Just when I was seriously considering registering for my first half marathon in a long time my left foot starts complaining. Seriously WTF! On Sunday I ran, had lots of fun, Monday I did the stair climber and Tuesday was a rest day. Then Wednesday morning my foot hurt right at the base of my middle toe. I thought it was just a cramp until I attempted my noon time run, I limped for about a quarter mile then quit. A week later it still hurts. Maybe I should make a dr. visit to see what’s up.
I was so looking forward to a running fall season. :( I’ve tried to massage the bottom of my foot with a ball and have not run and only walk the pubby around a few blocks. I haven’t been back to the gym since last week. My work outs have been with a resistance band for upper body.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Trail run
On impulse I signed up to run the Rattlesnake Ramble just the day before the race after receiving an email on the trailrunners’ listserv that the race was not full up yet. The run is at the El Dorado State Park so only a limited number of participants are allowed.
The first ten minutes of the race I hated myself for wanting to run this. My quads hurt. Finally after a mile and a nice view from above of Boulder valley I felt better. Another couple of minutes later the first runner met us on the return from the first leg of the “y” we were running. The course is single track so we had to step to the side to allow those runners by. Prior to the start the announcer made it a point to tell the slower folks to yield to runners going downhill as they will have plenty of momentum and we should just get out of the way to avoid collision. On the first mile there was a stretch of steep drop offs as well where I definitely stopped and stood to the side when I met a couple of runners. That might have been extra cautious but kind of wanted to finish the whole distance still running.
The challenging part was this is a climb of 850 feet with the course shaped like a “Y”. The first hill was a teaser with the second leg much steeper including a couple of switch backs at the top. About a third of the way up the send hill I had to slow to a fast hike but with some difficulty as there were steps and plenty of stops to the side to allow the first group of runners by. I was able to start back up to a jog near the top and headed back down. My run friend from work and I ran together most of the way but she speeded up and passed me as we headed back down. I’m not that surefooted on the downhill so I took it very carefully until I got to the paved service road and made it to the finish nearly a minute behind run friend.
Overall I had a good time and I still favor trail runs. I will definitely run this course again. I had heard of this race before but never entered. Their t-shirts are fantastic – tech fabric and nice artwork. I should have got opted for one but maybe next time. Just the right amount of people, can’t complain about the entry fee, coffee and bagels, plenty of swag to give away(I got a calendar). Someone forgot the water at the finish line that left me parched, friend shared her extra bottle of water. Glad she was parked only a few yards from start.
The first ten minutes of the race I hated myself for wanting to run this. My quads hurt. Finally after a mile and a nice view from above of Boulder valley I felt better. Another couple of minutes later the first runner met us on the return from the first leg of the “y” we were running. The course is single track so we had to step to the side to allow those runners by. Prior to the start the announcer made it a point to tell the slower folks to yield to runners going downhill as they will have plenty of momentum and we should just get out of the way to avoid collision. On the first mile there was a stretch of steep drop offs as well where I definitely stopped and stood to the side when I met a couple of runners. That might have been extra cautious but kind of wanted to finish the whole distance still running.
The challenging part was this is a climb of 850 feet with the course shaped like a “Y”. The first hill was a teaser with the second leg much steeper including a couple of switch backs at the top. About a third of the way up the send hill I had to slow to a fast hike but with some difficulty as there were steps and plenty of stops to the side to allow the first group of runners by. I was able to start back up to a jog near the top and headed back down. My run friend from work and I ran together most of the way but she speeded up and passed me as we headed back down. I’m not that surefooted on the downhill so I took it very carefully until I got to the paved service road and made it to the finish nearly a minute behind run friend.
Overall I had a good time and I still favor trail runs. I will definitely run this course again. I had heard of this race before but never entered. Their t-shirts are fantastic – tech fabric and nice artwork. I should have got opted for one but maybe next time. Just the right amount of people, can’t complain about the entry fee, coffee and bagels, plenty of swag to give away(I got a calendar). Someone forgot the water at the finish line that left me parched, friend shared her extra bottle of water. Glad she was parked only a few yards from start.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Salsa Time
So I entered a couple of recipes in the harvestfest salsa tasting contest again this year. It was a last minute decision and a very last minute recipe for one of them. Really it was more of an experiment.
As usual it was a fun adventure. I ended up with a corner table that did not exactly work to my advantage for several reasons. First of all about 1/3 of my table was shoved up against a competitor with similar ingredients to my salsa but of yucky quality. Some tasters mistakenly thought we were the same contestant. Another thing was that some of the tasters started disposing the icky salsas from other contestants at the corner edge of my table although i attempted to direct them to the garbage cans. This was kind of funny later though, when the some entries were running out of salsa, eaters came and took the rejects. Another completely disturbing thing was starting with the contestant next to me(not the one with mushy salsa) our entry numbers went out of sequence. This should not be an issue yet the tasters become very disoriented by the numbers going out of order. I know it's hilarious but some of the folks just stood there wondering where #13 was or why it it suddenly out of order. This was so confounding to some people that they just walk off without tasting my entry.
As i said, it's an adventure. The Kid abandoned me at the last minute to attend Anime con so i was a little shorthanded trying to serve. All went well and I placed second overall and another second in category. The awards were two sets gigantic engraved beer mugs. They must weight nearly five pounds each and are a little too bulky for a display shelf. They might be ideal for a home brewer though. I could use one of them as a flower vase.
The experiment did not turn out well when mixed in mass quantity. I called the contest coordinator to see how many votes it got but was sad to learn it got so few i'm embarrassed to say.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
hello dear, i'm home!
Oh boy! It’s practically been forever since I posted. Sometimes I did think of adding to the blog but it ended there. I’m stilling doing the same old – y’know living. Eat, sleep, family, work, Run, repeat.
This past year family has taken significant priority and as it should. My aging parents about whom I’ve posted before continue to require much care. I travel at least once a month to spend time with them. I try to give my caregiver sister a break but one weekend a month never seems to be enough. My time away from my household is stressful as well but what are you gonna do. It’s family so we keep it up.
I still run but not as much as I’d like. I enjoy the longer distances but it’s hard to do when you miss the weekend runs to maintain the mileage. Hopefully this fall I will actually register for some races. I miss the rush of stepping up to a start line. I need that back soon. I have not been registering for races because I feel like I’m constantly holding my breath waiting for a call that something else is happening with the parents and I’ll have to go there right away. If I’m consistent I’d like to sign up soon for the Duke city half mary.
So last night I ran nearly six miles on a flat trail. I could have kept going. The trail certainly beckoned but I played it safe and turned around. The evening conditions were perfect – cool breeze and no harsh sun. There were a few flying things that I had to spit out but otherwise all was good. Hopefully soon I get back to feeling comfortable at 10 on an ordinary day.
On a side note. My project to bring Alzheimer’s support and resources to the community where my parents reside is coming to fruition. I’m ecstatic. After four years of my pestering, writing letters, emails and basically repeating my story to anyone who can listen, action began. There was a change in the state representative for the district who seems to have contributed to this action. This week a task force to discuss my issues will meet to plan how to design and deliver services to families affected by Alzheimer’s disease. I am also informed that a start-up grant is available. I so want to exhale big time but it’s not done just yet. We’ll still have to wait for the plan to be implemented and have all agencies providing representative to get it going. I’m thrilled and pray that things work out. When the project does finally get off the ground, it will be too late for my family and mother to benefit but it will be useful to other families.
This past year family has taken significant priority and as it should. My aging parents about whom I’ve posted before continue to require much care. I travel at least once a month to spend time with them. I try to give my caregiver sister a break but one weekend a month never seems to be enough. My time away from my household is stressful as well but what are you gonna do. It’s family so we keep it up.
I still run but not as much as I’d like. I enjoy the longer distances but it’s hard to do when you miss the weekend runs to maintain the mileage. Hopefully this fall I will actually register for some races. I miss the rush of stepping up to a start line. I need that back soon. I have not been registering for races because I feel like I’m constantly holding my breath waiting for a call that something else is happening with the parents and I’ll have to go there right away. If I’m consistent I’d like to sign up soon for the Duke city half mary.
So last night I ran nearly six miles on a flat trail. I could have kept going. The trail certainly beckoned but I played it safe and turned around. The evening conditions were perfect – cool breeze and no harsh sun. There were a few flying things that I had to spit out but otherwise all was good. Hopefully soon I get back to feeling comfortable at 10 on an ordinary day.
On a side note. My project to bring Alzheimer’s support and resources to the community where my parents reside is coming to fruition. I’m ecstatic. After four years of my pestering, writing letters, emails and basically repeating my story to anyone who can listen, action began. There was a change in the state representative for the district who seems to have contributed to this action. This week a task force to discuss my issues will meet to plan how to design and deliver services to families affected by Alzheimer’s disease. I am also informed that a start-up grant is available. I so want to exhale big time but it’s not done just yet. We’ll still have to wait for the plan to be implemented and have all agencies providing representative to get it going. I’m thrilled and pray that things work out. When the project does finally get off the ground, it will be too late for my family and mother to benefit but it will be useful to other families.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Happy St. Pat's day
I ran up to the foothills yesterday during my lunch break. What a gorgeous day to be outdoors! I did not want to stop but heeded the therapist suggestion to increase only by 10%. I met a few runners and was passed by lots of cyclists in colorful spandex. There were yellow and purple crocuses blooming in one of the yards that I passed – yay spring.
I can’t really tell if the deep massage made a difference but the stretches on that leg might have felt a bit looser. I’ll try another longer run with the pubby on Sunday and see how things go.
My best friend who usually travels to spend the weekend visiting during her birthday weekend is not coming this year. I’m old and all but I’m still disappointed that we will not get to go out and celebrate. She will come out in another couple of weeks and we can save the silly antics for then but my inner sixth-grader is sitting in a virtual corner pouting.
Spring break is approaching and The Kid actually wants to visit her Grandma in NM for a few days. She is learning how to crochet or knit and I think she intends on bribing the G-ma to assist with her scarf project. She is making a scarf to donate to some charity and receives a couple of hours of community service credit at school.
I can’t really tell if the deep massage made a difference but the stretches on that leg might have felt a bit looser. I’ll try another longer run with the pubby on Sunday and see how things go.
My best friend who usually travels to spend the weekend visiting during her birthday weekend is not coming this year. I’m old and all but I’m still disappointed that we will not get to go out and celebrate. She will come out in another couple of weeks and we can save the silly antics for then but my inner sixth-grader is sitting in a virtual corner pouting.
Spring break is approaching and The Kid actually wants to visit her Grandma in NM for a few days. She is learning how to crochet or knit and I think she intends on bribing the G-ma to assist with her scarf project. She is making a scarf to donate to some charity and receives a couple of hours of community service credit at school.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
