Week 2 in Europe

45 Miles
2 Days off
14M easy long run
3 days in Zurich
lots of jetlag

Nothing much to this week except that traveling back to California absolutely sucked.  It's way harder to adjust back to the time difference if you have to go straight to work and you don't get to sleep 14 hours (like I did the first night we arrived in Europe).  It's been a real struggle running the latter half of this week because my legs just feel dead.  My breathing also feels completely off.  I don't really get it.

Regardless, I'm super fortunate and grateful to have the means to travel to Europe and to be exposed to so many different cultures.  So happy that I was able to take this trip with Peter and Claire!!

Zurich

Vienna Wedding & Hot Date

Week 1 in Europe

45 Miles
2 Days off
10M with 3 mile tempo in 608, 601, 551, 800m jog, 1M of 30s on/off in 552
14.6M with Michelle in Vienna
3 days in Amsterdam, 4 days in Vienna

This week can best be summed up with bullet points and pictures:

• I'm proud of myself for doing an unplanned tempo in Amsterdam
• Peter, Claire and I travel really well together.  We didn't plan a single thing and somehow everything worked out (except getting in to the Anne Frank house, which wasn't high on my list anyways!)
• Tulips are pretty.
• I'm grateful that Michelle flew to Vienna because not only did we get to catch up, but we also got to run 14 miles together on Saturday!

Week in Review

75 Miles
Down Ladder on the Track
16 mile Long run
0 Days Off
8 Runs

After a quick turnaround after my stellar track workout on Tuesday, I decided to get my long run out of the way on Thursday morning.  An evening flight to California made it necessary to get this run out of the way before I left for the office.  My long run went by fairly quickly with Laurie and there really isn't much to report from it.  My legs weren't too tired from the track workout, but they didn't feel nearly as sprightly as they have in the past couple of weeks.  After the long run, I went to the Elizabeth Family Practice to get some bloodwork done that Dr. Price had called in for me.  Given that I hadn't taken my iron pills in a while and my poor performance at the NC 10k Champs, I already kind of knew what the results would be.  Sure enough, Dr. Price let me know that my Ferritin level was a 13. This is a bad number for most people, but it's an okay number for me.  So long as I keep my runs, workouts, and races within 10 seconds of my target pace, I don't go into oxygen debt.  Basically, I just need to race really smart and I can still run well.  Oh, and I need to take my iron pills, which I have been doing; I even brought my pills with me to California!

Speaking of California...the trip was amazing.  The weather there truly is unbelievably perfect and every time I go I wish I lived there--that is, until I hop into a car and sit on the freeway for two hours to go two miles.  My college roommate, teammate, bridesmaid, and all around best friend, Merry, flew from Tucson to hang out with my sister and me and we took advantage of our time together.  Every night we went to bed before 9PM, woke up before 7AM to get out the door for a run by 730AM, and hung out the rest of the day.  Our interests are so similar and it worked out perfectly for all parties because when we ran, it gave our gracious host and my sister a chance to relax and get things done around her place. We got the full southern California tour this time around, with a 24 hour stop in San Diego, a shopping excursion in Orange County, and a night in Silver Lake, near where some celebrities live.  We ate so much very delicious food that it saddened me to come back to Charlotte's dismal selection of healthy and local eats.

(Bachelorette) Week in Review

78 Miles
3 Doubles
3 Runs with Wake Girls
11 Mile Long Run
3 Mile Tempo Fail

So this week started off with a terrible tempo, which seems to be the theme for me the past couple of weeks.  I had a goal of running 5 miles, and I only ran 3 and felt awful.  My left hamstring was still preventing me from getting the full range of motion and I just felt like it wasn't worth it to push it.  It was also exceptionally humid, which didn't help my breathing.  I've also come to the self-diagnosis of having low ferritin because I get this feeling like once a year and I hate running, feel terrible, am tired all the time and take forever to recover and absolute crap workouts.  In a nutshell, that's how I feel.  I know that with a couple of week's time, I'll get over it and feel more confident again, but such is the ebb and flow for running for me right now.  Of course, since the week started off on a mediocre note from the running perspective, I was more than ecstatic for my bachelorette weekend in California, where I would be reunited with Michelle, Selina, Liz and Marley--four of my former teammates at Wake.  Also, my sister, Athena and Anna would be making the trip from California.  By the time I got off the plane in San Fran, the crisp, cold, fresh air greeted me with a great welcome and I immediately knew running would be better here.

Debauchery occurred on Thursday night at the bars in downtown San Fran, and then after that, a much more low key and relaxing trip commenced.  We made family dinner every night, floated the river in our backyard with deflated tubes, hiked in the redwoods, winery-hopped in Sonoma County and relaxed in a hot tub.  I felt like I was back in college because every morning the five of us trekked outside in the 50-degree weather to run together...even if it was only for 45-60 minute runs, they were a blast.  On Sunday, we made our way to Sonoma Coast State Park on the beach, in hopes of running along a trail on the cliff of the ocean.  The first six minutes of the run were up and down a cliff, and we were all huffing and puffing, secretly hoping that this wasn't going to be the entirety of the run. Fortunately, the terrain leveled off and we were left in the dense fog that was blocking our view of the expanse of the ocean only 500 feet from us.

By the time Monday came around, I didn't want to leave our blissful river cabin in Guerneville, California, but I knew that the Democratic National Convention was calling my name back to Charlotte to witness some of the mayhem going on back here.

(Dominican) Week in Review

45 Miles
2 Doubles
1 Day off
4 Days in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

I did a great job this week of taking advantage of my down week that was conveniently planned during a hiatus down to the Dominican Republic.  I didn't travel there with Garrett.  Instead, I travelled alone to meet Merry at the Puerto Plata airport, who was taking a break from her Peace Corps volunteer duties to hang out with me at an all-inclusive resort.  Did I mention that I paid $20 per person / per night?  Yes - a steal!

Treating Merry to a little slice of paradise, helping her escape the poverty-stricken campo that she now calls home, was a pleasure in itself!  It was great just making our way through conversations, bringing up whatever came to mind, and not caring if it sounded stupid, mean, lazy, or clever.  We ran early every morning (usually around 6:30am) and, afterwards, always made our way to the VIP beach to claim a beach bed.  I wish I could say that I got my money's worth in the free drinks, but I didn't.  Merry probably did. I got my money's worth in free fruit. I am not exaggerating when I say that I ate an entire pineapple each day.  It was so delicious!  While Merry and I both had plans to run more together, the allure of the resort, pristine beaches, and unlimited drinks provided absolutely no motivation to run further, so we didn't.  And that's how down weeks are supposed to be.

The beach at the resort

the beds at the resort

near the paradise island

on the way to paradise island

paradise island

how beautiful

3x2 Mile with 2 Min Rest

Goal:
3x2 mile with 2 min rest at 600, 550, 540

Actual:
2.7 miles warmup
3x2 mile at 11:40 (551, 548), 11:26 (5:41, 5:45), and 11:18 (5:39, 5:39)
2.6 miles cool down

I'm trying to mirror everything that I did before Twin Cities in these last three weeks leading up to the Olympic Trials, so I had 3x2 mile on tap for today.  Last marathon cycle, the workout went well on the Dilworth Speed Loop.  This time around, I wanted to be a little more aggressive on the first one and then gradually get faster on each one.

Knowing that I would run faster with the company of another, Juan Morales and I determined to meet at 730AM at the Newport Back Bay and to run our warmup to the Irvine Bike Path, which is flat with two minor uphills.  The uphills are similar to the uphills I'll be running over in Houston, so the route was a perfect choice.  We went out 2 miles and followed the same course for the 2nd interval.  For the third, we went out and back 1 mile.

The hill we ran up on the Irvine Bike Path

The best part about this workout is that I not only achieved my time goals, but I also did so with less rest than last year (2:10 as opposed to 3:00).  The first set didn't even feel hard and my breathing wasn't labored.  Juan and I even chatted through at least 1.5 miles.  For the second one, I took off like a bat out hell in like 5:20 pace and fell asleep a little bit from 1-1.5 but woke up enough to bring the pace back down to a reasonable clip.  By the third one, I could feel some slight fatigue in my legs, but pushed any thoughts of distress out of my head to power through it.  I really wanted my last one to be my fastest interval, and Juan and I made that happen.

With this run, the 20 mile steady state, and the 8 mile wave tempo, I can tell that my body is ready for the Trials.  Now the key is to mentally prepare for the race and to envision multiple scenarios that could play out.  This has always been a crucial preparation step for me as it helps to further cement the mental focus I'll need in the race.

Solo Fartlek in the Newport Back Bay

Goal:
4 Miles of Speed

Actual:
3+ miles warmup
1-2-2-1-1-2-2-1-2-2-1-1-1-1-1 with 1 min rest

I did this workout around 3PM in the Newport Back Bay all by my lonesome.  My Cal Coast Track Club buddies were doing a workout (guess where?) on the track and I didn't feel like getting toasted by several men in the "A" group all at once.  I also didn't want to meet at the track after the sun had set, so I opted for a solo fartlek on the Back Bay bike path.  Before Twin Cities, at this same time in my training cycle I did 4 miles of speed work in the form of 2:45 on/off.  I wanted to mix things up and run on feel, so I just did 1-2-2-1 with 1 min rest and then with some extra 1 minutes at the end for added benefit.  There wasn't a Garmin involved, but I was breathing pretty hard for the "on" segments.  I was running fast and feeling strong.  This was a nice way to come back after the grueling 20 mile steady state on Friday, and I could tell that my legs had already bounced back.  Next up, I've got 3x2 mile and a 16-18 mile long run.

Aerial view on the Newport Back Bay

Newport Back Bay Path - Parts are Fine Rock and others asphalt

Tempo in a So Ill Monsoon

Goal:

3x3 mile at 6-605 with 3 min rest

Actual

2.1 mile warmup in 15:32

5 mile tempo in 29:12 with splits of (5:51, 5:56, 5:50, 5:41, 5:53)

2 mile cool down in 15:43 for 9.1 miles total

You read that right. I was supposed to do the ever-time consuming workout of 3x3 miles solo in so ill (southern illinois).  During my warmup, dark storm clouds rolled in and I figured I should cut the warmup short to allow myself time for the 3x3 mile before the rain started to come.  Turns out the rain came much earlier...1 mile into the workout.  

I did some quick thinking on my toes and picked up the pace to turn the workout into a tempo.  I knew that I had some sort of 5 mile tempo next week or the week after and figured I could swap it out for next week when I have company and better weather.  My legs actually were feeling pretty great as I sloshed through the rain puddles around SIUC Campus Lake.  By the fourth mile, I was feeling fantastic.  Lightning was striking above my head, water was dripping into my eyes, and snot kept shooting out of my nose as I tried to inhale air, but got water instead and then had to snort it back out.  Regardless of all of this, I felt pretty awesome.  I had no idea what was going to happen when I turned back towards the SIU arena.  

I hadn't really noticed the wind yet, but then I turned north.  Immediately rain was pelting my face sideways as the wind tried to push me backwards like a middle school bully.  I thought of Forrest Gump when he described the different types of rain.  This was definitely the sideways rain he talked about, combined with terrible wind.  I went from feeling spectacular to feeling craptacular.  I didn't even want to look at my mile split as I felt like it would disappoint me.  Soon I crested a hill and saw that I had less than 400m left.  I tried to give it my all, but the wind fought hard against my every attempt.  I checked on my Weather Channel app later and saw that the wind was "N at 20-30 mph."  Figures.  Somehow I managed to still finish my last mile in my goal half marathon pace.  Hopefully with good weather conditions I can run faster.

I finished the workout right near my car, but I still had to cool down.  I was hoping to get in 3 miles so I could call it 10 for the day since I didn't double this morning.  However, right after my Garmin beeped for the 2nd mile, the sky was cut in half with a scary lightning bolt that made my arm hairs stand up, followed immediately by a thunder rumble that practically made my car bounce.  I figured that was God's way of telling me to go home and to stop worrying my parents.  Turns out he was right.  About the time that I started my tempo, my mother called me to leave a voicemail to tell me to come home.  As if.  I've got the Olympic Trials exactly 4 months from today.  Tempos are the heart and soul of my training for the next months and I need to ensure I get them in.

While I understand that the weather conditions were far from awesome, I am really trying not to get down on myself for my tempo times.  I just need to keep my head up and to keep putting in the work and the times will come.  The next four months will be critical for me as I focus on getting my abs in three times a week, lifting in twice a week, and creating a consistent training schedule in terms of my doubles and workouts.  Some changes are definitely being made, and it will most likely take my body a couple more weeks to adjust to the new schedule and way of doing things.  

In other news, since I am working remotely from Illinois, it has been rather difficult to do morning runs because of the one-hour time difference combined with the 8:30AM start time I have to be "at work."  Not to mention that the project I've been leading for the past 10 months is about to launch, which is really stressful.  I also have to buy a new car in the month so lots of life things are happening right now.  It's definitely a time where I need to focus on my inner calm to keep the stress level to a minimum.  Good thing I'm at home where my parents cook me delicious meals!!!

Week in Review

32.6 Miles (wowsa!)

4 Days of Running

48 Hours in Las Vegas

12 Hours in an airplane or airport

1.5 hours of TheraBand Exercises

I have never been more proud of a 32 mile week. After taking three days off, I started my running week on Wednesday with an easy 8 miler with Matt, Michelle, and Billy. Before I knew it, my running week would be over after just four straights of running 8 miles a day. I managed to get in an hour of easy running in Las Vegas with Selina, on the beautiful trails of the Red Rock Canyon.

On Friday morning, I ran easy with Justin and Meagan in the 35 degree rain, put in a half day's worth of work, and got a ride to the airport from Matt and Vanessa (not my sister, Matt's girlfriend). After a 4+ hour flight, I was whisked away from the cold, wet, dreary weather and placed in the middle of sunny, dry, beautiful Las Vegas. My sister was kind enough to pick Selina and I up and so began our 48 hour adventure.

Now, most of you would think that I proceeded to enjoy in a weeked of total gluttony. In fact, it was the exact opposite. I spent just over $100 and we went to a health food store to buy $30 worth of groceries so we didn't have to eat out. We got over 7 hours of sleep each night. We also ran and hiked at Red Rock Canyon. All of the above items make it overall a very healthy trip.

On Friday night, the five of us ladies didn't even last until after midnight, and on Saturday night we got home at 1:45am, which is early for Vegas. We were escorted into the clubs both nights because we got in contact with escorts who work for Marketing firms. Essentially, they are paid to bring ladies in for the customers that actually pay lots of money in the Club. With this sort of setup, we would meet the escort at the bar in the casino and then they would escort (aka herd us in like we are going to the slaughterhouse) us to the club, checked our IDs, and left us to play on our own. For those looking for the hookup, let me know and I'll point you in the right direction.

While we had a great time, we agreed that Vegas is too busy and crazy for us to go that often. If I ever do go again, I will spend the day at the spa, go to the shows, and avoid the clubs.

on the way to surrender night club

Running at Red Rock Canyon on Saturday

I ended up taking the day off on Sunday because I didn't feel like running along the Las Vegas Strip, which sounded absolutely dreadful. I figure a true down week happens when you take days off when you don't feel like running. I was pleased with how the week turned out, especially considering that my leg is finally getting better.

What to look forward to next week? Running 50 miles, spending FIVE days with Garrett, getting another massage from Byran at Zenriffic Massage and Wellness, taking one day off from running, getting a weight lifting plan from Mark Kane, and going to Trivia Night at Brixx Pizza! A fun filled week for sure.

Fantastic Workout, Craptastic Knee

Goal: 15x1 min on/off
Actual: 11.5 miles total, 15x1 min on/off, hurt IT Band/Knee

After procrastinating about 8 hours of the day away at the timeshare on Newport Coast, I finally got ready for a workout. This was difficult to do considering that all I did today was watch Discovery Channel, read Franzen's book The Corrections, eat food, and take a nap. Once my parents drove off to pick Sally up in Long Beach, I decided 3:30pm was a good time to go running because 1) it had stopped raining and 2) I would finish before the sun fell below the ocean line.

I ran down the mountain that defines Newport Coast Drive and made my way to the Crystal Cove State Park, where I ran along the cliffs overlooking the ocean. I enjoyed watching the sun drop lower and lower until it finally seemed to touch the ocean and reflect its brilliance straight into my sensitive eyes (I forgot my sweet new Nike sunglasses Garrett's parents gave me at the timeshare).

I noticed for the first 5 miles of my warmup that the wind was terribly strong going one direction, so I started my fartlek with the wind at my back to make it easier. For the first 9 minuters, I ran with the wind. I felt really good and my legs felt like they had lots of bounce to them. However, everything changed once I turned around when the wind was in my face. It was difficult to get my legs up, I was leaning forward too much, and my hair was blowing all into my face. I'm sure I looked like a terrible mess. I finished out the workout, and slowed to a stop, and knelt down to stretch for a moment.

As soon as I stood up, all my confidence from having a good workout slipped away as a sharp, persistent pain pulsed through my knee. A pain that literally came out of nowhere worried the crap out of me, and I wondered if I could even make it home the next three miles. The sun had already set and I knew that if I were any tick past 5:30, my parents would be really worried. Fortunately, the pain seemed to subside just a bit so that I could run to the bottom of the big mountain. I walked/jogged up the mountain and counted down every second until I made it to my temporary abode. As soon as I walked into the timeshare, I grabbed some ice and stretched.

Online research commenced and the pain worsened. I determined that my IT Band was rubbing against the side of my knee, causing inflammation and irritation. I could tell there was excess fluid in the attachment of the IT Band and the knee. I decided to take the next two days off and figured rest, ice, and massages from my mom would do the trick. I could only wait and see if it would actually be a magical formula to recovery.

18 Mile Progression Run

Goal:

18 miles with 50-60 minutes uptempo

Actual:

16.04 miles: 1:48:55 @ 6:47 ave
1st 8 miles: 56:46 (7:06 pace)
2nd 8 miles: 51:46 (6:28 pace)

After exchanging several emails on Christmas day with Bill Sumner, coach of Corona Del Mar High School and at the Cal Coast Track Cub, I finally linked up with Juan and Juan...two runners of the CCTC. Bill Sumner was really helpful and I am really grateful for him linking me up with people to do 16 miles with! He has the most wins of any high school coach in California history. Cool stuff!

I met up with the two Juans at 830am at the Back Bay and I soon learned the plan was to do 8 out and back. After that, I was going to run back to my sister's house which was a perfect 2 miles away. We started out with a 7:15 mile and that would be our slowest mile split of the day. For the next seven miles, I enjoyed the view of the snow covered mountains in the backdrop and the beauties of UC Irvine's campus. At 8 miles, we began to dip under 7 minute pace for a progression run. It wasn't anything that we had verbally agreed to, it just felt good for our legs to gradually pick up the pace, and so we did. My legs felt great until about miles 14-15, where they began to feel fatigued. My breathing became more labored, but I had enough in me to finish up right around 6:00 for the last mile.

One of the Juans has never run a marathon and asked for some advice. I told him to go out so slow that he feels like he needs to rip his hair out it's so boring. The other Juan is 41 years old and looks like he is 30. He was the 2010 masters champion at the LA Marathon this year. It was cool running with such a local stud! He told me that he "liked marathons best because they are like a journey." I never had thought of it like that, and I liked his analogy. I'm going to remember that when my marathon training cycle starts for the Olympic Trials.

I really enjoyed the company and might even link up with these guys again for a tempo on Thursday! It's a lot of fun meeting people from other running clubs and hearing about how they work. This club has workouts led by a coach on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. I will continue to get more ides from other clubs to hopefully incorporate into the Charlotte Running Club's future.

After the 16 miles were over, I ran 2 miles back to my sister's and we enjoyed the rest of the day at the timeshare. I went in the hot tub for 20 minutes and wanted to alternate hot/cold, but the pool was heated so it was not worth it to jump out of the tub. It's definitely nice to be with my family during the holiday season.

Splits

9 - 6:55
10 - 6:33
11 - 6:37
12 - 6:27
13 - 6:34
14 - 6:24
15 - 6:12
16 - 6:04

Week in Review

45.1 miles
0 Doubles
1 day off
6 full days in Costa Rica
countless hours hiking up and down mountain

Considering my goal was the run 40 miles while on vacation in Costa Rica, I'm basically satisfied with this week. However, I am also a little bit disappointed in myself for not putting in the mental effort to run a couple more miles. It was difficult to run up and down the steep mountain in Manuel Antonio and it was both mentally and physically taxing to run up them. Also, who else wouldn't be drawn to the scenery below?

The rocks outside of Manuel Antonio National Park

The view from our ocean villa

Once I returned to Charlotte late Saturday night, Jordan was kind enough to run an easy four miles. Then, after a 12 hour turnaround, I picked up my parents at their airport hotel, drove them to McAlpine, and picked up some miles at McAlpine with Megan, Anne, John, Ben, Mike and Jordan. Overall, got in some good runs. No more international travel for me until after January 2012....

Costa Rica Update

After getting stranded in San Jose for two nights instead of making the drive to our villa in Manuel Antonio on the Pacific Coast, we finally arrived in our villa last night. That sentence makes our trip sound much easier than it actually was. But, an adventure isn't truly an adventure until things go awry, not as planned. Garrett, mom, dad and I all arrived in San Jose on Thursday around 3pm. The plan was to spend the night at an eco-friendly hotel in San Jose until the next day, when Vanessa, Sally, Joey, and Anna were arriving from LA. Instead, there was a hurricane that swept through the Pacific and Caribbean islands, which flooded towns and caused roads to collapse. This meant that we had no way to get to Manuel Antonio. After a lot of frustrating phone calls with our host, we finally found out that we could get to the villa after 36 hours of thinking we would never actually arrive at the villa and also not get an entire refund.

We are very grateful that everything worked out. I'm also grateful that everyone is now safe and able to repair their homes. We drove through a really poor town that housed many of the people who worked on the palm tree plantations and all of their houses were under water. It was definitely a sad drive through and we donated some of our clothes to them to help them recuperate from their losses. Our drive was through very winding, mountain roads. Coffee beans are grown on the side of a steep mountain. It is very scary and sad to know that those workers do not get paid much money. It made me feel better that I do not drink coffee. The roads were so bumpy that Vanessa and Garrett both felt nauseous that we had to stop for Ginger Ale at a street mercado.

When we arrived in Manuel Antonio, our driver was told the road was down and we had to wait at the bottom of the mountain road for our host to come pick us up. The adventure just kept getting better and better. Whenever we thought we were close, another curve ball would be thrown our way and we our original plan was thrown out the window as our future was not in our hands. After 4 hours in the car, 1 hour of waiting on a street in Quepos, and switching from one tour van to two random SUVs, we made our way up an old gravel mountain road that had not been used in over twenty years, but was being used since the main road had collapsed due to the five days of rain. We finally arrived at our four-level tree-house style villa at 730pm. We received our tour, put the boys in the crow's nest at the top of the house, and settled into our beds.

Now that you know all the background, you're probably wondering how the heck I am running here. If not, then you don't know that this blog is typically about running. In Manuel Antonio, I am able to run up and down the mountain road. There are several hills that are much steeper and longer than my running legs can handle, so I'm forced to walk. There also are not any sidewalks and ticos drive pretty crazy here, so I need to be very aware of the cars on the road. Fortunately for me, though, the closed mountain road is still accessible for pedestrians, so that means I have an entire mile of road that is free of cars. I've been able to run about 6 miles per day, which is what I had aimed for. I would like to get in more than that, but it's tough on my legs to do so many hills. At least it feels like I'm working out when I'm not actually doing a scheduled workout. My parents have run behind me for each of the runs, so it always helps to have company. We've also been walking at least 3-5 miles a day since the beach is about 1.5 miles away and since we have been walking to the grocery store. We've been a pretty active bunch of people on vacation.

Well, that's all I've got for now. I'll see you all when I get back to the States. Hopefully I'll be in the same running shape as I was before...

San Francisco Recuperation Run

After Tuesday evening's sequence of events, it was time for a run away from home and away from any cars if at all possible. Luckily, I am away from home as I am visiting my sister and her best friend, Athena, in San Francisco. What was originally supposed to be pseudo getaway for Garrett and I, the weekend has just turned into a girls' only fiesta since Garrett got moved up to the Tri-City Valley Cats on Tuesday night (!!!!!).

I'm so pumped for Garrett in this recent development, especially because this is the first time that he had to just jump on a plane to go to the next level. However, I learned my minor league girlfriend's lesson for the season: Never book a vacation on the date that the season is "supposed" to be over. I knew going into it that this could happen, but I guess when it actually happens, the reality of the situation hit me: everything is unpredictable, nothing is planned. If a minor leaguer's life is unpredictable, then the girlfriend's life is almost just as unpredictable. It's tough to book tickets to visit a minor leaguer in season because one instant he might be in Lexington, Ky and then the next instant he might be on a plane off to Lancaster, California. So goes the life. (Side note - I'm not complaining by any means, I'm lucky to have such an awesome boyfriend and super proud that he is getting noticed by the Astros' Player Development, but the lifestyle is definitely a roller coaster ride)

Back to the original reason for this post. So, now I'm in San Francisco with Athena and Vanessa for the next four days and I couldn't be more exicted. I ran this morning an easy six miles through the neighborhood of Glen Park, and found a nice scenic park to run through to avoid any cars. Tonight, I am going to Embarcadero for Happy Hour with Athena and friends and then we are picking up my sister from the airport.

What's on tap for the next few days? Two Farmer's Markets on Saturday, one night of debauchery on Saturday, five runs, lots of shopping, a jaunt through Haight Ashbury, and a reunion for Matt Jaskot, Jordan Kinley, and me. Am I pumped? You betcha! An escape is just what the doctor ordered (if I had gone to see him), and I plan on taking full advantage.

Garbage Legs

Most people go on vacation to get out of a daily routine. If you don’t, I sure as heck do. I yearn for that disruption in the daily routine for weeks on end leading up to a hiatus in the mountains or on the beach or with my sister. Then the actual disruption comes, and it’s like a slap in the face. I want my crappy schedule back, the boring routine. Of course, I enjoy the vacation and the new scenery for a couple of days, but that’s the extent of it.

Seriously? Why would I want to have back my schedule of a 515am wake up time on Tuesday to make a 10 miler at McAlpine? Why would I want back my 7am wake up (on the weekend!!) for a 730am long run of over 14 miles? Even when the running trails are 1003403x better than the trails in Charlotte, NC, I want back home so that I can run on the Charlotte trails.

The reason I bring this up is because Jay and I ran yesterday at 130pm. The sun was shining, the temperature was a whole twenty degrees warmer than when we typically run (I didn’t even need gloves), and we had half the day to laze around. Any sane person would assume that we felt fan-friggin-tastic for this mid-afternoon frolic in Freedom Park. Nope. As John Compton likes to say, our legs felt like “garbage.” Like they had been thrown into the dumpster, tossed around a bit, and thrown back into the streets for a bus to roll over them. We mused that our bodies were just used to running at the extremes: either early in the morning or late in the evening. I wonder if there is any scientific evidence that proves our bodies grow accustomed to a scheduled workout time.

So – is it the fact that we are runners who plan their races for December 2010 in January of 2010 that we want our routine back? Is it the fact that we obsess over our weekly mileage and whether or not we will still make that while on vacation?

I’ve got my own answer. I just love running so darn much. So much, in fact, that I’ve become accustomed to a schedule that includes waking up before the sun comes up and finishing a run before that same sun comes up…and enjoying (mostly) every moment of it. It’s pretty nice to get done with a run before 8 or 9am and still have the rest of day to yourself on the weekend.