Mad Monday Update 7.28

OK so it has been two weeks since the last one and I am scratching my head as to my exact mileage, but I think this is right

Monday 7/14 6 mile lunch run with Salty easy
Tuesday 7/15 20 mile bike with TR
Wednesday 7/16 3 mile treadmill, OBWO
Thursday 7/17 off
Friday 7/18 3.5 mile run with Matches
Saturday 7/19 31.2 Buckeye Trail Run
Sunday 7/20 Volunteered at Xterra -1 mile ran to car, 3.5 miles biked around

Run -44.5
Bike-23.5

Monday 7/21 Off due to bee sting
Tues 7/22 - 5.5 fairwell run to JP (we will miss our downtown running friend)
Wed 7/23 -5.5 mile run with E
Thurs 7/24 - 5 mile mtn bike (cut short due to hubby bike issues)
Friday 7/25 -off
Saturday -14 mile run with Bob(more asthma issues)
Sunday -101.5 miles biked (sweet corn ride)

Totals
Core-1
Ran-25
Biked 106.5 (road-101.5, mtn 5)

These weeks are a little low due to taper for BT 50 and recovery from BT 50. This week I would like to get in some quality training as I leave for vacation Friday and will come home to face GCT half iron (which I still need to sign up for).

Full details to come if I can ever find any time.

Tidbits--

-BT50K --thanks to all the volunteers and my running friends

-XterraOne-I had a blast volunteering and you can be sure this will be on my calendar in the future,(jury is still out but even the hubby might have got inspired)
& Aime kicked butt despit e being a new mountain biker

-Got stung by a bee Sunday at Xterra and had to deal with a severely swollen leg Sun-Thurs...think cankle fat roll thing from knee to arch--I HATE BEES!

-More trouble on long run with Bob and breathing....very humid Saturday

-Despite a bad start to the sweet corn ride, (our friend crashing and fracturing wrist...get well soon B!) the day turned out to be a nice ride. My legs never felt too tapped and I felt good the whole way while trying to ride strong the last 10 miles.

Holy hot humid clumsy day!

Warning not proof read or spell checked...but I am busy so deal with it!

Well I should have known this race was not going to go well. The night before I stayed up later than I wanted to as I searched for a misplaced id, credit card and money. Never did find it, which stressed me out as I wondered if it had blown out of my side pocket on the motorcycle. Who knows !!!

So race morning I woke and had to finish trying to remember what else I wanted to bring. I left the house still half asleep. I get about 2 miles from home and think, “How in the heck did I forget to brush my teeth?” Grrrr, I was to preoccupied with finding my ponytail holders which all seemed to be MIA. A couple miles later I realize I left my Fruit Punch Rockstar and snickers bar at home. I decide to drive to Gville to replace them at Speedway but no favorite drink there. (BUMMER DUDE> So off to meet Nathan at the turnpike rushing down the road to make up for my pitstop.

We stopped for a Boston store drop and headed to the start at Oak Grove in Brecksville. Lots and lots of running peeps there! It is truly amazing how friendly the ultra runners in NE Ohio are. I was feeling pretty revved up to go but wanted to make sure I did not go out to fast so I scooted back a bit at the start by my high school bud, Nathan.

It was going to be a hot one so I had opted for going as minimal as possible with all of my stuff. Sports bra over tank top, handheld over waste camelback. Now I usually detest the handheld but it really did not bother me to carry it as the day wore on (and let me tell ya I was sure thankful to have it) but I wonder if it contributed to my klutziness.

Not even a half mile into the race I tripped and fell down. I landed on my left knee and my hands/handheld. Now my knee already hurts and I have dirt everywhere…just great! Luckily some guy grabbed my arm and right away I was back on my feet. I was really wishing I had sweatbands or a bandana on my wrist to wipe sweat as my hands were so dirty to do it, despite my best efforts of wiping them off on my sweaty shorts.

Somehow within a mile or so I had separated from Nathan and his buddy Garreth. I just tried to run an even comfortable pace while walking hills. I was plugging along feeling pretty good and then I fell again. Just hands this time…nothing too terrible but I was starting to wonder what my problem was. I arrive to the aid station at mile 6 to hear Amie cheering at the top of her lungs for me (gotta love that spirit). With a quick bottle refill I was off.

Up the big hill after snowville and a few rocks and roots later I notice my shoes string is untied. As I am looking down to see my shoestring, I miss something on the ground and down I go again. Now on my butt after hitting both knees I sat there for a minute to tie my shoe and let the pain in my battered knees settle. At this point I have fallen three times and am probably not even 9 miles in. I am still in 4th overall female spot and was hoping to stay in the top 5 so onward I went.

Things were coming back together when I heard a familiar voice close behind, Nathan and Garreth had caught up and I was happy to have friends to run with. I was also happy to know Boston store was the next stop and I was looking forward to a bathroom stop to use and also rinse off some of the dirt.

BM and I started heading up the pavement to Pine Lane and in my head I kept thinking it was only 14 miles out to Pine Lane and was trying to figure out where we were going to get the extra miles in…sometimes thinking straight is hard when running I find! There was a group of girls that passed in this section and they all were chatting along looking very comfortable. At this point I was really starting to struggle. My breathing was becoming more and more labored and I started to wheez uncontrollably.

So I should back up. I have had a few stints with asthma-like issues over the last few years but for some reason this year it is becoming more common-place. It happened at Cleveland Mary and I could tell at Muddy Paws that my chest kept tightening up when I would try to speed up so I backed off. So I am out there now walking trying to catch my breath. Pine Lane seemed so far away and I was now getting passed left and right. I would run until my lungs said no and then I would walk until I caught my breath. The thing was even walking up the hills was overloading my system, given the humidity and temperature. Of all days not to bring my inhaler…IDIOT!

I hit Pine Lane absolutely defeated. I was wheezing horribly and could not talk as the saints (volunteers) filled up my water bottle. Then I spied the most uplifting sight. Garreth and Nathan were at Garreth’s wife’s SUV so I made my way over there happy to see my friends. After a bunch of wheezing I finally started having some water and some electrolyte pills as I contemplated quitting.

When the boys were ready to head out I decided to go back out too. Yet not even a half mile in I was gasping for air and started walking some more. This section was incredibly slow for me. I struggled to say anything as runners passed and was just disappointed with the way the whole thing was going. Sorry to anyone I did not say much too out on the trail. I tripped in the rooty section of Pine Lane and fell for the fourth time and hit both my knees which were both bleeding and hurt. I think I got really upset about this point and then my wheezing got even worse.

About this time Patty from my running club happened to be passing by. She walked with me and stuck by my side watching to make sure I was ok. I told her I would be fine and I would just walk when I got tired but she kept close to keep an eye on me. I can not tell you how much I appreciated just having her there through that rough spell.

FINALLY I made it back to Boston store and again I was ready to drop. I did not know who to tell and stood there in my daze trying to eat a quarter PBJ to no avail and just kept drinking water. I was at a loss as to what to do here. I was worried about how far it was to Snowville and that it was only getting hotter and my breathing would probably only get worse. All I could think was that there had to be others struggling as much as me and they would not quit and I have never quit a race so I started off towards Boston Mills on the road. I stopped and almost turned around as I already was breathing hard after 30 seconds. Yet, there were two guys ahead of me just walking. So I just kept walking forward. Only 11 more miles.

We fought to walk up the big hill. I was behind a guy with dark hair and mentally I just needed to have someone there although we did not talk. Up the hill and still walking and then he started to trot along as did I. Down the hill and some more uphill walking and he said he was sorry he was not talking but he was struggling and I said was I too so don’t worry about it. Up another hill and he offered to let me pass but I said I was operating under turtle strategy at this point. Slow and steady was good for me…it was just going to be an accomplishment to finish. Somewhere along the way we found the strength to start talking. His name was Mark and he had qualified for Boston and…..somewhere in this I must have let myself start to relax and I started to feel better. At one of the river crossings I ended up in front and started running and after awhile I let my new friend go after hearing him say he would see me at the end. Just having Mark around through this section was a true lifesaver for me and I needed that!

I now felt I could finish this darn thing and was starting to look forward to seeing friendly faces at Snowville. At Snowville they totally took care of me. Brian had stashed a Rockstar for me and they even had a delicious rainbow popsicle (MMMmmm!). Bridget took care of my water bottle and I was at ease for the first time in awhile and took my time to enjoy this break. I figured I had already been out there that long, what is a little more time?


With newfound energy I was off to finish the race. I started picking up the pace and looking forward to the finish…only 6 more miles. The hot sun was killer in the grassy open sections and I focused on watching my step. I actually started seeing some of the people that had passed me awhile back and it was good to see familiar faces again. Finally I made it back to Oak Grove after getting my second wind and finishing with a time of 6:45. THANK GOODNESS!! Wrap up later....

Mad Monday Update 7/14

M 7/7 AM -1550 yd swim in outdoor pool at JCC
noon-3 mile run (ladders), Upper Body Workout
PM-9 miles West Branch on Mountain Bike

T 7/8 noon- 6 mile run on treadmill---BORING!

W 7/9 noon-8.25 m run with E (400, 800, 800) HOT!

R 7/10 noon -5.75 m run with the gals!
eve-20 mile bike

F 7/11 62 mile bike ...first 42 miles I held my own well, then really felt like I was pushing way out of my comfort zone to keep up with GV & TR (crazy hardcore ironmen!) on the hills out by Brecksville and was quite tuckered out by the end

10 miles West Branch
Poor hubby went down & took a bad spill over a log pile and partially down the hill. He managed to get his leg caught between the handlebars and the frame. More carnage to both him and the bike--him, bruises and scrapes on the legs, Bike-tweaked his handlebars, bent his front rim

S 7/12 11.25 mile run-which included the Muddy Paws Trail Run

I had planned to run 15, but I knew my quads were wasted with my first step of the warm up. It was awesome to see so many doggies out at the race and it took all my self restraint not to let the lil kid in me walk around and try to pet all of them (well so I did rub a few heads!!!)

The first 3 miles I kept with Squirrel but every up and every down my quads screamed and finally I decided to ease off, after all I was planning to run this as a training run, not a race. It was humid and I was drenched and ready to call it a day at 5 miles (where we came around from loop one and half the racers were lucky to be done as they were doing the 5 mile race) with my wooped legs but pushed on. The second loop was definitely slower. I felt pretty good on the flats, but let me tell ya, there was not a lot of them! Finally the race was over and me and my dead legs were both glad to be done! Glad I toughed it out as by some miracle I still got a 2nd place AG award which was a choice of a bag or a shirt (SWEET!!!)

S 7/13 42 mile bike
6 mile run

Met BH and MN up at Mentor and we rode the GCT course before heading over to meet TZ for some miles. It was raining when we started and while I was dreading it, it ended up making for some comical relief as I doused BH the first half of the ride and she complained about me not having a fender. Later after it quit raining she was trying to hit all puddles to pay me back. It was a fun morning with lots of laughs and although my legs were not quite recovered from the prior 2 days, they were coming around and felt pretty good on the run.

Now this week I will be keeping everything easy and backing it down quite a bit to rest up for the 50K Saturday...!

Weekly Totals-
Swim -1550 Yards
Ran-40.25 Miles
Biked-143 Miles (124 road, 19 mountain bike trails)
Core -1 session

Just another busy Monday!!!!

Well folks last I left ya, I had just finished my morning outdoor swim of 1550 yds at the outdoor pool at the JCC.

It was a great way to start the day looking up at the blue sky while the sun rose as I breathed in the air! After a shower it was off to work for a few hours before sneaking away over to the gym.

I was flying solo on my lunch break so I decided to hop on the treadmill for a few ladders (6.5-7-7.5-8-8.5 and then back down on one minute increments). I only did 3 miles (24 min) but for some reason I have always found this workout to my liking. Now on to some upper body lifting. Assisted chin ups, bicep curls, hammer curls, skull crushers, dips, upright rows, shoulder presses, chest presses, pushups and then some abs. Another quick shower and back to work for a few more hours.

Upon arrival home I quickly changed my clothes and hopped into the car my hubby had packed up for our evening mountain biking trip to West Branch. We were meeting a guy, ED, who I graduated with who would give West Branck a go for his first time.

I looked at ED with his new Gary Fisher bike. Nice bike, but that was all he had.

Luckily I had an extra helmet in my car and told him he should wear it and luckily my husband had an extra water bottle that he shared with him. I think those two were lifesavers!!!

I still consider myself an ABSOLUTE trail newbie but here is some advice for anyone going out the first time.

1.) Wear a helmet
2.) Bring Water
3.) Gloves are nice
4.) Airring down the tires helps a lot in preventing tire slides on tree roots
5.) Using the front brake exclusively may be a bad idea

This was my 4th time out at West Branch.

The first time I was very scared. I tend to be a bit of a nervous nelly about some things and it took me over an hour before I felt at all OK.

The second time things started clicking a lot more.

The third time was OK, yet I was so exhausted before riding coupled with the fact that I was now clipped into my pedals (which got in my head bit) that it was just a so-so day.

Yet, last night things started to feel much more comfortable and flowed pretty smoothly. It was an absolute blast!

My hubby has come a long way but he seems to be incredibly destructive to both his bike and himself. So far in his 5 trips he has broke a spoke, a chain, his underseat bag (& lost stuff out of it subsequently), and even his one shoe's sole is ripped. His shins are constantly scabbed and bruised. Last night after blowing a tube, he got a bloody knee and a very bruised hand. So a new chain is on order and tonight we will be hitting a store for a few other replacement items.

When we got home from our escapades we noticed I had a flat on my road bike so we fixed that late last night (since I was supposed to ride first thing this AM) before I grabbed my third shower of the day. I was bummed when I went out to my car this morning to leave for my ride only to find my tire flat again....so much for my morning ride!

Mad Monday Update 7/7

Well hope all of you had a wonderful 4th! I did, thanks due in no small part to some fantastic weather!!!! YEAH!

So coming off last Sunday's 20 miler, the week went as such-

M 6/30 lunch-6 miles Ran at with downtown girls, short UBWO
T 7/1 6AM -20 Miles Biked (hills off River Rd)
lunch -6.5 miles Ran with E (hill repeats)
W 7/2 (Enjoying my sunshine!!) 8.5 Miles Ran lunch, 10 Miles Mtn Biked out at West Branch. It was Amie's first time and boy did we get a little muddy...so much so, that we went down to the lake so her bike could go swimmming to get some of the dirt off!

R 7/3 -Rest day...dead legs
F 7/4 -3 Miles Ran
S 7/5 -21 Miles Ran (4.5 on towpath, 16.5 on BT). Although I was tired I still managed the energy to play quite a bit of volleyball that day!
S 7/6- 80 Miles Biked with Cleveland Touring Club on Emerald Bracelet. Really felt good all day and enjoyed myself!

Weekly totals-

Ran - 45 Miles
Biked- 110 Miles (100 road, 10 mtn)
Swam -0
Core -1 short session

Random thoughts-
*Mtn Biking Miles on the trails should actually count 3 times with respect to the time it takes.
*Fell on the Buckeye Trail running for the second week in a row
*Between my trail running and mountain biking, I am always looking beat up!
*Got stung by a bee on the side of my right knee while cleaning gutters on the roof. It is red hard and swollen (still on Monday) and it hurt every right step of my 21 mile trail run.
*I am an itchy mess between poison ivy, mosquito bites (I must taste good cause bugs love me)and now the bee sting!
*Got called a party pooper for leaving July 5th bash early, but Sunday's ride easily made up for it!

Bonus--I got up today early for a 1550 yd swim in outdoor pool at the JCC. First swim in awhile, yet it was so awesome to just be outside doing it! Maybe I can make this a habit!

Please don't take my sunshine away...

For real, are we really going to get two days of glorius sunshine in a row???? Yipppeee!!!!

I am so sick of the rain and the muddy mess it is making of the trails!!

I am planning to take full advantage of today and get outside and enjoy today's sunshine before the rain returns tonight....will things ever get a chance to dry out???