Eighteen

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I did not end up running any more during the week. I seemed to just really need the rest. It at least didn’t seem to harm me because I successfully completed our 18 miles this morning. Our goal was to incorporate Summit Ave in our route since it is the long uphill at the end of the marathon. We considered starting at the capitol, running down Summit to River Road, doing a loop there and running back so the uphill would be at the end of our run like the marathon. However, we were a little worried it may be a bit too busy to park in St Paul with early RNC arrivals. We figured it’d be better to run there and then be able to run away.
The run wasn’t too bad overall until the last couple miles. I definitely began to hurt. We did figure out our route was a half mile over 18 so that is a little consolation for the pain. I still can’t quite imagine another 8 miles. But I also couldn’t imagine more than 13.1 a few months ago!

Worn Out

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A picture I took along the road during the relay:

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Apparently I’m more worn out from the weekend’s relay than I thought. I headed out for a noon run yesterday, excited to not only run but to work off some stress. I may have started out a bit quicker than I should have and I quickly realized my body was not ready for the pace or even the run. It was the toughest 4 miles I’d had in some time. I knew I’d been feeling tired, but I didn’t know how worn out and tired my muscles were. I’m not sure how I did that last leg on so little sleep Saturday, but now I’m having a hard time getting going even after a couple days recovery. I again chose to sleep in this morning instead of run. My thought was to run later in the day, but when a friend asked me to go for a bike ride, it was the best thing to get out and work some different muscles. I’ll try to get up tomorrow and run, but if I’m still so tired I may need to think about instead resting up for this weekend’s anticipated 18 miles.

Ragnar Results

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I made it to my Ragnar team’s meeting place a little late, but in time for us to take off by 4:45am Friday for LaCrosse. Our team’s start time was 8am and I was the first leg. Each of our 6 van members ran a leg and then van 2 took over. When they had each run a leg, our van and runners took over again. This continued until about 4:30pm Saturday. We ran through the night, decked out in reflective vests, headlamps and LEDs. My night leg was the most challenging with the hills, but my Saturday morning was the one I was most worried about with lack of sleep. We squeezed in a two hour nap around 4am but had to get up and on the road to meet van 2 again. Somehow though, I managed to run my final 3.1 miles in 23:19 for 7:31 miles. I’m suspicious the mileage was off, but either way, I’m impressed with what I did on little sleep.
The rest of my team was truly impressive and inspiring though. People tackled incredible hills, ran unexpected distances and even ran injured. One woman was battling back spasms but was still determined to continue as a member of our team. Her doctor had given her the ok as long as she could handle the pain. She was in pain, but only admitted it when asked and had successful runs. I know I’m going to run into some tough moments in my training and at the marathon, but I now have to remind myself of my teammate’s perseverance.

Well, I can’t resist giving a recap of the legs I ran.
Leg 1 7.3 miles 59:00 minutes
Leg 13 6.2 miles 54:19 minutes
Leg 25 3.2 miles 23:19 minutes

With a Bang

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Yesterday evening I broadened my horizons. I shot a gun. I’m not a fan of guns and I really had no desire to even handle one. However, a friend of mine offered me the opportunity to try it out and go to a range. Well, why not I guess. I can be a bit of a jumpy person (as my sister, who used to run up the stairs ahead of me when we were young and jump out of a bedroom and startle me even though she was only a few yards ahead, can attest to) so I had to first adjust to the other guns going off in the room. Once past that I had to adjust to being the one creating the startling noise in the room. We first shot a Rugar Mark II 22/45, a .22 caliber semi-automatic. (Perhaps saying it is a Rugar Mark II 22/45 is enough to imply it is a .22 caliber semi-automatic, but since it doesn’t mean much to me, I figured I’d clarify.) Considering it was the first time I even touched a gun, I think my spread wasn’t too bad:

The next gun was a Smith and Weston Model 66 with a 2.5” barrel. Again, this doesn’t mean much to me except that it was a revolver. Apparently it is a .357 magnum, although we shot .38 specials. Whew. I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t be around .357 magnums if I startle easily. This time my friend and I shared a target. We each shot 6 rounds. The target shows 11 hits. I’m guessing one of mine was the one that went off the target, but my friend can attest to the fact that one of the ones right in the center was my first shot.

I will admit, this appeals to my competitive side and I’d try it again. However, when some guys showed up with some sort of huge gun next to us whose noise was beyond startling and shook the air in the room, I was reminded I’m not a fan of guns.

Over all though, much thanks to my friend. My horizons are broadened with a bang!

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4:30am tomorrow. Ow.

Plus Six

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Since yesterday went so well, I decided to join some of the people I’m doing the Ragnar with for a run this afternoon. Again, I was surprised to find my muscles held up fine and got me through another six miles. Everything seems to be holding up fine. I think this weekend’s relay will be a good time and I have no worries about the mileage. I am, however, a little curious how the running on minimal sleep will go! I have to be ready to go and at my friend’s house Friday morning at 4:30am. And I’m not a morning person.

Sixteen

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Probably much to my visiting parent’s dismay, I was a bit worked up last night over today’s 16 miles. I was worried I’d have a repeat of the illness I felt after the hilly 14.5 a few weeks ago. I was also concerned because I was going to be running alone. I hydrated, ate right and went to bed early. I woke up feeling better about the run but became excited for the run when I realized I had a text message from RF saying she could now do the 16 with me. We weren’t speedy, but we made the 16 just fine. In fact, I can’t believe how well it went. Apart from a sudden double-over side cramp in the last quarter mile, the run felt good. I’m hesitant to say it, and I know the run wasn’t exactly easy, but I believe I could have done more. Maybe not 10 more yet, but a mile might have been doable. Right now I won’t push it and will just be pleased I’m not dehydrated and hobbling.

Happy Roger Brown

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One of our weekday morning routes would bring us by this guy. Roger Brown really was incredibly friendly and we always enjoyed waving and saying hello in return. We'll miss seeing him!

Wisconsin Cows

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For the lack of Randoms lately, here is a picture from my recent trip to WI.


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I slept in this morning instead of running, but later decided to go for an evening run. I was still covered in sand from volleyball, but I headed out to run a few of the lakes anyway. My plan is to run tomorrow morning again so it is a little like the proximity of the runs I’ll be doing for the Ragnar Relay in a few weeks.

Another 13

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Saturday’s run was another encouraging run. RF and I got a little creative and came up with a run that incorporated Lake Nokomis as well as Pike Island at Fort Snelling. The new route was stimulating (but needs tweaking) and gave us a bit more than 13 miles. My foot managed the mileage fine as did RF’s knee. While there were times when I felt quite tired during the run, I did not feel worn out the rest of the day. The mileage is coming easier. This and my (mostly) pain-free foot give me some confidence for next weekend’s run, although 16 is still a little daunting.

Longer Week-Day Run

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This morning I did a longer than normal week-day run and went for about 8 miles. Getting up early enough to fit it in before work was probably the hardest part. It brought some satisfaction to run a route (and actually add to it) that used to be one of my weekend long runs. I realize this could be the case again, but right now it is pretty invigorating. And my foot seemed to handle it ok too.

Easy 10

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My run Thursday seemed to go well so Saturday I was ready to tackle a longer run. RF is battling a bit of pain in her knee too so we decided on just 10 miles. While we both had a little pain when we finished, we were thrilled to say 10 miles actually felt like a rather easy distance. I hope my foot and her knee hold out to try the next challenging distance, but so far we feel encouraged. I did go for a 40 mile bike ride with another friend later in the afternoon Saturday, so physically, I feel like I’m still building endurance. My muscles weren’t as used to cycling as running though!