Running During Hockey Practice

Workout: 3 miles around the track, 9:19, 9:22, 9:17

I have a new addition to my running wardrobe: compression socks!

This company has been pimped to no end in the blog world, so I don't need to tell you what it's called. You know what it's called. I will tell you that I've been a big fan of compression gear since about a year ago when I bought some compression sleeves. When I was training for that marathon that I've decided isn't worth talking about so let's just leave it at "I got a stress fracture three weeks before the race and didn't do it," I found that wearing my compression sleeves while running made a huge difference in how my legs felt. I don't know that they made me recover faster or anything, but my legs were definitely less ache-y when I wore them. I also love how they feel-like little leg hugs!

My compression sleeves haven't totally been cutting it recently; I'm not sure if they're just stretched out or if my legs somehow shrank (doubtful), but they've started falling down a bit which made me think they probably aren't compressing that well. I've always wanted compression socks because I think sleeves look weird (something about the gap between your foot and the bottom of the sleeve really bothers me), so when I saw a pretty awesome deal on these I went for it. I have to say, I'm really happy about it so far. I love them. I don't think they've left my feet in three days, except to shower (can you shower in compression socks? Asking for a friend).

How do they look? Well, that's another thing. I honestly thought they were going to make my legs look pretty killer-long, lean, strong... you know, Heidi Klum legs. Well, turns out they don't do that. At all. What do they really do? They cut them off and make them look like sausages. Let's take a look!

That lighting does nothing for the cellulite I didn't know I had...

Well, I realized they look terrible on me before I started to run, which was really awesome because I then got to make my compression sock debut in front of the entire UAA hockey team. Yep. I usually run outside on Mondays but I was thinking I was going to only do 2 really easy miles today so decided to do it inside after class.

Let me tell you, running around an ice rink during hockey practice is terrifying. Not because of catcalls or anything, because I didn't get any, but because every thirty seconds or so a puck would smash into the wall right next to me. The first few times it scared the bejesus out of me and I was pretty close to ducking for cover. I sort of got used to it, but it meant I didn't get the chill, zoned out run I was hoping for. It also meant I ran faster than I wanted to. Oops.

Like I said, I was going to do two slow miles. Since I did my "long run" (I use that term very, very loosely) yesterday instead of Saturday, I was hoping to shuffle my runs a bit so they'd be well spaced-out but still have me doing my next "long run" on Saturday. It's all very confusing and complicated, don't worry about it. Point is, I was going for two miles. Well, I started running and I'm convinced those little shits were trying extra hard to shoot pucks at me, so I started running faster than I wanted and then decided, "What the hell, I feel good, I'll just do three miles today." It wasn't until I was driving home that I realized it was supposed to be 3.5. I seriously had a mini freak-out about that, because I'm a loser, but then I realized I can just make my Wednesday run a half mile longer. No biggie.

I felt really good on this run. I had zero shin pain despite having run yesterday, possibly because of my ugly compression socks, and even though I didn't do the run I was supposed to, I'm excited that I get to very, very slightly bump up my mileage this week.

The sky was pretty this morning.

View from work. Yes, it can be hard to focus.

That's it for today folks!

Coastal Trail Fun and a Yaktrax Question

Workout: 4 miles at a snail's pace (roughly 10:35 average)

A question for anyone who knows anything about Yaktrax: do they work when you're running on snow? Like, not icy roads, but just plain snow? I'd like to try some out, but I feel like on snow they wouldn't have anything to grip so may be useless. I realize I have approximately -20 readers or so, but perhaps someone will drop by and take pity on the girl who's sliding all over the place...

... which leads me to today's run. I went somewhere new! I decided to ditch the mountains for a day and run along the ocean.

You see that stuff in the water? That's ice. It looks really cool in person because it's being pushed along by a current or whatever, so it flows by really quickly.

I was planning to take Bailey to the dog park, but as I was pulling out of my driveway I suddenly changed my mind and headed to Point Woronzof along Anchorage's infamous Coastal Trail instead.

Sleep, lady, sleep!

The summer before my senior year, I used to run here all the time. It's a beautiful trail that runs along the water for miles and miles, and best of all (well, depending on what you like to run on), it's almost completely flat. Considering that almost any other place you run in Anchorage is hilly as hell, this is a welcome reprieve. Today, though, my run was HARD because of the snow on the trail. I was up for a challenge, though, so I went for it.

My stats were totally messed up because a) I always hit the lap button when I finish running even though I always finish running at a full mile so there's no need, and b) I got into my car and drove off before I remembered to stop it. Let's just pay attention to the first four miles, shall we?

Someday, I will run a 1:30 mile.

My run took me through the woods

with some nice views off to my side.

My legs felt fine after yesterday's hike, but I definitely put in a pretty hard effort on this run. I was wearing my Softstars,

Reenactment

and as I mentioned before, I have good enough traction that I wasn't going to fall and break my ankle or anything, but each time I went to take another step, the foot on the ground would slip back a bit. It's kind of like running in sand. Hard! But a welcome challenge.

I just realized I don't have any assignments due this coming week (yay Thanksgiving!), so I'm about to overdose on FNL. I, um, only have one season left. I started watching it a little over a week ago. I am obsessed.

Give me all your yaktrax knowledge, please.

Option Four (Wolverine Peak)

Workout: Wolverine Peak! Well, part of it, at least.

So which option did I end up choosing? None of them, actually. That's how I roll: make plans and don't follow through!

I actually woke up intending to do the "2.5-mile straight uphill" hike over in Eagle River with my hiking group, but as I walked Bailey, I realized it was cold as hell (8 degrees at that point) and would likely be much colder on a windy ridge. I wasn't really excited at the prospect of freezing for 5+ hours, so I decided not to beat myself up over it and just do something else. I had made up my mind to run my planned 4 miles instead and was trying to decide where I wanted to do them when suddenly it popped into my head: screw running, let's go to Wolverine!

I hiked Wolverine a couple of months ago without Bailey, and pretty much the whole time I was out there I was thinking how much she would enjoy it (we have a very unhealthy co-dependent relationship). I vowed to take her there at some point but never really had the opportunity. The second the idea came into my mind this morning, the plan was made. Onward!

Because of that ridiculous show I'm obsessed with, I didn't start hiking until 11:45. That gave me about four hours until it started getting dark, which I figured was plenty of time.

Obligatory creek photo

It was absolutely gorgeous out, but almost immediately it started snowing. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love snow. I love hiking in snow. However, I'm not extremely comfortable with the idea of being alone at the top of a peak in the middle of a storm. It was very light snow at that point, but I knew it could turn into something ferocious in no time so I figured I'd keep going and play it by ear.

We went up, up, up, and it hit me again just how difficult it is hiking or running in snow. When I did this a couple of months ago, I kicked ass on the ascent, moving quickly and hardly stopping at all. This time, I was forced to stop and catch my breath more times than I'm willing to admit (wait a second, didn't I just admit it?)

It started snowing harder, and my effort level was much higher than expected, so I started to consider possibly turning around. I could see where I was heading, and it seemed the awesome views were going to be mostly obscured by clouds. I ran into quite a few people, though (all alone-I guess none of us had someone to tell us we were maybe being dumb?), and part of me wanted to prove my worth to these people who wouldn't give a shit whether I made it to the top or not. This seems to happen to me fairly often. Anyway, I decided to push on and see what happened.

THERE SHOULD BE MORE MOUNTAINS. See the snowflakes? 

You can very faintly see Wolverine back there.

As I was starting to go back and forth again on whether or not to turn around, I suddenly realized I was very near a natural rest stop beneath the ridge I was aiming for. I was hiking much slower than planned and wasn't sure I could even do the whole hike before it got dark, so I decided to make it there and call it a day.

You would never guess there is a thriving metropolis below.

I still got some pretty righteous views, even though I wasn't high enough to see back into the valleys behind the mountains.

Wolverine is that high point you see in the middle of the photo. Also, snowflakes.

And again-this time with a different instagram filter so I can fool you into thinking it looks completely different.

I am sort of pissed we missed the plane wreck, though.

Wolverine in warmer months. I'm not sure about the story behind the plane crash-I'd like to think no one died, but what do I know? It's still a pretty cool landmark.

We sat around for a while so I could eat a sandwich and Bailey could attempt to eat a gross tampon (WHY are dogs so into tampons? And how did she manage to find what was probably the only discarded tampon within a 10-mile radius? Funny that she can sniff one of those out but couldn't spot a moose if it was charging at her), and then headed on our merry way.

The ascent was pretty damn steep and took about two hours, but the descent was very pleasant. Steep initially, but nice and gradual for the last few miles. 

Roughly three hours after we started, we were done. It had started to snow harder, so I was very happy with my choice to turn around. I have to say, though, that it was SO peaceful walking through the woods while the snow fell. Peaceful enough that I was able to convince myself the bears have hibernated already so I could just focus on how great it felt to be outside.

My legs feel almost fully recovered now, and I'm still planning to run my four miles tomorrow. Had I gone all the way up, this would probably not be the case...

Enjoy your Saturday!

Chilly Weekly Roundup

Workout: not freezing to death. Here's a summary of the past week:

Saturday: 4 HARD, snowy miles at Powerline
Sunday: THE CORE
Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: 2 miles at the ice rink
Wednesday: THE CORE
Thursday: 3 miles at the ice rink

Total: 12 jogged miles, two THE COREs

I didn't realize I ran 12 miles this week. Although that's a pathetically small number, it's remarkable that I ran it almost entirely shin-pain-free. I haven't been able to do that since I fractured my foot! I guess slow and easy really is the way to build up your mileage. I'm also happy I've started doing Lauren's strength workout to supplement what little running I do. It's definitely getting easier, and I'm starting to get one of those awesome thigh bulges strong people have (you know what I'm talking about? Not that kind of bulge, you perv). It's also probably because of all the hiking I've been doing, plus the fact that I'm trying to run on hilly terrain. That obviously doesn't happen when I run at the ice rink, but hey, sometimes I just don't want to wear 500 layers to go for a run. Plus, I feel like I'm flying when I do run around that thing, even if I have to count each and every lap on my fingers. Overall, running's been swell.

Guys, it's cold today, even for me. I took Bailey for a walk over an hour ago and my toes are still numb. This is troubling. I'm not complaining though, no no no. After the hot hell I experienced in New York City for two years, I will never again curse cold weather (don't quote me on that).

I have three outdoors options for tomorrow. Two are hikes. One is the four miles I'm supposed to run. All will be cold (the high tomorrow is 16! Aye). The four miles will almost certainly be pushed to Sunday, so that leaves me with the two hikes. One is 2.5 miles straight uphill, the other is gentler but in an area I hike all the time. So what am I going to do? I have no idea. I'll figure it out when I wake up.

Today was pretty. The sun is setting around 4:00 these days (seven hours of sunlight and it's still November...), so I snapped these shots while still at work.

The ocean! I bet you forgot/didn't know Anchorage is on the Pacific. Mountains, oceans-we've got it all!

That's all I've got. Enjoy your Friday you krazy kids.

3 Miles and Texas Row

Workout: 3 miles at the track, 9:40, 9:41 (consistency!), 10:10 (barefoot)

Today's Anchorage-y photo: more marine art!

Taken before it snowed

Studying and general stress turned me into a trash compactor yesterday. If it even remotely resembled bread, I ate it: pizza, bread sticks, potato chips, LOTS OF ACTUAL BREAD... the list goes on and on. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, but it had me feeling pretty gross this morning.

I was pleasantly surprised I was able to run between classes today. I had a calculus test ("real life") and finished an hour early (I'm that good-or, depending on the outcome, that awful), which left me enough time to bust out a few miles and go do STATA stuff in the lab before my next class. How very productive! More productive than watching millions of hours of FNL, at least (side note: I can't believe the 2008 writers strike forced them to cut season two seven episodes short, and that they then decided to go on to season three as though they had shown those episodes! Related additional sidenote: I get way too invested in t.v. shows).

Anyway, the three miles flew by, I felt great, my shin felt great, everything was great, the angels were singing from the heavens... it was great. If I had to describe it in one word, I'd say "spectacular" (you thought I was going to say great, didn't you? WRONG). Even though Hal hardly lets me run at all, each and every run has been pretty great (there it is again, the most descriptive of words!). Keep it up, body.

I made the terrible mistake of trying a new route home after work. Note to self: DON'T TRY NEW THINGS. What a failure. Not only did it take about twice as long to get home, but I had to drive through what I will from now on call "Texas Row." Get a load of this restaurant lineup: Lone Star Steakhouse, Golden Corral, Black Angus Steakhouse, and one other I'm blanking on. Does it matter? Texas Row. Alternate name: hell. I hadn't been on this road since they extended it to the other side of town, and I can only hope I'm never unfortunate enough to find myself there again.

It has been far too long since I've made it to my beloved Flattop. A week, I think? It's been so long I can hardly remember what it looks like.

Oh right. Beautiful.

Will have to get out there soon.

And now I must watch my dog hilariously try to eat a boiling hot brussel sprout that fell straight from the oven onto the floor. It's the little things...

Real Life (and More Mist!)

Workout: THE CORE

Real life demands my attention today, so all you get are more pictures of the mist that continues to take over Anchorage:

Random Shit Tuesday

Workout: 2 jogged miles at 9:30 average, one barefoot, 15 minutes on the erg

Welcome to Random Shit Tuesday, where we shoot the random shit!

• I did today's run around my favorite ice rink. Not gonna lie, there was some shin pain, but it wasn't too bad. The two miles were over in two seconds (I'm that fast) and I desperately wanted to keep going, but I decided to be smart and go relive my crew days instead.

• Today's Anchorage-y photo:

The Sleeping Lady just keeps on sleeping, now with snow!

• I seem to have adjusted well to Anchorage's colder temps. 31 is warm! As you may be able to deduce, my parents are in Fresno, which sounds just about as fun as Spring Break at a Disneyland kiddie pool.

• There's been this weird frozen mist taking over Anchorage (like that Stephen King book!), which for some reason seems to have ruined everyone's cell service but also led to some pretty awesome crystallization.

Cool, right?!

• I've been logging a ton of addresses at work recently (I have a glamorous job) and I never realized just how little I know about the rest of Alaska. There are some cool city names out there I had never even heard of before! Some of my favorites include: Anaktuvuk, Chuathbaluk, Koyukuk, Mekoryuk, New Stuyahok, Pilot Station, Quinhagak, Shishmaref, and, of course, Unalaska. So cool, right? Y'all New Englanders can have all your _____fields, and your New ______s, and your ______havens. Alaska wins.

• Do you ever go to a public bathroom and wonder what you're supposed to do with your gloves? Like, you might not have enough space in your bag or pocket, and you don't want to set them down on anything. Well, I found a sick (sick as in both cool and disgusting) solution:

This only works if your gloves have magnets in them, so I guess this is more a solution for me and not you.

On that shitty note, we conclude this week's Random Shit Tuesday. Tell me your shit if you want.