Time Is of the Essence

Workout: 5 miles, 10:08 average

Well, this was kind of a mess of a run, but all in all it was a great success!

I wanted to go somewhere new but near-ish to my house (this meant the awesome new trails were a no go), so decided to continue on down a trail I had started down before. There was a "6.0 miles" sign near where I started followed by a "5.5 miles" a half mile later, so I thought, "Wonderful, 5.5 miles of trail I've never been on!" Well, after about a mile and a half, I hit a very main road, and following the trail signs meant I took a left, went about a quarter mile, crossed the street and went a quarter mile in the direction I had come from, and then continued onto the trail. Basically, it was a half mile detour on a dumb road. I wasn't too happy about that, but it led me back to a trail so I continued.

This part of the trail was incredibly uneven, which made it really hard to get into a rhythm. Since it's been warm recently, the snow had obviously melted, turning the ground into mud and then refrozen. People have also been walking on it, which meant there were frozen footsteps everywhere and consequently very uncertain footing. After about a quarter of a mile, I turned around and had to do the whole main road detour again.

Despite these frustrations, I saw some nice sights:

Considering that I spent a lot of time on this run going down dead ends, turning around again, stopping to look at maps, running on shitty terrain, and having to go collect Bailey when she tried to go home with someone (what can I say, my dog's a sure thing), I think I ran a reasonable pace.

My annoying shins were delightful on this run! I was truly surprised. I guess all the double compressing (wearing my older, looser compression sleeves over my newer, tighter-both more restrictive and more awesome-compression socks) I've been doing has actually made a difference. That and icing. I'm still not entirely sold on icing. On the one hand, science just doesn't seem to support that it actually makes a difference (I'd provide links but time is of the essence!!). On the other, I like to think it's helped me some. I'll probably keep icing, but don't expect to hear anything about stretching anytime soon. That's crazy talk. Although the main reason I don't stretch is that I'm lazy. I'm just happy I can cite science as my reason for not doing it. I do, however, reserve the right to start stretching if I get desperate (let us hope it never comes to that).

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Oh, my haircut! Ta-da!

Taking a completely serious glamor shot makes me feel narcissistic, hence the double thumbs up.

Nothing drastic (in fact, no one even realized I got it cut), but at least I feel like a real human being now.

Hilarious Gym Outfit

Workout: 3 slow miles, maybe 10:30?

Let's take a look at the hilarious outfit I wore to the gym today:

Terrible hair, you will soon be gone.

Is this not the brightest outfit ever? You can't really tell from this picture, but that shirt is actually mint green. Jesus Christ. When I was frantically throwing my workout shit into a bag before heading to work, I remember saying to myself (in my head, because, um, talking out loud would make me pretty creepy, huh?) "You need a neutral color somewhere in there." Apparently the message didn't make it to my hands because I ended up with this. Also, I felt like a damn fool for wearing compression socks to run a measly 3 miles. Unfortunately the shins demand what they demand. At least the mean girls weren't there to give me shameful looks.

So my shins were even worse today. To be expected, since I ran two days in a row (right now I run four days a week so Monday/Tuesday are my only "two in a row" days), but disappointing nonetheless. There was a fair amount of pain (achy pain, not acute pain, and it doesn't hurt when I walk), but for now I'll just keep on truckin' as planned. That way I get to keep doing the only form of physical exercise I enjoy (besides hiking), and YOU get to watch a slow train wreck in action. It's a win-win!

I was planning to run outside today but had to deal with the plumber this morning (oh joy!) so couldn't do it until after work when it would be dark out. Instead, I drove over to school to use their gym. This gym is ridiculous. Four treadmills for 15,000+ students (that number may actually be closer to 30,000. I honestly have no idea except that it's a huge number). One erg. Not much else. Fortunately, no one seems to know it exists so I've never really had a problem with machine availability.

Tomorrow's a rest day (and haircut day!!) and hopefully I'll be good to go for the 5 mile's Hal's got planned for me on Thursday. 

Growing Pains

Workout: 5 miles, 10:19 average

I dunno, guys, the ole achy shins might be acting up again. But first, some pretty pictures to put us (and by us I mean me) in a good mood:

I work right next to this place now!

 Did I or did I not promise that there are mountains back there?

So, I mentioned a couple of days ago that there was some pain during my 8-miler. It wasn't bad and it went away after a few miles, but it still concerned me. I could feel it some yesterday on my hike, but I made sure to ICE (RICE minus the Rest thing) before bed and was feeling pretty psyched about my run today. Side note: is it normal to stay up at night because you're excited about your run the next day? Amazing how badly I want to run at 2:00 a.m. as opposed to, say, when I wake up the next morning to actually do the thing.

Anyway, I did five miles at the dog park (and got to run for a few minutes on the new trails I found on Saturday!) and my shins were pretty achy the whole time. It was annoying because my muscles felt great. I decided to power through in the spirit of "no pain no gain," albeit at a very slow pace. Then I finished. Jeano: story teller extraordinaire.

My mind seems to be pulling me in two totally different directions in response to these shin shenanigans. On the one hand, I'm hyperaware of pain because a) stress fracture last year, and b) apart from the stress fracture (an admittedly huge omission, but reasonable since I think it was the result of running in new shoes on hilly terrain I wasn't prepared for and not running in dumb shoes), I've hardly experienced any running-related pain since switching to minimalism over a year and a half ago (I know, I KNOW, spare me your eye roll at the shoe thing and at the fact that this sentence may be the longest run-on in the history of the world). Feeling pain while running is a relatively new and unnerving feeling, and my biggest fear is sidelining myself.

On the other hand, from what I understand it is necessary to push through some pain in order to get better. Certain stressors allow the body to get stronger and to adapt to a greater workload. And how do the pros recommend differentiating between "good" and "bad" pain? "Listen to your body." Ugh. That's not concrete enough for this blockhead. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS. Obviously, if I can't walk I shouldn't be running. But how am I supposed to interpret less severe pain? To me, "good" pain is muscle pain and "bad" pain is all other pain, but I don't think that's actually the case.

So what's my point? My point is "STOP TELLING ME TO LISTEN TO MY BODY." No, not really. Shin pain isn't a big deal and odds are it won't turn into anything, so for the moment I plan to continue with my good friend Hal's program as planned. However, Dr. Google assures me that it will, in fact, turn into a stress fracture if I keep running, so I guess the best I can do is keep an eye on it. Let's just hope they're growing pains (like that dumb t.v. show!).

A Hiking Break

Workout: hike with my dad, 1 1/2 hours

Guys, the sky this afternoon was ridiculous. SO pretty.

Miphone couldn't do it justice.

Only pretty in one direction, although this doesn't suck.

So I went hiking with my dad this afternoon. Late afternoon, I might add. He asked me if I wanted to go at 3:30, as in, a half hour before the sun goes down, and I obviously said yes, although I admit I had some reservations about it. Can't turn down a hike. We headed out in new matching down jackets (different colors), so, like, the yuppiest, most privileged pair ever.

The light actually wasn't really an issue since it's still light for a while after the sun goes down. There was also a fair amount of light reflecting off the snow. It got a bit iffy towards the end, though. I kept playing out a scene in my head where I screamed at my dad for forcing me to come along and causing me to break my leg (it is okay to lie when playing out a scene in your head), but it turns out I was just being really dramatic.

 Hey Flattop!

I loved how this scene was complete devoid of color. Don't get me wrong, colors are great, but this was a pretty cool effect.

My legs felt great after yesterday's 8 miles. No soreness and only a hint of fatigue on the uphills. I feel so much better than I did after Tuesday's 6 miles, which proves my theory that treadmills are out to kill the human race. This hike was a nice form of "active recovery" or whatever you pros call it.

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Apart from yesterday's delightful run and today's short excursion, I've done nothing of note this weekend. The bulk of my time has been devoted to finishing grad school applications. Oh, you thought I was done complaining about those things? Hardly. You probably also thought I was done raging about gun control. That's so cute. The reality is that I just chose to ignore my applications over the holidays. It's a great method, actually: when faced with a problem, pretend it doesn't exist. It's gotten me this far (and by far, I mean moving back in with my parents)!

I lied, I did one other thing of note: I scheduled a haircut for this week. This, my friends, is a big effing deal. I haven't cut my hair since last May. Prior to that, I hadn't cut it in almost a year. I had actually been waiting until I ran my marathon-that-I-didn't-actually-run-because-I-got-a-stress-fracture to cut it, but once my foot died I cut it almost immediately in, I don't know, protest? Can you protest a body part? Anyway, my hair is disgusting and I'll finally get to wear it down without having to apologize to people for my disappointing beauty habits.

And with that, I'm off to write deep thoughts about my career and life goals.

BEST DISCOVERY EVER

Workout: 8 miles, 10:04 average

In case you missed my title, I made the BEST DISCOVERY EVER today: I found miles and miles of trails I never knew existed!

Let's back up. I really didn't want to run today, since I figured running outside was going to be so slippery that I'd have to go crawling back to the hell hole gym to get my miles in, a prospect I found more than a little daunting. I figured I should give outdoor running a shot, though, so Bailey and I hopped in the car, stopped at the store to pick up some new Yaktrax, and headed over to the dog park just to see how things were.

Turns out, things were fine! More than fine. Perfect, really. It was around 28 degrees, so not stupid cold but also not melty and gross. I had been trying to justify running fewer than 8 miles but as soon as I got going, I knew I was going to do it.

Unfrozen pond = heat wave!!

Misty because my phone had just come out of my pocket.

I started on a trail I've run on enough to be kind of tired of and hit the turn-around point with only two miles under my belt. After Thursday's out-and-back-and-out-and-back-a-million-times, I wasn't feeling another day of out-and-backing, so when I noticed a fork in the trail on my way back, I took it. I assumed I would run on it for a quarter mile or so and then hit a busy road, but that was so not the case. Instead, it lead me to what I'm pretty sure is a huge trail system!! It was like going through the wardrobe and coming out in Narnia. There were so many intersections, each full of signs pointing out new trails in every direction. So awesome.

There were a few neighborhood-y bits where I ran (neighborhoods and treadmills are my running kryptonite), but for the most part it was relatively secluded and woodsy. Take a look!

Obligatory creek photo that I just realized is blurry. 

Them thur be mountains (look hard).

Finding new trails took my run from somewhat dull and routine to "I'M THE HAPPIEST PERSON EVER!" in like two seconds. I felt great. Initially there was some shin soreness I'll have to keep an eye on, but it went away within a couple of miles. Mentally, 8 miles is a pretty pathetic long run distance for me (despite the fact that it's the farthest I've run since last May when my foot fell apart), but it felt reasonably long run-y today, which was nice. I certainly could have kept going, but once the run was over I felt like I had actually accomplished something fitness-wise. I even gave myself a post-long run reward, something I haven't done in ages because I haven't deserved it. My reward? Subway. Trashy, poor man's food? Sure. But you'd be hard-pressed to find a tastier poor man's food, in my opinion.

I had my concerns about bringing Bailey, since only a few months ago three miles seemed to be about as much as she could handle, but she did great. I kept a close eye on her and her energy levels and am happy to report that she was her usual spaz-tastic self for the duration of the run. We finished by walking about a mile around the dog park and she was still running around and happy as can be. She didn't even make me stop that much during today's run! So proud.

Here, look at these if you care.

It's interesting that I seem to get faster as my runs go on despite not caring at all about pace (ignore that last mile-it was at the dog park and we had to stop a lot so Bailey could cower next to me as other dogs tried to sniff her. What a pansy).

I was super happy when I finished this run. You know, if I just multiply 8 miles by 3 and add another 2.2 miles, I've got a marathon! Easy as pie! Although I think I may have lost one of my Yaktrax. Yes, I'm referring to the Yaktrak I purchased immediately prior to my run. I hope it's lying somewhere in the car because if not, I'm stupid dumb.

Here's to discoveries!

Tornado Scare and a Funny Lost-and-Found

Workout: 4.5 miles, 10:25 pace

Let's start with a hilarious Anchorage-y photo. Also entitled "why Alaskans are fucking weird."

The weirdest

Anchorage is the SLIPPERIEST PLACE OF ALL TIME. Still. This ice won't end.

It was so icy, in fact, that I managed to do the slowest, nerdiest 180/Tokyo-drift ever while driving down my street today. I was in first gear and hardly moving, yet when I lightly touched the brakes the car very slowly lost control. It would have been terrifying if it hadn't been so lame.

This iciness and my broken Yaktrax severely limited where I could run this morning. I wanted to go somewhere with Bailey and didn't want to rot in the hellish swamp pit that is the gym, but I also didn't want to break my leg. In the end, I decided to head over to the ski "resort" five minutes from my house (a more pathetic ski resort would be hard to find) and run on a flat-ish stretch of cross country trail that extends off the parking lot. Each out-and-back was only .75 miles, but it got the job done.

I began the run with a terrible fright. I turned around for some reason or another and saw a bunch of snow and debris blowing around in a funnel formation. Now, Alaska isn't known for its tornadoes (because we've never had any), but I managed to convince myself that I was watching one form. It scared the bejesus out of me. I sprinted off onto a side trail and up a steep-as-shit (and slippery!!!) hill, my heart pounding out of my chest. Of course, my garmin failed to pick up that ridiculous elevation gain. What else is new? Once I hit the top of the hill, I looked down on the parking lot and saw that everything was totally fine. What a freak.

Tornadoes terrify me. I'm cool with earthquakes, having grown up with them (unless they're enormous), but tornadoes are foreign and scary. My one semi-experience with them was when I was living in Vermont and we randomly had a tornado watch. I drove with some friends to Kansas once (fact: it takes 24 hours to drive from Vermont to Kansas in one go, a drive everyone should do once in their lives; the billion hours you spend on I-70 will be the best of your life), and my Mainer friend and I spent most of the drive pointing at ditches and saying "Will that ditch save us if a tornado comes?"

So that was an interesting start to my run. After that fright, everything proceeded as normal, although I had to move pretty slowly because of the ice. Here's some data for you number-minded folks:

I'm embarrassed to say that I was pretty sore from the six miles I did a couple of days ago and was worried this run would feel terrible, but it was totally fine.

The Most Elusive of Miles

Monday Workout: 3 broken Yaktrax miles
Tuesday Workout: 6 treadmill miles

Well, it seems those elusive 7 miles weren't meant to be. Not for a semi-lack of trying, however. I guess I spoiled the ending in my workout thingamajig up top, but yesterday my Yaktrax broke. Yaktrax plural. I managed to break them both. At two separate times. I just hope that isn't some sick metaphor for my 2012 (it isn't).

I took the wench for a walk in the morning and was greeted by ridiculous roads. This did not bode well for running outside.

Bitch, please.

It looks like snow BUT IT'S NOT. Pure ice, baby.

I figured it was time to use a free gym pass, even if that meant running 7 miles on a treadmill. I was all set to go and was already talking myself out of cutting the run short when Bailey caught wind of the fact that I was leaving without her. She was not pleased. This dog should teach a class on optimism. When she wants something, she pretends it's happening and makes the human feel too bad not to do it. At least, that's what happened yesterday. I pulled on some layers and we made the long drive to the Coastal Trail.

Roughly a mile and a half into the run, one of my li'l Yaktrax broke. Fuck. The front of my shoe was exposed, but it seemed to be reasonably secure on the rest of my foot so I kept going.

This works, right?!

I made it another quarter mile or so when I realized I was being a damn fool. It was slippery as hell out and I had been having difficulty even with the extra traction. Time to turn around. The soundness of my life choices was confirmed when, less than a mile later, my other Yaktrax (Yaktrak?) broke. I think it had something to do with the fact that I was running on a thin layer of ice and broke through it each step, exposing the Yaktrax rubber to sharp ice. Or something.

In the end, maybe it was a good thing they broke (but not really; that's $20 down the drain!). Since I had been planning to run at the gym, I left much later than I otherwise would have. While we are fortunate to be gaining daylight these days, it still gets dark around 3:30, so considering I didn't have a light source, starting a seven-mile run at 2:30 was a dumb idea. I imagine that for many, an hour is plenty of time to run seven miles. Not this gal, and not when she's got a mutt slowing her down every step of the way. Once I hit three miles, I walked the rest of the way to my car, arriving without much time to spare.

Pretty but dark 

Way to suck, guys!

So anyway, fast forward to today when I didn't have any Yaktrax to run with. I decided it was time: I was going to run at the gym. Just the thought made me panic. I did once run 15 miles on a treadmill, I reasoned with myself; this would be more than twice as easy! Chill out, Jeano! But no, I was wrong. Dead wrong. Turns out gyms are universally hot as fuck during the winter (why, why, why?!?!?! People working out are STILL going to get hot, even during the winter!!!!) and since I was done with fiscal cliff talk, the TVs weren't doing it for me. I stared at a wall. It was brutal. I started burping up booze (happy new year!) and peanut butter sandwich 15 minutes in, and since I can't tolerate running at a slow, even pace
on a treadmill, I was doing intervals. Sound life choices what? I am proud to say I made it 6 miles, but I ultimately failed to hit 7. Whatever. Quitting early on the first run of the year is totally a good omen. I'm conserving energy for the other 364 days. Happy 2013, kids.