Running to the Wedding

It’s crunch time. The wedding is less than a week and I have a wedding streak going since Monday. I hope to get at least a mile in every day till that morning.

Monday was a nice run. Well, it was hard but I got to 5ks in. I was doing the Global 5k with Runkeeper and Top Gun Run with Will Run for Bling. It just didn’t feel natural. Running more than 10 min together was nearly impossible. I’m not sure why. It could be medicine. It could be autoimmune. It could by bad aerobic ability which I know needs some improvement. Maybe I could do the Bridge to 10k again. Monday, I worked on sprints with some inclined moments. A few of the half marathon improvement plans included that. I worked with a fartlek mentality rather than a hard and fast 2 min of tempo and 30 seconds of sprint. I also added a walking component, since I was struggling. It just feels like my lungs don’t take enough air in. I’m seriously considering doing a stair stepper. Steps wind me right away. I used to work on the third floor of a building and for nearly five years I took those steps and puffed as much from the first day to the last.

Later that day, the dog and I went to a dog park. So I got some more walking mileage in. With hills. The little stinker didn’t want to go very long. In the past, I’ve had to chase her down after two hours. Monday, she was tired after a half hour and sitting next to me waiting to go.

This morning I went for a run. Again, I felt like my lungs weren’t getting enough air to my body. But truthfully, I just felt discombobulated. Even though I woke up at 3:59, wide awake, I kept dropping stuff. I forgot my phone in the car. How does one track one’s run and watch daredevil without my phone? I did some sprints, I did some tempo runs. Personally, I think my natural gait is 4.8mph. This means that some people walk faster than I run. I forgot running socks and only had some thin socks. So I ran sockless. Now I have chafing on the side of one of my ankles. The runs have been more rough than easy as of late. At the same time, I feel happier on days I’ve run. I feel more content and easy going.

So I hope to get a jog in tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow will be a good run. Maybe it will be a great run. 

Post-Half Marathon

So what happens after a half marathon?

Well, I plan on how to improve.

Not a whole lot has happened since the race. I’ve had my aerial class which was nice. I enjoy the oasis in the middle of the week and I will take time to practice even when I don’t have a class. In some things, you can find joy and serenity all wrapped in one. I find I can do that, especially when I add a flow or strength element to it.

The week after the race I took the week off from running. I think it’s usual to maybe have a few jogs but I was hurting and I thought to take it easy. Lots of walking and stretching. My autoimmune popped up a bit but the rest nipped it in the bud.

Truthfully, the night after I ran the race, I was already looking at training suggestions. I could barely walk but I was already looking to torture myself again. Maybe the next race will be flat.

So I did run Tuesday morning. It was a hill and sprint run. It was hard. I was dripping in sweat. Sometimes, I would catch myself staring at the clock and not at Daredevil even though we’ve gotten to the Punisher part in the series. (Now there is a movie to be made that would benefit from an R rating. And I want to see it)

And it was tough. I almost fell twice while wiping sweat off my face. My chest feels a little gunky still. There may have been some bargaining going on too. Just make it 30 seconds, and then you can stop. I felt out of practice and I probably was. I did feel strong. I was wearing a Door County HM shirt. I felt comfortable enough but I just didn’t feel great. I need greater aerobic ability. I feel like that was my undoing.

I ran again on Thursday and that felt even worse. But the goal was slow and easy with some sprints and hills for part of it. I dialed it down a bit. I might be suffering a bit from over training. Or undertraining. It’s hard to tell when you have an autoimmune. Too much training and you’re tired and worn out. Too little and you’re tired and worn out. By continuing to work on my aerobic base and maybe doing some more strength training, I should be able to greatly improve my performance. But I have to do it. And right now running feels a little discouraging.

Maybe I should take up swimming. And biking. Maybe I should be a triathlete. Yup, this former coach potato suggested the possibility of me taking up three sports. Because why not? I can do a half marathon. So why not do other seemingly impossibly things?

And that was about it. We are getting ready for the wedding in two weeks. A lot of time is spent on final preparations. We did go to the zoo so that even though I did not run, I definitely was moving this weekend.

I also got the potted garden finished. The plan is that me and the husband to be can eat everything planted. And so can the bearded dragon, except for the herbs. The bunnies can be voracious so I hope the height will be a small deterrent. It was fun. The dog sat in the shade for the most part. The bearded dragon took off. There was hunting and scratches but she was found. And was very ungrateful about being found. Despite that she got to taste her first hibiscus and it was a hit. Someone is getting a leash ordered for her today though.

I hope to get some aerobic activities in these next two weeks. I want to make a little extra breathing room in the wedding dress. And I want to make room for any stress or convenience eating that happens during preparations.

These next two weeks will be interesting and busy and I will do my best to report in before the wedding. I will also try to make a couple of honeymoon entries. The scenery will call for a mile or two jog while we are traveling thru sea stacks and redwoods. 

Wedding Hair Dye Complete

From a previous trip

A Prelude and My First Half Marathon

PRELUDE
I know, I know, it’s been a while.

But I’ve been busy. And relaxing, and running, and now writing.

This past weekend was race weekend but first aerial yoga.

Wednesdays' are nice as they are a nice relaxing interlude during the work week. It gives attendees a space to be themselves and to express things that they might not even know want expressing. We’ve had some aerial rolling at all the classes. I think it pairs well with the motives of yoga as a practice.

When I get to sub for a teacher, I learn just as much as they do. Each teacher has their own style and each class has its own vibe. I had my stepdaughter-in-law-to-be (SDINTB). The first class was empty so I stretched what needed to be stretched and worked on a couple of poses that I found interesting. SDINTB tried learning it as well. We worked on the pose and got nowhere. The class after had some regulars and a newbie. We all learned one of my favorite series, and we all worked on the pose I had been working on earlier. And a regular figured it out and we all gave it a try. I think learning like that, with a video, and dissecting it, helps us all. It might help us learn a new movement and pose. It might help in the future as we try to learn something else new. Transitions teach us to pay attention to and to breath in these moments.

Runner's World cookbook did not disappoint. I made a Peanut Thai Beef. It was simple and delicious. The fiance nearly licked his plate. I added some ginger and traded the water chestnuts for leeks. Whole wheat angel hair for soba noodles. 

I had run on the 27^th. Moving over to a different treadmill, I worked on hills. My breath was still so short. The plan had been to move on to level 4 on the treadmill but it didn’t work. Running was hard. It felt good but no records were set and it was frustrating that the lungs felt so gunky. No cough or runny nose had contributed to this feeling. The next week I had planned to keep the legs fresh. I walked and sprinted here and there but nothing of any distance. It was not a particularly encouraging run to finish on.

So I love Door County. It’s the thumb of Wisconsin. There is a quaintness to it that they vigorously guard on their streets with art galleries, restaurants, candy, and gift stores. Some evenings you can even see a movie at a drive in. But mostly, mostly, it’s relaxing. You can go out on a boat fishing or waterskiing. Trails course thru the county. Trolleys do tours of cherry and apple orchards or wineries. Or you can just sit on a deck or beach and read a book absorbing the peace and stunning scenery surrounding you. Or you can run a half marathon.

RACE REPORT

And that’s what I did. My fiancé and I went up on Friday. I was lucky enough to get a room with a whirlpool and a gorgeous view of the water. Packet pick up was extremely easy and all the volunteers seemed to be enjoying themselves. A small expo was set up in the village hall. This race felt different and bigger than all the other’s I’ve done. I think number-wise it was. None of my other races had an expo with race pick up, just at a local store.

Before going to bed, I laid out my clothes, put my bib in my racing belt, and made sure that I had my Chomps tucked away. I put a little lavender oil on my wrists and tucked in for bed.

I woke up early. Probably due to both habit and excitement. I knew I could do the race. I knew I could do the distance. The roads we were running followed partially along the coast. The hotel had a trolley running to the runners’ concourse. I left my fiancé to get a little more sleep. The race itself was going to be at least three hours and there was no reason for him to get on a trolley that left at 8am for a race that started at 10am. On the ride, I met a nice lady who waited 7 years to come up from Cedar Rapids. It was a Mother’s Day gift. I didn’t realize how lucky I was until then in my ability to just come up to Door County, nearly on a whim.

At the concourse, I was left alone with many nice running clothes. It’s a good thing I had a very small budget to work with and I didn’t buy the 40 dollar shirt or the great 80 dollar jacket. Other people seemed equally tempted. I went down to Nicolet Bay and did some sun salutations on the beach. And then I people watched.

I love people watching. There were groups of women who were seated together talking strategy. Couples took cute selfies with matching running gear. Older people seemed to all know each other and seemed to have more energy than me. Bright shoes flashed in the grass. Some were in shorts and tanks. Others had sweatshirts and fleece lined pants. I can only imagine how much some people’s get up cost.

The start of the race was relatively uneventful. Runkeeper started and so did my Garmin. I never started my music. Redlight Kings waited in queue in case I needed it. And I started too fast. And I couldn’t slow down. My brain yelled at my legs to move slower. I tried running behind slower people but my feet wouldn’t listen. My first 4 miles were under 12 minutes. My plan had been to run around 12:30.

And the hills. These were not your normal hills. They were big hills. Runkeeper said that this run had the greatest elevation. Chomps were eaten. Water sipped. Even though I had done some hill work I don’t think I would have been ready even if I had run outside making it a point to hit all the hills in my area. Not even I were running trails. I started bargaining early. But I made it up the biggest hill taking us to the pirate waystation. I think they had made their own Gatorade. The volunteers had dressed up in costume and provided a little levity in this situation that had me feeling rather heavy.

From there it went downhill. Both the trail and my performance. My fast start caught up with me. I needed walking breaks. Chomps did nothing to boost my energy. I broke the rule of not trying anything new and drank the Gatorade. Thankfully, it all sat ok. Just make it to the tree, and then you can walk to the sign. See that bend, make it to the bend and then walk the next to the next aide station. Run up the hill and walk the flat. Even though, technically, we were going overall going down, there were still some hills. They seemed steep but, in truth, they were not that bad. I was just tired. I felt wiped and done and I needed to argue with myself to not wave down the medical teams. My feet were the only thing that wasn’t hurting. Thank you, Brooks.  I started chatting with people because I needed to distract myself. Beer and cake was mentioned. Runners like food and drink. Some might say that is why they run: to eat more.

Around the 10^th mile, I felt a cramp. It didn’t hurt, but it seemed to stop movement. In my ankle. I’ve never felt such a strange cramp. It felt as if someone had replaced my flesh and bone with a rock. Part of me started to worry about serious injury. I’ve been lucky enough to avoid anything more than shin splits. Walk breaks became essential.

Bugs swarmed near the lakes. Sun baked the asphalt with little cloud cover. People were stripping. Shirts, hats and gloves littered the side of the road. Later, runners would drive through and pick up wanted items and anything left behind would be donated. I took off my long sleeve and tied it around my waist. Then, mile ten had me taking off my first short sleeve shirt and shoved it under my belt. Some took of their shirts and others tucked their shorts up under their waistbands.

The last mile seemed mostly downhill. I was running on fumes. I refused to give up. I was not going to stop when I was so close. Thank goodness, I am so stubborn. The course-makers were kind. Right before the last 1/8^th of a mile or so, there was a curve. You could hear the cowbells and the cheering and the radio announcer. Yet you couldn’t see the finish and they couldn’t see you walking. So I dug deep and ran. I have no idea where I found this energy. Some people started flagging even more. But when I hit the chute, adrenaline kicked in and I found even more energy and I sprinted the last 50 yards; long, distance guzzling strides. 13.1 miles down and I was officially a half marathoner.

My hands and feet were swollen. I’m not sure if it was blood or water or both, but I couldn't close my hands for a few hours after the race. My butt and hips already stiff. My knees ached. But I did it. I ran a beautiful course and a difficult one and now have joined a special group of people. And we still had a day left in Door County.

It included fantastic food, a celebratory drink or two, and a gorgeous sunset. But first, I heard the in-room whirlpool calling my name.

Leaving Door County is always sad for me.

But there is always next year…