Preparation

My brain is always going a mile a minute the week before a race, planning all the things I have to pack, buy, and do. I have checklist after checklist, that I typically rewrite several times, and scrutinise it over and over again until I drive myself crazy. Mostly this is to stop me overthinking the race itself and psyching myself out. I come up with all kinds of pseudo-injuries, and imaginary scenarios where things go horribly wrong. Hence the lists:

• Run clothing
• Casual clothing
• Gear/Miscellaneous (arnica, foam roller etc)
• Food
• Strategy (Drop bags, pack refills)
• To-do (Car oil, food prep)
• Out of town errands/shopping
• Ouchies (for some reason listing all the things that might hurt makes it easier to deal with)

I also get very upset when I don't have complete control of things (this isn't limited to running and racing, and I work very hard to not be the crazy control freak, just like I try not to be upset if I don't have the same spot in the gym or my three enchiladas are uneven on my plate, or my car stereo isn't on an even number and okay I'm a little crazy, and this is why I run). We're going to be leaving later than planned on Friday, and while we still have a couple of stops we need to make, it's not really a big deal, but I know that until we are at least half way there I won't settle down. 

For some reason, I don't feel the same need to micromanage every detail when it comes to endurance. Perhaps because less than half my rides have been on my own horse, and I have no trailer so traveling is mostly out of my control, and I have plenty of people directly involved that I can ask questions. When you ride someone else's horse, it is up to them how you ride, what gear you use, what you feed, how you secure the horse, what your goals are. Even to a certain extent with Fuega, she had a good say in what we did. She was such a strong-willed mare that I had to find the balance between riding my ride and being conservative, versus not holding her back and fighting her so much that she burned up her energy and was miserable and not co-operative. In endurance there are so many more variables just because you have another living breathing being as part of your team, you have to be more flexible.

Running on the bluffs Sunday morning with the FogDogers

I'm not quite sure where I was going with this, other than I needed to make some empty space in my head so I can go and be focused at work. I'm patiently (ha!) waiting on FedEx to deliver my package with the 'kevlar bra' so I can test run it this afternoon. Of course four miles isn't going to tell me whether it will work for 62 miles, but I can at least check fit. While I would never recommend trying something new on race day, in this instance I know that the bras I have will chafe, so even if the new one chafes I'm not in a worse position, and maybe it won't. Boobs are not great for trying to make myself an ultrarunner...

 

Diet!

Without wanting to be whiny - I am exhausted. Yes, I've been very busy. Yes, this is the hardest I've trained before. I'm still way more tired than I should be. I was talking to a gym-classmate this morning that I'm tired, and mentioned that I didn't think I was eating the right food, that I was eating enough at all, and I'm dehydrated. I've noticed a common trend in that I need to vocalize something for it to click in my head. As I was saying these things, I realised, of course if I'm not fueling myself properly, I'm not going to feel my best. This has happened before where I feel run down and sleepy and brain-fogged, look to my diet, have I been eating clean, drinking my water, making my juices and smoothies? Probably not. Combine that with finishing the hardest four weeks of training I've given myself, plus being busy at work, and finally back to riding. No wonder I just to laze around with Rocko and take naps. This has happened in the past where I feel like I'm crashing and realise my food choices are sub-par. It's also the first thing I recommend others look at when they mention these issues, so why do I keep forgetting it for myself? So my biggest focus in my taper is going to be fixing my nutrition to help my body recover and re-build for my longest ever race, and afterwards in recovery and cycling back up into the higher mileage ready for when I really need to be on top of my game. I'm like a little kid when it comes to eating my veggies, so hiding them in soups and smoothies is a good go-to for me, but any delicious veggie-dense recipes will be gladly tried! Delicious home made broccoli soup for dinner tonight :)

Beautiful morning for 16 in Russian Gulch

Beach Run

Today is a special anniversary! 365 days since I last had a cigarette! It's still hard, especially when we go out. But not even a little drunken drag. As well as the common difficulties like stressful events or drinking or being around smokers, odd things like watching a movie where people smoke a lot can trigger cravings for me. Since nobody now smokes in our house (the guys both have vaporizers) it's pretty easy to hide out until it passes. My huge running goals also help keep me focused. 

This morning I met up with the FogDodgers at Ward Avenue for an hour of coast running. I was umm-ing and aah-ing on my way there about whether or not to run on the sand or stick to the haul road. I opted for the sand, since the tide was low-ish and on its way out. There were some squishy spots, but mostly pretty good.

Gorgeous morning :)

This morning I ran with M and K, who very kindly indulged my jumping picture habit. What else do you do on the beach? Bonus plyo workout for me jumping over and over to be sure we got some good shots, which we did. Thank you, ladies :)

M also works as a trainer and physical therapist, and we were chatting about various form issues, and she offered to give me some tidbits to help with my myriad of concerns after Ordnance. It's too close to the race to change anything up now. 

We didn't quite hit the 5 I wanted this morning, so I set off down the haul road to get my last mile in. My plan called for 24 today and 5 tomorrow, but I have a long day at work and it wasn't going to be possible to fit in the long run, whereas tomorrow I'm off, so it made sense to switch things up. If anybody local (or just visiting the area) wanted to tag along with the FogDodgers, there's a website with the info on where you'll find them each week here! They mentioned it would be great to have more runners come along, although walkers are more than welcome also.

Suunto Movies

I just found a fun new part of the Movescount app on my phone. Movescount is the site that processes information from my Ambit2. I have it set to automatically transfer to Strava. Movescount is good, but I prefer Strava :) I've barely looked at the app on my phone, since I plug the watch into my computer. It took me a while to figure out how to be able to share it on the blog, but I just discovered that the app will make movies of our runs. Here's yesterday's seven miler with T:

That hill at the start is a lot steeper than it looks on the video - my calves promise you! Pretty good views up there though.

I had a second test of my new-to-me pack (freebie!), and it was a lot more comfortable this time. Still not my favourite, but will be useful. I think it's designed with someone a little bigger in mind, and I may modify it a little to fit better.

2 x 10oz bottles, and a velcro fastening

It was a beautiful morning on the trails, and the views on the usual trail would have been amazing, but we didn't want to deal with the pampas grass. Planning on heading up to clear it a bit one day we have some extra time, so we don't slice ourselves, and can actually run through there. The alternative trail was still fun!

We added a little speed work at the end, and I managed to get down to around a 7:10 m/m, and even hit 6:20m/m for a very brief moment. Very speedy for me.

Saturday's are rest days, so just two easy miles. Since I have some extra time I've been heading to an easy local trail with Rocko. It's so much fun running with him. T came along this morning also, and snapped a few pictures of us. The trail with the big trees turned out to be a dead end, but it was fun exploring, and RtD enjoyed being an adventure dog with us!

Falling!

Yesterday was a beautiful morning for my seven miler at Russian Gulch (which turned out to be just shy of eight). I was out by myself, and decided to venture down the new trail and make up my loop that way. Perfect temperature, sunshine through the trees, mostly dry ground, happy runner!

I was moving along pretty well - at least better than I expected considering how sore my rest day run was (two easy miles in town). I went to core class before yoga on Tuesday, and my hips were mad at me, it seems I have them stuck in ultra-shuffle mode. Will be interesting to see how they respond when I get back on Bugsy...

Happy feet in Superiors :)

As I was running down the unfamiliar trail, it occurred to me that aside from some hungover stumbles on our New Year's Day run, and hitting a sunken drain cover in the dark last week, I haven't fallen in a long time. I should have known as soon as that thought passed through my mind that I needed to watch my step. Sure enough, about ten minutes later I was headed down the hill, caught my foot on a route, and went into my best Superman impression. Except Superman doesn't land on a sideways foot and twist his ankle. Ouchieeee. I waited until the shooting pain in my leg subsided, then gingerly tested weight bearing ability. Ouchiee. Waited a few more minutes, and I could put it down carefully. I tried walking a few steps and it was painful, but doable. Running actually hurt les, so I very carefully made my way down the hill to pick up the creekside trail. It was so cold down there, which helped me keep moving, albeit slowly.

By the time I got back to the dirt trails, I was moving reasonably well again, and able to run the rollers. I was behind a couple of girls hiking to the waterfall who had no idea what was going on in their surroundings (really smart in mountain lion-y areas...). They were in my view for third-ish of a mile, and I still scared the hell out of them when I called out to let them know I was there. Pitchy screams are not what I'm looking for in a quiet trail run lol.

This morning I left early to meet some FogDodgers at Van Damme State Park. They run at 7:00 Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 8:00 on Sundays. This time of year 7:00 has us starting in the vague shadowy light of the moon, until the sun rises around 7:30. It's another pretty trail that follows Little River into the forest. We headed out about three miles, then back again.

It's mostly flat, so a great place for a steady run, and nice to have company. You have to watch your footing on the many wooden bridges that can get slick, and some rockier sections where ankle rollers lurk for clumsy runners (such as myself). The beach was gorgeous when we got back to the car park.

A 'Wicked Benedict' (sausage patty and tequila/lime/cilantro hollandaise) with a friend was the perfect way to round off my morning :)

Two Week Review

Welcome to 2015! I have big big plans this year, and with training mapped out to mid-April-ish, and vague ideas of where I'm going after that (but not tempting fate, so much could happen to change my direction).

Chilly start to the year, feeling much better than I did 5 miles ago...

Brrr

Things have been going really well, although today was a bit iffy. Once I was done, I realised that my pace had been on point, I had got my mileage, and was coming from a long run yesterday in Russian Gulch and had been to the gym this morning. I've just got into the habit of everything feeling, not easy, but easier.

Quiet 9 in the forest, after 5 with the FogDodgers

I also love that Saturday's are now Rocko's Running Day! He hasn't run with me for a long time, but it seems the turmeric paste he's on is really helping him. Since Saturday is rest day, therefore just two easy miles, he gets to come with me. This makes both of us very happy :)

Dec 21 - Dec 27 Review
Day             Plan   Actual   Elevation   Other
Sunday         14       14         571'      
Monday        7        7.1        1192'         Weights (1hr)
Tuesday        2         2            85'             Yoga (1hr)
Wednesday   7        7.2         554'          Weights (1hr)
Thursday      5        5.8         331'
Friday           7        7.2         292'          Weights (1hr)
Saturday       2        2.2         260'
Total            44      45.5       3285'

 Dec 28 - Jan 3 Review
Day             Plan   Actual   Elevation   Other
Sunday         21       21.1        2006'      
Monday        5         5.1          806'         Weights (1hr)
Tuesday        2          2            83'             Yoga (1hr)
Wednesday   7        7.3            ?'            Weights (1hr)
Thursday      5        5.6         1178'
Friday           7        6.8           ?'             Weights (1hr)
Saturday       2        2.4         262'
Total            49      50.3       4335'

Wednesday's run was measured with my phone, which gave up on me not quite half way out. I got to the trail head 20 minutes away and had no plans to go back for the forgotten watch. Conveniently there are mile markers along the way, and I checked at mile 3 to see how closely my phone and the markers were, and it was only off about a tenth, so was easy to finish my run and get accurate mileage, but no elevation. It's a level route though, so not missing anything too significant - maybe 350'. Same deal with Friday, although that was in town so no reason to not stop by my house and get my watch when I realised my phone was going to die before I was done. I was able to retrace my route on MapMyRun to find out how long the route was. 6.8 was a pretty close guesstimate I think. 

I think my favourite improvement is that I don't feel drained all the time. I'm getting stronger and adapting to 50 mile weeks plus my workouts, and running every day (currently on day 43). I don't feel the need to crawl into bed by nine every night, or take naps in the afternoon while on call. Though I'm scooting off to bed for my 5.15 wake up call. Time to make it a little harder, and add a core class to help my hips survive the extra distances. Good night :)