Comments (18)

By kilax, April 16, 2016 5:35 am

On Monday I had a really graceful (<— sarcasm) encounter with a stick during my run.

Everyone who’s ever interacted with a cat while going down stairs (or really, tried to walk anywhere, around a cat) will be able to relate. You know how they are always where you need to put your foot, then between your legs, tripping you up? That is how this stick was. It appeared out of nowhere, and got caught between my feet. It dug in to my left foot, then hit my right one, tripping me forward. Like running with cats.

Of course, this happened while I was running on the shoulder of the road, with cars watching me. Awesome.

I caught myself and didn’t fall (yay!) but felt like a doofus, and was all twisted up, from correcting my fall.

Then when I got to the studio to teach that night, I ran in to a box really hard and immediately bruised my leg. GAH. What a day.

Surprisingly, the bruise from the stick didn’t show up until Friday though. Odd.

Believe me, you don’t want to see my toenails. I keep them VERY short.

Sigh. Such a klutz.

I hope today’s run is without incident!

Since writing about needing someone to run with me in Alaska so I don’t get mauled by a bear, I’ve come across two articles (one in Competitor and one in Bicycling) about what to do if I see a bear. Now I’m all set! Ha ha.

Comments (17)

By kilax, April 15, 2016 4:12 am

This:

Ha ha. Steven’s response.

But, OMG, so many rocks in our shoes ALL THE TIME. Construction in the house, having a crushed stone driveway, running on trails (for me)… we can’t escape it!

We needz MOAR gaiters!!!

Because it would totally be normal to just wear them all the time, right?! Ha. I at least need another pair for running. And they’re already on my birthday wishlist (yeah, even though my birthday is in July, I add things to my wishlist throughout the year)!

We actually will need water gaiters (well, waders) soon. Our pond is a mess and we’d like to clean it out!

Aww, sniff, sniff, where are you, Betty?!

Comments (24)

By kilax, April 12, 2016 6:22 am

Ideally, this is what our fridge and counter will look like in the upcoming weeks before the Wisconsin Half Marathon…

Okay, ideally, they look like this ALL the time.

And actually, ideally, they don’t look quite like this… they look picked over, because I am eating this stuff, instead of other carby snacks!

Ahh, if only I had the same discipline in eating, that I do with working out. Baby steps!

Comments (4)

By kilax, April 10, 2016 3:46 pm

Highlight of the Week: Mixing things up at Fitness Boxing!

*Accidentally had the formula messed up for this calculation since… oops, maybe the beginning of the year? It just should have been a higher number. All fixed now!

Monday | April 4, 2016: 15 m ride + 8 m run + teaching strength class
Indoor Ride Time: 55:37, Pace: 16.2 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: VP Woods Loop, Temp: 32°/31°, Time: 1:09:38, Pace: 8:42 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, but tired
Strength: kettlebells and boxing pads, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Tuesday | April 5, 2016: rest
Wednesday | April 6, 2016: 6 m run
Loc: hood, Temp: 39°/39°, Time: 50:41, Pace: 8:27 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, pushed around by the wind
Thursday | April 7, 2016: 6.3 m run + 5 m ride + 10 mins strength
Loc: hood, Temp: 35°/34°, Time: 54:38, Pace: 8:40 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: pissed at the f*cking trains
Indoor Ride Time: 20:23, Pace: 14.7 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: pissed off about work
Friday | April 8, 2016: teaching strength class + 10.2 m run (incl. 8×800)
Strength: kettlebells and boxing pads, Difficulty: esay, Felt: good
Loc: DPRT/Kilbourne Loop, Temp: 33°/37°, Time: 1:28:47, Pace: 8:42, Difficulty: hard, Felt: like I wanted to throw up my lunch, pissed at the wind
Saturday | April 9, 2016: 7.2 m run + teaching fitness boxing + 2.5 m run (w/Anne)
Loc: VP Woods Loop, Temp: 21°/24°, Time: 1:04:43, Pace: 8:59 avg, Difficulty: medium, Felt: unstable (icy)
Strength: Boxing and body weight moves, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: Grayslake, Temp: 28°/30°, Time: 31:59, Pace: 12:47 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Sunday | April 10, 2016: 10 m run (incl. 6×1:00)
Loc: home to Bobbi’s, Temp: 39°/42°, Time: 1:31:04, Pace: 9:06 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good minus sore legs, then thirsty/about to bonk

Notes:

• My stomach has been getting upset during and after quite a few runs lately. I’m not sure if it’s the pace, my diet, getting over a cold, or maybe my body getting used to the new water I am drinking (out of the well). I’m definitely going to pay attention to it, and see what I can figure out. I think it may be because I was drinking our well water. I stopped drinking it and will see if I feel better now!
• This was a comical running week, due to the weather, trains and my own stupidity:
  • Thursday (train, weather & my stupidity) – I tried to run a 6 mile route during my lunch break and had to stop for a train at a, hmmm … let’s call it “not official” crossing. Then the train stopped completely, and I stood there for five minutes feeling like an idiot while I got hailed/snowed on. I eventually turned around and crossed the tracks at a different spot – and saw that the train was STILL stopped where I was trying to cross before. Ugh.
  • Friday (weather)  – Speedwork day! Also, snow and 20-29 mph wind day. I did as much of the speedwork with the wind at my back (cheater!) but I had to run in to it for a few miles to get home and it SUUUUUCKED. Okay, file this under “my own stupidity,” too, but this run made it clear to me – I am NOT going for a PR at the Wisconsin Half if the winds are horrible. It’s not worth it to me.
  • Saturday (weather) – What’s this? THE SUN?! Oh, what else is this? Black ice everywhere?! WTF! I think I hardly used my winter running stabilizer muscles this year so I shouldn’t complain but… that run worked them.
  • Sunday (weather & my stupidity) – I woke up with a headache from feeling dehydrated. This should have been a clue to me to guzzle water! My plan was to run north from my house, stop at a rest stop and fill up my handheld and run south home – until I saw the winds were coming from the south. Hey! I learned from Friday – run into the wind to start. So I did that, and brought my handheld and told myself I’d be fine – I’ve run 12 miles plenty of times lately without filling it up. Sigh. I should have worn my backpack, like last week. I ran out of water and was SO thirsty and starting to feel out of it/feel like I was going to bonk. And was soaking wet because it rained for all of my run. I cut the run short and ran to Bobbi’s for water and a ride home. Yay, Bobbi!
  • But, eh, every week can’t be amazing! How odd this week was makes me laugh!
• Fitness boxing was a lot of fun this week and I’m sad it’s the only time I can teach it this month! I do have three classes on the calendar for May though, yay!

Link to Training Week 337

Comments (20)

By kilax, April 7, 2016 6:38 am

• I had a great time seeing my mom last Friday and Saturday night but MAN staying out late (her conference was an hour drive (one way) away) wrecked me for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. I am an early riser and am not used to that! Totally worth it, though.

• My mom met someone at her conference that lives really close to where we are going in Alaska in June. I asked that woman if she knew any runners that could run with me while I am there, since my family is convinced a bear is going to attack me when I am running (and maybe a local can help with that? ha). The lady said she does know some runners, so I friended her on Facebook and plan to make some dates for our trip!
• We had chimney caps installed last week. Yay! I like the way they look, AND this will keep things out of the chimney. Win win. Ha.

• Peoples visited again early (4:00 am) Saturday morning. It’s cute when he visits the balcony – he runs back and forth on the railing and Data follows him. Then he comes down on to the balcony and runs around… and Data follows him some more. Aww, besties! On Saturday night/early Sunday am, we also heard some interesting noises outside that may have been Peoples… some animal decided the bottom of the downspout needed to be taken off and dragged across the driveway. That was a creepy noise to hear in the middle of the night!

• My second cousin has recently fallen in love with Asics shoes and tipped me off that Kohl’s had the Cumuluses for $60! What a deal! I used a 20% coupon, and with free shipping, they were just under $50 a pair. Yay! I am happy I didn’t wait for a 30% off – I checked the day after ordering them and all the size 12s were gone!

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 93

Comments (5)

By kilax, April 3, 2016 1:58 pm

Highlight of the Week: Fast finish long run.

Monday | March 28, 2016: 8 m run + teaching strength class
Loc: VP Woods Loop, Temp: 42°/44°, Time: 1:11:08, Pace: 8:53 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: fine, annoyed with the wind
Strength: kettlebells and boxing pads, Difficulty: easy (observing boxing), Felt: good
Tuesday | March 29, 2016: 10 m run
Loc: DPRT/Kilbourne Loop, Temp: 51°/51°, Time: 1:25:47, Pace: 8:35 avg, Difficulty: medium, Felt: good, annoyed with wind, upset stomach
Wednesday | March 30, 2016: rest
Thursday | March 31, 2016: 15 m ride + 20 mins strength + 5 m run (incl. up ladder: 400, 800, 1200, 1600) + 5 m run
Indoor Bike Time: 1:01:46, Pace: 14.6 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: fine, but too hot
Loc: hood, Temp: 62°/65°, Time: 42:12, Pace: 8:26 avg, Difficulty: hard, Felt: too hot then too windy
Loc: hood, Temp: 51°/55°, Time: 43:06, Pace: 8:37 avg, Difficulty:easy, Felt: good
Friday | April 1, 2016: teaching strength class + 7 m run
Strength: kettlebells and boxing pads, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: VP Woods Loop, Temp: 45°/47°, Time: 59:45, Pace: 8:32, Difficulty: easy, Felt: okay, tired (didn’t sleep well night before)
Saturday | April 2, 2016: 5 m run + 15 m ride
Loc: hood, Temp: 31°/33°, Time: 44:23, Pace: 8:52 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, not horribly windy yet
Indoor Ride Time: 1:01:33, Pace: 14.6 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Sunday | April 3, 2016: 15 m run + 15 mins strength
Loc: DPRT/Kilbourne Loop, Temp: 37°/49°, Time: 2:14:13, Pace: 8:57 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good

Notes:

• Ha ha, what a goofy weather week. Some runs were in shorts and a tank… and one run was in full winter gear, while it was snowing. Ahh, spring in the midwest!
• My long run was the first time since moving (so just over eight weeks) that I’ve used my hydration back pack – I’ve been too lazy until now! But some of the routes I want to run don’t have places to get water, and my handheld is barely enough for eight miles when it’s not hot, so backpack it is!
• March Recap! In March I ran 206 miles and cycled 104.25 miles. I taught 9 strength classes, 2 fitness boxing classes, 1 Burn & Buff class, and 1 indoor cycling class. I rode my bike 9 times outside of class (once outside!), and also did 6 strength sessions at home. My coldest outdoor run was 21°F and my warmest was 65°F. I did four doubles (runs) to get mileage in on my busier work weeks.

Link to Training Week 336

Comments (12)

By kilax, April 2, 2016 8:42 am

On her April Fools’ joke!

Snow?! Good one!

Ha ha, snow isn’t uncommon here in April and it will all be gone tomorrow. I’ll enjoy looking at it while it lasts today!

And I still have all my cold weather running gear handy, so it’s allllll good. To think, though, I was tentatively planning (earlier in the year) on racing for a half marathon PR today if I got my shiz together. I wonder how that would have gone in this weather – besides the snow it’s supposed to be REALLY windy. The cold temps would have been nice though.

Speaking of having all my cold weather outdoor gear still accessible – do you pack up winter and summer items when you aren’t using them? I didn’t at our townhome since I had a walk-in closet, but I think that’s something I might (have to) start doing now, to free up some closet space.

Comments (6)

By kilax, April 1, 2016 4:11 am

1. My mom being in Chicagoland for a conference (this weekend)! I’m hoping to see her once or twice.
2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens coming out on DVD on April 5!
3. Teaching fitness boxing, and teaching an outdoor cycling interval class with a fellow Efit instructor.
4. Using my “dump cart” to do some yard work! (I really enjoy picking up sticks… and we have A LOT in our yard.)
   
5. Dates with friends.
6. A visit to Dallas to see Gina, Steve and Luca, and to celebrate Luca’s fifth birthday!
7. A visit from my snister and her husband at the end of the month!
8. Contracted housework being done… maybe? Hopefully?!
9. Maybe hanging some artwork/photos up around the house!
10. That as of April 1st… I still have five weeks left to train for the Wisconsin Half Marathon. Phew!

What are you excited about in April?

Comments (9)

By kilax, March 27, 2016 2:18 pm

Highlight of the Week: Workouts with bloggers!

Monday | March 21, 2016: 5.2 m run (4.6 w/xaarlin) + teaching strength class
Loc: Lakefront Trail to Northerly Island, Temp: 28°, Time: 44:57, Pace: 8:39 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good… minus needing to use the bathroom!
Strength: one dumbbell and body strength circuit, Difficulty: easy (mostly observing), Felt: good
Tuesday | March 22, 2016: 10 m ride + 10 mins strength + 5 m run
Indoor Ride Time: 40:25, Pace: 14.9 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good to do something before catching the train
Loc: Chicago Lakefront Trail, Temp: 61°/61°, Time: 38:47, Pace: 7:45 avg, Difficulty: medium, Felt: good
Wednesday | March 23, 2016: teaching strength class
Strength: one dumbbell circuit and dice game, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Thursday | March 24, 2016: 15 m ride
Indoor Ride Time: 58:33, Pace: 15.4 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Friday | March 25, 2016: teaching strength class + 6 m run (incl. 3x1m)
Strength: kettlebell + boxing, Difficulty: easy, Felt: decent, but rundown (sore throat)
Loc: hood, Temp: 32°/34°, Time: 50:22, Pace: 8:23, Difficulty: hard, Felt: decent, but challenged
Saturday | March 26, 2016: teaching fitness boxing + 2.5 m run (w/Anne & Emily)
Strength: boxing and body weight, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: Grayslake, Temp: 43°/43°, Time: 32:16, Pace: 12:54 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Sunday | March 27, 2016: 11.5 m run (incl. 10×1:00)
Loc: DPRT/Kilbourne Loop, Temp: 46°/51°, Time: 1:43:14, Pace: 8:58 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, but congested lungs

Notes:

• Blah! A sore throat/cold sidelined me and I ended up with an unintentional cutback week. Eh, I am sure my legs will appreciate it! I’m feeling frustrated though – this is the third cold I’ve had this season. I usually have one or none. I wonder what’s up. It could be a few things – not taking care of myself, running on E, something in the house, being in the office more, or spending some days last week with someone who brought a strain of a cold from DC. Whatever caused it… I hope it goes away soon.
• I had a pretty social (for me) workout week! I taught four classes, I ran with xaarlin on Monday, and with Anne and Emily (who came up from the city to take my fitness boxing class) on Saturday! Fun!

Link to Training Week 335

Comments (27)

By kilax, March 24, 2016 6:23 am

• Storage room update! Someone worked very hard on putting in conduit, replacing the light, and adding outlets (not all shown below)! A lot of our boxes are in there, and now there is much more free space in the rest of the basement. We still need to adjust the shelf heights – and get the rest of our stuff from the warehouse. We’re getting there!

• I read a lot of blogs, and often read the comments, and usually, all the commenters agree with the author or encourage whatever the author is doing. It’s true that we’re more likely to read blogs we relate to and comment when we relate (I am not trying to encourage trolling!!!), but please, please, don’t always agree with the author or encourage them when it seems like they are doing something unhealthy or harmful to themselves. It’s okay to ask if they’ve considering something else or if they are sure that’s a good decision. I try to… until I give up and stop reading the blog because of the repetitive bad decision and then “why did this happen?” cycle. Horrible, I know. And of course, please leave those types of comments here.
• Two years ago I wrote about a Runner’s World article about uncertainty speed workouts – not knowing what your speedwork would be until you were doing it, and how that uncertainty helps you mentally train for the uncertainties of race day. I thought it was a good idea, and still do. From time to time, I just go out and do whatever speedwork comes to mind. Well, Runner’s World is repetitive if nothing else, and they had a similar article with fresh ideas a few issues ago. I was waiting forever for it to come online to share with you – here it finally is (pdf here)!
• Ahh, I miss these days, and knew I would when I wrote that post. We’ve been go go go since the move and I am T-I-R-E-D. Which I also knew I would be. I look forward to when contractors aren’t coming in and out of the house most days. And I am looking forward to some visits with family and friends that will slow things down. And someday, a nice long nap! (I am very grateful we can have work done on our house and that we live in this home, period, I am just tired and in need of a recharge).
• I was in work training the first three days of the week, and I got to take the class with one of the first coworkers I ever worked with! She moved on to a different division soon after I started but we really clicked, and sitting next to her, well, may not have been the best idea in class. Ha ha. But it made it fun. I love how she laughs at ALL my stupid jokes. I tell a lot of them, guys. They don’t all deserve to be laughed at. I am not even sure 50% do. But it sure feels good when I make people laugh.

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 91