Running Talk - Friday and Saturday

This weekend we ran the Zilker Relays and the Nike Human Race. Mac had us race the Zilker Relays starting at 5k pace for the first two miles and then close as strong as we could the last half mile downhill. I felt pretty good, despite going out at a quicker than 5k pace. I know I lost a little time on the hills in the middle, but I think I finished pretty strong. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing my split because the person ahead of me had an issue with her chip and her time wasn't recorded. Tara thinks that I ran 18:00 or just under. I think I averaged 7:20 pace, which is faster than the Margarita Run 5k that I ran recently.

People have been complaining about how hot and humid it was on Friday night for the relays. They are crazy (or possibly completely wimpy morning runners). It was an absolutely gorgeous night. The sun was not in our faces. It was not hot at all. It was one of the nicest evenings we've had all summer.

I ran 10 with Tara on Saturday morning. We made the decision to start at 8:00 to give ourselves a holiday weekend treat. Our group didn't meet on Saturday morning, so it was nice to get some extra sleep. The run felt great. We especially appreciated the Rogue water underneath the IH-35 bridge. Thanks Rogue! Despite running in daylight hours after the sun was already up, we thought it was still very pleasant outside and were so glad to have run later in the morning.

More to come about running...we ran the Nike Human Race today.

Retiring #10 - Forever Young

This was the view from my seat. I'm not the woman cheering through most of the video, btw. If you need to, scroll down to the bottom and pause the music on my blog so you can watch the video. You can hear Vince talking on the mic after a while.

Aquanet

The best things about the start of football season are seeing the new additions to the stadium, the new and improved videos for the jumbotron, pyrotechnics before and after the game, flaming batons being twirled, and the return of 'Aquanet' to distract me from the game. You see, there is this one particular Longhorn fan who may or may not sit close to us at the football games. He doesn't know me. He doesn't know I have a nickname for him.

Yes, the nickname 'Aquanet' refers to the hairspray from the eighties. I think it would be hard to find anyone these days who uses old-school aerosol hairspray on their hair, much less a man. I am sharing with all of you one of the most fascinating haircuts/hairstyles that I have ever witnessed in my entire life.

I have stared at his hair for years. Really...I noticed his hair years ago, amazed at how solid and 'helmet-like' it is. I couldn't figure out exactly what made it stay in its rounded form in the 100 degree heat of a Longhorn football game until I realized his styling secret...Aquanet. It is a solid block, or should I say 'web', of heavily misted blonde helmet head. What you can't see from the picture below is how there are small 'bubbles' of conglomerated hairspray on every single strand of hair. Every single strand. This hairstyle does not budge, even in a 30 mph wind, even in the rain (both of which I have witnessed over the years).

The distraction factor of this hairstyle has contributed to many entertaining conversations amongst the people I know who have witnessed it at the game. Mostly, it is a poor haircut. The fact that it is always covered in hairspray is an entirely different issue.

I'm tickled that this year Aquanet is sporting a mushroom head.

Best Friends

You know you love kitty pictures! Beans and Miko are now such good buddies that they like to use each other as pillows. I love this view from my office!

Personal

Chad and I were talking in the truck on the way to workout yesterday, and he made a comment about my blogging. The gist of it was that I put personal information out there about my medical issues. The comments were not made to criticize me at all, but as a basic statement about how much people are willing to share. That got me thinking about how much I'm actually sharing about myself on here.

I'm willing to share enough information so that this blog reflects who I am. I hope that I am able to exercise some restraint in the ways that I share details, and I certainly hope that I don't share everything on this blog. I can think of several topics that won't be discussed here.

The best part of this blogging thing is how we get to peek into each others lives. We get to experience the ups and downs of each other's day-to-day. If someone wants to keep their blog strictly about running...fine. If someone wants to add in funny bits...even better. If someone uses their blog as an outlet to be creative, to entertain us with pictures, to shock us...I'm all for it. I'm thankful that I have this blog as an outlet to share my days with friends and family. I'm thankful to those of you who read my blog (known readers and you lurkers out there) and for those of you who blog for the rest of us to read.

Happy Hump Day! camel, speed hump, middle of the back seat...

They are paying attention...

My friend Diana suggested to me a while back that I might like using Google Analytics to see data about who is visiting my webpage. It tracks all kinds of things like what cities/countries people are visiting from, the keywords used in search engines that lead to my page (which are hilarious), and other sorts of fun data.

Normally, my blog gets 35-55 visitors on a given weekday (25-45 unique visitors). There was an anomaly in the data this week with 104 visitors (84 of them unique). So, I did some research into where all of the new hits were coming from. What the heck did I blog about that created so much attention...certainly not kitties and shopping!

According to Google Analytics, 46 visitors came from the Network Location 'amazon.com inc'. I also checked out these 46 hits and found that 19 of them came from Ashburn, Virginia, 13 from Bedford Park, Illinois, 6 from Washington, D.C., 4 from Madison, Wisconsin, and 4 from San Francisco, California.

Is it because I mentioned amazon.com in a negative light when I blogged about finally receiving my shipment of Eat Drink and Be Vegan? I'd bet so. They are paying attention...

Endocrinologist Update

(If you don't want to read about nipples and body functions, don't read the last paragraph...just a disclaimer.)

Hurray! I finally went to my second opinion doctor this morning to help deal with all of the symptoms I've been going through. I don't know if this will be the final doctor I visit, but I'm happy to know that there is an endocrinologist that is covered by my insurance, that comes recommended by my OB/GYN and a personal friend, and that takes my symptoms seriously. I went to see Dr. Maya Bledsoe this morning first as a 'thyroid' patient and secondarily to deal with reproductive hormones.

Dr. Bledsoe was very thorough in both her listening and explaining of my issues and ways to treat it. She did acknowledge that my last two thyroid readings were in most lab's 'normal' range, but that with the higher values I had, she would not hesitate to treat me for a thyroid problem. She also noted that based on my current levels and my family history, that she wouldn't be surprised if I developed more of a thyroid issue in the future.

Was I hoping to go on thyroid medication today? Part of me says yes, because I'm excited to be 'fixed'. She carefully explained why she might be hesitant to treat me right now with thyroid hormone (basically my age and possibly too much trial and error with treatment). She noted several other symptoms and observations about my body that made her wonder if there might be other hormone issues involved. She noted that my testosterone level was slightly high. Ummm....yeah, I think I have suspected that for years. Dr. Bledsoe mentioned that if we address some of my reproductive issues that my thyroid symptoms might also decrease. I'm all for doing a few more tests if it means we will get a better picture of what is going on. I don't want to be put on the wrong treatment course if we can help it.

The good news is that she said in the end, if I want to be treated as a thyroid patient, she'll treat me. She validated that I was not imagining that my TSH numbers were a bit high, even if they were 'normal'. Both of my readings in the last two years have been high enough for her to treat me. I am trusting my own instincts more than ever. I am thankful, for now, that I made the appointment for a second opinion.

So, for now, I get to follow protocol as an infertility patient. I get to chart my basal body temperature every morning. I get to mark days that I'm bleeding. I even get to report sex with my husband to the doctor. Isn't that hot? Oh, and I get to take a 3 hour long blood test next week to check my prolactin levels. On the internet it says to avoid nipple stimulation before the test. Somehow I don't think recording my body functions in preparation for a 3 hour long test involving needles is going to make me want to have my boobs touched that morning.

Thoughts on my Running Future...

It seems like this time of the season, you runner know about this...when you are about 6 weeks out from your primary race and you start dreaming about what to do next. You're still focusing on the task at hand, but you start to wonder about what else is out there for you.

Here are some things I'm thinking about. I'm not putting it out here because I feel like I have to do them, but rather as a glimpse into my brainstorming session.

• Training for Boston...I know I still have to re-qualify, but assuming that I do...can't decide if I want to race it again, or if I want to run it for fun. Either way, I think I will want to do some good training beforehand.
• Pikes Peak Ascent - I can't even believe I'm even thinking about it. I hate trail running, so I won't be training with one of the trail groups to do it. I have climbed that mountain before, so I know what I'm getting into enough to train properly. Also, doing the Ascent is only going to happen if Chad and other running friends decide to do one/both of the Pikes races. I also would have to get in. If all of this unfolds, my goal will be to ascend in under 4:00...definitely possible for me. I am a climber. Ask Charles, Julia, Sean, Clarence, Chad, Sebastian or anyone else who has witnessed me on that mountain.
• High mileage training - I've always done well with it. I'm tempted to work with whatever coach I end up with after St. George to develop a high mileage training plan that will give me considerable fitness without injury. I'd like to see how my body handles it.
• Swimming - I'm tinkering with the thought of swimming again. For real swimming. Some of you don't know that I used to swim pretty hard core when I was younger. I'm thinking that I'd like to join a group that meets 2-4 times a week at first to see if I'm really into it again. I need a group to keep me honest and to keep me coming back. I'll probably do a little more research into some local groups and their fees before I truly commit.
• My interest in swimming does not mean in any way that I'd like to start doing triathlons. I have no desire to get on a bike. Not even a stationary one. Or a tricycle.
• 3M - If my work meeting does not conflict, I'd like to race it with the goal of making the NY automatic qualifying time for women. For the past two years, my job has involved travel during 3M weekend. I'm crossing all of my fingers and toes that it does not conflict again this year.
• I'm wondering about what my running life will be like post-babies. The earliest Chad and I will start trying for babies is next August. I know that once pregnancies and babies become issues, running will take a backseat to family priorities. It makes me have a sense of urgency about racing goals for the next year and also excitement to know that so many of my running friends are also mothers. Fast mothers.
• Marathons that I'd like to run someday - New York, Chicago, London, Houston (racing for time), a Rock-and-Roll marathon...who knows how many others.

Sleeping, Shopping, Eating, Shopping

Saturday was a low key day. I didn't have to get up early for a long run because I was running with Tara on Sunday. I got up with Chad at 6:15 and had some oatmeal, then promptly returned to the bed to catch a few more zzzzs. At 9:00, Chad called to check on me and woke me up.

So, an easy 7 on the trail turned into a hotter run than I intended, but it was sure nice to sleep in! When I got home, I completely busted our two girl kitties being friendly to each other. Chad and I have witnessed them playing with each other, but never have they both chosen to be close to one another during their 'down time'. This is what I walked into after my run...



They both are sleeping on the bed (which Miko never does), and notice the purple fluffy toy between them. Someone wanted to play! This is great progress.

After cleaning up, Chad and I went to Wahoo's for lunch (yes, we eat there every Saturday if we can). We also went to REI for their sale. I got a super soft Marmot fleece and stocked up on some GU (which was also on sale). Chad got a couple of things including another Camelbak bottle with a very cool design. We both liked it because it resembles the Garmin-Chipotle argyle. I also really like this picture of me with it, so I thought I'd share. Not that I'm self absorbed or anything ;).



We headed over to Rogue Equipment (where we were helped by the lovely Katie) to check out their clothes and shoes. I got a sweet new pair of shorts, a beautiful top that I'm looking forward to running in after Melissa's wedding (no tan lines in my bridesmaid dress!), and a pair of new Wave Riders. Rogue Equipment has a great selection of Nike gear right now because of the upcoming Human Race. Actually, they always seem to have a good selection of clothes and shoes...if you haven't actually shopped there, then you should.

The rest of the evening was spent resting in front of the TV watching the Olympics and preparing for our Sunday 20 miler. After a trip to the HEB to stock up on a few things and to get me some cookies, we called it a day. Yes, cookies. I needed them. Really. Well to change the subject, Chad couldn't tear himself away from the TV until after 11:00. It wasn't pretty when the alarm went off at 5:00am on Sunday.

The Monster Month

I don't subscribe to Runners World, but I do sometimes browse their website to catch up on what might be new in the sport or to get the perspectives from some of the athletes who write for their publication. Today I ran across an article from 2005 (coincidentally when I ran St. George the first time) that pretty much sums up where I am in my training...The Monster Month.

'Anytime you train for a race, your mileage goes up. At first, the increases seem small. Then they get larger and larger. And then you hit the Monster Month--the four weeks of heaviest training that come after the buildup phase that boosts your fitness, and before the prerace taper that lets you recharge for the big event.'

Yup, that's me. I'm not hitting the 100-150 mile weeks like some of my friends or the elites, but I am starting my series of 20-24 mile long runs, combined with 55-70 mile weeks to peak for St. George. We do 20 this weekend, have a recovery week, then pile it on with 20 and 24 the next two weeks. Our weekly mileage and intensity is peaking as well. We're doing quality workouts on Tuesday and Thursday that are starting to increase in length and intensity as well. Last night we did 8k on the grass alternating between 10k pace and marathon pace, with no rest. It was challenging and terrific.

The Monster Month will involve me running my ass off, getting in the miles, sleeping a ton, eating as much healthy food as I can, hydrating, resting with my legs above my torso, and focusing on the goals at hand.

'A' goal - sub 3:30
'B' goal - beat my PR of 3:37 and change
'C' goal - requalify for Boston with 3:40:59 or less
Other than that, I'll be disappointed.

Monster Month has arrived...I'm gonna be the monster on race day!

Music!

Now when you visit my page, it will play music. Just so you know...if you visit from work and your speaker volume is up loud it will get you good! I'll try to vary the playlist now and again...it's just what I'm listening to these days.

The playlist is at the bottom if you interested in listening to all of it.

Chef Sadie attempts Asian Food

As much as Chad and I eat out, you might think it is because of some sort of deficiency that I have in the cooking department. Not so. I've been making an effort to cook us nutritious meals that also satisfy a marathoner's appetite, that also are able to satisfy a vegan and an omnivore in the same cooking session. The result?...Two yummy Asian inspired dishes!

Dish 1 - I've blogged about this one before. It is our Spicy Soba Noodle dish. It is modified from the Lake Austin Spa Cookbook, and is served warm instead of cold. I've also had the leftovers cold, and it is delicious that way, too. Here is a picture of my vegan version where I have grilled tofu. I prepare marinated chicken for Chad in his version. Basic ingredients - Buckwheat Soba Noodles, stir-fried mixed veggies, green onions, cilantro, and a yummy sauce that is sweet, sour, and fiery all at the same time.

Dish 2 - This was new to us last night. I finally received my copy of Eat Drink and Be Vegan from Amazon.com due to an error on their part. I subscribe to Dreena Burton's blog, so I've been itching to try some of the recipes. I attempted the Orange Sesame Tofu on page 136, and modified it for Chad to make it with salmon. I made just a touch extra of the marinating liquid and turned it into a delightful sauce for the rice by heating it in a small pot on the stove just until it began to thicken. I'm finally learning how to handle arrowroot powder so that it doesn't thicken too much...yay! The basic ingredients for this one...Orange juice, tamari, garlic, tofu, sesame seeds, with a few other ingredients to add delicious flavor and thickening of the sauce.

I also made a side of Lemon-Broiled Green Beans from page 160, but since my oven was already on 400 for the tofu/salmon, I just baked the beans instead of broiling them. They still turned out lovely.

Here's a picture of our two versions of the dish and below is the tofu version. I served them over basmati rice. It was a big hit!!

This time last year...

We spent the morning in Chicago...



Chad and I were basking in the glow of our engagement as we traveled to see my friends Erin and Mike Harnisch. It was such a fun weekend!

Also at that time, I was beginning to suspect I was injured in my hip/pelvis. Chad and I ran 8 easy miles in Oak Park, but I could feel the pain the entire time. Little did I know I was going to spend the next 2 months unable to run.

Hump Day already?

I can't believe that I haven't had the urge to post since last week. Not much has been going on here in the Jones house. I did a 14 mile run on Saturday, but didn't feel like running much on Sunday. I co-hosted a bridal shower for Mel on Saturday afternoon, and the combination of running, party planning, and watching the Olympics completely wiped me out. Chad and I slept until 9:30 on Sunday, had a leisurely lunch at my Dad's house with family (where I also snuck in a quick nap on the sofa), then returned home to take another nap in the afternoon. We had dinner plans, so I let the running go for an extra day of rest. Clearly my body needed it with all of the sleep it was begging for.

Speaking of dinner...Three years ago, Chad took me on our first date to Moonshine on August 17. Each year since we've returned to Moonshine to enjoy the memories of that night. Sunday night proved to be another good year at Moonshine, and I look forward to many more to come. It's not an anniversary that we feel like we have to celebrate, but it is so fun looking forward to that dinner. :)

Tara is out of town, so I have been missing her company during the past few runs. I actually took my iPod on our long run just in case I was bored running by myself. On Monday, I ran with my cousin Amy, who is training for the Longhorn 1/2 IM in October. We had a good time running the 7 mile loop. Tuesday night I suffered through a Mac workout on the 'caboose'. I was all by myself at the back of the train as we ran a big downhill workout. I love me some downhill, so it wasn't so bad to be last!

Icing on the cake

We had a great workout tonight. For the 'hard' part of the workout, I ran 2.5 miles at MGP and maintained a steady sub-8:00 pace. I also ran a cool 7:30 for our 10k mile. We had dinner at Wahoo's Fish Taco after workout and my salad was made to perfection. The moonlight was beautiful driving home, and the icing on the cake was that commercial radio (101.5) played Muse's Knights of Cydonia. Awesome! I blasted it and took an extra lap around the neighborhood just so that I could hear the whole thing!

Ouch!

You might have already seen this video of the Hungarian weightlifter Janos Baranyai during the weightlifting competition in Beijing. If you are sensitive to injury videos, don't click on it.

Assorted Flavors

Here's a mix of what has been going on (the assorted flavor variety)...

I'm addicted to the Olympics. If you check out Chad's blog, he's got some musings about the Olympics so far. We've been cracking ourselves up at some of the re-hashing of the personal interest pieces that they keep showing about the swimmers...

• Did you know that Dara Torres is 41 and is a mom?
• Did you know that Dara Torres is old enough to be Michael Phelps' mom and that he called her 'mom' to be funny?
• Did you know that Katie Hoff is the 'female Michael Phelps' of this Olympics?
• Did you know that at the Athens games, Katie Hoff 'collapsed' on the deck of the pool and has since returned as a more motivated and mature swimmer who is ready to handle the pressures of the Olympics?
• Did you know that Michael Phelps was raised by a single mom?
• Did you know that Michael Phelps has a jam-packed Olympic schedule and that all he does is eat, sleep, and swim (oh, and throw in a few medal ceremonies and some press appearances)?

It has become a joke to us to bring up these oh-so-obvious facts while we are watching.

The Olympics has been keeping me up past my bedtime. I like to be in bed by 10-10:30, but these days it has turned into 11, 11:30, and finally 12:00 last night. I've got to break the addiction.

Running has been going well. I've had two 50+ mile weeks in a row and am enjoying the longer miles. I've continued to chafe in all the wrong places.

Our house is a disaster. I can't keep up with the chores. We seriously need a magic cleaning fairy to come in and put everything in the right place and clean for us. That, or I need to make a trip to Goodwill. I'm really ready to start looking for a new house. Someone please buy Chad's house!

I'm completely in love with our cat Miko. She has been stealing Chad's socks again, and it makes us giggle when we turn the corner to the kitchen and find a brown sock on her favorite rug. She also has been snuggling with me in the bed after Chad leaves for work. Miko is definitely not a snuggler, and you'll rarely find her on the bed. Recently, she's come up and crashed on the bed while I get the last few minutes of precious sleep in the morning. Miko has also been vocalizing a lot more lately. She's been calling out like a little wolf, howling by herself in the hallway each morning. I think it is related to the sock-stealing, because I have witnessed the 'call of the wild' followed by her trotting into the living room with a sock in her mouth. Absolutely precious baby girl.

WWY got hit

I've got stuff to post about other than this, but it is what is on my mind. My little green Accord with the hula dancer on the dash (I call her wwy...pronouced wuuhhweee...due to her tags) got hit in the side in the parking lot by the tennis courts under the MoPac bridge. She's a little old and dirty car, but the person did not even leave a note. I know she looks like shit right now because she's dirty, but that still doesn't mean I need a dent in the side of her.

It's a small dent, but just the principle of getting hit without a note on my windshield kind of bugs me. Poor wwy.

Weekend Recap

What a great weekend it was! Friday night began with Chad coming home early. I made our Soba noodle dinner (asian-inspired dinner to go with the Beijing opening ceremonies) and we sat in front of the TV watching the opening ceremonies. For the most part, the ceremonies were magnificent and awe-inspiring.

I do call bullshit on a couple of things that were announced during the opening ceremony performances. There is no way that there were people moving the 'boxes' up and down during that performance. You could see the hydraulics and empty space at the bottom of each box during the performance and there didn't appear to be any legs underneath. I do believe there were people hiding inside, but that performance was definitely driven by some sort of computer program.

Also, I call bullshit on the karate performers not having some sort of markings on the floor to make the perfect circles. Our announcers said there weren't any markings, yet in the next few camera angles, you could clearly see there were plenty of marks on the floor. Regardless, it was an amazing performance and would be incredibly difficult even with a mark to hit.

Saturday morning started with an 18 mile run that I was determined not to bonk on. It was a success and we were pleased to find the weather quite cool. Recovering from this run was also fairly easy and I didn't have to suffer through an ice bath. Chad and I went to lunch at Wahoo's and then over to Aaron and Jessica Luther's house for their 'open house' to check out the new baby's future nursery and to just celebrate in general. Jessica looks like she is handling her pregnancy and large belly very well...ther are only 4 weeks left until their due date.

We spent the rest of Saturday watching the Olympics and snuck out to have dinner at the Woodland. I love that place. One thing that was cool about Saturday night was visiting the little sweet shop on So. Congress called Big Top. We enjoyed looking at all of the cool candy varieties and I couldn't resist trying some Chocolate Skittles.

I actually kind of liked them, though they will never sub for the real thing (chocolate or skittles).

Sunday morning we slept in and took our time getting to the trail. It was 10:30am and sunny before we actually began running. I completed 6 miles to get to 50 for the week (2 weeks in a row), and I'm feeling really good. Doing 2 quality workouts a week at Mac workout pace, plus a 5k PR and two 18 milers should have been more painful than it was.

The rest of Sunday was filled with laundry, golf watching, and the Olympics. We also splurged and got pizzas from Austin Pizza Garden. I opted for the Senza Formaggio pizza and added some Sun-dried Tomatoes...I expected it to be good, and it was even better!

I hope you and yours had a great weekend!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you...

...my new PR for the 5k - 23:22 (I forgot to put the overall pace - 7:29!)

This beats my old PR of 24:08 by 46 seconds. I did make the mistake of going out too fast like most people usually do, but the pace really did feel about right. Here's the damage:

Mile 1 - 7:15.38
Mile 2 - 7:38.32
Mile 3.1 - 8:28.32 (which is 7:42.1 pace including the .1 mile extra)

I don't think I was suffering nearly as much as the people who finished with me. I was definitely catching people coming down the home stretch. It was a hot one out there, so I'm proud of the time.

Just so you know why my previous 24:08 time was so slow in comparison...I ran that race 12 hours after running a 24 miler at the peak of marathon training for Boston in 2006. I had worked all dayand had to do my 24 miler in the afternoon on Saturday. On the Sunday race morning I also did 4 warm-up miles ahead of the race and a mile cooldown afterwards to max out at a 70 mile week. It definitely took all I had to make it through that race (which was also rather hilly). I'm also very proud of that race as well...I raced in front of and with a bunch of students of mine at the time, and beat all of them.

Friday morning run?

I need to run 6 miles on Friday, and I'd like to do it in the morning. Anyone want to run with me? I'd prefer to start running at 6:00 or after, but that time is negotiable based on who responds.

Also, I need to run 9:20 pace or slower, so I won't be running with some of you fast folks out there in blog land.

You can email me at sadiebarrs at austin dot rr dot com or leave a comment here if interested. If no one is up for it, the pillow and the bed might be too comfortable tomorrow morning, and I sure as hell will not be running on Friday evening. I've got to run 18 on Saturday morning again, and I'd like to not have a repeat of my bonk.

Cool, I'm going to run with Tara (who will possibly still be affected by margaritas from tonight). Thanks to Mike, Ken, and Bruce for trying to convince me to run 8:00 pace or faster with them...not going to happen, though I feel very 'included'.

Anyone else running the Margarita Run tonight?

I'm running the Margarita run tonight. Are you? I normally don't like running 5ks, but coach Mac said we could run the Margarita run tonight or run a 5000 time trial on the track on Tuesday. That's an easy one. I'd much rather run a 5k on the road with hundreds of other runners pushing me on than run 12 1/2 loops of misery around a track.

Goals anyone? I'm hoping to come close to my super slow PR of 24:08. If I don't, it will be because of the heat, not because I'm not fit enough. I'd like as low of a 23:xx time as I can get, if possible.

Why is it that my PR for a 5k is 7:47 pace, when my PR for a half-marathon is 1:43:37, a 7:54 pace? Hell, even my PR for a marathon is an 8:17 pace. It seems like I should be able to go faster in a 5k...we'll see tonight.

Edouard, you better bring it!

I'm calling you out, Edouard.
We're ready for you.
You better bring it.
Or else.

Bonk Bonk

The elusive bonk...not 'boink' like the funny sound effect on your kid's Saturday cartoons, not 'bong' like that funny looking vase on your neighbor's coffee table, not even the 'bonk' where you hit your head. Nope, this morning and Thursday night I experienced two true running bonks. You may not have had one recently, so let me remind you how it feels...exhaustion, not hitting your pace, brick feeling legs, breathing hard, side stitch, sometimes accompanied by dizziness and the urge to sit down and stop running.

Yup, I'm not proud of it, but I've had my first true bonk on a long run this season. We hit Mt. Bonnell and for the first time in my life I had to walk up the first half. Talk about an ego-buster. We got to mile 15 and I desperately wanted to stay sitting and felt the world spin a few times while I tried to gain my composure. I also felt like crap after our workout Thursday, so much that I had to walk a part of the cooldown. Bonktastic!

Thanks very much to Tara who stuck with me the last 4 miles of our 18-er this morning. Walking the uphills (and some parts of the flats) and jogging very slowly on the downhills got me to the end of 18, but it wasn't pretty at all. Picture me standing underneath the shower at the Rock when we were finished, trying to soak myself from head to toe to help with the exhaustion...and getting stares from many folks doing their 'stretching' after their run. It was not a pretty sight...I was that runner out there today who looked like she had completely overexerted and not prepared for the conditions. Whatever. Somebody probably should have asked me if I was okay...srsly.

No worries now. I have had my 3 bag + freezer-ice-bin ice bath and was able to soak for 18 minutes. The water was so freaking cold that Chad couldn't stand to soak his feet in it. I didn't even take a hot shower afterwards.