Race Report – 2017 Space Coast Half Marathon

I made it!  All five years of Space Coast!  When we first started this series, I really didn’t know if I’d make it all five years, but I definitely wanted to.  I love the space program and I really wanted to get all five shuttle medals.  I typically don’t race for medals, but I’m not going to lie, this time, I raced for medals.

Of course, it wasn’t just about the bling.  It’s also a great time for me to go to Florida, and I had so many friends doing the series that it was always worth going.  Definitely one of the most fun trips of the year every year.

For this race, my main goal was to run with Kim, and we talked about a general goal of running sub-3, but really, just having a good time.  She raced the prior weekend, I was dealing with hip tightness, so who knew what would happen.  I knew that we would end up talking through the entire race so either way, it would be awesome.

And it was!  The weather was pretty darn perfect, not too hot or too humid, which is a rarity for this race.  I was feeling some tightness in my hip, mostly in my piriformis, but nothing like I had dealt with while running the previous weekend, so I wasn’t too concerned.  Kim and I ran along, keeping a pretty steady pace (save for the bathroom break we both needed), and basically enjoying the day.

Around mile 8 or so, my piriformis started to make itself known, nothing big. And then at mile 12, the soleus on my other leg froze up.  I think I yelled “CRAMP!” and Kim tried to catch me.  I wasn’t falling though, just hobbling.  I tried to walk it off, but every time I went to run, it hurt, so that meant we were walking it in.  Kim was awesome and didn’t seem to care that we were walking, so we just made our way to the finish line.

Not my best finish, not my worst finish, and I had a blast. Racing with friends is so much fun.  Some races are for pushing and trying to PR, but some days, it’s nice to just get out there and laugh through the whole race.

So that’s that.  Five year series complete.  I’m leaning towards racing again for the next series, or at least starting it out.  I like being in Florida after Thanksgiving and having a vacation to start the holiday season.

Now to get this hip/piriformis/glute thing fixed!

 

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Dance Off the Inches: Fat Burning Jam Workout- Part 1

Barre Body Conditioning Routine: Element- Sadie Lincoln

Hip Hop Body Blast Cardio Workout: Dance Off The Inches

Trying Out Zwift

Following the recommendation of… oh, just about everyone, I have finally checked out Zwift for cycling workouts.

What is Zwift?  I guess you could call it virtual reality cycling.  You connect to their platform and get to ride through a virtual landscape with other riders.  And of course, there are definitely game aspects to it – so you can challenge other riders,  try to set new personal bests, and of course, earn new jerseys and equipment for your avatar to wear.

Don’t worry, after this, I earned enough points for a helmet. Even virtual riders shouldn’t be without a helmet.

So the best way to use Zwift is probably through a smart trainer, which will automatically change your resistance as you ride through the hills and valleys of Zwift.

I don’t have a smart trainer.  But I do have a power meter, which works pretty well.  Zwift looks at the watts I’m putting out and the simulated course and uses that to determine how fast avatar me is going.  So I can be pedaling at the same rate and speed, and depending if I’m going uphill or downhill, I could be doing anywhere from 3mph-35mph (all speeds I have seen on Zwift).  So obviously, the goal is for me to change my gearing so that I’m picking up the pace and better simulating the road changes.

If you don’t have a smart trainer or a power meter, you can use a speed and cadence sensor, which Zwift will translate into zPower, their version of virtual power.  It’s not quite the same, but still can make for a good workout.

For me, Zwift just breaks up a bit of the monotony on long rides.  And you can input your pre-designed workouts as well.  My coach gives me workouts, which I can do while on Zwift.  When I’m just riding to ride, it’s fun to try to beat old sprint records or try to climb the hill faster.  (I think I need to ride at some crazy mid-week hour so I can have a chance at a QOM – queen of the mountain – and even then it’s unlikely.)

Plus, let’s be honest, I like stats.  I’ve been training with power, and I like being able to see the power on the screen.  I can still port the workout over to Strava and see how I’m doing on the various segments that have been created.  I’m hoping this helps me become an even stronger rider over the winter.

Anyone else use Zwift?

 

 

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Pilates Perfect Belly Workout: 10 Min Solution

Turkey Trot

I have to admit, it’s been years since I’ve run a Turkey Trot.  Why? Mostly because I’m in taper for Space Coast.  Also, I have to admit, a big part of it is the unpredictable weather in November.  So I’m not surprised by the data below indicating that most Turkey Trots are happening in relatively warm states.

Do you run a Turkey Trot?  Maybe I should sign up for one next year.

 

 

 

 

Data powered by Athlinks. Visit Athlinks.com to claim your Turkey Trot results and you could win a free 2018 race entry!

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The best laid plans…

So if you couldn’t tell, I’m not doing so great on my NaBloPoMo goals.  Whoops.  But hey, something is better than nothing, right?

I blame this stupid cold.  I’m not sick, really, but I’m not exactly well either, so I’m working to kick it. As of today, it’s mostly just a cough and a bit of congestion, plus that general feeling of malaise, but I’m definitely better.  It’s meant more missed workouts though.  Can I have a two+ week taper?  Is that an option?

I certainly didn’t go to the pool this morning.  I figured coughing and trying to swim would be problematic and lead to possible drowning.  Seemed messy either way.  But I am hoping to hit the bike trainer tonight and then go to bed early (Yeah Friday Night!) so I can have some fun this weekend.

(Including braving the grocery store and hopefully running 6 miles if my cough clears up a bit.  I don’t want to run on the treadmill if I don’t have to, but at this point, whatever it takes.)

I finally decided to check out Zwift after seeing so many of my friends raving about how fun it is, and after one ride, I think I agree.  I will be doing a more robust review of it sometime in the next few weeks, but I think it might be a way to make my indoor rides even more fun.

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Cardio Striptease Dance Workout - Megan Armand

Weekend Update

Myriams-Fotos / Pixabay

This weekend was definitely a productive one for me.  I took an unplanned 4 day weekend – Friday was a federal holiday (Veterans Day Observed) and because I work a flex schedule, I discovered on Wednesday that I had enough hours in for the pay period if I took sick leave for my two PT appointments.  I have sick leave coming out my ears, so I went for it and took a four day weekend.

Of course, my whole plan for Thursday was to go to the DMV to get my license renewed.  It doesn’t expire til January, but with the Real ID Act, getting a new license is a process, so I wanted to get it out of the way.  Thankfully, Maryland lets you make appointments, which actually helped a lot.  I was in and out in about 40 minutes.

Unfortunately, I seem to have left there with some cold germs that started to rear their ugly heads on Saturday.  I manage to make it through the entire season without getting sick and then I manage to get two colds in the span of a month.  This is definitely unfair.  Long weekend and I spend it sick, just in time to go back to work?

Oh well, at least maybe I’m getting this cold out of the way before the holidays.  Or something.

So after getting the Christmas tree up and getting some projects done around the house, the rest of the weekend was pretty lazy. Rather than go for my planned 12 mile run, I decided to do a 2 hour trainer ride, figuring that it would be easier on my body than running.  I think it was, but it was still freaking hard.

I think over the winter, I’m going to experiment with Zwift to see if that can make trainer rides any more entertaining.  I don’t mind long trainer rides, but I need to make sure I’m actually pushing myself throughout the workout.  I know a lot of people out there use it and love it, so it might be time to give it a try.

 

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Kickbox Bootcamp: Arms & Shoulders Workout- 10 Min Solution

The Holiday Season Is Here!

I don’t care what anyone says, it is not too early to put up my Christmas tree.  So that’s what I did this weekend.

View from my couch, because after doing all this work, I was too tired to get up.

A number of years ago, I discovered that putting my tree up around Veterans Day was the best timing.  After this weekend, life starts to get busy with racing, travel, concerts, and holiday commitments.  So now the tree goes up early-to-mid November and comes down sometime in early January.

That doesn’t mean my decorating is done.  I put up a few holiday items, mostly the angels and creepy elf that belonged to my grandparents, but there are still a few boxes of things that haven’t made it out yet.  I also need to put the wreath on the front door.  It felt just a little early for that.

I still haven’t figured out the best way to decorate the outside of my house.  I live in a two story brick box, so the only thing I could feasibly put lights on is the porch.  I’m not climbing on a two story roof to hang lights.  I guess I could put them in the bushes.  This seems like a lot of work though.  I used to have these really cute (and cheap) colorful solar lights that looked like candy canes, but they all broke or disappeared.

I will admit, it does sort of feel early for Christmas – I’m certainly not ready for the holiday.  Every year, I fall farther behind in my gift buying plans.  My niece, she’s set, but everyone else… I’ll figure something out.  This is always a really busy time of year, and I think it starts to really feel like Christmas after Thanksgiving and my trip to Disney World, but if I waited to do my decorating until then, it wouldn’t happen!

So my tree is up, the cat is sleeping under it, and all is right with the world.  Now all we need is some snow!

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Team Coeur 2018!

This was a pretty crazy week, but Wednesday dawned with a lot of excitement – my candidate won our city council election!  And then my day got better with the release of this graphic:

I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be back on the Coeur team for my fourth season.  Four years.  I still feel like pinching myself, like it can’t be real.  How can I be this lucky?  It must be a mistake, right?  But I am so proud to be a Coeur Sports Ambassador again next year.

Seriously, these ladies are the among the nicest, most amazing people I have ever met.  If you see any of us out in our team kits, please don’t hesitate to say hi, and be ready for some big smiles and friendly words.

I think the best part of this team is the wide variety of athletes.  We have team members who are little tiny balls of muscle and we have Athenas (myself included), who are slightly larger balls of muscle.  We have people who win IM distance races and go to Kona every year, and we have people who hang out in the back of the pack, and everywhere in between.  The common denominator is the heart of this team.  Knowing these women has made me a better triathlete and a better person, and I am so incredibly honored to be racing in the team kit again next year.

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Oh, how out of shape I’ve gotten

(A post from 11/5 that got caught in my pending files.  Whoops.  Still counts.)

This weekend, I had a 12 mile run on my training schedule.  Just 12 miles.  No big deal, right?

Wrong.

Seriously, I was not this sore after my last half marathon.  Where I set a PR.

What this tells me is that I’m terribly out of running shape.  Okay, so I did run 12 miles, and the pace wasn’t that bad.  Actually, if I look at the McMillan calculator, my pace was within the recommended training pace if my goal is to race near my PR again.  So maybe it’s not that bad.

But given how I hurt, I can tell that my form was off.  My ribs are sore today, and I think that’s due to poor form (though I’m going to check this with my PT this week).  My glutes are sore.  My quads are sore.  My hip flexors feel good, so I guess the PT is working.

The thing is, I like being sore after a good race, but after a long training run?  I’m out of shape.  And guess what?  I have another 12 mile run next weekend!  Hooray!

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?

(And yes, this is a drive by post to get in my NaBloPoMo post.)

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Fat Blasting Flashback Dance Workout- 10 Min Solutions- BeFiT

More Kindness

Post-election day.  Even though this wasn’t a huge election year, there were a lot of important local races going on (my preferred city council rep won!) and this morning, there is a lot of commentary out there.  But this really caught my eye, and I keep returning to it.

 

When asked about Bob Marshall, Danica Roem said “I don’t attack my constituents. Bob is my constituent now.”

She has more grace and composure than I will ever have. #virginia #DanicaRoem

— Nicholas Trevino (@BlyTarbell) November 8, 2017

I’m not sure how much coverage this local race got, but in sum, a transgender woman was running against a 13-term incumbent who had once called himself Virginia’s chief-homophobe.  He introduced the state’s bathroom bill.

But Roem didn’t campaign on those issues, at least not initially.  She campaigned on the local issues important to her potential constituents.  Her big focus was traffic, something my friends in that area say is a huge issue.  She didn’t even bring up gender until her opponent started to use it to attack her.

And the whole time, she refused to stoop to his level.  She kept her messaging positive.  We could learn a lot from her.  She was being attacked and she went high.  It’s so easy to respond with anger and frustration and lash out, but Roem managed to keep herself out of the fray, and I have so much respect for her because of it.  I’m looking forward to her political future.

Also, I just love this from the Washington Post:

Standing on a table inside the pub, Roem dedicated her win “to every person who’s ever been singled out, who’s ever been stigmatized, who’s ever been the misfit, who’s ever been the kid in the corner, who’s ever needed someone to stand up for them when they didn’t have a voice of their own. This one is for you.”

 

She then reiterated her promises of alleviating traffic congestion on Route 28.

 

“That’s why I got in this race,” Roem said. “Because I’m fed up with the frickin’ road over in my home town.”

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Weekend Recap

messersrach / Pixabay

The best laid plans…

This weekend was the first in a while where I wasn’t going to be out of town or sick, so I thought “Hey, it’s the perfect time to get stuff done around the house.”  I even made a list.

And then accomplished so very little.

Okay, so I did go on a 12 mile run.  And then recovered from said run.  (Well, sort of.  It’s Monday and I’m still sore today, so I am clearly doing something wrong… or just out of shape.)

I also went to lunch with Liz and we went to see Thor Ragnarok, which was AWESOME.  Definitely highly recommended.  It was much more comedic than the recent Thor movies, and I very much enjoyed it.  Some good cameos as well, so keep your eyes open.  (And yes, there is both a mid- and post-credits scene, so don’t leave.)

I also did a few loads of laundry and put away so much laundry and then re-washed bedding after someone hacked up a hairball on it.  (I swear, cats know when the laundry is clean and save up all their hairballs for those moments.)  I also did some meal prep for the week.  And got a reasonable amount of sleep too.

But I had this list.  This list of things that I wanted to get done.  This list was admittedly an overreach, as it included things like “clean out entire closet” and “declutter kitchen cabinets.”  But you know, it’s good to set goals.  Maybe I will rename this list “Things to get done in 2017.”

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Element: Power Yoga Workout - Section 1

“Race” Report – Zombies Run Virtual Halloween Race

I’ve been using the Zombies, Run! app since it first launched on Kickstarter, and recently, I’ve started participating in their virtual races.  I’m not usually a virtual race kind of person, but I think these are worth it.

First off, what is Zombies, Run!?  It’s an app that creates an audio story to go along with your running.  The basic plot is that zombies have taken over the UK (and possibly elsewhere) and you are a runner for one of the local towns, going on missions to get supplies, rescue people, and try to figure out how this all happened.  The stories play out in audio clips that will intersperse with your music or audio books or podcasts or whatever else you listen to while you run.  (Or you can have them play with silence between.)

I’ve been using the app for so long and had only paid for it via the initial Kickstarter backing, so this spring, I decided to sign up for their virtual race.  I enjoyed it so much I signed up for the fall race as well.

For $34 US, you get a race packet, two audio training runs, the audio for the race (you get both a 5K and 10K option), and all sorts of communications leading up to the race.  The company definitely does their best to make this a virtual reality experience.  You get emails from the characters in the game, which often include phone numbers you can call to listen to audio clips that further the story.  You can also add on to the race packet with t-shirts and other items, but I decided to keep it simple.

The audio training runs are made available to you in the weeks leading up to the race, and then the race itself is “open” for two weeks.  Of course, you purchased your entry to the race, so the audio files are yours to keep and replay, but if you want your results to be included in the official listing, you need to complete the race in that two week period.

The general plot of the Halloween race involved a haunted house, something very outside the normal plot of the story.  I definitely enjoyed it, though not as much as I enjoyed the spring race.  It definitely made the miles fly by, and it was fun to know that every kilometer I ran meant another audio update in the app.

The finisher’s envelope contained a card relevant to the story, an Abel Township Runner 5 patch, and the race medal.  I’m tempted to put the patch onto my gym bag.  But again, I don’t race these for the swag – I just like the audio and I like supporting the creators.

So if you’re a Zombies Run! fan but haven’t checked out the virtual races, I highly recommend one.  I have heard that sometime next year, they plan to put the old races up for cheap download, and those are definitely worth your time.  And if you haven’t checked out the app and like to listen to audio dramas, or find the idea intriguing, definitely check these out.

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Podcasts – My Current Listens

Alexas_Fotos / Pixabay

I love podcasts.  I’ve talked about this a lot.  But my list of podcasts is ever changing, so every so often, I like to do an update of what I’m listening to.

My current jams are:

The Baby-Sitters Club Club – Jack and Tanner are hilarious.  Two 30-something guys reading and reviewing The Baby-Sitters Club books.  But if you read these in the 90’s, trust me, there’s so much subtext you missed, and Jack and Tanner will help you find it.  (Or maybe they’re just making it up for entertainment.)  Either way, these are a riot and totally worth the listen.

Wolf 359 – This is a fiction podcast, set in a space station.  Small cast, incredible acting, epic writing.  It’s what I would call a dramedy.  Definitely start this one from the beginning.  I’ve actually listened to the story twice through.  The show wraps up this year, and I’m alternately excited to see how it ends and sad that it will be ending.

The Bright Sessions – Another fiction podcast, this one about a psychologist and her paranormal patients.  Really great listen.

Radiolab Presents: More Perfect – This is Radiolab’s Supreme Court show.  They go into depth on current Supreme Cases and former Supreme Court cases and explain why they’re important now and what they mean for us.  And Radiolab‘s main podcast is pretty good too.

Reply All – This one’s new to my list.  They describe themselves as a podcast “about people who shape the internet and how the internet shapes people.”  There are some absolutely fascinating stories here.

Sawbones – This show will likely forever be on my list.  Take an entertaining trip through medical history.  It’s amazing what we thought might cure our ailments.

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it’s the podcasts that I listen to almost immediately when a new episode pops into my app.  There are others that may rise back to the top over the next few months, so I’m sure I’ll have an update then.

Any podcasts I should be listening to?

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NaBloPoMo? What the heck?

Free-Photos / Pixabay

Years ago, I was really into NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month.  The basic premise is that you write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November.  It’s not supposed to be good (though apparently some people have gone on to get theirs published, to great acclaim.  That was never my goal. It was more about the opportunity to be creative and write more.

I completed it one year, and never really found the drive to do it again.  A bit part of that is just the lack of time.  With work and training and life, it just wasn’t a priority.  But I do like writing (otherwise I wouldn’t write a blog, now, would I?).  So I thought I might take up NaBloPoMo – National Blog Post Month.  Yes, it’s a stupid name, but it’s the same general idea as NaNoWriMo, in that I’m going to try to put up a post every day of the month.

Spoiler alert: I will fail.

But I’ve not been as great about my posting lately, and my training has also been off lately.  I’m not sure which is the cause and which is the effect, but if I recommit to both, I should find great success, right?

Well, we’ll see. Does anyone want to join me in this endeavor?  Yes, I know it’s already November second, but hey, no one’s perfect.  If you’ve got a dusty old blog, brush off the cobwebs and put out a post or two.  I’d love to see more of my friends writing again!

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Full 10 Minute Solutions Workout - Butt Lifts Exercise

October Mileage Update

Cadu helped me hand out candy last night. He didn’t eat as much as I did though.

Oh this one’s gonna hurt.

Though it helps that I’m writing it while eating Halloween candy and handing out candy to children.  These kids better hurry up or there will be no candy left for them.

Remember when I implied last month that October would be better?

I lied.

October Totals:
Swim: 0 miles
Bike: 92 miles
Run: 41 miles

That’s right.  A whopping zero miles at the pool.  Nice work, self.  I missed one swim because I was sick and two swims because I was out of town for family obligations, but I could have made things work a little better.  Oh, I also ran a stupidly hot race this month.  So I guess it wasn’t all bad.

My run mileage is picking up, which is good since I’ve got some half marathons on the schedule.  And I’m already working to recommit to my schedule.  Knowing that I wouldn’t get in a quality workout on Halloween night thanks to the doorbell constantly ringing, I swapped rest days, so I got in that workout on Monday.  Here’s to getting back to it.

2017 Totals
Swim: 42.6 miles
Bike:1739 miles
Run: 427 miles

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