THOU SHALT BE A COMEBACK

GI bug still has me down but did this waiting for vanessa to get out of school.  9:00 pace  might as well have been 5k pace. hard.

Day 4 of the gi bug.  feel like the walking dead.  There is just a constant flow of fluid coming out of me.  I did eat some pizza and it stayed down though,  miserable. 

home treddy so I could stay near the bathroom.  had to stop once to switch laundry.  I am weak.

Finally better!  Ran 2 at scp while Vanessa was playing.  Later ran the treddy at the Y-3 at 6:40 pace and 3 ez.   Heartland 50 on Saturday.  It will not be pretty. 

I don't care. Bring it.  Let the sufferfest begin!!!

easy in the 75 degree sunshine!  It is going to be hot on Saturday.  I will be taking it pretty easy with my non-100%  condition and the heat.  Still, I'm excited!

5 in 85 degrees with the tornadic winds.  50 miles of it will be fun on Saturday.  surely.  omg I'm an idiot.

I signed up for this race on a whim--needed motivation to train and knew the race directors were good guys and it would be a good time. Training was dismal but just enough, I hoped.  This was out in Cassoday, Kansas, on rocky dirty roads, in the Flint Hills...and their were hills, a lot of these roads have not seen traffic in a long time, very rocky in places, and hot, and windy, and exposed,--Kansas!!

My strategy going into this as the predicted temps climbed and climbed was to go out fairly fast, maybe even suicidal, and enjoy all the good miles I could when the weather was reasonably cool, before the sun and wind started their punishment.

The morning was pretty uneventful, coffee, donut, drive.  I peed a few times, and offloaded my drop bags which were actually nothing but my g2 purple gatorade and socks. They were serving gubrew and I know that stuff is disgusting, so wanted my own gatorade of choice!  We milled around at the pre-race briefing, I chatted with a few people I knew, and as the sun rose, we were off.  I did not wear a watch, or carry a phone or music, just ran.

The first 8 miles to the first aid station weren't too bad, not hilly or rocky.  I went out in 4th overall--three men ahead of me.  I felt good and strong, and drained my whole bottle of gatorade along with a hammergel and some water, picked up 1/4 of a pb and j at the station and an s-cap and took out.  Pitched my shirt here too--it was already getting hot and humid.

The second 8ish miles I got the two guys running ahead of me--the other one was way out in front.  Eventually me and one guy, from omaha, pulled ahead and ran together a while.  he was super cool.  Another hammerjel, gatorade, water, s-cap, 1/4 pb and j.  This is the hardest, rockiest, hilliest part of the course.  monster hills and rocks.  I was cruising through them but knew they were gonna be a show-stopper coming back.

I pulled ahead of Omaha and started chasing number one.  I caught him just before the halfway point and the turnaround.  While this section was not as bad as the last section, it had it's fair number of hills.  I repeated the same routine at the halfway point for nutrition, and then whipped around to start the real battle.  It was much hotter now, and the first thing I noticed was the face full of 20mph wind.  ugh.  The original number one guy fell back, and a new guy caught up with me--we traded leads for the next 16 miles.  He had long legs and would occasionally do this power walk and fall back, but then run and catch up. My 5 footer legs are no good at power walking--I am better of shuffling.

As we hit the aid station before going back into the really hard part my legs were pretty much fried.  hamburger.  Energy was good, stomach was good, but my undertrained legs were officially trashed.  I knew I was now in for a shuffle to the finish. This 8 mile section was just brutal--actually worse on the downs than the ups as far as leg pain, but I forced myself to pick up speed and just grimaced going down because my quads were so wasted, but I needed to bank time because my upward power hike was pretty pathetic.

I thought the last aid station would never come.  I was relieved because I knew it would be flattish and finishing was now on the radar, but the last 9 miles were where the fatigue and the heat started to melt me.  The wind was relentless, the sun was relentless--I was a hot, miserable, shuffling lobster. I started picking out landmarks far away at what I hoped was a mile or two, and making bargains with myself that I could walk two telephone poles if I just shuffled the rest of the way.  This was the game I played to keep moving forward and not just give up and walk all together.  oh, and new number one guy--he took off like a bat out of hell and wasted me by 12 minutes!!  I went for a hammergel and realized I didn't have one.  This was a little disheartening, as was my dwindling water bottle. 

They moved the finish to the community center this year so we had to run past the starting line and it added some distance.  I looked sadly at my car as I shuffled by.  There was a train track between me and the finish--and then I heard the train in the distance.  Oh no!!  I was NOT getting stopped by that train, and it gave me enough motivation to force my wasted legs to pump, and I beat that dang train and I could see the finish and hear the cowbells and it was all over a few minutes later.

First woman, second over all.  I am pretty pleased, as I didn't expect a decent showing in my current lack of fitnessy.  This course was waaaay harder than the praire spirit 50 I did last year.  I was definitely chewed up in the second half, with my one hour positive split!!  I am glad I did this, but glad it is done, and chomping at the bit to get trained up this summer.

Now off to continue eating my weight in food!

am;  went with Mom to the Y and did 45 minutes of upper body weights and core

pm:  went to the gorun track workout, so great to see the gang.  warmed up 1.5 at a mince, then 12x400 starting every 3 minutes and half mile cooldown.  I kept the pace dialed back to 6:45ish on the 400s and just stretched my legs a bit.  Quads are still feeling it a little but not terrible, all the rest of m body is fine and raring to go,  As sore and limping around as I was yesterday it was pretty surprising to feel halfway normal today.

super easy,no watch,on the k96/rails to trails route.  did 30 minutes light weights after. feeling good.

sunshine makes me cheerful, 8 easy with tunes, no watch, on the reverse HS route

mostly ez around Vanessa's school,no watch.   next I hit the Y and rowed 2k in 9:30 then did 45 minutes upper body weights and abs

Legs 1 and 3 for Team "off like a prom dress" in the Country Roads 50k relay.  Got some faster miles in and had a blast!  We got third!

crunched for time but wanted to make it count, so did everything at the East Y before running to pick Vanessa up.  treadmill speed combo.

5 minute warm up

6 x 90 secs on/90 secs off at 5:56 pace

3 minute jog

10 minutes 6:18 pace

4 minute jog

4 x 45 seconds on/75 seconds off at 5:27 pace

cooldown to an hour

2k on the rowing machine in 9:28--need to work on this

45 minutes weights, lots of supersets

sleep deprived in 95 degrees and tornadic winds this afternoon. oh kansas.  slow.  I did not even beat the 9:00 girl.  totally zapped today!

morning run after sleep!  1 brisk, 3 fastish 7:00, 6:58, 6:44, then hit the turnaround and jogged it in.  I still stink at faster speeds but hoping to change that soon!

Ez in circles at the downtown Y then 25 minutes of upper body weights in supersets

Got off work this morning and carpooled with Nick, Fernando, and Kyle to Cassoday.  Kyle took us all in the jeep so were able to drive deep into the rockiest, hilliest part of the Heartland course.  Ran 8 miles out and back.  Cooled down one mile running back out to run Nick in.   They loved the wicked hills and we all worked our butts off.  A little extra challenge today because it rained all night and the ground was a bit squishy and muddy and of course we had the usual 20mph Kansas wind but we are all so used to wind...it just is what it is.  Didnt feel the wind until the turnaround.  Good night!

Wanted to do more but there is only so much I could take of the home treddy boredom.  Vanessa was bored too.  We went to the Y afterward and I did 2k rowing and a solid hour of weights.  Off to work to finish out the long weekend!

scraped out 5 hours of sleep, then researched my ymca kidzone options and ended up at the Andover Y.  8 laps to a mile on the indoor track and kidzone open until 4:45, not bad.  ran 10 ez, no watch.  It wasn't terrible and definitely beat running on the home treddy.  Worth  the 7 mile drive.

GoRun track workout.  Warmed up 2.25 miles ez, then 4 x 400.  I ran them around 85 seconds.  10 minute threshold, so about 6:20 pace--the 5 x 200s.  No watch, so I didnt have the times but I ran them pretty hard.  cooled down a mile.

Missed my opportunity to bring Vanessa to latchkey this morning because I slept late.  We headed to Eastborough park, where I had scoped out a figure-8 loop around the park and pond.  it measured .55 miles.  I ran 11 laps, stopped to take her for a lap around the pond and push the swing, then ran 10 more loops.  A little later at the Y I ran 5 on the treadmill then pounded 35 minutes of weights.

very easy in the 88 degree humid afternoon

Ran with April R today.  Vanessa was spending the night so I could get up early and go run a big 10k tomorrow, so this afternoon she put her kids in a double stroller and loaned out another running stroller for Vanessa, and off we went for a run.  We ran the kids to an Italian Ice and Gillato joint, got them treats, ad ran back. Vanessa is petite at 7 years old and actually fit in the stroller and had fun.  Been a long time since I stroller-rolled!  Great afternoon and sorta looking forward to the race tomorrow, although 10k's are not my thing and I have not attempted fast miles like that yet this year.  I don't even know what 6:30 pace feels like these days but I'm gonna give it a shot.

I signed up for this kinda last minute.  I have yet to run a short race this year, and it was time to bust the rust from the 50 three weeks ago.  I feel sorta like I dogged it, because I felt super strong the whole time and ran almost dead-even splits.  I think with a little touch-up with leg speed the next month or two and I will be able to run a much faster 10k very soon. Not a bad start to the stummer.  It was 92% humidity and quite toasty this morning, so that didn't help, but I don't think it hurt much either...heat is not bothering me as much this year.  weird.