Ran a Mile

It has been a long time since I've been on a run.  I still exercise some - at home on the elliptical machine, at the park on my rollerblades, or around the neighborhood in my walking shoes - but one seldom sees me jogging on Pipeline Trail or joining Scott on Antelope Island.

But, I have a couple of activities coming up, and it seems that I had better run a little if I want to participate... and survive.

One, I signed up for Bloomsday again, and we're flying to Washington to see our friends and run the race this weekend.  (I am still not convinced that I want to run and hold up Scott (et al?), as I won't be finishing as early as everyone else.   After all, we could be spending more time socializing at No-Li Brewery instead of dealing with the consequences of my slowness.  Sigh.) 

And two, I'm Scott's back-up support runner for Scotland in June, and while I am barely ready to face the rain, the cold, the midges, and a hurting runner for 95 miles, I'm currently unprepared to run any section of the West Highland Way.

I have no training plan beyond losing a few pounds before the trip (it is easier to move a lighter body than a heavier one), but I am trying to be consistent about exercising, and I did go on one run last week.  On Wednesday I walked two miles and ran one, which isn't a big deal, I know, but I felt pretty good that after a long time of no running, I was able to run one whole mile at a 10:49 pace.  I know I should do more to train, but with working full time, keeping a clean house, cooking meals, buying a home, and traveling most weekends, I don't have the time or energy (or desire) to go running.

Regardless, here are a couple of pics from my "run."  I took them during my walking sections. :)

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Twisted Trees

Paved road/trail with forest and stream

Relaxing at the end

Heyburn State Park Trail Series #2

On Saturday I ran a five-mile race in Heyburn State Park.  It is the second race of the series, and I signed up since Scott and his brother, AJ, wanted to run the half marathon. 

I haven't been running at all lately; I'd like to blame the car accident I was in on June 2 (I am still experiencing back pain/discomfort) or the recent rain on the Palouse, but what it really comes down to is this: I don't want to run.  As far as exercise goes, I have found some success in my daily workouts on the elliptical machine.  Granted, I wish I could do my workouts outside and enjoy the sunny weather, but I do occasionally go biking on Chipman Trail with Scott, and I enjoy my Wednesday walks during Beer Chasers.  Also, soon Scott and I will be in Greece, walking and exploring new lands, and after that, I will get out on the trail and start my training for August's 12-hour race.  Until then, I'll elliptical and watch Breaking Bad.  I'm watching the finale of Season 4 tonight, and I am dying to know if Gus is going to kill Walt... but I digress.

I signed up for the race knowing that there was going to be an uphill.  After all, trail races aren't flat, and this wasn't my first rodeo.  So I wasn't scared.

Race Start

But I should have been.  The race started at 9:30, and by 9:35 I was dying!  My lungs burned, and I couldn't seem to catch my breath.  In the first 1.5 miles, I climbed over 1,500 feet.

On my way up the single-track trek to the top, I wish I could say that I had a positive outlook on the race, but if I said that, I would be lying.  I thought to myself, "Why did I spend $35 to hike to the top of this damn mountain.  That was dumb.  I am never gonna do this again.  I am no gifted hiker/runner.  Is that the top I see ahead?  Nope - just another false crest.  I'm gonna be here all day." 

The hike to the top was slow, but I kept going.  I never stopped to rest, and at some point I did reach the top.  While the views were not great (only because of the rain and clouds), the feeling of knowing that I didn't have to climb anymore was pretty dang sweet!

The rest of the race was fun.  I was sopping wet, my rain jacket completely soaked to my skin and my shoes actually making "squish" sounds at every foot-strike.  I ran the remainder of the course, my legs and lungs feeling cool and fresh.  I knew that my overall time was going to be slow because of the uphill, but I kind of impressed myself at the pace at which I was running the downhill.  But no one saw me; I was too far behind everyone else to impress them with my lightening-fast descent.

I crossed the finish line with a pace of just over 16:00/mile, and I didn't finish completely last.  That's something.

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Bloomsday 2014

Getting up for Bloomsday was hard this year.  The day before the race, I drove down to the Riggins Rodeo to spend the day with my dad and Susan, and I drove back the night before Bloomsday.  My alarm went off at 5:30; no one should be up at that time, in my humble opinion.

We got on the road by 6:15 so that we could get to Spokane, pick up our packets, and get Scott and the other second seeders to their corral by 8:15 or so.  Everything went as planned, and even the weather was looking up (it had rained early that morning, and I was hoping that my tank top and capri pants weren't too optimistic an outfit for the race). 

My race started sometime around 9:20, though I really don't know when; I wasn't carrying my watch or my phone, so I just followed the masses of orange bib-wearing runners in workout clothes and costumes (superheros, Raggedy Anne, and a banana, to name a few).

I ran the first 1.5 miles or so until the first minor hill.  I decided to walk it even though I wasn't tired; I figured that I hadn't done any running for a while, and there was no way that I would realistically run the whole thing.  I decided to be strategic: run the flats and downhills and walk the uphills and water stations. 

The race was mostly uneventful, other than being hit in the head with a beach ball after the first mile and running nearly side-by-side with a fireman in full uniform.  I have to admit, though, I kind of impressed myself by how fast I seemed to go, given my lack of running training.  I knew I wasn't close to my 11:18 pace (2011 PR for this course), but I knew that I was going significantly faster than I had last year (14:14/mile).  My near-daily elliptical machine training paid off in terms of cardio, and I completed the race without ever feeling truly out of breath or pained from side aches. 

Somewhere between Mile 6 and 7, I felt a little annoyed at how long that particular mile was.  I could have sworn that someone had moved the Mile 7 marker because I knew I had run much farther.  Unlucky for me, however, no one had stolen the sign; I came upon the marker and still had a half mile to go.

The last half mile wasn't fast, but I did have a little kick at the tiny downhill to the finish.  I crossed the finish line in 1:38:40, with a pace of 13:13/mile.  I finished in the top half of all 32 year-old females and over a minute faster per mile than last year.  I did ok. :)

After the race, a bunch of us from Beer Chasers met at No-Li Brewery to enjoy a meal and a beverage or two.  Unfortunately, it wasn't warm enough for us to sit outside, so I enjoyed my Cream Ale at an indoor table, with my jacket on, surrounded by fellow Bloomies.

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