Synonyms: disaster, catastrophe, tragedy, cataclysm, adversity, tribulation, affliction, misfortune, misadventure OK... so, it is not a disaster. Not catastrophic. No tragedy. Definitely not cataclysmic. I agree with adversity. Maybe even a tribulation.-- in the sense that it is a trouble, a difficulty, a problem Appears to be an affliction. Certainly a misfortune. Definitely a misadventure. So, is calamity the right word? Well, I am not certain, but it was the word that came to mind first when I began to reflect on the ONE MILE that I ran today. ONE MILE!!! Actually, it was even worse!! It was 0.78 miles. I could not run 0.78 miles without injuring my calf AGAIN! And it was an easy 8:21 per mile pace. What a calamity. I am not sure what the problem is. The first time I injured my calf, I attributed it to overuse. I ran a bunch of hills in Colorado, and I was not accustomed to hills. Then I would ski all day. So, as much as I did not like it, I could understand how and why it happened. THIS IS JUST PLAIN CRAZY! I have not run for 5 days because I was sick. Prior to that, I only ran a couple of times on the cruise. And even when I was running, I was only running 3-5 miles. My point here is that it is DEFINITELY NOT overuse. Not possible. I have been stretching too. I stretched this morning. (It did not seem to help) I am a bit discouraged at the moment. How is it possible that I cannot even run an easy mile without injury? How is it possible? It is not even ONE spot. One day the pain is here and the next time it is there. The calf is such a stubborn muscle group. ARGHHHHHHHH!!!!! My training has been so sparse. I cannot seem to get well or healthy enough to train. Terribly frustrating. Allow me to make clear that I completely understand this is entirely a first world problem. There are certainly MUCH bigger issues in the world. I am sure this sounds exactly like the whining my children perform when they are not allowed to play the next game on their iPad, or get a belly ache after eating too much candy. Never-the-less, I am simply frustrated with my calf, and if I want to whine on my blog.... well then I will whine on my blog. Thanks for "listening". You may continue clicking now... You have reached the end of the internet! |
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Calamity
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Cozumel
Went on a cruise with Levi this past weekend. He was a blast and we had a good time.
We went on the Carnival Paradise quick and easy out of Tampa to Cozumel -- 4 days. I won't bother giving you a cruise recap. Suffice it to say, ya get what ya pay for.
There is a jogging track on the Sports Deck -- Deck 12. I was determined to put in some miles while on the cruise. I am, after all training for the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon June 17. A couple of things happened that are funny and not funny. Let me start with funny.
I got up early on the first day of the cruise and went up to the Sports Deck with Levi. Believe it or not, I stretched a little and then set out for a light run. The track is kinda small. I was not sure how far around it was, but I figured my Garmin and/or my Strava app would tell me something of value.
Well, the Strava app was of no value as there was no wifi or cell connection anywhere up there, and out in the middle of the ocean. So, I tried to pay attention to my Garmin and just listen to tunes with the phone. Well, the Garmin appeared to be calculating km instead of miles, but no big deal... I would just run a 10K. So, I ran and was running what I thought was a decent pace. I was not doing the math, but I was running roughly 3:00 or so every time my watch would buzz at me. So, I figured I was running a nice 10K. When I was done, I thought it seemed too short. So, I rested and took a look at the watch which told me that I was running some major NEW PR's. I was smoking this run. It was actually calculating miles. According to my watch, I was running 3 minute miles. A new PR for a mile. 2 minutes 45 seconds. New PR for a 5K, and a new PR for 10K. I was amused.
When I looked closer and considered what was happening. I realized that the boat was traveling and the watch was calculating distance traveled. How far did I actually run, and at what pace?? WHO KNOWS. Maybe some of you are math wizards that can calculate this for me, but all I could do is laugh.
The next day I ran again, but the boat was moving slower, so I set no more records. LOL
The other thing that happened is not so funny. I spent Saturday night (BTW. wouldn't it just be easier to say Saturnight instead of Saturday night? Monday, Monnight, Tuesnight, Wednesnight, etc..) Either way, I spent that night in the bathroom -- ALL NIGHT. At least ten trips to the bathroom and needed and took multiple showers. It was ugly. I still have not recovered. I have eaten broth and oatmeal and a banana in three days. The expulsion has ceased, but I get quite nauseous at every bite.
I am certain I will be fine. I don't think this will derail my training.... just a minor set-back. I did not run the rest of the cruise, no matter how fast the boat was moving.
Thought you'd enjoy.
We went on the Carnival Paradise quick and easy out of Tampa to Cozumel -- 4 days. I won't bother giving you a cruise recap. Suffice it to say, ya get what ya pay for.
There is a jogging track on the Sports Deck -- Deck 12. I was determined to put in some miles while on the cruise. I am, after all training for the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon June 17. A couple of things happened that are funny and not funny. Let me start with funny.
I got up early on the first day of the cruise and went up to the Sports Deck with Levi. Believe it or not, I stretched a little and then set out for a light run. The track is kinda small. I was not sure how far around it was, but I figured my Garmin and/or my Strava app would tell me something of value.
Well, the Strava app was of no value as there was no wifi or cell connection anywhere up there, and out in the middle of the ocean. So, I tried to pay attention to my Garmin and just listen to tunes with the phone. Well, the Garmin appeared to be calculating km instead of miles, but no big deal... I would just run a 10K. So, I ran and was running what I thought was a decent pace. I was not doing the math, but I was running roughly 3:00 or so every time my watch would buzz at me. So, I figured I was running a nice 10K. When I was done, I thought it seemed too short. So, I rested and took a look at the watch which told me that I was running some major NEW PR's. I was smoking this run. It was actually calculating miles. According to my watch, I was running 3 minute miles. A new PR for a mile. 2 minutes 45 seconds. New PR for a 5K, and a new PR for 10K. I was amused.
When I looked closer and considered what was happening. I realized that the boat was traveling and the watch was calculating distance traveled. How far did I actually run, and at what pace?? WHO KNOWS. Maybe some of you are math wizards that can calculate this for me, but all I could do is laugh.
The next day I ran again, but the boat was moving slower, so I set no more records. LOL
The other thing that happened is not so funny. I spent Saturday night (BTW. wouldn't it just be easier to say Saturnight instead of Saturday night? Monday, Monnight, Tuesnight, Wednesnight, etc..) Either way, I spent that night in the bathroom -- ALL NIGHT. At least ten trips to the bathroom and needed and took multiple showers. It was ugly. I still have not recovered. I have eaten broth and oatmeal and a banana in three days. The expulsion has ceased, but I get quite nauseous at every bite.
I am certain I will be fine. I don't think this will derail my training.... just a minor set-back. I did not run the rest of the cruise, no matter how fast the boat was moving.
Thought you'd enjoy.
Monday, May 8, 2017
Indianapolis Indiana Race Recap
Here is the race recap for Indianapolis. Officially, One America Mini Marathon
Indianapolis, Indiana
Registration:
The fees were $75 for the half and since Valerie came with me AND ran the 5k, it was another $35 for the 5k
$11.56 processing fee
Total, in case you hate math $121.56
The Expo:
This expo was at the Indiana Convention Center. It was the same old thing. I suppose this is what people want and likely what vendors desire too. I bet they sell all sorts of stuff. In fact, Valerie bought a water resistant phone carrier for her arm.... sucker! Truth is, Valerie hates this type of shopping and wandering around the convention hall as much or more than I do. I had to force her to walk down half of the aisles and point stuff out for her saying, "don't you want one of those?" and "oooh, look at that. Maybe the kids would like that," I was met with a quick and emphatic, "NOPE!" So, we walked the convention floor for about 4 minutes after getting our race packets and walked to the hotel... which was connected to the convention center. Finally an easy one.
Shirt:
The shirt was a long-sleeved wicking, tech shirt. Valerie's shirt was gender specific and short-sleeved. These pictures show the front and the back of my shirt.
Race Day:
Saturday
Race Start Time:
Course Map:
I thought this would be a "cool" race because it ran through the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and around the track. And I was right. It was pretty cool. Funny story. After the race, when we were at a local burger restaurant, the owner asked me if I stopped and kissed the bricks. I had no idea what she was talking about. Later, a friend of mine asked me if we ran over the bricks. I had to ask... OK, I Googled it. So, the tradition is to kiss the bricks that are laid out on the track after you win the Indy 500. My friend said, I guess you didn't win. Far from it. So, while we were at the airport we saw a friend who had also run this race -- He actually ran it fast! Super fast! He finished 30 minutes before me. Anyway, I was telling him about all of the brick questions. He said, "Oh yeah, there were signs and reporters, and celebrities and people stopping to kiss the brick and photographers. I am surprised you didn't see them!" I saw NONE OF THAT! Seriously!! I did not notice any part of that. However, take a look at the photo below.
Nope. No bricks!! No idea what they are talking about. LOL.
Accommodations:
We took a Lyft to the convention center from the airport and then we walked to the hotel and everywhere else. Indianapolis is a really nice and pretty city. Interesting architecture and old buildings and it was clean and just nice. There were a bunch of electric cars around called BlueIndy. You can rent them for the day or hour or week or whatever. I considered renting one of those as they were right outside of our hotel and I saw a place at the airport also, but the Lyft ride was only $11, so I decided to save that type of thing for a time when I needed to go more places.
Weather:
Race:
The race was well organized. I did not have any trouble finding where to go. There was no confusion. And based on what I have already told you, you may understand that it is important to me for there to be no confusion as I get confused easily and miss most everything. The roads were not as bad as New Orleans, but could use some work around town. There was one part where we were entering into the Speedway that I stepped into a hole and twisted my ankle. It did not hurt too badly and I do not think it hampered my "performance" much, if at all. It was nice to have the draw of the lap around the Speedway to look forward to. Knowing that was coming up kept me from running too fast (so that I would have some energy left to make it a mile around the track), and kept me motivated to keep going. It was also nice that it was in the "middle" of the race, because as you left the track it felt like you had accomplished something and the finish was within reach.
I really needed a couple or a few more weeks to train for this race. The leg is all good, but my cardio was just not there completely. I walked for a very short 10 seconds after mile two. I thought this was going to be a melt down race for me, but I was able to recover quickly. I was just going too fast. I was only running 7:55-8:00, but I just could not sustain it. After that short walk, I slowed to 8:30-8:40 and did just fine. This is significantly slower than I had been running prior to hurting the calf, but I just did not have the lungs for it. Good news is I have 5 full weeks before Minnesota.
Water/Food Stations:
There were water stations every1.5 and some were even closer than that. Once again, all I saw was water and Gatorade and MOST of the stations were water only. I did not get any Gatorade until after I left the Speedway. I would have liked to have had something other than water at least once during the first 8 miles. There was a Cliff Shot station at mile 9 and that was nice as I was in need of some energy at that point. I saw no bananas or other food at any of the stations. (but, I think we have already established that I do not see everything).
Scenery:
The scenery was downtown Indy and the Indy 500 Motor Speedway. Indy is a nice city and the Speedway was just cool to run on. I thought it was a rather enjoyable race.
Race Entertainment:
There were several smaller acts, but not necessarily music. There were a few bands, but I found it fun that there were several cheerleaders - little ones, and even a group of cloggers. I have no idea how they clogged for several hours, but presumably they did. One entertainment station was at a bus stop, one guy with three large speakers playing loud music. It kinda made me chuckle.
Finish:
The finish was Just a couple of blocks from the start. It was one of the more organized finish areas that I have encountered so far. I think the reason I felt this way is because it was LOOOONG. It went down one street and then turned and went down another. This sounds like a bad thing, but I liked it because it meant that there were not hoards of people all vying for the same space. It may not be apparent, but I do not really like crowds of people. Especially when they are all bunched up into an area. There was bananas, granola bars, water, gatorade, fruit cups and a few other little things. I ate them as I walked back to the hotel where Valerie was waiting.
Bling:
The finishers medal was pretty cool and went with he whole Indy race theme.
Misc:
This was a nice race. If I had my lungs and had been able to keep a good pace, I think this would have been my favorite race so far. There were lots of people. I think there were 20,000 in this race and there was no marathon, only the half. I never was able to get "out in the open". Usually the crowd thins out and you have some breathing/running room. Not this time. In fact, while we were making our way around the track, I was passing two guys (yes, I passed a few people), one of them was passing the other, so I drafted him to make the pass... well, he decided this would be a fine time to take off his jacket and put it around his waist. Of course he had to slow down to do it which put me in a pickle. I tried to split the middle sideways, but I ended up bumping both of them. I yelled, "excuse me! Sorry!" but, I doubt they cared. Probably just mad that I bumped into them.
Post Race:
Indianapolis, Indiana
Registration:
Registration was through ImAthlete. I had to create an account and I now have another account for something for which I will never remember my password.
Fee:The fees were $75 for the half and since Valerie came with me AND ran the 5k, it was another $35 for the 5k
$11.56 processing fee
Total, in case you hate math $121.56
The Expo:
This expo was at the Indiana Convention Center. It was the same old thing. I suppose this is what people want and likely what vendors desire too. I bet they sell all sorts of stuff. In fact, Valerie bought a water resistant phone carrier for her arm.... sucker! Truth is, Valerie hates this type of shopping and wandering around the convention hall as much or more than I do. I had to force her to walk down half of the aisles and point stuff out for her saying, "don't you want one of those?" and "oooh, look at that. Maybe the kids would like that," I was met with a quick and emphatic, "NOPE!" So, we walked the convention floor for about 4 minutes after getting our race packets and walked to the hotel... which was connected to the convention center. Finally an easy one.
Shirt:
The shirt was a long-sleeved wicking, tech shirt. Valerie's shirt was gender specific and short-sleeved. These pictures show the front and the back of my shirt.
Race Day:
Saturday
Race Start Time:
Race start time was 7:00am for the 5k and 7:33am for the half. Valerie went off right at 7:00am, but the half started about 90 seconds late. Actual start time 7:34:30. I was happy that it started a little behind because I was rushing over from the hotel that was directly adjacent to the start. It was 40F and raining. I was cold. So, after I saw Valerie off, I went into the hotel lobby, in the warmth and waited. I was not able to stretch or move around much because there was a whole bunch of other folks who had the same idea, but I was able to get a breakfast bar and some water... which was good, because I forgot to get breakfast. I was more focused on getting Valerie to the starting line on time so I forgot until we were almost there. Oh well, It all worked out.
I thought this would be a "cool" race because it ran through the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and around the track. And I was right. It was pretty cool. Funny story. After the race, when we were at a local burger restaurant, the owner asked me if I stopped and kissed the bricks. I had no idea what she was talking about. Later, a friend of mine asked me if we ran over the bricks. I had to ask... OK, I Googled it. So, the tradition is to kiss the bricks that are laid out on the track after you win the Indy 500. My friend said, I guess you didn't win. Far from it. So, while we were at the airport we saw a friend who had also run this race -- He actually ran it fast! Super fast! He finished 30 minutes before me. Anyway, I was telling him about all of the brick questions. He said, "Oh yeah, there were signs and reporters, and celebrities and people stopping to kiss the brick and photographers. I am surprised you didn't see them!" I saw NONE OF THAT! Seriously!! I did not notice any part of that. However, take a look at the photo below.
Accommodations:
We stayed at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Indy. It was attached to the convention center and it was the old Union Station train station. There were actual train tracks inside the hotel and trains on them. They converted them into rooms, so you could stay in the train. We did not, but it was really cool either way. Also, it is a working station, so real live working trains pass by your room several times each day and night. They give you ear plugs for each person in your room. It did not actually bother us... and it was pretty cool.
Transportation:We took a Lyft to the convention center from the airport and then we walked to the hotel and everywhere else. Indianapolis is a really nice and pretty city. Interesting architecture and old buildings and it was clean and just nice. There were a bunch of electric cars around called BlueIndy. You can rent them for the day or hour or week or whatever. I considered renting one of those as they were right outside of our hotel and I saw a place at the airport also, but the Lyft ride was only $11, so I decided to save that type of thing for a time when I needed to go more places.
Weather:
The weather was cold.... AGAIN. It was 40F at the start... AGAIN... only this time it was raining. It rained from 7:00am to 7:45 or so. Valerie tried to get me to buy some gloves at the Expo, but I declined. My hands were not really cold this time. In fact, because I spent the 30 min before the race in the hotel lobby, I was not really cold at all. It was chilly, but not terrible. I prayed that God would hold off the rain and He did! It was cloudy and moist for most of the race, but the sun came out after a while and it felt really nice.
Race Morning:
We walked through the convention center to get to the start of the 5k... on purpose, It was cold and windy and neither of us wanted to be outside. Good thing there was a way to to get there through the convention center in doors. Valerie told me that there were Indy cars that separated the waves. Since I was closer to the front, we did not have any cars separating anything, but she said it was pretty cool.
Race:
The race was well organized. I did not have any trouble finding where to go. There was no confusion. And based on what I have already told you, you may understand that it is important to me for there to be no confusion as I get confused easily and miss most everything. The roads were not as bad as New Orleans, but could use some work around town. There was one part where we were entering into the Speedway that I stepped into a hole and twisted my ankle. It did not hurt too badly and I do not think it hampered my "performance" much, if at all. It was nice to have the draw of the lap around the Speedway to look forward to. Knowing that was coming up kept me from running too fast (so that I would have some energy left to make it a mile around the track), and kept me motivated to keep going. It was also nice that it was in the "middle" of the race, because as you left the track it felt like you had accomplished something and the finish was within reach.
I really needed a couple or a few more weeks to train for this race. The leg is all good, but my cardio was just not there completely. I walked for a very short 10 seconds after mile two. I thought this was going to be a melt down race for me, but I was able to recover quickly. I was just going too fast. I was only running 7:55-8:00, but I just could not sustain it. After that short walk, I slowed to 8:30-8:40 and did just fine. This is significantly slower than I had been running prior to hurting the calf, but I just did not have the lungs for it. Good news is I have 5 full weeks before Minnesota.
There were water stations every1.5 and some were even closer than that. Once again, all I saw was water and Gatorade and MOST of the stations were water only. I did not get any Gatorade until after I left the Speedway. I would have liked to have had something other than water at least once during the first 8 miles. There was a Cliff Shot station at mile 9 and that was nice as I was in need of some energy at that point. I saw no bananas or other food at any of the stations. (but, I think we have already established that I do not see everything).
Scenery:
The scenery was downtown Indy and the Indy 500 Motor Speedway. Indy is a nice city and the Speedway was just cool to run on. I thought it was a rather enjoyable race.
Race Entertainment:
There were several smaller acts, but not necessarily music. There were a few bands, but I found it fun that there were several cheerleaders - little ones, and even a group of cloggers. I have no idea how they clogged for several hours, but presumably they did. One entertainment station was at a bus stop, one guy with three large speakers playing loud music. It kinda made me chuckle.
Finish:
The finish was Just a couple of blocks from the start. It was one of the more organized finish areas that I have encountered so far. I think the reason I felt this way is because it was LOOOONG. It went down one street and then turned and went down another. This sounds like a bad thing, but I liked it because it meant that there were not hoards of people all vying for the same space. It may not be apparent, but I do not really like crowds of people. Especially when they are all bunched up into an area. There was bananas, granola bars, water, gatorade, fruit cups and a few other little things. I ate them as I walked back to the hotel where Valerie was waiting.
Bling:
The finishers medal was pretty cool and went with he whole Indy race theme.
Misc:
This was a nice race. If I had my lungs and had been able to keep a good pace, I think this would have been my favorite race so far. There were lots of people. I think there were 20,000 in this race and there was no marathon, only the half. I never was able to get "out in the open". Usually the crowd thins out and you have some breathing/running room. Not this time. In fact, while we were making our way around the track, I was passing two guys (yes, I passed a few people), one of them was passing the other, so I drafted him to make the pass... well, he decided this would be a fine time to take off his jacket and put it around his waist. Of course he had to slow down to do it which put me in a pickle. I tried to split the middle sideways, but I ended up bumping both of them. I yelled, "excuse me! Sorry!" but, I doubt they cared. Probably just mad that I bumped into them.
I walked back to the hotel and got a shower and laid down for an hour and then Valerie and I packed up and found a local hamburger joint. It was a good burger and much needed. I actually did not eat the whole thing... but someone that I know DID eat their entire thing.
As I mentioned, I have 5 weeks until Minnesota. I plan on getting my cardio back in that time frame. I start back tomorrow. Honk if you see me on the road. BTW... I am running this next race for St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Please consider donating to this great cause. Simply click here:
http://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/Heroes/Heroes?px=4464319&pg=personal&fr_id=64831
As I mentioned, I have 5 weeks until Minnesota. I plan on getting my cardio back in that time frame. I start back tomorrow. Honk if you see me on the road. BTW... I am running this next race for St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Please consider donating to this great cause. Simply click here:
http://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/Heroes/Heroes?px=4464319&pg=personal&fr_id=64831
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