Thursday, May 23, 2013

Post-Tempo Treat: A Flat Tire!

Wednesday workout: rest
Thursday workout: 11 miles with 9 tempo (9:30), Connects

I hate to have my first picture be ugly garmin data, so I'm going to throw a picture of us kiddos in here because I think we're kind of adorable.

I posted this on Facebook and one friend commented that with my moccasins and flowy dress, I was the original hipster.

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When I finished my run today, I got back to my car, tired but full of run-induced contentment. We'll get to that, but I wanted to tell you about the surprise that awaited me at my car: a flat tire!

After recoiling in horror, I did what any self-respecting, independent woman does: I called my dad.

I've lived a sheltered life so had no idea what to do with a flat tire. Fortunately, I just needed a push in the right direction. Did you know that EVERY car has a spare and a jack somewhere in it? I had no idea. Thanks, dad!

I was determined to earn back some of my self-respecting, independent woman points so changed it myself. It's actually not that hard. However, my spare tire was half deflated. Ugh! I was starving and covered in sweat so driving to a gas station to get some air was just about the last thing I wanted to do. But since preserving your hubcap is apparently "important," I sucked it up.

If you're ever in need of a laugh, just picture this: Jeano, driving fifteen miles an hour on a main road, her spare tire half-deflated and her emergency lights on. People are honking and giving her grief for driving so slowly. Suddenly, this song comes on. You know, the song whose main lyric is "We started from the bottom now we here?" If that was me at the top, I don't want to know what bottom looks like. Fortunately, it made me laugh hysterically, which of course made me that maniacal slow driver.

I can't decide if this is retribution for not having gotten my studded tires off yet, OR if it's actually a reward for not having done so (I don't see myself needing studded tires in Oregon, so it's good the studded tire shit the bucket and not the regular one. Although I suppose I could invest in a tire patch or whatever you do with flat tires). I'll go with the latter. Anyway, I learned some big kid lessons today.

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So, my run! I went back to the Mayor's Marathon course that almost killed me on Tuesday to see how the Connects did.

About that... it seems I was a bit hasty in concluding that this course will kill me. Google street view is a wonderful thing, and some further detective work showed me I actually ran too far on Tuesday. I didn't realize the course veered off onto trails so soon, so it hadn't even occurred to me to turn at any of the trailheads I passed. Well, veer it does, and it does so BEFORE that insane 281-foot hill. 

 MUCH more reasonable!

Usually I'd be wary of bears, but there seemed to be some people on the trail and I really wanted to check it out, so I threw caution to the wind and started down. I felt like Logan! Except this trail was seriously tame, and I'm not running 31 miles of it. There was a lot of mud, though, so at least I looked like I had been on a treacherous adventure. That's the point, right?

I ran for a little over a mile until I hit the "Tank Trail," which is restricted military land. I was really tempted to continue on (I was only a quarter mile away from 5 miles! I hate turning around before the lap is done, especially since my garmin always cuts off part of the turnaround), but the gate was sufficiently intimidating that I didn't dare. My elevation chart tells me I stopped at 500 feet, though, which means I made it to the high point of the course!

I'm wondering if I experienced the infamous "golf ball-sized gravel." There were rocks, and they were golf ball-sized. But it wasn't gravel. Gravel means tons of rocks, right? This was just trail. Trails have rocks. I probably didn't make it far enough, but if that's what people are complaining about I shake my finger at them.

After running this, I do think that I'll have to run in my Connects, though. The rocks were prominent enough that I think it would be a pain in the ass to run it in the Pace Gloves. Bummer!

Questions:
  • Have you ever changed a tire?
  • Thoughts on trail running? When I moved back to Alaska I told myself I was only running trails from then on, but my thoughts on the matter have obviously changed since then. First there was the snow issue, and now there's the bear issue... I really hope to do some more once I'm done with marathon training, though. This turned into less of a question and more of a "let me talk about myself."

7 comments:

  1. I've changed a bike tire! But in the US, I had triple A, and the one time I got a flat (in the cold, pouring rain, by the way), I sat in my (warm, dry) car and called them. Magic happened. I was grateful!

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    1. Ah, yes, triple A! I had that for a year when I drove from Alaska to the East Coast, but I never ended up using it. I was with my grandma when she used it once, though, and it was awesome. They showed up in, like, 15 minutes!

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  2. I called my dad when I was in high school and got a flat tire. Has not happened recently though. Yay! Trail running is OK, but if you are road racing a lot, run on roads for the best practice!

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    1. Oh yes, I agree, training for road races should be done on roads. But my marathon actually has 7-ish miles of trail in there so I really want to get some of that in before race day.

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  3. Nice work, lady! I hope you went home and did something manly like a drink a beer or watch some sports. You're pretty much an independent, bad ass chick now. They tried to make us learn how to change a flat tire in Driver's Ed. but I remember distinctively disappearing with some friends to talk about how this hot boy Brandon KISSED this skank girl Lea. It was MAJOR gossip that needed attention. I figured I'd always have my father, grandfather, husband, nephew, any man around me to change a tire, haha.

    I like that you have legitimate bear issues. Whenever we take hikes, my husband and I ALWAYS have this conversation:

    Me: How cool would it be if a bear just came out of the woods?
    Him: Not cool. We'd be killed.
    Me: I don't think so. Imagine a little baby bear! I want a baby bear!
    Him: If there's a baby bear, there will be a mama bear.
    Me: I'm a mom. Maybe she'll like me. I want to see a bear!
    Him: NO YOU DON'T. YOU WILL DIE. IT WILL KILL YOU. THEY'RE NOT CUTE. OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.

    ::The end::

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    1. Ahahaha. I could have used driver's ed. when I was in high school, but for some reason that's just not something that's done. They're probably terrified of sending a teacher out with kids on what can be terrifyingly icy roads. No way I'D get in a car with a teenager in those conditions.

      Whenever I might be around bears, my thought process is always "Oh thank god, those people look way slower than me, I really really hope if I see a bear I see it now." Or, if my dog's with me, "Thankfully she's dumb enough that she'll probably get right up in its face and distract it while I run to safety." I'm a really caring dog owner, obviously.

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  4. Ha...all adventures are awesome adventures. The best ones are treacherous...mud is no joke. =)

    Also...have you seen some of my hiking photos? It is like my soul goal in life to take as many photos that LOOK like I am doing incredibly badass things, when in reality, I am not, ha.

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