Monday 4/5
On Sunday I thought the stomach issues were a reaction to non-dairy light ice cream (I mean what is in there that lets it taste good but not have very many calories). But I am exhausted and my stomach isn’t great. It’s not that my stomach hurts, it’s that I feel like I need to go poop constantly, but if I try – nothing. This will make teaching super fun!
The weather is so nice that I decide to give running a try. I don’t get a lot of miles because it’s not easy to run when you feel like you need to poop, but it’s better than nothing.
Tuesday 4/6
The goal today was to get some climbing done. I can run pretty much straight up my street to a path that heads towards Casper Mountain. If I add just a bit to the run I can end up with 10 miles. It gets me almost 800 feet of climbing. Later in the day I take a look at the map on Strava to see how I can add more to the run, hopefully with more climbing. I have been told there is a back route to Casper Mountain, this might be it? The stomach is still a situation.
Wednesday 4/7
The stomach bug continues, and I am so sleepy. I decide to sleep in and run I am crossing the street and some lady in the far left lane decides that crosswalk is extra stopping space for her car. I was coming from her left, she had plenty of time to see me is she would just pay attention. I give her a glare as I avoid being hit by her. Then I stop at the corner because I need to cross the street to get to my apartment. This bitch almost hot me again as she starts to turn right. This I time I throw my hands up and yell “what the fuck?” She just looks confused. If you are confused about pedestrians downtown, stop driving. Not to mention you just almost hit me less than a minute ago. Figure it out. On the other hand, I might need to figure out how to control my anger at people who almost hit me. It’s not the size of Phoenix, and I might quickly become known as the runner who curses at people. But also, I follow all the rules. I will wait at a light that I don’t really need to wait at because I don’t want to accidentally miss seeing a car. So, really you should pay attention if you are driving a car. And stop trying to beat me through lights.
Thursday 4/8
I went back up my route towards Casper Mountain. Then I took a turn through a neighborhood that I really want to explore, but I have a mission and that is toc check out the road that I think is the back way to Casper Mountain (whatever that means). I find the road and it is awesome. Very little traffic and a really nice wide shoulder. It’s really beautiful scenery and peaceful. So, when I have more time, I definitely want to run a little farther. It’s definitely got some climbing, but it levels off for a break too.
Friday 4/9
I’m sorry, what season is it? It started snowing overnight. When I was up in the middle of the night, I saw that it had started. In the morning I got dressed and headed out hoping that it wasn’t icy, and it wasn’t. It was actually quite beautiful. At 5:30am it was quite and peaceful. Everything looked so beautiful covered in a light layer of snow. I just ran circles in the neighborhoods around my apartment. I was about a mile and a half, maybe two miles away from my apartment when a heavy ice storm started. It was insane! It felt like a million needles were poking me in the face and more importantly my eyes! It was so painful. Not only was I in pain, but I couldn’t see. I couldn’t keep my eyes open because it hurt so much. I honestly didn’t think I could make it home and was trying to figure out where I could take shelter. And then, just like that, the storm was over, and I was running in perfect weather. I decided to get to 10 miles and call it a day, not knowing what the weather might do next. The upside is that the stomach bug seems to have gone away. Finally!
Saturday 4/10
Dilemma – it’s very cold and dark when I leave to run, but I know that a little over an hour in it is going to be sunny and warm. How does one dress for this when headed out for a long run? I opt for shorts because I hate running in leggings. I have only done it once or twice in my running life. I only own one pair and somehow made it through the winter with just the one pair because I hate the idea of spending money on them! I just wear them 2 days in a row and the wash them. But I have decided to look for some on sale this summer, so I have a couple more pairs. So, shorts. A long sleeve, short sleeve over it and my wind breaker/rain jacket. I went with my lighter gloves but doubled them up and used my last handwarmers. I thought I was in the clear, but with cold weather and snow coming next week I am going to have to order more. I spent the first hour or a bit longer just freezing. My hands were so cold. I was cranky about being cold. And as I suspected, the sun came up and I started to warm up. Ugh. At mile 12 I somehow managed to stop my watch and save the run. I am not sure how that happened because I never stop my watch. Unless I know it’s an extended stop, I leave it running. Luckily, I realized it pretty quickly and was able to restart it. A couple miles later I am uncomfortably warm. I stop to take my jacket off, but It’s too big to shove in my shorts pocket. I tie it around my waist and that is annoying. I end up putting it back on. I head over to the river trail. I could stop by my house and drop off my extra gloves, hat and jacket, but if I go inside my apartment, I know I won’t leave. The wind is going to be terrible in the afternoon, so I know I won’t be going back out for a second run. This is a bummer because it’s in the 60’s and sunny. I would love to be outside. So over to the river path I go. I manage to shove my hat in one pocket and one pair of gloves in another. I unzip my jacket to try to get some cold air in and cool me down. It wasn’t my best long run, but I got the miles done.
Sunday 4/11
Right about the time get ready to leave it starts to snow. I don’t mind the snow when it isn’t making the roads icy. I actually find it peaceful and lovely. Until it became a low visibility snowstorm that felt like needle were blowing into my eyes. I didn’t find that lovely or enjoyable. As usual, once I decided screw this and head towards home, the conditions improve. The last half mile was me running up and down streets and in circles to finish my run. I let the traffic lights determine my path. If I had the go to walk – I went across the street. If I was going to make it, then I just made a turn. Luckily the early morning traffic on a Sunday isn’t too bad.
My run was blocked by a much more charming animal this morning. The cutest young mule deer was standing in the middle of the path. He just stared at me as I approached. I stopped and talked to him a bit. I walked slowly towards him, but he never moved. I went out into the street to go around him and he just went back to munching on some grass. Adorable! I know this puts me in the minority in living in Wyoming, but I will never understand hunting. So you snuck up on an animal and shot it with a gun from a far distance. What exactly makes you feel good about yourself for doing that? It doesn’t seem like a fair fight. I know there are people who will make an argument about eating the meat. Okay, except there are plenty of people just killing these beautiful sentient beings for no reason other than sport. Not a fan.
So, after a few weeks of trying, I finally made it 80 miles! The last couple of weeks I ended up being just about 4 or 5 miles short. I have emailed my planned 50 mile race in a few weeks to ask to defer to next year. It is just too close to my 2nd Covid vaccine shot and I don’t want to spend all that money just to have a crappy day because I’m not feeling well. I did put my name in for a race in July, but I won’t know if I have a spot until June. In the meantime, I will keep looking for a flat 50 mile race. There is a good one on Idaho in May, but it would mean delaying my trip to Phoenix and I am ready to go home and see my family.
The plan was to go to yoga in the afternoon, but I didn’t go. I just don’t love it enough to force myself to go. I really should just cancel my gym
On Sunday I thought the stomach issues were a reaction to non-dairy light ice cream (I mean what is in there that lets it taste good but not have very many calories). But I am exhausted and my stomach isn’t great. It’s not that my stomach hurts, it’s that I feel like I need to go poop constantly, but if I try – nothing. This will make teaching super fun!
The weather is so nice that I decide to give running a try. I don’t get a lot of miles because it’s not easy to run when you feel like you need to poop, but it’s better than nothing.
Tuesday 4/6
The goal today was to get some climbing done. I can run pretty much straight up my street to a path that heads towards Casper Mountain. If I add just a bit to the run I can end up with 10 miles. It gets me almost 800 feet of climbing. Later in the day I take a look at the map on Strava to see how I can add more to the run, hopefully with more climbing. I have been told there is a back route to Casper Mountain, this might be it? The stomach is still a situation.
Wednesday 4/7
The stomach bug continues, and I am so sleepy. I decide to sleep in and run I am crossing the street and some lady in the far left lane decides that crosswalk is extra stopping space for her car. I was coming from her left, she had plenty of time to see me is she would just pay attention. I give her a glare as I avoid being hit by her. Then I stop at the corner because I need to cross the street to get to my apartment. This bitch almost hot me again as she starts to turn right. This I time I throw my hands up and yell “what the fuck?” She just looks confused. If you are confused about pedestrians downtown, stop driving. Not to mention you just almost hit me less than a minute ago. Figure it out. On the other hand, I might need to figure out how to control my anger at people who almost hit me. It’s not the size of Phoenix, and I might quickly become known as the runner who curses at people. But also, I follow all the rules. I will wait at a light that I don’t really need to wait at because I don’t want to accidentally miss seeing a car. So, really you should pay attention if you are driving a car. And stop trying to beat me through lights.
Thursday 4/8
I went back up my route towards Casper Mountain. Then I took a turn through a neighborhood that I really want to explore, but I have a mission and that is toc check out the road that I think is the back way to Casper Mountain (whatever that means). I find the road and it is awesome. Very little traffic and a really nice wide shoulder. It’s really beautiful scenery and peaceful. So, when I have more time, I definitely want to run a little farther. It’s definitely got some climbing, but it levels off for a break too.
Friday 4/9
I’m sorry, what season is it? It started snowing overnight. When I was up in the middle of the night, I saw that it had started. In the morning I got dressed and headed out hoping that it wasn’t icy, and it wasn’t. It was actually quite beautiful. At 5:30am it was quite and peaceful. Everything looked so beautiful covered in a light layer of snow. I just ran circles in the neighborhoods around my apartment. I was about a mile and a half, maybe two miles away from my apartment when a heavy ice storm started. It was insane! It felt like a million needles were poking me in the face and more importantly my eyes! It was so painful. Not only was I in pain, but I couldn’t see. I couldn’t keep my eyes open because it hurt so much. I honestly didn’t think I could make it home and was trying to figure out where I could take shelter. And then, just like that, the storm was over, and I was running in perfect weather. I decided to get to 10 miles and call it a day, not knowing what the weather might do next. The upside is that the stomach bug seems to have gone away. Finally!
Saturday 4/10
Dilemma – it’s very cold and dark when I leave to run, but I know that a little over an hour in it is going to be sunny and warm. How does one dress for this when headed out for a long run? I opt for shorts because I hate running in leggings. I have only done it once or twice in my running life. I only own one pair and somehow made it through the winter with just the one pair because I hate the idea of spending money on them! I just wear them 2 days in a row and the wash them. But I have decided to look for some on sale this summer, so I have a couple more pairs. So, shorts. A long sleeve, short sleeve over it and my wind breaker/rain jacket. I went with my lighter gloves but doubled them up and used my last handwarmers. I thought I was in the clear, but with cold weather and snow coming next week I am going to have to order more. I spent the first hour or a bit longer just freezing. My hands were so cold. I was cranky about being cold. And as I suspected, the sun came up and I started to warm up. Ugh. At mile 12 I somehow managed to stop my watch and save the run. I am not sure how that happened because I never stop my watch. Unless I know it’s an extended stop, I leave it running. Luckily, I realized it pretty quickly and was able to restart it. A couple miles later I am uncomfortably warm. I stop to take my jacket off, but It’s too big to shove in my shorts pocket. I tie it around my waist and that is annoying. I end up putting it back on. I head over to the river trail. I could stop by my house and drop off my extra gloves, hat and jacket, but if I go inside my apartment, I know I won’t leave. The wind is going to be terrible in the afternoon, so I know I won’t be going back out for a second run. This is a bummer because it’s in the 60’s and sunny. I would love to be outside. So over to the river path I go. I manage to shove my hat in one pocket and one pair of gloves in another. I unzip my jacket to try to get some cold air in and cool me down. It wasn’t my best long run, but I got the miles done.
Sunday 4/11
Right about the time get ready to leave it starts to snow. I don’t mind the snow when it isn’t making the roads icy. I actually find it peaceful and lovely. Until it became a low visibility snowstorm that felt like needle were blowing into my eyes. I didn’t find that lovely or enjoyable. As usual, once I decided screw this and head towards home, the conditions improve. The last half mile was me running up and down streets and in circles to finish my run. I let the traffic lights determine my path. If I had the go to walk – I went across the street. If I was going to make it, then I just made a turn. Luckily the early morning traffic on a Sunday isn’t too bad.
My run was blocked by a much more charming animal this morning. The cutest young mule deer was standing in the middle of the path. He just stared at me as I approached. I stopped and talked to him a bit. I walked slowly towards him, but he never moved. I went out into the street to go around him and he just went back to munching on some grass. Adorable! I know this puts me in the minority in living in Wyoming, but I will never understand hunting. So you snuck up on an animal and shot it with a gun from a far distance. What exactly makes you feel good about yourself for doing that? It doesn’t seem like a fair fight. I know there are people who will make an argument about eating the meat. Okay, except there are plenty of people just killing these beautiful sentient beings for no reason other than sport. Not a fan.
So, after a few weeks of trying, I finally made it 80 miles! The last couple of weeks I ended up being just about 4 or 5 miles short. I have emailed my planned 50 mile race in a few weeks to ask to defer to next year. It is just too close to my 2nd Covid vaccine shot and I don’t want to spend all that money just to have a crappy day because I’m not feeling well. I did put my name in for a race in July, but I won’t know if I have a spot until June. In the meantime, I will keep looking for a flat 50 mile race. There is a good one on Idaho in May, but it would mean delaying my trip to Phoenix and I am ready to go home and see my family.
The plan was to go to yoga in the afternoon, but I didn’t go. I just don’t love it enough to force myself to go. I really should just cancel my gym
