorrow! 4.4 trail miles at JugHandle, complete with jumper in a vague attempt at heat training. It was chilly and overcast, but still a temperature that I could comfortably wear a t-shirt for, so I figured by wearing a jumper I was easing myself into it :) They've reopened the first portion of the trail, so it was the usual route again complete with brand new staircase. Legs felt heavy to start with, but kept a slow steady pace the whole way, only pausing for a bunny picture and to pass people with dogs. A good start to the week!

JugHandle bunny

Tuesday - 5 miles. Woke up in the night with sharp pains in my shoulder, that I apparently hurt during class yesterday. It was still fairly painful when I got up to go to Russian Gulch with the FogDodgers, but I figured I would see how it goes, I could always turn around and walk back if it hurt too much. Thankfully getting the blood flowing must have been good for it, by the time I got back to the car it was feeling better. Now that I've been stopped a while it's stiffening up again, but I'm confident it's tweaked, not really injured. A few days rest should be good enough, and if I make it to acupuncture this week I'll ask her to help me out also. We had a great run this morning, and I even made it most of the way up the hill at the end (took a 20 second walk break in the middle). Thanks L for pushing me :) Also thanks R for doing so much trail clearing lately, it is very much appreciated.

Wednesday - 1 streak mile on the haul road on the way home from my ride.

Big River

Thursday - 11.1 miles in a two part run. Met FogDodgers at Van Damme at 7 and got 5.6 in there. I was planning on heading back out for a second loop by myself, but a heads up from R changed my plans. Apparently a mountain lion was seen up there this week, and while it shouldn't be a problem, why take the chance. I headed to Big River to finish up, got a mile in to my run, and remembered there has been a big bear seen a few miles up. Fantastic! It's a very open trail though, so I wasn't too concerned and had a great run.

Friday - 6.8 miles with S along the bluffs in town. Legs were heavy but okay after yesterday's long run, but the last two miles were really painful for my back. It hasn't bothered me on runs except the start of Tuesday, so maybe it was the combination of a long run and not finding a comfortable sleeping spot Thursday? It's still been sore this week (though not affected my running like it did this day) so trying to get a chiropractic appointment for next week.

Saturday - 1 streak mile. Nearly forgot to run, was about to go to bed and remembered.

Sunday - 4.6 miles with the FogDodgers, in a different location from our usual. Quite the up-and-down-y trail with some good hills that were gentle enough to run but long enough to be hard. We turned around at 29 minutes and were five minutes faster on the way back.

Trail Run Video

I had a great run this morning. Finally hit double digits, first time since Zion. I didn't anticipate it taking this long. There was a big mental block, but no physical reason to not go. Somehow I found excuses every time, and nearly bailed this morning. Even had the perfect opportunity with having to relocate for the second half of my run. Got it done though, and it felt great. I was SO HUNGRY afterwards, and a bit stiff, but going to make it a regular thing again. Plus I finally signed up for Pacifica 30k. I'm excited! It's also the same day that a friend flies in from Germany. Fun times. 

Each Saturday morning S and I have been running different trails. He has a health-coaching podcast about making small (tiny) changes to lead to bigger changes, how by making choices manageable and sustainable you can make great improvements. Every couple weeks is a video also, and this one was of our trail run through Jackson State Forest and into JugHandle State Park. Plenty of dorkus moments of course, and don't mind me nearly falling over the camera...

RdL Weeks 2 and 3

6/1/2015
Monday - Weight bar, and 1 rest day mile through the wildflowers to get to the ocean and along the bluffs.

Monday's trail

Tuesday - 5 miles with the FogDodgers. A new(/returning?) runner L joined us, and we picked up a slightly faster pace than the rest of the group. Russian Gulch was beautiful this morning. Sad stomach, maybe related to the delicious dairy-filled blended coffee I had yesterday?

And fail as far as tracking the rest of this week. Packing for and then being at Cooley Ranch rides (Wednesday - Monday) made a big dent in the running plan, primarily due to time available. I got at least my mile in, and a few more each of the two days that I rode since I got off and led my horse for a while. With so much going on during the weekend between volunteering, catching up with friends, and taking care of the horses belonging to our camp (mine and two friends) there really wasn't much time to run. Recovery this week has been slow; I have felt as fatigued as I might expect to from having ridden the race myself. I think maybe when I'm riding I am more conscious of the need to take care of myself and sip on water/keep an eye on my nutrition than when I'm volunteering. Definitely something to work on. On the plus side, the heat didn't seem to bother me as much, I was vastly improved on keeping my temperature in check and knowing when to get in the shade, dunk my head in a trough, and still get my activities done. 

Cooley Ranch

Friday - A whole 1.8 miles. Big time running going on here...

Saturday - 4.1 miles with S taking trail pictures for his website. Note to self: beer is not ideal to consume in quantities the night before a run. I will never learn! Also managed to fall on my arse trying to find a good spot to take a picture (that wasn't even a good spot lol).

Sunday - As I was pulling away from my house to meet the FogDodgers at Van Damme I got a call from a poorly coworker asking to cover her clients that day, with the first appointment at 9am. This meant I only had time to go back in the house to change and eat breakfast to get to work. I could have got a mile around the block in, and should have done, since that was all I did for the day. The problem being that I didn't do the mile until after 10pm with a full belly (again!). So goal for the rest of June: run before 8pm, and at least run before dinner, so I can actually run, rather than my pitiful shuffle.