Weekly Rundown- I DID IT!!!
YES! I completed the Skunk Ape 50 mile race. It may come as no surprise that it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. Full recap coming on Tuesday! For now, I’m linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Rundown. Here’s how the week went: Sunday Easter Sunday! I slept in, ate waffles, did some cooking for dinner, and then in the afternoon got out for a trail run: This run felt good! I ran 4 miles in my new trail shoes, and then changed into my road shoes (which I’ve been doing most of my runs in) and ran another half mile. I just wanted to compare the two- the shoes are slightly different (although I can’t even explain how) but neither pair is more or less comfortable than the other. Decision made! I will wear my trail shoes for the race. Monday Upper body strength (featuring the pull up bar) and Caroline Girvan deadbug workout. Tuesday In the morning I did a Caroline Girvan abs workout. After work my daughter and I went to the gym, where I ran 3 miles on the treadmill. I’m wearing long sleeves because I’m trying to keep myself hot on every run, even in the AC- it’s supposed to be 92 on race day. (Spoiler alert- it got up to 94). Wednesday Mobility work and upper body strength. I went to the chiropractor, and then had a 90 minute nap! Good day. Thursday Last (very easy, 2 mile) run before the race. As I was heading out the door my daughter called out helpfully “Don’t break anything!” Er, thanks- I’ll try not to. Friday Pack. Work. Drive to Ocala- this is it! Saturday 50 mile race!!!!! Sooooooo happy I finished. Sunday Oof- this is going to be hideous. I’m SO sore, and I have to drive four hours home. Oh well- it was all worth it! How was your week? Do you have any races or big events coming up?
April Runfessions
EEEE! My race is TOMORROW! I have to runfess that the world sounds like this to me right now: “Blah blah blah blah MY RACE blah blah blah blah RACE blah blah…” It’s hard to think of anything else. But, it’s the last Friday of the month, which means I’m joining Marcia for runfessions. Let’s see what else I have to runfess this month… As much as I’m focused on my race, I also realize THERE WILL BE A TIME AFTER THIS. Is one week enough time to recover so I can run this one? : I mean- how fun is that?!! Somehow I crazily thought this would be on May 5th, i.e. Monday night. But it’s Sunday, May 4th at 8 am. Hmmm… I runfess that I’m not sure I want beer and tacos at 8 am on a Sunday morning. Honestly, I’ll probably be in no condition to run it anyway. I’m already having a little FOMO though. Speaking of a time after this, I runfess that I’m wondering how I’m going to rehab my hamstring when this race is over. I’ve been completely focused on getting to the race in one piece, with vague plans to rest afterwards. But yesterday my sports chiropractor (who has been working tirelessly to keep my hamstring going) said “Resting will put out the fire, but it won’t rebuild the house that burned down.” Yes, I’ll have some rebuilding to do. My last runfession is that, regardless of how this race goes, I WILL be treating myself to a giant Coke Zero for the drive home on Sunday, muahahahahaha! No one can stop me. Tune in on Sunday for the Weekly Rundown- I’ll share the race results then! What is your “treat” for a long car ride? (This drive is about four hours). Would you drink beer (or a margarita???) after a Sunday morning race? Top photo by Mary Hammel on Unsplash
Pooh’s Guide to Trail Running
My race is four days away, and it’s all I can think about. Whatever I’m doing, in the back of my mind I’m saying “I can’t forget to bring extra socks” and “I need to put lube in my drop bags.” Now that I’m embracing my inner Winnie the Pooh, it occurs to me that trail running is a very Pooh-like activity. I’ll basically be wandering happily through the woods, eating honey all day- well okay, not honey. But I’ll be consuming gels and other treats that are the honey equivalent. Here are a couple Winnie the Pooh quotes that sum up my main concerns and goals for this race. “Always watch where you are going. Otherwise, you may step on a piece of the forest that was left out by mistake.“ Honestly, the thing I’m most afraid of is falling. Let’s review my recent races: Dunes 50k- fell. Did not sustain an injury, but this is probably when I got the spider bite that has left a discolored spot on my leg to this day. Forgotten Florida 50 mile- FELL AND SPRAINED MY ANKLE. This is what caused me to DNF that race. Sadness. Sweat, Swat and Swear 50k- Did not fall. Wait? Is that right? Wow. How did that happen. Treasure Coast 12 hour race- fell and injured my rib. I thought it was broken, but later decided I damaged the cartilage between the sternum and ribs. Numerous falls on training runs, including the last trail run I did where I nearly face planted. My elbows took the brunt of that one, luckily escaping with some minor scrapes. In all these cases, I was taken down by a hidden root that I could not see. This is why I’m nervous- it’s not just a matter of being careful. Falls happen. I’ll be needing some good luck here. Next quote: “Rivers know this: There is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” Ah, Winnie. So much wisdom here! I definitely learned this from the Forgotten Florida attempt. If something is wrong, SLOW DOWN AND ASK FOR HELP. That’s what the aid stations are for. The cutoffs for this race are very generous, so it will be almost impossible to DNF because of going too slowly. The whole goal is to finish… eventually. Have you ever fallen over a piece of the forest that was left out by mistake? Top photo by petra gerling on Unsplash
Easter Sunday
I hope everyone saw Trump’s Easter message, although hopefully not on Easter (because you wouldn’t want to ruin your day like that). I know so many Christians who voted for him, and I don’t know how they reconcile that. But here’s a fun fact- the church my husband plays at used to be TRUMP’S CHURCH. I mean, he only attended on Christmas Eve and Easter (because- obviously. Let’s not pretend too much). But my husband played for several services with Trump in attendance. On the Christmas after the 2016 election, the congregation rose to their feet and applauded when Trump walked in (yep- this is where we live, good old Palm Beach County, Florida). The pastor asked everyone to remember that it was a religious service, and that applause is inappropriate. But then the same thing happened on Easter, and after that I think they kicked him out, ha ha! I mean- I don’t know that for a fact. But I’m guessing it got too disruptive to have him there- the security alone must have been a nightmare. Anyway, he no longer attends. Phew. Just as a reminder, my husband and son are both trumpet players, and most churches have trumpets for Easter Sunday. I was able to watch their services via livestream. In case you’re wondering- why didn’t I just GO to the service? The church my husband plays at is about 45 minutes away. He played two services, with a lengthy break in between. And my son was playing at a church in Dallas. He also had two services. In both cases, it was the later service that was live streamed, and that fit in with my schedule perfectly. Funny thing- in between his two services my son texted me. He said he slept through his alarm, woke up late and had to rush around hysterically to get out the door and to the first service on time. This has never happened to him before, and he was frantic- you can’t miss an Easter Sunday service! He said he managed to slip in just before the service started, about a minute before he had to start playing. When I watched the livestream of the second service, I had to laugh- he did look a little disheveled. You can’t tell from this photo, but for one thing he wasn’t wearing a tie. I could just picture him rushing out the door without it. Luckily the music sounded really good, and this was a Baptist church, which was a little more relaxed and laid back. In the end, all was well. While I watched the live streams, I cooked! I put together the lasagna for dinner, and made this lemon pound cake from Nora Cooks. Later in the afternoon I had a really nice trail run, and then… dinner! The only cheese I had was Daiya’s “Mexican blend” (oops) which is why the lasagna looks kind of like enchiladas. But it tasted just fine. And- I had to make my pound cake in a bundt pan because my loaf pan has disappeared (???) But it worked- I didn’t have any but my husband and daughter said it was delicious. It was a nice day, filled with music (from the church services), a nice run and a delicious dinner. If you attended church on Easter, were there trumpets? Photo by Yves Cedric Schulze on Unsplash