Evolution into a runner continues....

It's a slow evolution, but I amaze myself when I do runner-centric things.

In getting ready for my trip to Alaska, I'm packing running shirts as everyday shirts. I could pack the plain one (solid color), but am picking ones with the names of the various running groups or races I've done. Partially to show off that I run & partially Texas ego. But I am thinking of myself more and more as a runner.

Last night I spent about two hours planning out routes to run in Anchorage. (I did this when I went to New Braunfels too.) For this trip, I have three different routes planned, so no matter what I have a backup. (And am prepared to run in the rain & cold.) Running through Anchorage is one of the things I'm most looking forward to on the trip! Crazy, huh?!?

I'll be in Anchorage from Wednesday night 7/16 through early Monday morning 7/21 and am planning on a long (6-8 mile) run on Wednesday, about 2 miles on Thursday morning and 4 miles or so on Sunday!
The next week (Monday 7/21 through Sunday 7/27) I'll be off in Denali National Park, Tangle lakes and Matnuska Glacier and will have limited luggage, so chances are the running shoes won't make the cut. I'll be doing a lot of hiking, paddling and climbing. So I'll still be active, just not running.

And I'm planning this running because I want to, not because I have to --

WOW!

But no, I will not be running on top of Alaskan mountains.
I will be hiking them, though. (And had my dr. call in a perscription for altitude medicine.)

Speed work and hills that was FUN!!

Last night I wrangled up about 20 of my Bayou City Outdoor buddies to join me at the Houston Orienteering Club's FREE monthly Social-O and it was the MOST FUN way to get in speed work and hill training ever!

I've been doing this for about 7 years on & off, but am usually going slow with someone to teach them how to do it. Since there were so many people, I was able to bolt around between groups and got in a good run & then did the Miller Theater hill twice (I wanted to do it more, but didn't want to have points taken off for being late).

Orienteering is finding your way through unfamiliar territory using a topographic map and compass to find control points. In this "Social-O" you receive a map of Hermann park, Rice U & the medical center and then go to a point on the map to answer a question on the quesiton sheet (such as what color are the flowers, what number is the bus stop, etc.) And you have a one-hour time limit.

Since you dash off to the next point, but then have to stop and locate the information to answer the question, it really ends up being like speed work! One of the questions was about the statue at the top of the Miller Theater hill, so there ya go!
Fun!

It's the 2nd Thursday of each month through October. You Houston folks should join us next month.
It's FREE!!

message from Viv

What a thing to send out to people at work on a never-ending Friday....

HILLS!!!

Yea!! Tonight is hill training!!!

(Did I convincingly sound excited?)

As much as I would like to skip out on the hell of hills, I'm going. And I'm going to make me like it (maybe not).

It's the last time the Fall Fit group has our private hill training. In a couple of weeks it will start for the entire Houston Fit madhouse of a crowd. Not sure if I can hang with a big gang.

Send some positive hill vibes my way between 6:30 & 8 tonight.

UPDATE: That wasn't so bad. It was actually rather enjoyable. I got lapped FOUR times running the Waugh/Memorial cloverleaf, but there were other people that couldn't keep up with me, so it's all good. (I did walk a lot, but a speedy walk!)

Plus, the people that lapped me are all in the full marathon group. Since I'm a half-marathon person, I should have only done half anyway! We did over four miles!! Our long run last week was just 3 miles (5 this week).

But I really think I did well since I told the injured Running Knitter that I would run "for" her while she's still in recovery :o)

Holiday Weekend wrap up

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend!

Mine started on a festive note - we got out of work at noon on Thursday and when I came home all of the houses had an American Flag in the front yard - a real estate agent put them there. I need to remember to get the name and send her a thank-you.

I really didn't take good advantage of my extra time off and basically laid around the house most of the day, but did pack for an overnight kayaking trip and took Winslow to my mommy's house. While there I hooked up at DTV converter box to her analog tv (neither of us have cable). I hate the converter box - it's like watching tv through the VCR, you have to use two remotes and there is a black screen for a little while when changing stations. And channel 8 (PBS) doesn't come in both at her house and mine. (I e-mailed them and the engineering director e-mailed me back very quickly, to which I responded & will probably get another e-mail from him tomorrow). She had me unplug the thing until she has to have it. I may do the same with the one I've plugged in.

On Friday I did the Run Wild 5K and had a really good time. I'm not a 5K fan, but it is really nice to see so many people I know and don't normally see. There were a LOT of PIMsters there, along with some Houston Fit friends and my gang from Bayou City Outdoors. The run wasn't too horrible. Although Garmin did say it was 3.33 miles! My average pace was a speedy (for me) 12.14 min/miles, which is really fast for me. Not so sure about the old Garmin 301 (still can't figure out why I can get the intervals to work). May NEED a new one.....

I had to cut the after race party short (shame too - there was 2 rows with brew, Michelob Ultras and Katz Ice Coffee. I did partake of 2 rows & Katz). Carol & Michelle were meeting at my house at 9am to load up & head out to San Marcos for 2 days of paddling. It wasn't TOO difficult to figure out how to load up the three kayaks on top of Michelle's car & we were off.

We got rained on quite a bit on the way out to San Marcos and were discussing the planned route for the day's paddle. Tracy was in charge & we were a little scared of how difficult the paddle would be for us in touring kayaks (the others were all in whitewater boats). We decided to bow out of the days paddle and tube instead. Although in the end we ended up drinking at the hotel pool instead! We did meet up with the rest of the gang for dinner & fireworks.

Saturday's paddle on the San Marcos was really, really nice. It has been a year since I've paddled (although I own a kayak, I can't transport it since I drive a convertible!). I would have liked to stayed and done the same route again! But we had to head home....

My neck/shoulders were a bit sore from the paddling and possibly still from the massage from hell, so I popped one of each of the drugs when I got home last night. It takes about 24 hours to regain energy, so most of today was spent sleeping...

I did pick up the precious (16 year old) puppy, go to the grocery store (Randall's has watermelon boats filled with cut fruit for $10!), got in a little run tonight and have officially begun packing for Alaska.

Oh yeah -- I'm going to Alaska July 16-26/27! 5 nights in Anchorage (hotel) followed by 4 nights in Denali (tent) and 1 night at Tanglewood Lakes (lodge). (And with the time change, one night flying home)

Off to bed now....have a great week!

There is such thing as a BAD massage

A VERY BAD massage!

Last Monday I was feeling great after running ~5 miles both Saturday and Sunday mornings in hilly New Braunfels. After a great pilates class, I went for a massage. Didn't really need one, but thought I deserved one.

I went to Avalon massage school, where I have gone several times and had the best massages I've ever gotten - by new graduates that have some great techniques. And an hour and a half massage is $50! (Nice private rooms, subdued lighting, aromatherapy & soothing tunes playing).

When I got there, the receptionist said the intern was not available, but an instructor agreed to do the massage at no extra charge. SCORE! -- I thought.....

Right from the get-go it was not a good massage. The guy (Noel Solis - beware of him!) made some crack about people getting massages from him need to "take as much as they can handle" or something like that. Right then I stopped him & said I was there for relaxation and rejuvenation, not some hard core crap - I do that to myself running & boot camp, etc. He said okay. I said I DID NOT want to be sore the next day. He said I wouldn't.

But then he started HARD. I told him again I did not want to be sore. He eased up some & said I wouldn't - he's an instructor & knows what he's doing and is very good at it. It would just be sore while he was doing it, but then I would feel great.

This bullshit (and I don't curse) went on throughout.

If he was an intern I would have stopped him in the middle & left. If he would have been a regular masseuse I would have also. But he was so insistent that he's an instructor and is great at what he does, etc, etc, etc.

I was in more pain when I left than when I went in.

It was worse the next day.

The following day I had to go to the doctor. She said my back was bruised and swollen. It was so tender she couldn't touch me.
She prescribed an anti-inflammatory AND pain medicine AND muscle relaxers -- three different drugs!

It took an entire week for me to get over all that.

And now, I really NEED a massage, but am too scared to go get one. Seriously, I really don't know if I'll get then again anytime soon. And with training ramping up, I'd like to be getting them monthly.

AND, I've lost a week of training. I'm a measly 1.8 miles away from making 200 miles this year, but haven't been up to getting in that silly amount. I have the Run Wild 5K this Friday and am going to have a super-sucky time since I haven't been running at all.

I am going to file a complaint on that "Instructor" with the Texas Department of Health Services, the ones in charge of licensing massage therapists. I'll attach the e-mail response I got from him when I told him how sore I was....