Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Putting On The Brakes

Just when I am cruising along, feeling on top of the world, the universe steps in and gives me a swift swat on the ass and seems to say, you are not invincible, you are just a a middle aged woman in training who is putting her body through hell

After my monstrous weekend of non-stop cycling and running, I did a long swim Monday morning followed by a short run. My back got tight during the swim, as it often does. But, overall I felt fine after the workout.

I am not sure what happened to me in the middle of the night. The devil must have visited my low back because I woke up Tuesday morning with a ton of pain. I kind of ignored it – it was a planned rest day so I knew I would have some time to recover.

But, by late afternoon I was majorly uncomfortable. I told Coach Sharpie who reminded me: “There is no possible way for you or anyone to be training for what you're doing, and how quickly you've ascended, without your back hurting (and your neck and your IT band and your butt and your quads and your hamstrings...).” She also gave me some strategies to mange the pain including Pilates types moves and stretching.

We cut out my ride for today, which was going to be a ton of climbing. She told me to still try to do my planned hour run. I got out there and there was shooting pain with each step. It didn’t really feel awesome.

So, I did this instead.

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If I can’t train for an Ironman today, then I’ll read about training
(book = You Are An Ironman)

For some reason the worst back pain comes after I’ve been driving and get out of the car. I seriously look like a 83 year old woman on the way to a Bingo.

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Which is much different than this 83 year old yoga instructor, Betty Calman:

This a reminder that:

  • Life goes on if you miss a few training days
  • Your body gets pissed off when you do a lot to it
  • When pain comes, it’s time to STOP for a bit even when you are panicking about not reaching your goal
  • 83 year old white haired women in pant suits can still rock the house

Here’s a nice outtake:

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Have you ever had back pain from training and what did you do about it? I’ve taken some Motrin, am icing it and stretching a bit, gently. I also am going to go to PT to have it looked at.

This too shall pass (TTSFP) – I added the “F” in there if you know what I mean.

SUAR

Monday, July 29, 2013

Ironman Florida Training Week #5 (Yes, I’m Still Alive and Kicking)

You all, I did it.

I was not sure how I would get through this weekend of workouts because it was to total of 8 hours and 50 minutes in two days, which may not seem much to some hard core mothers, but it’s an eternity to me. But, I knew I would do it because I never back down from a challenge (except for that one dare in 8th grade, but that’s another post).

Like I said, you all, I did it.

Saturday was 3 hours of riding (46 miles) followed by a 5 mile run. Sunday was 5 hours of riding, 78 miles, followed by a trip to Denver to watch the Rockies beat the Brewers:

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This week was just over 16 ½ hours of training, my highest volume ever. And, you know what? It wasn’t that bad. I had to scramble a bit, eat lots of stuff on the run and be ultra organized with my time, but I DID IT.

Sunday morning I woke up to cloudy and rainy skies and as I rolled over in bed at 6:00 a.m. I made a confession to Ken:

Me: I need a pep talk. BAD. I don't want to go ride 5 hours by myself.
Ken: You can do it. Get up and go. Just you and the road, baby. (well, he didn’t say “baby” but that’s how I heard it in my head).

Honestly, there was, of course, no question if I would do it. I just needed to turn my attitude around. 5 hours is not something you can easily put into every day terms. I kept thinking it was a like taking a red eye from LA to New York or watching 2+ movies. That seemed along time to be on a damn bike.

I chugged a cup of coffee, fed and walked Heidi and stocked my jersey with 1,000 calories of Honey Stinger Waffles, GUs and raisin bread and peanut butter sandwiches. My water bottles were filled with Power Bar Perform. And, I was off.

I didn’t intend to climb so much, but then this happened – 2,700 feet of gain. I think that middle hill looks like a crazy cat with really pointy ears (and a mohawk?):

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I was hoping to hit 80 miles, but with all that climbing, I fell short.

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So, how did the week stack up?

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Bike 9 hours, 49 minutes - ~163 miles
Run 3 hours, 40 minutes – ~ 21 miles
Swim 3 hours, 7 minutes - ~ 8,200 yards (4.7 miles)

Total: 16 hours, 36 minutes – 188.7 miles

Many of you have asked if I’m doing heart rate training, and YES I am. I will talk more about that in a later post. For now I’m going to bask in the glory of 16 hours and 36 minutes by putting my feet up with a glass of wine and some candy bars. Then tomorrow, I’m up early to hit the pool followed by a run.

This Ironman training shit never ends. I have to say that my Coach ROCKS. She is so supportive of me, but also demanding. I think this makes the best combination. She gets that I have a family and a life outside of training and does her best to not have me compromise that.   She also doesn’t bullshit around. She tells me like it is and doesn’t’ sugar coat. I love that.

That said, we’ve decided I should do a 70.3 race in about a month (September 8) as a prep for IM Florida. I’ve opted for the Harvest Moon Long Course Triathlon, which is in Aurora, Colorado. I love that they cap this race at 600 people, that it’s affordable (only $160) and that there is a Slip ‘n Slide at the end (for those who can still move). So, if you are looking for a long distance race to close out the summer, this could be the one for you.

What’s your next race?

SUAR

PS and last but not least - the winner of the Funny Shirts Giveaway is Megan from the Lyons Share. Email me at beth@shutupandrun.net to claim your prize.

And, for those of you didn’t win, Funny Running Shirts was nice enough to give you all a coupon for 20% off your order, just type in SHUTUPRUN at check out. That means each shirt is about $18.00!

Friday, July 26, 2013

It’s Changing My Life

I don’t mean to be overly dramatic, but Ironman Florida training has quickly changed my life for 8 reasons. Well, there are more but I can’t think of them right now.

1. I catch cat naps whenever possible (this was in the car waiting at Target for my family, not while I was driving, but that might happen too. Don’t read this, mom). You can call me chicken neck if you want. I won’t be offended (if you do it behind my back and I don’t know):

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2. I have a car that at any given time is littered with banana peels, apple cores, empty Ziploc bags, 45 water bottles, empty Starbucks cups and half-sucked on Altoids (I like an Altoid,  but the taste can get to be too much, so I spit them out and clean them up at the end of the week. Weird habit that my family finds disgusting).

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3. On average, I am 10-15 minutes late wherever I go.

4. I smell like chlorine ALL day no matter how much I shower. Come to think of it, my car smells like chlorine too.

5. I also have raccoon/goggle eyes all day and look 10 years older than I really am.

6. I eat all day, everyday

7. I have become the queen of organization – all of my stuff for the next day’s workout is laid out  by 7pm, so I can go sit down with a glass of wine and popcorn and not think about it anymore (I’ve started training with Powerbar Perform because it is the drink they will have at Ironman Florida. I really like the light taste ((lemon lime)). It has 70 calories a scoop, so if I put a few scoops into my water bottle, that is about an hour of calories on the bike – I got this huge tub from Amazon for about $15). 

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8. The biggest, most significant change, however, is attitude. I’ve decided it’s much more productive to be positive than pissy. So, even when I wake up feeling pissy about an upcoming workout, I don’t feed the pissiness. I just do it. Also, every difficult training session (and they are all difficult) I view as a chance to become stronger and better. So..

  • If it is windy – I think “GREAT, prefect training for that head wind I’ll have in Florida!”
  • If it’s a 5 hour bike ride and I’m alone and annoyed and tired I think “GREAT! This is the perfect training for being alone and tired when I’m out there for 12+ hours at IMFL
  • If it’s hot, I know it’s nothing compared to the heat and humidity of Florida. I tell myself “GREAT – you need to get acclimated to the heat.”
  • If I’m climbing a mountain on my bike and my legs are toast and ready to fall off, I think “GREAT – these hills are priming you to kick ass on that flat Florida course.”

Okay, I’m lying. I don’t say GREAT with a big smile. I say GREAT gritting my teeth and cussing, but my point is – when you reframe the negative into a thought that might benefit you, your attitude kind of turns around. Every training challenge is an opportunity to become that much stronger mentally and physically.

So, I’ve put in 8 hours of training so far this week, and it’s been do-able. The true test comes this weekend.

Tomorrow morning I will ride for 3 hours followed by an hour run. I have to be done by 9:00 a.m. due to a prior commitment, so I don’t really want to think about how early I need to get going. I think that’s a 4:30 a.m. wake up call. Better have my wine now.

Sunday is a 5 hour ride.

If I complete all of this in one piece I will be able to say I had a 17 hour training week – my first ever. 

Wish me luck.

SUAR

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

“I Am Funny Shirts” Review and Giveaway

I’m not going to lie. Between races, travelling and generally being a shirt whore, I have about 45 million t-shirts. I typically wear maybe 5 of them.

That said, I am here to tell you – I have a new favorite shirt from I Am Funny Shirts, makers of unique, vintage and clever t-shirts.

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Thanks to Emma for letting me borrow her sick teenage aviators

Besides the fact that this running shirt looks great (I wear my best bra with it to maximize the appearance of the shirt), here’s what else I like:

  • This shirt is SOFT and feels like you’ve already washed it a bunch of times
  • The cut is feminine, not boxy. The men’s shirts are all crew neck.
  • The saying is cute and funny and might even start a conversation or two
  • Although the colors available in the shirts are limited, I LOVE the color of this one – the navy lettering on turquoise works well.
  • My only complaint is that they do not offer an “Itty Bitty Titty Committee” shirt

I’ve researched a bit on the background of this company and here’s what I’ve found:

All shirts are printed in New Orleans. The founders refer to their shirts as the “Rolls-Royces” of t-shirts. They are a bit more expensive than your typical t-shirt (right now, about $23 + $5 shipping), but are great quality, are all made in the US and have printing that will not crack or fade over time. Lastly, some of the proceeds of each shirt go to the “Good Goes Around Fund” which helps to support those trying to start their own businesses.

Here are some of my favorites from the site:

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I think these would make great gifts because you can find a shirt that’s personal to most anyone you know. Plus, free exchanges and returns!

What do you think? You know you want one. I Am Funny Shirts will give away one shirt to a winner – any shirt you choose! To enter (comment for each):

  1. Go to the I Am Funny Shirts site and tell me what you like (+1 entry)
  2. Tell me what your favorite t-shirt is and why (+ 1 entry)
  3. Twat, Facebook or blog about this giveaway (+1 entry)

Winner will be announced on Monday, July 28. No, Heidi is not included in the give away.

SUAR

Fine Print: I Am Funny Shirts gave me the shirt I am modeling and provided the shirt for the give away. All opinions expressed are my own.

Monday, July 22, 2013

The Most EPIC of Relays

11 people. 190 miles. 31 hours. 45 million feet of climbing 
Rocky Mountain Epic Relay

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I am not as happy as I look in this picture

If you have never done a long distance relay before I want you to stop reading, pull out a piece of paper, write BUCKET LIST at the top and put “RELAY” in the number one spot.

Here’s why:

  • You will be taken so far out of your comfort zone that you will stop giving a shit
  • You will not sleep, and you will feel euphoric and bitchy at the same time
  • You will see parts of place you would never otherwise see because relays tend to travel on (for the most part) remote roads
  • You will have a cup of coffee that is better than any cup of coffee you have ever had in your life, even if it is from a dumpy ass gas station (because you have been running all night, are freezing and are delirious).
  • You will become a connoisseur of porta potties (e.g “That one is mildly odiferous, but overall it is hygienic and rather cozy”)
  • You will simultaneously hate and love the other 5 people in your van – “Stop freaking kicking my damn seat you whore” – “You are a rock star! You killed that run. I love you!”

But, I think the biggest reason to do a relay is that it makes you feel ALIVE and young again (if you are still 20 years old, it will make you feel like you are a toddler). It is kind of a mix of camping, running, and being at a frat party (with much better beer than you could afford in college – hello, Fat Tire I love you).

We started at 6:30 a.m. on Friday in Canon City, Colorado (home of a total of 13 prisons and penitentiaries – lots of signs advising to not pick up hitch hikers):

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This is the same group we did the Wild West Relay with last year. We are all 40 and 50 something parents who like run, drink, laugh, play corn hole (sounds dirty), and braid each other’s hair:

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We all agreed that this was the best relay course we have ever done. It was so incredibly scenic and the bulk of it was on back country roads winding up and down the Rocky Mountains. This picture was taken on Cottonwood Pass, one of the mountains Ken, Tom and Rafe ran up in the middle of the night. Let’s just say there were a fair amount of f-bombs being thrown around as they made their kick ass ascents.

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My running legs, totaling about 17 miles, were all somewhat challenging – the second one – 8 miles - was incredibly stunning and mostly involved running down a mountain.

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I hauled ass, passed three people and took 4 dumps (Malicious Fecal Distribution x 4). Yes, you read that correctly. I had been munching on beef jerky, Clif Bars and drinking Gatorade all day, so by the time I ran again at 7 p.m. my stomach revolted a bit. Here I am at the end, still smiling and heading for the porta:

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I’m going to tell you the night time was a bit rough (that is my nice way of saying it sucked balls). Our van had finished our second legs, and Van #2 was running. We had a short amount of time to eat some cup ‘o noodles and drag our sleeping bags into the yard of church (can’t say I’ve done that before). We slept for one hour before it was time to start running again (this was about 10:30 p.m.). It was brutal.

I will say that my last run – about 7 miles – started in the pitch dark and wound around a beautiful reservoir at about 9,500 feet. It started to get light out and it was foggy and misty and incredibly quiet and peaceful (and colder than a witch’s tit). I loved every minute of it even though I was so tired I could barely put one foot in front of the other.

Here is where I ran (taken the next day, obviously):

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I was so pre-hypothermic and done by the end of that leg – I jumped into the van, snuggled under a sleeping bag and Van #2 studs brought me a cup of hot coffee made on the camp stove. Best cup of coffee of my life.

Some other great shots – one of Ken’s legs:

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Tom billy-goating down a trail:

Kate, coming up from a MASSIVE climb:

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We pulled into Crested Butte, site of the finish line and a small mountain town, at about 8:00 a.m., showered and waited for the rest of our team. I smelled and looked like crap.

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About 1:30 p.m., and after 31 hours, we were DONE!

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We placed 21 out of 40 teams. Not bad for these balding, pre-menopausal old folks.

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I just had to kiss a little ass to mark the celebration:

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It’s true that this relay did not at all fit into my Ironman Florida training schedule and it left me kind of fried, but it was worth every minute. So, bring on my highest training week EVER – 16 hours and 45 minutes – ugh, I think I need to go back to bed. 

Where’s the most scenic place you’ve ever run?

Would you consider yourself an introvert or extrovert? Could you spend 31 hours around a bunch of people in a mini van?

Ever take the Myers Briggs Personality Test? What were you? I’m an ENFP (Extrovert, Intuitive, Feeling, Perception), so a definite extrovert. But, even I like my space.

SUAR

PS: And for the LAST time. No, that was not me on the news in New Mexico.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

I Saved a Life

For obvious reasons, I could not pass up this photo-op from yesterday’s ride.

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Julie and I even matched and this made Heidi sing for some reason.

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I will have you know that on today’s ride I saved a life. Well, a dog life.

I was riding on a busy two lane road and saw this tiny dog running alongside the road. He looked like a mini Chihuahua mix. I stopped and tried to get him to come to me, but he was so scared and kept running out into the road. Eventually I just stopped traffic both ways because I like to pretend I am a police officer (I am SORRY if you are going to be late to work, but we have a canine emergency here).  Mini dog  kept hiding under people’s stopped cars. Finally, I got him to come to me, but he kept snarling and trying to bite me. Someone gave me their work gloves and I was able to pick him up and put him into a car that promised to take him to the humane society. That was my good deed for the year. Now I can go back to being selfish.

It’s obviously another crazy week of cycling over here. Coach has me on the bike every single day for 1-3 hours to make up for the three days I will be gone for the EPIC Relay this weekend. I think she is punishing me. This means my legs should be nice and FRIED before I even start my first leg of the relay.

I haven’t had much time to dissect my legs for the race – but I know they are “moderate” “very hard” and “hard.” I like hard (TWSS). I am not sure I am crazy about very hard. This does promise to be a majorly scenic relay – we start in Canon City (southwest Colorado) and travel northwest for 190 miles up to Crested Butte, Colorado. I think my legs only total about 18 miles.

This is the same team I did a relay with last year, so they are very familiar with my tendency to fart and provide TMI. 

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Ken and volunteered to handle the food, so I hope people like junk. The good think about buying the food is you buy what YOU really want. In my case that was beef jerky, Tootsie Pops (I love lollipops on road trips), Starbucks Via and those Costco muffins that are the size of a human head. Oh, and WIPES. Lots of those.

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That bluish bag lying on the top contains 150 mini candy bars. That is approximately 13.63 per person (there are 11 of us).

See you next week for a fun relay wrap-up!

Have you ever done  24-hour running relay? This will be my third. I did Hood to Coast (2009) and the Wild West Relay (2012).

What’s your favorite road trip food?

What’s the last good deed you did?

SUAR

Monday, July 15, 2013

I Had a Miniature Breakdown, But It’s Okay

I know I’m only in my third week of Ironman Florida training, but I keep having to remind myself to relax, not take myself so seriously and to not get hung up on perfectionism.

I’m also having to be more vulnerable and ask for help, which is a bit out of my comfort zone. You see, I had no clue I was going to be doing the Ironman until a month ago, and I have not much time to train, so things went from zero to one hundred in about a millisecond.

And, we are just getting started.

This past week was only 12+ hours hours of training (as if 12 hours is measly or something) – but the BULK of it was done over the weekend, leaving me fried. Coach Sharpie told me if I wasn’t using the “F” word every time I spoke her name (F$cking Sharpie!) then she was doing something wrong. You can see why we are a good match.

Sunday was the first day that I was on the bike muttering “F$cking Sharpie and her f$cking workouts.” I had done a 60 mile ride and 6 mile run Saturday, then bright and early Sunday it was back on the bike for 4 1/2 more hours, which included major climbing and intervals.

From the minute I got on the bike, my legs were heavy and I just didn’t want to be doing it. I was alone and in a bad ass mood. I wanted to join Ken on a trail run or to sit on the couch with the paper and coffee. Boo hoo – First World Problems. Not even my Honey Stinger waffles made me smile. Then I somehow lost my $10 bill and ran out of water and food and thought I would have to rob a 7-11, but I didn’t. I can’t do the Ironman if I am incarcerated.

I kept reminding myself, this is what it is all about. You are going to have many times when you don’t want to do it. Shut up. Do it. Power through. And the goofiest thing was that in my head I would chant “Beth Risdon, you are an Ironman!” (with a vagina). That might seem totally asinine, but keeping my eye on the goal is the point, right?   On November 2, I want to feel how I did in this picture (70.3 Boulder):

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So, in all I did another 63 miles of hills, wind and intervals.

Here’s how the week shook out:

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Total time = 12 hours, 18 minutes.

You can see it was predominantly time spent on the bike. Not every week will be that bike heavy – lots of times I will have long runs instead.  (Oh, running, I miss you! But, there will be lots of running this week as I have the EPIC Relay this weekend).

For the week:

Bike total miles: 133
Run total miles: 12
Swim total yards: 4,300 yards

ALL of my workouts are aerobic and done at very low heart rates. This is because the Ironman will be all about endurance and being in an aerobic zone. If I don’t do that and fuel properly, I will die.

I did have a miniature breakdown on Sunday. I was tired and questioning if I could really do this thing. Ken and Sharpie pep-talked me back on track. Sharpie said, “That’s mine to worry about. You just do what I say and you will finish.”

Then I got this today and my faith was restored in how cool this whole thing is (it’s hard to read the fine print, but it basically is a press release about this cool team I am on). I do feel truly honored and lucky to be part of this.

 

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If you want to read more about my exceptional team mates and who makes up our X2PERFORMANCE Ironman Team, go HERE. Yes, we have our own website!! Too good to be true, really.

Would you ever consider doing an Ironman? Why or why not?

What is your next big race goal? Are you scared/excited/anxious – all of the above?

SUAR

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Now, THAT Was Mean

Today was a long day IMFL of training (4 hours, 40 minutes of workouts). The end.

Before I get into that, you will not believe what went on here last night.

I was on strict orders from Coach Sharpie to rest for the day – no major chores and lots of laying around. Twist my arm. Sharpie said she would be checking in to see which movies I watched or books I read while sitting on my ass, so I knew she was serious. So, like a good student, I read a ton of Sisterland (loving this book – it is by the same author as Prep, which I also loved).

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Then, Emma and I rented My Sister’s Keeper. If you’ve ever seen this movie (this was my second time)  then you know you do the ugly cry through the entire two hours. It is ridiculously sad, but a good story. Fortunately I had lots of wine and jelly beans to get me through (I will say the Target brand of gourmet jelly beans may be cheaper, but they are NO Jelly Bellies).

After the movie, it was late. Emma and I went to walk Heidi. We were both kind of on edge from the movie and started talking about how some houses on our street creep us out because they are dark at night and no one leaves any lights on. I think we kind of scared ourselves.

When we got inside, Emma went up to go to bed. Ken was already asleep and Sam was in the basement with a friend. I heard Emma say loudly, “You scared me!” and I had no clue who she was talking to. She then ran downstairs, her face in her hands with the most terrified look on her face.

Me: “What’s wrong?”

Her: “There is someone standing in the corner of my room.”

Me (crapping myself out of fear): “What do you mean? WHAT? Are you sure?”

Her (voice shaky, staring to cry): “Yes, there is someone standing in my room. I thought it was Sam or one of his friends, but it wasn’t.”

Me: “Holy shit. Ok. Let me wake up dad.”

I woke up Ken who was so sound asleep he could not grasp the concept of what I was saying.  EMMA SAYS THERE IS SOMEONE STANDING IN THE CORNER OF HER ROOM! GET THE EFF UP! I grabbed my phone and dialed 911, but didn’t call yet. I was on the READY. Ken edged towards the room. He turned on the all light and peeked in.

Him: “I don’t think it’s a person, but I don’t know what it is.”

Then all of a sudden it dawned on me. Earlier in the day Sam had been working on some “project.” I had no clue what it was. In that moment I KNEW that that TURD had rigged this whole thing. I turned on the light to see:

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He dressed up a scarecrow we put out at Halloween. It’s about 5 feet tall.

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Poor Emma. Such a good sport.

Yeah, Sam is in a time out for the rest of his life. Pay backs will be hell for him once I figure out my plan.

Now my story of today’s training will sound boring compared to dressed up scarecrows standing in the corner of bedrooms late at night.

This morning I did a 60 mile ride followed by a 6 mile run.

I’m still standing and aside from the fact that I could eat my right arm I’m so hungry, I’m feeling pretty good. Tomorrow I will get up and do it all over again – only this time a longer ride and no run. Good thing my lady parts and the bike seat have become good friends because they are spending a lot of quality time together.

Did you have an older sibling who tormented you? I have an older brother, but he never did much to me. The only thing I remember was when his friends would come over when I was little he would always tell them I wet my pants (LIE!). He would also sit on me and do that thing where you let a loogie hang out and then suck it back in.

What’s the best practical joke you’ve played or been a victim of? I still love giving people those fake scratch lottery cards that make them think they’ve won a million dollars (<MEAN)

Best book you’ve read lately?

SUAR

Thursday, July 11, 2013

5 Ways To Shut Up and Run on Vacation

Up until a few years ago I thought running or working out on vacation was stupid. A vacation is supposed to be fun and relaxing and a break from all of the crap you do every other day of the week – so why ruin it by exerting yourself?  Then I grew up realized some things:

  • If you run on vacation, you can eat and drink more

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  • If you run on vacation, you get to see and smell more (in the case of San Francisco, this included smelling everything from urine to puke to the fresh sea air)
  • If you run on vacation, you can actually kind of keep up with your training and not feel like a loser
  • If you run on vacation, you can feel like a stud compared to all those other people who are sleeping in (and they, in turn, can view you as an over-achieving crazy person, but who cares?)
  • If you run on vacation, you may be less likely to kill your family

However, it’s not always easy.

  • You have to schlep all your workout gear to your destination.  Wah, wah wah.
  • You have to get up early (because we all know once the day starts and you are either sight seeing or drinking at lunch or laying on the beach or all of the above, your ass is definitely not going to take an evening run)
  • You have to figure out where the hell you are going so you don’t get lost or mugged

I have become the queen of training while traveling. I am not bragging, I am just telling you. So, here are some tried and true ways to stop your whining and excuses and run on vacation:

1. Don’t Worry About Smelling. If you are like me, no matter where you go or for how long, you will NOT pay a baggage fee (unless it is Southwest where bags fly free). This means very limited space for clothes, Depends, shoes, tampons and curling irons.

My solution is to bring only one or two pieces of workout stuff. This means that unless you have access to laundry or can rinse stuff out, you will smell a lot by the end of your trip. I wore the same socks for 7 days on this past vacation and I don’t have a fungus (that I know of).

Don't complicate things. Running was meant to be simple. Throw some stuff in your bag and make it happen.

You are lucky this is not a scratch ‘n sniff picture (they are actually stiff):

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2. Plan a Route You Can Get a Boner About. Confucius say: “If you excited about run, you will go on run.”

One of the best things about running when you travel is it’s a new way to explore. Run the hills in San Francisco. Go up and down the Strip in Vegas. Hit the trails outside of Boulder. The absolute three best ways to find your routes are to 1) use Map My Run (here you can search by the distance you want to run and see where some of the most popular routes are) 2) ask your blog friends 3) ask the locals. When I travel I talk to everyone and ask if they run because then they can tell me where to go. The cashier at Trader Joes in Monterey set me up for this amazing run to Pebble Beach.

Just remember to always bring a phone, some money and your hotel key.

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3. Get Creative and Be Flexible, Dammit. This is probably the best piece of advice I have. Running and training while traveling will be different and you have to improvise on your routes and sometimes the quality of your workouts. 

While in Vegas, there wasn’t a lap pool at the Palazzo (there were only fancy, weird shaped, little pools). I got there right when it opened, put on my goggles and cap and made the best of it. This did mean looking like a freak and swimming around all kinds of tourists, drunkards and screaming children, but I made it happen.

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4. Include People If You Must. If you don’t want to always be abandoning family and friends to work out, bring them with you. You might not keep the same paces or go the same distance, but it becomes an inclusive activity.

Our family rented bikes in San Francisco and did a fabulous 16 mile ride over the Golden Gate Bridge and into Sausalito. It was actually pretty challenging with the wind and hills and we all thought it was one of the highlights of the trip.

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5. For God’s Sake, Don’t Over Think It. It’s so easy to sabotage yourself. Just make it happen and don’t let your brain talk you out of it. Plan your route, set your alarm, lay out your clothes and don’t puss out.

What’s your best tip for running while on vacation?

Do you make it a personal rule to always run while traveling?

What’s the best run you’ve ever had away from home? (not including a race) The 15 mile run from Monterey and Pebble Beach and back was amazing.

SUAR