Monday:
How can I still be having stomach issues? Let me back up. I didn’t run on Sunday because my stomach was still feeling a little off. Today we went out for a run and my legs felt great! My stomach did not. And it progressively got worse. I barely made it home to the bathroom. So maybe it wasn’t the food and I have a stomach bug?
I have been reflecting on my race and although having stomach problems was not the situation I wanted, I feel like there are a lot of good things to take away from the race. I am happy with my time, especially considering the stomach issues. My downhill running was so strong. Even on the rocky technical parts. Flying past people who were walking or going down in a tentative way I just thought “that use to be me.” Someone even said to me, “go ahead you are a better downhill runner.” I use to be the person who stepped aside to let runners pass me on down hills. I am also super happy with how good I feel. I am not sore. Running today was no big deal (other than my stomach).
Tuesday:
I was so happy that I could sleep in this morning and then the dogs woke us up at 5:30am. Jerks! Norm had told me to wait for him and he would run with me in the afternoon (it’s our wedding anniversary). But all he did was whine about running so as a gift to him, I cut the run short. 4 miles hardly seems worth leaving the house, but oh well.
We came home and cleaned up to head out to dinner. This sounds like an easy thing, but it’s so complicated. I am 98% of the time vegan. I will sometimes eat some dairy and if I really crave a hamburger, I just eat a freaking hamburger. I also try to avoid gluten because I have a sensitivity to it. I can have a little, but too much is a bad situation. The other problem is I love food, but Norm eats like a kindergartner. Chicken nuggets and mac n cheese would be perfect for him. Our original plan was to go to Joyride. Norm knows that it is my favorite place to eat. But the wait was an hour and a half. What? On a Tuesday? It’s not that great of a place. This lead to a lot of driving in circles around central Phoenix. We drove to Z Tejas, but then I realized I didn't have a sweater (because I thought we would eat outside and Joyride) and I didn't want to freeze during the entire meal. And I wasn’t even sure what Norm would eat. Eventually I told Norm to head to Mi Patio. I knew my choices would be slim, but that Norm would love it. It’s the perfect American Mexican food place. Everything smothered in cheese. I was only a little cold and Norm loved his food.
How can I still be having stomach issues? Let me back up. I didn’t run on Sunday because my stomach was still feeling a little off. Today we went out for a run and my legs felt great! My stomach did not. And it progressively got worse. I barely made it home to the bathroom. So maybe it wasn’t the food and I have a stomach bug?
I have been reflecting on my race and although having stomach problems was not the situation I wanted, I feel like there are a lot of good things to take away from the race. I am happy with my time, especially considering the stomach issues. My downhill running was so strong. Even on the rocky technical parts. Flying past people who were walking or going down in a tentative way I just thought “that use to be me.” Someone even said to me, “go ahead you are a better downhill runner.” I use to be the person who stepped aside to let runners pass me on down hills. I am also super happy with how good I feel. I am not sore. Running today was no big deal (other than my stomach).
Tuesday:
I was so happy that I could sleep in this morning and then the dogs woke us up at 5:30am. Jerks! Norm had told me to wait for him and he would run with me in the afternoon (it’s our wedding anniversary). But all he did was whine about running so as a gift to him, I cut the run short. 4 miles hardly seems worth leaving the house, but oh well.
We came home and cleaned up to head out to dinner. This sounds like an easy thing, but it’s so complicated. I am 98% of the time vegan. I will sometimes eat some dairy and if I really crave a hamburger, I just eat a freaking hamburger. I also try to avoid gluten because I have a sensitivity to it. I can have a little, but too much is a bad situation. The other problem is I love food, but Norm eats like a kindergartner. Chicken nuggets and mac n cheese would be perfect for him. Our original plan was to go to Joyride. Norm knows that it is my favorite place to eat. But the wait was an hour and a half. What? On a Tuesday? It’s not that great of a place. This lead to a lot of driving in circles around central Phoenix. We drove to Z Tejas, but then I realized I didn't have a sweater (because I thought we would eat outside and Joyride) and I didn't want to freeze during the entire meal. And I wasn’t even sure what Norm would eat. Eventually I told Norm to head to Mi Patio. I knew my choices would be slim, but that Norm would love it. It’s the perfect American Mexican food place. Everything smothered in cheese. I was only a little cold and Norm loved his food.
Here we are on our wedding day.
Wednesday:
Since the kids had vacated the house for our anniversary I actually slept well. No dogs annoyed me, no kids woke me up in the middle of the night. I slept for 9 hours. I typically run speed on Wednesday, but I wasn’t sure how speedy my legs would be today after Whiskey Basin. I also was a little stressed about my lack of vertical gain this week. I decided to skip the speed and head out on the trail. Norm and I decided it was time to add the big climb back into our training runs. Maybe a quarter mile, maybe a little less, I can hop on the trailhead and it just goes straight up to radio towers. In a mile it’s about 780 feet of climbing. It sucks, but in an awesome way.
It’s so awesome that the heat in Phoenix turns back on right when I am starting my 2 a days. The only up side is that the trails tend to be empty. And I was actually looking forward to this afternoon run. I have been spending my afternoons working on dissertation corrections. It’s day 3 of 5 to 6 hours of working on corrections. I needed a mental break.
Since the kids had vacated the house for our anniversary I actually slept well. No dogs annoyed me, no kids woke me up in the middle of the night. I slept for 9 hours. I typically run speed on Wednesday, but I wasn’t sure how speedy my legs would be today after Whiskey Basin. I also was a little stressed about my lack of vertical gain this week. I decided to skip the speed and head out on the trail. Norm and I decided it was time to add the big climb back into our training runs. Maybe a quarter mile, maybe a little less, I can hop on the trailhead and it just goes straight up to radio towers. In a mile it’s about 780 feet of climbing. It sucks, but in an awesome way.
It’s so awesome that the heat in Phoenix turns back on right when I am starting my 2 a days. The only up side is that the trails tend to be empty. And I was actually looking forward to this afternoon run. I have been spending my afternoons working on dissertation corrections. It’s day 3 of 5 to 6 hours of working on corrections. I needed a mental break.
My adoring fans watch while I do weights and core.
Thursday:
Impromptu rest day. The plan had been to run in the evening before dinner. As I mentioned, I am working on my dissertation corrections. I am not teaching at the elementary school because we are off for Pesach. I committed the afternoons to getting some serious work done on my prospectus. I taught in the morning at the community college and then came home to work. As 4pm approached I just wanted to keep working. I was optimistic that I could finish the corrections by the end of the day. In the end, I was wrong. I would need another day to finish.
Friday:
Norm wasn’t feeling good so we skipped Ord. I went out for my run alone. We tend to run the same routes a lot so we see a lot of the same people. All the usual hikers were asking about Norm.
In the afternoon Norm and I headed out for an afternoon easy run. I promised him we would keep it around 9:30 pace. I am still on a high with how good I after Whiskey Basin. I have always recovered quickly, but I didn’t even feel like I needed recovery time. My legs never felt sore or tired after.
Saturday:
The alarm went off at 5am, I moved it to 5:30 and went back to sleep. I have to teach at 8:30am so I have to get a move on. My legs felt fine, but my back was not feeling great. I took it easy and decided to stay on the road for a bit. I thought my back would loosen up, but it never happened I finished 8 miles, but I wasn’t happy about it. It was one of the runs where you just never feel happy about running. Why was m back hurting so much?
Impromptu rest day. The plan had been to run in the evening before dinner. As I mentioned, I am working on my dissertation corrections. I am not teaching at the elementary school because we are off for Pesach. I committed the afternoons to getting some serious work done on my prospectus. I taught in the morning at the community college and then came home to work. As 4pm approached I just wanted to keep working. I was optimistic that I could finish the corrections by the end of the day. In the end, I was wrong. I would need another day to finish.
Friday:
Norm wasn’t feeling good so we skipped Ord. I went out for my run alone. We tend to run the same routes a lot so we see a lot of the same people. All the usual hikers were asking about Norm.
In the afternoon Norm and I headed out for an afternoon easy run. I promised him we would keep it around 9:30 pace. I am still on a high with how good I after Whiskey Basin. I have always recovered quickly, but I didn’t even feel like I needed recovery time. My legs never felt sore or tired after.
Saturday:
The alarm went off at 5am, I moved it to 5:30 and went back to sleep. I have to teach at 8:30am so I have to get a move on. My legs felt fine, but my back was not feeling great. I took it easy and decided to stay on the road for a bit. I thought my back would loosen up, but it never happened I finished 8 miles, but I wasn’t happy about it. It was one of the runs where you just never feel happy about running. Why was m back hurting so much?
Prepping for my Mt. Ord adventure
Sunday:
We headed to Mt. Ord for our long run today. I was planning to 2 times up and down and Norm would take his time and do one trip. We were there a couple weeks ago and it was so cold that our fingers hurt for hours after. Today we decided to sleep in and roll out whenever we were ready. Mistake #1. When we got to Ord at 8:30am it was warm. We both headed out with one water bottle and this was a bad decision.
If you have ever run Mt. Ord, you should. It’s a beautiful run. I run from the 1st parking lot because I prefer the smooth fire road, but there is a second parking lot with a lot rocks of that is more your thing. The run starts out terrible. The first mile and a half, to 2 miles just feels so hard. It gets a bit better, but it isn't until miles 3 that you feel better. It’s rolling here, some up and then some down. It’s just nice to get a break from the relentless climbing. Mile 4 starts climbing again, but it’s not so terrible, but mile 5 to the towers is so hard.
The plan was to take the run easy, both up and down. I was hoping for a 9min average. Up went okay. At about mile 1.5 miles I saw something dark and bog behind a tree. I’m head down, grinding out this climb and my initial reaction was oh shit! A bear! But it was just a cow. Unfortunately, the cow decided to move into the middle and the road and just stare at me. After a bit, the cow started heading up the road the same was I was going. I guess I scared the poor thing because he made a quick dip off the side of the road.
Since I don't have a pocket in my water bottle Norm was carrying the key and my nutrition. No, I don't learn my lesson. Anyways, when I passed him going up on my way down, I took the key. But I forgot to grab my nutrition from him. By the time I got back to the car I was starving. I filled my bottle, ate some peanut m&m’s and grabbed my second bottle. Off I went. I was not feeling great. I was so tired. Like irrational tired. When I saw Norm it was as I was finishing a hard climb. Stop moving I yelled. But he kept coming. Stop right there! Stop moving! I had told myself not to walk until I got to the cattle guard, but he had crossed it and was moving toward me. I would need to stop to give him the key and grab my nutrition, but I didn't want to stop before the cattle guard. When I stopped we exchanged a few words. He asked how I was doing. I told him terrible. He told me he was out of water. I apologized, but told him I could not give him any. I was already worried that even with 2 bottles I wouldn't have enough. What I didn’t tell him until later was that I really just wanted to sit down and cry. Not for any reason. I was just feeling done.
I started back up. I didn't walk at all the first time up and I didn't want to walk this time. I was a little slower, but not too much. I also did no unnecessary stopping the first time. This time, not so much. At the for mile mark I stopped to stand in the shade and let the breeze cool me down. Luckily, this time I did not have to go all the way up. At mile 19 I turned around and started heading back to the car. I never did take the nutrition that Norm had given me and about 1.5 miles from the car I was suddenly so hungry that I wanted to stop running and walk back. I didn’t, but I spent the rest of the run dreaming about the things I would eat.
Mistake #2 – not realizing that all food establishments were closed on Easter. I was starting to panic because I knew that I had to be running again in 4 hours. I needed to eat now! We ended up having to get food at Circle K. Not a lot of Kosher vegan options. I had a coke and some cashews. Lesson learned, unless you are going to a $40/per person buffet you will not be eating out on Easter.
When we got home I showered, put my running clothes from the week in the washer and fell into bed. I’m not sure how long I slept. Woke up to put clothes in dryer. I had a cup coffee and a piece of bread with peanut butter. I had one hour until I had to be out the door and running again. It was going to take a cattle prod to get me put the door.
When 4:15 rolled around I drug myself out of bed and into my running clothes. I had made it very clear that this was the last thing that I wanted to do and Norm very reluctantly agreed to run with me. I was so happy to have him go with me. I just felt terrible the whole run. And my stomach didn't feel great which eventually turned into nausea. I was so happy to turn around and head home. When we got home I went from hot to chills quickly and was really trying not throw up everywhere. Norm suggested that maybe I was sick because I hadn't eaten enough during the day. It suddenly occurred to me how little I had eaten. I managed to eat a few chips and that helped a little. I ate some more chips and I felt good enough to shower. After the shower I really started eating and my whole world changed. I definitely did not eat enough today. It’s tough when I have a second run after my long run. I usually only have about 4 or maybe 5 hours until the start of 2nd run. The timing of eating is pretty crucial. I also realized I messed up my nutrition at Mt. Ord. I can run a long run and only eat once, at the half way point, but not if there is a lot of climbing. I think the climbing of Ord just depleted my calories so much and combine that with a lack of food later in the day. It was a bad situation.
The good news from today, the Saucony 8 that I did not love worked out much better today. I use Xtenex laces. If you have never seen them, they are elastic but have knots at regular intervals. These knots stretch flat when pulled so you can put the laces in the shoe. These knots are also what holds the laces in place. I LOVE them! And the best part is that they last forever. I have been using the same 4 or 5 pairs of laces for years. I just move them when I get new shoes. The only time I buy new ones is when I want a new color. When I get new shoes I just transfer the laces by counting the knots so the new shoes are laced the same as the old shoes. The Saucony 8 needs a different lacing than the old ones. The shoes were the only that felt good on the 2nd run.
It looks like we have a basic plan for the summer. 1st up, Park city, UT. From there we will head to Steamboat Springs, CO. Then we will be in LA for a week because my daughter is going to Anime Expo. From there we head to Mammoth Lakes. After Mammoth we are off to Leadville. We will then spend a week camping outside Silverton, CO before heading to Salida, CO for my race. We were originally going back to all the same places, but decided what’s the fun in that? We pinch pennies all year to be able to travel during the summer. And this summer travel is on a strict budget. But this is the one time all year that we travel or vacation. This lead us to decide to try some new places this summer.
This week I have to make a decision about whether or not to continue my dissertation. What I learned this week is that I really don’t have time to work on my dissertation and work as much as I do. Yes, I could get a lot of work done over the summer, but not enough to make a significant difference. It’s not financially possible for me to only work one job so that I have more time for working on my dissertation.
We headed to Mt. Ord for our long run today. I was planning to 2 times up and down and Norm would take his time and do one trip. We were there a couple weeks ago and it was so cold that our fingers hurt for hours after. Today we decided to sleep in and roll out whenever we were ready. Mistake #1. When we got to Ord at 8:30am it was warm. We both headed out with one water bottle and this was a bad decision.
If you have ever run Mt. Ord, you should. It’s a beautiful run. I run from the 1st parking lot because I prefer the smooth fire road, but there is a second parking lot with a lot rocks of that is more your thing. The run starts out terrible. The first mile and a half, to 2 miles just feels so hard. It gets a bit better, but it isn't until miles 3 that you feel better. It’s rolling here, some up and then some down. It’s just nice to get a break from the relentless climbing. Mile 4 starts climbing again, but it’s not so terrible, but mile 5 to the towers is so hard.
The plan was to take the run easy, both up and down. I was hoping for a 9min average. Up went okay. At about mile 1.5 miles I saw something dark and bog behind a tree. I’m head down, grinding out this climb and my initial reaction was oh shit! A bear! But it was just a cow. Unfortunately, the cow decided to move into the middle and the road and just stare at me. After a bit, the cow started heading up the road the same was I was going. I guess I scared the poor thing because he made a quick dip off the side of the road.
Since I don't have a pocket in my water bottle Norm was carrying the key and my nutrition. No, I don't learn my lesson. Anyways, when I passed him going up on my way down, I took the key. But I forgot to grab my nutrition from him. By the time I got back to the car I was starving. I filled my bottle, ate some peanut m&m’s and grabbed my second bottle. Off I went. I was not feeling great. I was so tired. Like irrational tired. When I saw Norm it was as I was finishing a hard climb. Stop moving I yelled. But he kept coming. Stop right there! Stop moving! I had told myself not to walk until I got to the cattle guard, but he had crossed it and was moving toward me. I would need to stop to give him the key and grab my nutrition, but I didn't want to stop before the cattle guard. When I stopped we exchanged a few words. He asked how I was doing. I told him terrible. He told me he was out of water. I apologized, but told him I could not give him any. I was already worried that even with 2 bottles I wouldn't have enough. What I didn’t tell him until later was that I really just wanted to sit down and cry. Not for any reason. I was just feeling done.
I started back up. I didn't walk at all the first time up and I didn't want to walk this time. I was a little slower, but not too much. I also did no unnecessary stopping the first time. This time, not so much. At the for mile mark I stopped to stand in the shade and let the breeze cool me down. Luckily, this time I did not have to go all the way up. At mile 19 I turned around and started heading back to the car. I never did take the nutrition that Norm had given me and about 1.5 miles from the car I was suddenly so hungry that I wanted to stop running and walk back. I didn’t, but I spent the rest of the run dreaming about the things I would eat.
Mistake #2 – not realizing that all food establishments were closed on Easter. I was starting to panic because I knew that I had to be running again in 4 hours. I needed to eat now! We ended up having to get food at Circle K. Not a lot of Kosher vegan options. I had a coke and some cashews. Lesson learned, unless you are going to a $40/per person buffet you will not be eating out on Easter.
When we got home I showered, put my running clothes from the week in the washer and fell into bed. I’m not sure how long I slept. Woke up to put clothes in dryer. I had a cup coffee and a piece of bread with peanut butter. I had one hour until I had to be out the door and running again. It was going to take a cattle prod to get me put the door.
When 4:15 rolled around I drug myself out of bed and into my running clothes. I had made it very clear that this was the last thing that I wanted to do and Norm very reluctantly agreed to run with me. I was so happy to have him go with me. I just felt terrible the whole run. And my stomach didn't feel great which eventually turned into nausea. I was so happy to turn around and head home. When we got home I went from hot to chills quickly and was really trying not throw up everywhere. Norm suggested that maybe I was sick because I hadn't eaten enough during the day. It suddenly occurred to me how little I had eaten. I managed to eat a few chips and that helped a little. I ate some more chips and I felt good enough to shower. After the shower I really started eating and my whole world changed. I definitely did not eat enough today. It’s tough when I have a second run after my long run. I usually only have about 4 or maybe 5 hours until the start of 2nd run. The timing of eating is pretty crucial. I also realized I messed up my nutrition at Mt. Ord. I can run a long run and only eat once, at the half way point, but not if there is a lot of climbing. I think the climbing of Ord just depleted my calories so much and combine that with a lack of food later in the day. It was a bad situation.
The good news from today, the Saucony 8 that I did not love worked out much better today. I use Xtenex laces. If you have never seen them, they are elastic but have knots at regular intervals. These knots stretch flat when pulled so you can put the laces in the shoe. These knots are also what holds the laces in place. I LOVE them! And the best part is that they last forever. I have been using the same 4 or 5 pairs of laces for years. I just move them when I get new shoes. The only time I buy new ones is when I want a new color. When I get new shoes I just transfer the laces by counting the knots so the new shoes are laced the same as the old shoes. The Saucony 8 needs a different lacing than the old ones. The shoes were the only that felt good on the 2nd run.
It looks like we have a basic plan for the summer. 1st up, Park city, UT. From there we will head to Steamboat Springs, CO. Then we will be in LA for a week because my daughter is going to Anime Expo. From there we head to Mammoth Lakes. After Mammoth we are off to Leadville. We will then spend a week camping outside Silverton, CO before heading to Salida, CO for my race. We were originally going back to all the same places, but decided what’s the fun in that? We pinch pennies all year to be able to travel during the summer. And this summer travel is on a strict budget. But this is the one time all year that we travel or vacation. This lead us to decide to try some new places this summer.
This week I have to make a decision about whether or not to continue my dissertation. What I learned this week is that I really don’t have time to work on my dissertation and work as much as I do. Yes, I could get a lot of work done over the summer, but not enough to make a significant difference. It’s not financially possible for me to only work one job so that I have more time for working on my dissertation.
Saucony 7's will always be my favorite. I am stocking up on these.
