So, I recklessly signed up for The Falls and The Shoe before I had even completed Ink’s Lake. The reason I say it was reckless? I might be doing a lot better at these 30k events if I would TRAIN for them. LOL
I tried to sleep late on Saturday morning so I would not get sleepy on the trail after dark and do a face plant. I ended up getting up at about 7:30. That would just have to do. Got up, got dressed and had to drive to Sugarland to pick up some raw dairy from a wonderful farmer, I bought the fresh heavy cream, fresh yogurt, and fresh butter, then headed back home to finish packing the car for the night race.
I think I left home at about 1:30, and then realized I had forgotten my Heed. I was not too far from home, so I went back to get it, and forgot the sleeping bag I was intending to bring. Oh, well, I would just have to nap in my chair after the race was over. For some reason, I keep thinking it takes me 2 hours to drive to Austin, but when I am headed just into town on 71, I get to the airport in about 1:35. Good! I picked up Deborah at her hotel; we put her stuff in the car and headed west toward Pedernales Falls. It is not a bad drive, and we made it to the park early enough to get our stuff settled and rest a while before the planned 7:15 start of the 30k. There was one lone tree, and runners were gathered around it like cows on a hot day, looking for the one place that was shaded in the pasture! We listened to the briefing for the 60k runners as we were following the same course as they were. They started at 7:00.
The race started on time, and we were off on the dusty trail. I knew I would have sinus trouble all night because it was soooo dry out there. We still have not had a drop of rain and the river was completely dry. Anyway, I was trying out my newest fueling recipe. Egg white protein mixed with hammer gel and a little coconut oil. It didn’t cause any stomach problems at all. I wore my camel back for hydration in this race because the aid stations were not evenly spaced on the course. The biggest problem with the camel back is that I have had a neck/shoulder problem for a while, and when my body found out I would be using the camel back, it rebelled and the shoulder pain flared up. Oh well… pain is relative to what we are willing to endure in order to spend the night on the trails with 300 or so other crazy folk! I was, however, glad to have that camel back, especially when I was able to keep it filled with ice (thanks volunteers!), it helped keep me cool!
I started out running a little when I could. I heard that this was a little less difficult than Ink’s Lake, but for someone who does a little running and a lot of walking, it was just as difficult. The loose rocks on the steep inclines were a challenge for me. I was having a great time anyway, and I didn’t really get too hot to be uncomfortable. At times, there was a nice breeze! The aid stations were just as we were told they would be… cold water at the first one, then a full service aid station at the second one (we re-visited it for the 3rd stop), then cold water only at the last one.
I started to have leg cramps again about 12 miles in. I don’t know what is causing this… maybe I am taking too much electrolyte instead of not enough. Since I don’t eat ANY salt in my regular diet, I kind of think I am over doing it on the Endurolytes. I have one more race to test this out, The Shoe. Anyway, the cramps were so severe at one point, my whole left leg seized up and I could not take a single step. I stretched for a few minutes, and am happy to report that things started moving normally again. The cramps at this race were not nearly as bad as they had been 3 weeks ago, so it was an improvement. I only had the same problem one more time and it was caused by my tripping and almost falling. When I caught myself, the left leg cramped up from the knee down. I had to massage the calf muscle pretty vigorously to get moving again. I don’t remember much about the course except for the rock staircase down to the river bed! When we broke through the trail and I saw the view, I said, “This is freakin’ awesome!!!” I do remember seeing a couple of those small but deadly scorpions skittering across the trail, and am happy to report, no tarantulas!
The lights of the finish line were a welcome sight and I was happy to receive my medal, and go sit down and have my recovery drink! Hammer citrus Recoverite and some Fage Total classic yogurt shaken together with a small can of pineapple juice. Sadly, they were out of hamburgers, but no worries! I enjoyed sitting out there under the stars for a while listening to the cheering as the 60k runners finished the race. I saw numerous shooting stars! Out there away from all the light pollution of the city, the sky is just spectacular! I think Deborah and I started back for Austin at about 3:30 in the morning, and I was jonesing for some protein. I dropped Deborah off at her hotel and found the closest Denny’s. 3 eggs over easy, 2 pieces of bacon and 1 tiny sausage link would just have to carry me home. I think I made it home at about 6:30 am.
Anyway, thanks again to the folks from Tejas Trails. They do not disappoint!
Showing posts with label hot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hot. Show all posts
Monday, August 8, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Ink's Lake 30k, first in the Capt'n Karl's 3 race series.
July 16, 2011. We all make choices. This time, I made the right choice. I was planning to sign up for all three Capt'n Karl's 60k races... and at the last minute, I decided to back off to 30k. I am so happy I made the right choice, because the 30k race at Ink's Lake was by far the most difficult race I have ever completed, and I probably would not have completed 60k there. I am sure the idea of a night time trail race appeals to me because of the unknown factors in night racing.
My friend Karla and I left my house at 2pm for the 3 and 1/2 hour drive to the park, which is located in Texas Hill Country, northwest of Austin. We had a nice drive, the weather was hot but beautiful and of course, even though we are in a desperate situation with regards to lack of rain, I was happy that it did not rain on race day. The park was packed when we got there. We picked up our race packets and started looking for a place to park. No luck there so we went back to the park headquarters and paid for a campsite, even though we were not planning to stay all night. There was someone parked in our site, and when we told them the site was ours, they proceeded to just drive off and their bike was leaned against the front of their truck. Lucky for them, we saw what was happening and stopped them.
The 60k runners started at 7pm on the same 10k loop as those of us running the 30k would be starting out on at 7:15 pm. I had a pretty good run/walk going on the first loop, finishing it in 1:35. That was a lot faster than I was planning on. I still felt good, but the course was really TOUGH. Lots of quick steep rocky climbs, low hanging tree limbs, and more quick rocky descents.
When I headed out for the 3rd 10k loop, I knew I was going to have a hard time. It seemed that everyone else was commenting on how humid it was, but I live closer to the coast, so I was crusted with dry, salty residue as if there was no humidity... Had I been racing closer to home, I would have been soaked through with sweat. Anyway, I just kept packing in the Endurolytes, and remembered to drink water at the aid station, rather than just fill my bottle and continue on. I took a break when I reached the 5k aid station of the last loop… drank plenty of their water and took some of their Endurolytes to make sure I would have enough of my own to finish the loop. I also finished my liquid nutrition and filled that bottle with water too, so I now had a little more water for the last section of the course than I had for the previous 2 loops. I am sure I was a ridiculous sight, passing people on flat or downhill sections, then as soon as I would reach a spot where I had to climb, one or the other of my inner thighs would cramp up severely. I had to stop and stretch… every time I stretched one side, the other would cramp up. Every runner who passed me asked if I was ok and offered me water. I always replied that I just had a cramp and I would get these bitches (my legs) moving in a minute. The last loop took me 2:26 to complete because of all the time I spent trying to work the cramps out of my legs. Anyway, I finished the 30k in 5:46:31 and am very happy to report; I was not in last place. LOL
In case any of the volunteers read my blog… I was the one who kept thanking GOD that I didn’t sign up for the 60k! I would certainly have been a casualty (DNF) if I had started the 60k. Also, I got a big kick out of Joe… he said they take great pleasure in kicking our asses! I had a great time at this race, and might even do it again next year. I am proud of myself for finishing, and REALLY appreciate the ultra running community. All the volunteers who manned the aid stations were fantastic… and all the runners who participated in the race were friendly and helpful! The whole world could take a lesson from ultra runners…
one more thing... my friend Karla Wallace Scroggins took all the photos I have used in my blog. My camera crapped out at Bataan and I have not replaced it yet. Thanks, Karla!
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| The ladder was the start line. |
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| Starting out slow! |
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| steep rocky descent |
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| steep rocky climb |
These race photos taken by EnduroPhoto will give you an idea of how tough but beautiful the race course was. (Yes, I was hamming it up for the camera... how about those calf muscles!) I went to this race with a brand new nutrition plan, which is not a good idea. I figured out partway into the second loop that I had forgotten something. I have been using Hammer Perpetuem but wanted to find another source of protein for endurance events because I am trying my best to follow a Paleo-like nutrition plan for the rest of my life and the soy protein in Perpetuem is a big no-no. Perpetuem contains a good amount of sodium, and I forgot to add a little sea salt to my protein/carb liquid fuel. I started out taking the same amount of Endurolytes as I would if I was using Perpetuem and started to have some leg cramps half way into the second 10k. It took me a little while to realize what was going on, and usually if you get behind on electrolytes on a hot day, it is very difficult to catch up. I did my best and started to take extra Endurolytes between aid stations which were about 5k apart. Also, a young female runner approached to pass me and stopped, asking me for a shot of my water. I was carrying only one hand held bottle, and she was not carrying water at all. I did give her a shot of mine, but that caused me to go the last 2 miles or so of the second loop with no water. The second loop took me 1:45 to complete. , and I hung at the aid station for about 10 minutes to regroup and eat some watermelon and orange slices.
When I headed out for the 3rd 10k loop, I knew I was going to have a hard time. It seemed that everyone else was commenting on how humid it was, but I live closer to the coast, so I was crusted with dry, salty residue as if there was no humidity... Had I been racing closer to home, I would have been soaked through with sweat. Anyway, I just kept packing in the Endurolytes, and remembered to drink water at the aid station, rather than just fill my bottle and continue on. I took a break when I reached the 5k aid station of the last loop… drank plenty of their water and took some of their Endurolytes to make sure I would have enough of my own to finish the loop. I also finished my liquid nutrition and filled that bottle with water too, so I now had a little more water for the last section of the course than I had for the previous 2 loops. I am sure I was a ridiculous sight, passing people on flat or downhill sections, then as soon as I would reach a spot where I had to climb, one or the other of my inner thighs would cramp up severely. I had to stop and stretch… every time I stretched one side, the other would cramp up. Every runner who passed me asked if I was ok and offered me water. I always replied that I just had a cramp and I would get these bitches (my legs) moving in a minute. The last loop took me 2:26 to complete because of all the time I spent trying to work the cramps out of my legs. Anyway, I finished the 30k in 5:46:31 and am very happy to report; I was not in last place. LOL
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| Karla and I at the finish line! |
one more thing... my friend Karla Wallace Scroggins took all the photos I have used in my blog. My camera crapped out at Bataan and I have not replaced it yet. Thanks, Karla!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The Long Walk ;)
So, I got a little of a late start for my long walk this morning. I really planned to go out at 8am, and didn't get started until 8:30. Not too bad, but as the day wore on and it began to get hot outside, the wind blew harder and harder. I looked at the historical weather for the area and gusts were reported to be between 28 and 35mph with sustained winds of 20mph. Almost as bad as the winds at Bataan, but with higher humidity.
I ended up walking 15.1 miles at an average 14:25 per mile pace. Not too shabby, but I didn't count time spent stopped (stopped the Garmin when I was not moving). I am finding that I need to take in more calories during my long walks since I have converted to Paleo. When I first started marathon walking, I was trying to stay at about 100-150 calories per hour. I am only walking most of the time, so that seemed like enough. After all, your digestive system can only process so much while your body is on the move. I had a serious bonk when I did a recent 20 mile training walk, so upped the calories per hour at Bataan for the marathon. I guess that slipped from my consciousness today, and I only brought enough Perpetuem, Hammer Gel and a Larabar so the total added up to 600 calories. That did not equal 200 calories per hour. Need more gels for sure, and a full flask of Perpetuem.
After I got home from the park where I walk, I was kind of dead to the world. I drank my Hammer Recoverite mixed with some Fage Total Greek Yogurt and a little pineapple juice. YUM!!! The only time I will drink calories is after a hard effort.
I ended up walking 15.1 miles at an average 14:25 per mile pace. Not too shabby, but I didn't count time spent stopped (stopped the Garmin when I was not moving). I am finding that I need to take in more calories during my long walks since I have converted to Paleo. When I first started marathon walking, I was trying to stay at about 100-150 calories per hour. I am only walking most of the time, so that seemed like enough. After all, your digestive system can only process so much while your body is on the move. I had a serious bonk when I did a recent 20 mile training walk, so upped the calories per hour at Bataan for the marathon. I guess that slipped from my consciousness today, and I only brought enough Perpetuem, Hammer Gel and a Larabar so the total added up to 600 calories. That did not equal 200 calories per hour. Need more gels for sure, and a full flask of Perpetuem.
After I got home from the park where I walk, I was kind of dead to the world. I drank my Hammer Recoverite mixed with some Fage Total Greek Yogurt and a little pineapple juice. YUM!!! The only time I will drink calories is after a hard effort.
Friday, April 8, 2011
A Little Wigged Out...
...to quote a good friend. I have recently signed up for the Hog's Hunt 50k at Huntsville State Park on April 16. I am not sure I am ready for prime time (50k) and the big question is whether or not I will occupy LAST place. ;) Not that it bothers me to come in last place, because I have never been, nor will I ever be FAST. I just like to be sure I can finish whatever race I enter within the time limit. Paul Stone, the race director, is a very cool guy. The last time I did one of his races and was in danger of missing the cutoff due to a hip problem, I was told that anyone who comes out in these 80+ degree temps with accompanying high humidity to do 50k will be counted in the results, even if they do finish late. I just do not like to be that person who keeps the volunteers waiting.
My friends from Houston Trail Runners Extreme will be manning one of the aid stations. They have been warned... I may be one of the last people they see before they wrap things up for the day...
Anyway... I am leaving the house early today so that I can come home from work early and get in about 6 miles on the treadmill before dinner. I hope to do about 15 miles on Sunday.
An interesting note on the strength training: I am not as sore as I thought I would be. The trainer will be in the gym on Monday when I go in for my workout... so I am going to ask him if we can add a few more items to the workout list, and up the weight just a little. BABY STEPS... need to strengthen this back, not injure it.
Now, the new workout schedule:
Sunday - LSD
Monday - Tempo in the morning, Strength Training in the afternoon
Tuesday - Day off
Wednesday - Hill workout or Intervals
Thursday - Strength training
Friday - EZ walk
Saturday - ? might be a cycling day... need something fun here!
My friends from Houston Trail Runners Extreme will be manning one of the aid stations. They have been warned... I may be one of the last people they see before they wrap things up for the day...
Anyway... I am leaving the house early today so that I can come home from work early and get in about 6 miles on the treadmill before dinner. I hope to do about 15 miles on Sunday.
An interesting note on the strength training: I am not as sore as I thought I would be. The trainer will be in the gym on Monday when I go in for my workout... so I am going to ask him if we can add a few more items to the workout list, and up the weight just a little. BABY STEPS... need to strengthen this back, not injure it.
Now, the new workout schedule:
Sunday - LSD
Monday - Tempo in the morning, Strength Training in the afternoon
Tuesday - Day off
Wednesday - Hill workout or Intervals
Thursday - Strength training
Friday - EZ walk
Saturday - ? might be a cycling day... need something fun here!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
back to the training log again
Wednesday, September 23
This was kind of a strange day. I had to work for a little while in the morning. Then I picked up my Mom and we went shopping in west Houston. She needed a few things from the fabric store and we had a nice lunch at Jason's Deli.
After I got home, I got ready and went out for an 8 mile walk at the little league park. It was cool, in the low 60's and windy. It started to rain when I first started my walk, then it stopped after a couple of miles. The rain would have been ok with me...
Friday, September 25
Got over to the track for bleachers and drills. 1 mile walk to the track... So, there are 14 bleachers... I planned to do them all 3 times each. Forgot to re-start the timer after stretching and missed counting 8 1/2 of them, so I did those over. All total... 50.5 runs up the bleachers - 50.5 times walks down the bleachers. 6 x 100m sprints; 2 x 100m skipping; 2 x 100m side slides; 2 x 100m crossover drills; 2 x 100m racewalk sprints; 1 mile racewalk. Walked the curves between all the above; 200m jog back to the starting point to pick up the water bottle, then 1 mile walk home. That was SOME workout... a total of 6.2 miles in 1:40 with average pace of 16:08. That's fast enough to get me throuhg 100 miles with lots of climbing.
Saturday, September 26
Sorry, just copying and pasting this from my Running Ahead entry on facebook. Kara Goucher might like these Nike Lunar Trainers... but, I have tried them for short and long distance. I don't like them, and I am really glad they were an outlet store purchase. The right shoe eats my heel for breakfast. I had planned to walk 8 or 10 miles this morning and decided to stop at 5 miles before the blister on my right heel became unbearable. This really sucks because I had a good acceleration workout going. Oh well. I have to get to work on time today, so I'll get over it.
5.09 Mi; 1:08:07; 13:23mpm; Heart Rate: Average: 139 / Max: 184
Weather: 72° F, Humid
Then I had to go to work. I chose to wear dress slacks and sandals with heels (low heels) and the store was really busy. I ran back and forth, sold lots of furniture and mattresses and before I knew it, I had a headache. I went to warm up my lunch, thinking it was about 3pm and when I saw it was actually 5... I knew I was in trouble. LUNCH at FIVE??? I am supposed to be doing a 15 mile LSD walk Sunday. I finally made it home from work at 9:30 pm and didn't feel like eating a big meal. So, I ate 3 of the little blueberry pancakes and went to bed. I decided to set the alarm for 7am to see if I could get up to walk in the morning. Went shopping instead and planned to walk the 15 miles in the afternoon.
Sunday, September 27
So, now I know what happens when you try to do a LSD walk in the heat of the day when you have not fueled properly the day before. (I checked the weather and the heat index was 103 when I left the house to start the walk). I was feeling ok, so I started out too fast. I am still not too upset over the final numbers because it is almost equal to my 50k trail pr pace. I did the whole walk except for the first and last mile in the tall grass, gravel and dirt. There is not much elevation gain and loss (1250 feet over 15 miles).
I feel like someone beat me with a big stick so I am going to soak in a tub of ice (someone made me think of ice... Pam, maybe?). That should help. 15 Mi; 3:47:16.32; 15:10mpm
I am a little better after soaking in ice water. I probably will not walk tomorrow. I am going to ask Raymond to get my bike out for me in the morning and go for a recovery ride instead of a recovery walk.
This was kind of a strange day. I had to work for a little while in the morning. Then I picked up my Mom and we went shopping in west Houston. She needed a few things from the fabric store and we had a nice lunch at Jason's Deli.
After I got home, I got ready and went out for an 8 mile walk at the little league park. It was cool, in the low 60's and windy. It started to rain when I first started my walk, then it stopped after a couple of miles. The rain would have been ok with me...
Friday, September 25
Got over to the track for bleachers and drills. 1 mile walk to the track... So, there are 14 bleachers... I planned to do them all 3 times each. Forgot to re-start the timer after stretching and missed counting 8 1/2 of them, so I did those over. All total... 50.5 runs up the bleachers - 50.5 times walks down the bleachers. 6 x 100m sprints; 2 x 100m skipping; 2 x 100m side slides; 2 x 100m crossover drills; 2 x 100m racewalk sprints; 1 mile racewalk. Walked the curves between all the above; 200m jog back to the starting point to pick up the water bottle, then 1 mile walk home. That was SOME workout... a total of 6.2 miles in 1:40 with average pace of 16:08. That's fast enough to get me throuhg 100 miles with lots of climbing.
Saturday, September 26
Sorry, just copying and pasting this from my Running Ahead entry on facebook. Kara Goucher might like these Nike Lunar Trainers... but, I have tried them for short and long distance. I don't like them, and I am really glad they were an outlet store purchase. The right shoe eats my heel for breakfast. I had planned to walk 8 or 10 miles this morning and decided to stop at 5 miles before the blister on my right heel became unbearable. This really sucks because I had a good acceleration workout going. Oh well. I have to get to work on time today, so I'll get over it.
5.09 Mi; 1:08:07; 13:23mpm; Heart Rate: Average: 139 / Max: 184
Weather: 72° F, Humid
Then I had to go to work. I chose to wear dress slacks and sandals with heels (low heels) and the store was really busy. I ran back and forth, sold lots of furniture and mattresses and before I knew it, I had a headache. I went to warm up my lunch, thinking it was about 3pm and when I saw it was actually 5... I knew I was in trouble. LUNCH at FIVE??? I am supposed to be doing a 15 mile LSD walk Sunday. I finally made it home from work at 9:30 pm and didn't feel like eating a big meal. So, I ate 3 of the little blueberry pancakes and went to bed. I decided to set the alarm for 7am to see if I could get up to walk in the morning. Went shopping instead and planned to walk the 15 miles in the afternoon.
Sunday, September 27
So, now I know what happens when you try to do a LSD walk in the heat of the day when you have not fueled properly the day before. (I checked the weather and the heat index was 103 when I left the house to start the walk). I was feeling ok, so I started out too fast. I am still not too upset over the final numbers because it is almost equal to my 50k trail pr pace. I did the whole walk except for the first and last mile in the tall grass, gravel and dirt. There is not much elevation gain and loss (1250 feet over 15 miles).
I feel like someone beat me with a big stick so I am going to soak in a tub of ice (someone made me think of ice... Pam, maybe?). That should help. 15 Mi; 3:47:16.32; 15:10mpm
I am a little better after soaking in ice water. I probably will not walk tomorrow. I am going to ask Raymond to get my bike out for me in the morning and go for a recovery ride instead of a recovery walk.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
back to the grind
So, I was able to get in several miles of active recovery walking in Las Vegas before coming home to go immediately back to work. I had one rest day in my office, then had to work several days in a row at the mattress store. I don't know if I can count these days as miles walked, but they are certainly ACTIVE recovery with some strength training thrown in. Sunday, I stayed at home, did some laundry and nothing else.
Monday, back to work at the mattress store. Since I like to work out in the evening, I was hoping to get off of work at 5 so I could get home in time to ride my bike for a little while, then do a strength training workout. No such luck. I was finally on my way home at around 7pm.
5pm rolls around on Tuesday and the boss wants to take care of some business late in the day. When I called him back with the info he requested, he offers to call me right back and I tell him, NO, just hang up, then don't answer when I call you back, I will leave the info you requested in a voice message because I am leaving work at 5 today, no ifs ands or butts about it. So, he got his pen and wrote down the info right then.
When I got home, I was still a little irritated, so I went rushing to change into workout clothes in a big hurry. I really felt that if I didn't get a walk done, it was all over but the getting fat again. I had not done a timed walk since the marathon, and I was disappointed in that finish time. So, I set the Garmin and took off down the street, fast. The route I took is exactly a mile from the track and I made it there in 12:33! That was a great warm-up, so I stopped the timer and stretched everything and did some of the flexibility drills. Then I got on the track and accelerated for a mile and a half. My last lap was at an 11:30 pace. It was so hot and humid that it took an entire 30 minutes for me to stop sweating after I got home...
I thought I had lost something out there in the desert near area 51, but I found it at the track. Thank goodness. I know it will take some time to get the pace down where I would like it to be... somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 minute miles, and I may NEVER get there, but I will have fun trying.
My next BIG thing on the schedule is Dave's World Class Racewalking Clinic in Dallas October 9-11. I screwed up my first chance to really learn something from Dave in Mesa last January by walking a marathon the same weekend as the clinic. Well, I don't have anything on the schedule with the exception of a 10k fun walk in Houston on September 6. And, the Dallas weekend will be devoted exclusively to the clinic. It will be nice to see my two Dallas friends and one from Arkansas who will all be attending the clinic as well.
50k in November, marathon in January, 100 miles in February.
Monday, back to work at the mattress store. Since I like to work out in the evening, I was hoping to get off of work at 5 so I could get home in time to ride my bike for a little while, then do a strength training workout. No such luck. I was finally on my way home at around 7pm.
5pm rolls around on Tuesday and the boss wants to take care of some business late in the day. When I called him back with the info he requested, he offers to call me right back and I tell him, NO, just hang up, then don't answer when I call you back, I will leave the info you requested in a voice message because I am leaving work at 5 today, no ifs ands or butts about it. So, he got his pen and wrote down the info right then.
When I got home, I was still a little irritated, so I went rushing to change into workout clothes in a big hurry. I really felt that if I didn't get a walk done, it was all over but the getting fat again. I had not done a timed walk since the marathon, and I was disappointed in that finish time. So, I set the Garmin and took off down the street, fast. The route I took is exactly a mile from the track and I made it there in 12:33! That was a great warm-up, so I stopped the timer and stretched everything and did some of the flexibility drills. Then I got on the track and accelerated for a mile and a half. My last lap was at an 11:30 pace. It was so hot and humid that it took an entire 30 minutes for me to stop sweating after I got home...
I thought I had lost something out there in the desert near area 51, but I found it at the track. Thank goodness. I know it will take some time to get the pace down where I would like it to be... somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 minute miles, and I may NEVER get there, but I will have fun trying.
My next BIG thing on the schedule is Dave's World Class Racewalking Clinic in Dallas October 9-11. I screwed up my first chance to really learn something from Dave in Mesa last January by walking a marathon the same weekend as the clinic. Well, I don't have anything on the schedule with the exception of a 10k fun walk in Houston on September 6. And, the Dallas weekend will be devoted exclusively to the clinic. It will be nice to see my two Dallas friends and one from Arkansas who will all be attending the clinic as well.
50k in November, marathon in January, 100 miles in February.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Las Vegas
So, I promised a little about the Las Vegas trip... I met Jean-Maria and Mellody out there for the ET midnight marathon. We had fun doing the marathon and would probably do it again if it wasn't for the 2.5 hour bus ride to and from the marathon start. Everything else about the marathon was great (read my previous blog post)! Donny from the walkingsite was also there, he did the half marathon.
When the three of us (the ladies) returned to the hotel after the bus trip, each of us had our turn in the shower. I was starving, but exhausted, so I just bought a turkey sandwich in the hotel lobby and took an hour or so nap. We were planning to go downtown to Fremont Street and feed at the trough (Golden Nugget Buffet) for our marathon celebration dinner. The food there is usually very good and did not disappoint! The waitress was some sort of a medium??? The four of us wore our medals and I was still sporting my alien tattoos, so the conversation quickly turned to aliens and auras and strange stuff like alien encounter healings. Whoah.
Mellody and I were by no means ready to go back to the hotel after dinner. We came to Las Vegas to have some fun! They are having a summer of '69 celebration at Fremont Street with the psychadelic hippy bus, a Beatles tribute band, classic cars and great light shows featuring lots of different types of music. The Beatles tribute band were 4 young men wearing wigs... they were really channeling the fab four until they bowed and one of them nearly lost his wig. Hilarious. We moved on and found an interesting casino that was full of antiques around the corner. We spent a little time looking at the display cases with antique slot machines, beautiful hand carved bars with marble counter tops and etc. When we walked back to the action on Fremont street, there was an awesome band playing medlies of all the great 60's rock tunes that everyone knows all the words to. Of course, I can't remember which ones they were right now, but we had a great time! People watching is the best! I don't have the pictures yet, but when I get them from Mellody, I will edit this post and add them.
We finally got tired and started looking for the taxi stand at the Golden Nugget so we could get a ride back to our hotel. The guy out front was being a real asshole and would only seat customers in a particular brand of taxi. I am sure after the ride went around a few extra blocks that he was getting something extra for his attitude. Oh well, lesson learned, although I'm not so sure there would have been anything we could have done to avoid getting taken for the proverbial ride. Except for what we did. NOT. Tip.
I won't tell you the reason, but I am going to be really careful about where I wear a particular yellow shirt in the future. It's a secret. Anyway, we got back to our hotel and decided to walk across the street to the Hard Rock and have a milkshake. There it is. The marathon celebration cocktail. Mellody had chocolate, and I had espresso. It was awesome. So, I was about to fall asleep in the booth at the Hard Rock, and barely made it back across the street to our hotel as I had only slept about 5 hours in the last 65 hours and also walked 26.2 miles in the desert at high altitude (for me).
I slept until 9am Monday and woke up starving only to find that the continental breakfast ended at 9am on weekdays at our hotel. Mellody jumped out of bed, threw on her cap and last night's clothes and brought us some breakfast. Thankfully she made it and was able to grab some food before they got it all put away.
We got ourselves dressed and started for the strip! It was hotter than hell, but we were primed for some fun after finally getting a little sleep! My only real request for the trip was to ride the roller coaster at New York, New York. That was our first stop and we did not want to ride it after lunch. Here is the proof:
So, we had great fun on the roller coaster, then started out to look for a place I could get the one thing I crave sometimes after a marathon. A Blackened Bleu Cheeseburger. We looked at the menus of several establishments before finding it on the menu at the ESPN Zone, and it was heavenly. I even chose to be really good and have a bowl of fresh fruit instead of french fries. Here is another funny thought that goes through my head once in a while... When I was 15, I used to wait tables at a small town family restaurant. I always laughed (under my breath of course) at the older women who ordered hamburgers with coffee to drink. Well, it is true that you become what you laugh about... coffee is my drink of choice, even with hamburgers.
Now back to the hotel to get ready for the show. Mellody had a dinner date with an old friend, so Jean-Maria and I wandered around the Venitian for a little while and stopped at Haagen Daaz for an ice cream. I chose to buy a ticket to see the Phantom of the Opera so Jean-Maria could get some rest as she was still recovering from a broken foot and walked the marathon anyway. Mellody had purchased her ticket a long time ago. We planned to meet up after the show and wander around the strip for a while longer afterwards as it was our last night in Vegas. Surprisingly, the strip was totally crowded, even on Monday evening. You certainly can't tell there is an economic downturn from the numbers of people vacationing in Vegas.
The biggest problem is finding the exit in the casino when you are ready to leave. Those places are so huge, it is easy to make the same wrong turn more than once. They don't allow taxis to stop on the street to pick up fares like they do in other big cities, you have to find the taxi stand which is usually located at the valet entrance to each hotel. It seems that you need to start looking for you exit strategy at least an hour before you plan to leave. Anyway, we got a great taxi this time, and he took us directly to our hotel without going around any blocks. This guy did get it. The Tip.
Back to the room, my stuff was scattered about, so I took the time to organize it somewhat so I would not have to pack it all in the morning just before leaving for the airport. We did get to eat a decent breakfast at the hotel... I would recommend the Hyatt Place in Las Vegas for anyone who likes comfort without all the noise and activity that goes with any of the casino hotels. It is a non-gaming establishment and all the rooms are non-smoking. Also great for a bunch of marathoners.
The flights home were uneventful, and it was great to be home, even though the trip was too short.
Here are two more pictures... the medal and the race shirt from ET. Thought you might want to see them.
When the three of us (the ladies) returned to the hotel after the bus trip, each of us had our turn in the shower. I was starving, but exhausted, so I just bought a turkey sandwich in the hotel lobby and took an hour or so nap. We were planning to go downtown to Fremont Street and feed at the trough (Golden Nugget Buffet) for our marathon celebration dinner. The food there is usually very good and did not disappoint! The waitress was some sort of a medium??? The four of us wore our medals and I was still sporting my alien tattoos, so the conversation quickly turned to aliens and auras and strange stuff like alien encounter healings. Whoah.
Mellody and I were by no means ready to go back to the hotel after dinner. We came to Las Vegas to have some fun! They are having a summer of '69 celebration at Fremont Street with the psychadelic hippy bus, a Beatles tribute band, classic cars and great light shows featuring lots of different types of music. The Beatles tribute band were 4 young men wearing wigs... they were really channeling the fab four until they bowed and one of them nearly lost his wig. Hilarious. We moved on and found an interesting casino that was full of antiques around the corner. We spent a little time looking at the display cases with antique slot machines, beautiful hand carved bars with marble counter tops and etc. When we walked back to the action on Fremont street, there was an awesome band playing medlies of all the great 60's rock tunes that everyone knows all the words to. Of course, I can't remember which ones they were right now, but we had a great time! People watching is the best! I don't have the pictures yet, but when I get them from Mellody, I will edit this post and add them.
We finally got tired and started looking for the taxi stand at the Golden Nugget so we could get a ride back to our hotel. The guy out front was being a real asshole and would only seat customers in a particular brand of taxi. I am sure after the ride went around a few extra blocks that he was getting something extra for his attitude. Oh well, lesson learned, although I'm not so sure there would have been anything we could have done to avoid getting taken for the proverbial ride. Except for what we did. NOT. Tip.
I won't tell you the reason, but I am going to be really careful about where I wear a particular yellow shirt in the future. It's a secret. Anyway, we got back to our hotel and decided to walk across the street to the Hard Rock and have a milkshake. There it is. The marathon celebration cocktail. Mellody had chocolate, and I had espresso. It was awesome. So, I was about to fall asleep in the booth at the Hard Rock, and barely made it back across the street to our hotel as I had only slept about 5 hours in the last 65 hours and also walked 26.2 miles in the desert at high altitude (for me).
I slept until 9am Monday and woke up starving only to find that the continental breakfast ended at 9am on weekdays at our hotel. Mellody jumped out of bed, threw on her cap and last night's clothes and brought us some breakfast. Thankfully she made it and was able to grab some food before they got it all put away.
We got ourselves dressed and started for the strip! It was hotter than hell, but we were primed for some fun after finally getting a little sleep! My only real request for the trip was to ride the roller coaster at New York, New York. That was our first stop and we did not want to ride it after lunch. Here is the proof:
So, we had great fun on the roller coaster, then started out to look for a place I could get the one thing I crave sometimes after a marathon. A Blackened Bleu Cheeseburger. We looked at the menus of several establishments before finding it on the menu at the ESPN Zone, and it was heavenly. I even chose to be really good and have a bowl of fresh fruit instead of french fries. Here is another funny thought that goes through my head once in a while... When I was 15, I used to wait tables at a small town family restaurant. I always laughed (under my breath of course) at the older women who ordered hamburgers with coffee to drink. Well, it is true that you become what you laugh about... coffee is my drink of choice, even with hamburgers.
Now back to the hotel to get ready for the show. Mellody had a dinner date with an old friend, so Jean-Maria and I wandered around the Venitian for a little while and stopped at Haagen Daaz for an ice cream. I chose to buy a ticket to see the Phantom of the Opera so Jean-Maria could get some rest as she was still recovering from a broken foot and walked the marathon anyway. Mellody had purchased her ticket a long time ago. We planned to meet up after the show and wander around the strip for a while longer afterwards as it was our last night in Vegas. Surprisingly, the strip was totally crowded, even on Monday evening. You certainly can't tell there is an economic downturn from the numbers of people vacationing in Vegas.
The biggest problem is finding the exit in the casino when you are ready to leave. Those places are so huge, it is easy to make the same wrong turn more than once. They don't allow taxis to stop on the street to pick up fares like they do in other big cities, you have to find the taxi stand which is usually located at the valet entrance to each hotel. It seems that you need to start looking for you exit strategy at least an hour before you plan to leave. Anyway, we got a great taxi this time, and he took us directly to our hotel without going around any blocks. This guy did get it. The Tip.
Back to the room, my stuff was scattered about, so I took the time to organize it somewhat so I would not have to pack it all in the morning just before leaving for the airport. We did get to eat a decent breakfast at the hotel... I would recommend the Hyatt Place in Las Vegas for anyone who likes comfort without all the noise and activity that goes with any of the casino hotels. It is a non-gaming establishment and all the rooms are non-smoking. Also great for a bunch of marathoners.
The flights home were uneventful, and it was great to be home, even though the trip was too short.
Here are two more pictures... the medal and the race shirt from ET. Thought you might want to see them.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
more workouts... the purpose of the blog.
July 8, 2009
I am really on a roll! Just finished the strength training here at home. Upper/lower body and core followed by a full stretching routine including some yoga poses. I know it's kind of late, but oh well I did it!
July 9, 2009
I guess 13 seconds a mile faster than marathon pace counts as a tempo walk in this heat. 7 miles average pace 12:57; average HR 78%; max HR 86% by the end of the 7 miles, then I walked an additional mile to cool down. Nice and slow and easy. Now to towel off and stretch before a shower. I am, yet again, drenched in sweat! I always like to complain about how hot it was when I started my walk... 96 when I started and 90 when I finished. High humidity as usual. I think we reached a high temperature of 102 with heat index of 108 this afternoon. I could fry an egg on the hood of my black car.
The after workout refuel snack for the evening was yogurt with slightly thawed frozen mixed berries and some fat free cool whip! What a treat!
I am really on a roll! Just finished the strength training here at home. Upper/lower body and core followed by a full stretching routine including some yoga poses. I know it's kind of late, but oh well I did it!
July 9, 2009
I guess 13 seconds a mile faster than marathon pace counts as a tempo walk in this heat. 7 miles average pace 12:57; average HR 78%; max HR 86% by the end of the 7 miles, then I walked an additional mile to cool down. Nice and slow and easy. Now to towel off and stretch before a shower. I am, yet again, drenched in sweat! I always like to complain about how hot it was when I started my walk... 96 when I started and 90 when I finished. High humidity as usual. I think we reached a high temperature of 102 with heat index of 108 this afternoon. I could fry an egg on the hood of my black car.
The after workout refuel snack for the evening was yogurt with slightly thawed frozen mixed berries and some fat free cool whip! What a treat!
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