Just a little guy

I went running yesterday. It was just a little guy because it had to be quick so I could shower and get ready to go down to Provo for Armchair Cowboy. Besides, I feel like I may be getting a little sick. I just want to take it easy.

For a short run I felt I busted it out fairly quickly. It was good to get out there and at least get the legs moving a little bit.

11th East to 13th South

Back on the road

So I've only gone running a handful of times since the marathon. This past week, it seems, that I've kind of come to that place where I want to be out there again. I think I really needed a few weeks off.

I've been twice this week. Tuesday and Wednesday. Only about three miles each. Even though they didn't feel like the best runs, I knew I had to get out there anyway. And my body is appreciative of that. I need to get out there for myself. For my own sanity.

Maybe right now I should just focus on running for the pure joy of running. No training. No qualifying. No pacing. Just running.

So hopefully I'll hit the road again tomorrow. With this beautiful running weather how could I not?

St George

It's funny to compare my two St George Marathon experiences.

Last year I found out about a week before the race that I would be able to run. I had not been training at all, though I was in pretty good shape overall. I started out very slowly and must have gotten into a good pace because I finished at around 4:20. This was my first and only race where I felt really good at the finish line--I felt as though I could keep going right on to Vegas! Hey, why stop there? Why not keep running right to the coast?

*Sigh*

This year was different. I had been training. Or doing my best to train, at any rate. I was trying to work through chronic injuries. I had visions of qualifying for Boston. But I guess it wasn't the right time for me, and my body knew that. The week of the marathon I got sick. It was hard to hydrate adequately. I had also been living in Lubbock, TX for the past month, and as many of you know there are no hills in the high plains of West Texas.

In Paulo Coelho's book, The Alchemist, he writes "When you want something the whole universe conspires for you to achieve it." I believe that. But as I said before this just wasn't the right time. For starters, I was expecting and counting on pace groups during the race. I panicked at the starting line when I realized they really weren't having any that year (they had them the year before because that's how I gauged my progress since my watch died at mile 1) and I had no real back-up plan. I started out too fast. I burned myself out in my already weakened condition. The race was hard both mentally and physically.

The two races are such polar opposites. This year I came in at 4:17 chip time, which is practically what I ran it in the year before. But I felt totally different. My legs hurt, my feet ached, but I was surprisingly not as disappointed as I thought I might be. Will I run St George next year? I guess we'll have to see. Maybe I'll throw my name in the lottery and see if I get in. I am, however, refocusing on my goal of the fifty states club. I can't keep running the same two Utah marathons year after year! I'm thinking of Yakima River Canyon next April in Washington state. . .

Long runs

I ran my six miles this morning. I feel tight. I wonder how my whole body will be feeling in a week, when I'm racing 26.2 miles. I also rolled my left ankle today. Again for no reason. But I think I have resilliant ankles. I roll them and they are fine.

6 miles; the usual Texas long run route

Last day with my Tech team

I played disc for the last time with the kids in Lubbock. I'm really going to miss them; it has been a lot of fun. After it was too dark to play and we were all getting ready to leave Kyle (one of my favorites -- the one with the dreds) was like, "I just want to thank Anna for playing with us..." Bla bla bla. I thought that was sweet, and then I expressed my thanks for them letting me play with them. Then Kyle was like, "we should give her one of our Lubbock discs!" Everyone thought that was a good idea, but Joy was like, "well, someone would have to pay for it." Then Tony (the guy who's in charge of this whole operation) gave me his Lubbock disc. It's used and says "Tony" and "Lubbock" faintly on the back, but it will be a good reminder of my days of frisbee here on the high plains.

My hamstring is bugging me a little bit, but not too bad. We'll see how it holds up tomorrow on my last long run before the marathon. (Only six miles.)

2.5 hrs; Texas Tech

My week as of yet.

Monday I took as a rest day since I did a whole heckuvalot of running this past weekend.

I did go running on Tuesday. Three miles. It was the usual aches and pains until on the way back I, for no good reason at all, completely tanked my right ankle. It just folded right over. It kind hurt, so I walked it off a bit, then I started to slowly run home again. It didn't swell or anything, so I didn't ice it. For some reason I have a hard time icing my ailments. It's like a mental thing or something. I just don't want to for some reason.

Today I started on my run way too late. I was only planning on doing a couple miles anyway because I wanted to see how the ankle would hold up. By the time I ran over to 19th Street it was too dark so I just turned around and came home. Maybe it was only a mile. Who knows. I tried to stretch out really well when I got home to make up for the lack of mileage.

At least I get to play frisbee tomorrow. It's my last night with the Texas Tech kids. The last frisbee of sabbatical. I'm going to miss them all.

Texas Sectionals in Austin

It was fun. It was hot. And there was a lot of running involved.

So I took a little road trip to Austin, Texas this past weekend to play a lot of frisbee. Seven games in two days. Only one female sub. I'm amazed at how our women held up. We're hardcore. It's funny, though, because the only people complaining of being tired were the guys! And they had at least ten subs!

We went into the tournament seeded fourth out of eight teams. We held seed and finished fourth as well.

On Saturday we won our first game and lost the next three. On Sunday we won our first two games and lost the last one. I don't think my legs had anymore in them for a fourth game on Sunday, so it was just as well.

I think the heat really affected me. It was just SO hot and humid! Both days I was just dying by the second game. Like spent. Finished. Wanting to pass out. By the next game I would feel better, though. I don't know what it was about that second game, but it was a killer. Maybe because the first game wasn't too terribly hot because it was still pretty early, but as the day wore on my body just needed to adjust. Who knows. It was crazy, though.

I played a lot better on Sunday than I did on Saturday. I made some stupid errors the first day. But I wasn't afraid to lay out, which was pretty cool. The grass was a lot nicer than most grass I've played on recently. Especially in the morning when it was still dewey. I had some good D's, some good throws, some good cuts. It was a lot of fun, I must say. I'm glad I went.

Oh, and Austin is a pretty cool place.

Texas Sectionals; 7 games; 4th place; Austin, TX

last practice before sectionals

Last night we had our last practice before sectionals. It was a good practice. We went over some stuff--zone defense. We scrimmaged. I think it went well. I got a hand block, which are rare for me so it was exciting. I almost had a really good lay-out catch, which would have been cool. My legs didn't really bother me too much. I hope we do well in the tournament this weekend. We're going into it in fourth place, out of eight teams. Right there in the middle of the pack; just where I like to be. I hear the weather in Austin is supposed to be hot--mid 90's--and humid. It will be important to stay hydrated. I'll let y'all know how everything plays out.

~2.5 hrs; Texas Tech

big sky, big clouds, big sunset

I guess I set the alarm last night without really knowing it. My sister said she heard it go off twice this morning until it shut off. I do remember waking up, seeing that it was around 6:30 am and thinking it was too early and too dark to go running. So I went back to sleep, totally unaware that the alarm had ever gone off.

Later that day I regretted not getting out there earlier. It's always just so bloody hot. And it had rained quite a bit today which made the air more humid.

[Quick anecdote about Lubbock, Texas: It is so flat here that when it rains the water has nowhere to drain. The streets become big puddles, like the whole place is drowning. Just think of cars synchronize swimming and that's pretty much what it is like here. It's quite a sight.]

I got out there a little after 7'ish. At first it was surprisingly cool'ish, later it became unbearably hot. My legs were still pretty tight--especially my tendon by my left ankle, and my right hamstring. I iced tonight. I pushed the last stretch pretty hard, which I felt good about.

3 miles; Iola southward to Milwaukee

swill

When I got to practice tonight I really wasn't in the mood to be there. I didn't really want to deal with the whole Don situation. And it seems it is always windy here in Lubbock, which means a lot more zone defense. Sometimes I really don't like playing zone. Especially if I have to play the cup. Too much running! And I never got to handle all day. Which was probably for the best because all my throws were swilly. Today just wasn't a great day for disc.

As far as running goes, I was just tired. I felt sleepy, as it were. My legs didn't feel like they could hold up to all the running and sprinting. Maybe I wasn't getting enough oxygen or something. It just wasn't fun. But my hamstring didn't really bother me, which is always a good thing. Oh, I did completely tank my ankle once. It hurt. But after a few minutes it really wasn't bothering me. That could have been bad news.

~3 hrs; Texas Tech

Always a head wind, never a tail wind.

Today was my highest mileage run before the marathon. I can't believe we're to that point already. Now I'm into taper.

My biggest fear about St George is that I didn't have enough time to gradually get my mileage up. Sure, I ran eighteen miles today, but my longest run previous to that was only somewhere around fourteen. I hope my legs are really ready to pound 26.2 miles. I'm counting on the adrenaline of race day and gravity to carry me through.

The first few miles of my run today I was experiencing what happened on Tuesday. My calf/tendon area on my left leg must be really tight and it causes my foot to go kind of numb. I made an effort to keep stretching it out, and it soon wasn't bothering me at all. What did bother me was my right hamstring and I just felt kind of tight.

My calves were really tight and sore immediately after the run. They were the first things I iced, though, so I hope I can keep that under control. I'm pretty tight overall, but not too bad. I'm going to make some effort to keep icing tonight and tomorrow. My left ankle kind of hurts as well. I love my aging body!

18 miles; Iola southward... Milwaukee to 4th...

practice

Practice was good yesterday. My hamstring held up reasonably well. I tried to warm up better and keep it stretched as much as possible. I missed a few catches, which always sucks. But I do remember getting a few really good D's. There was some good running involved as well.

~2.5 hrs; Texas Tech

frisbee and running

Monday night I played frisbee. I didn't really warm up and when I started playing my hamstring was bugging me a little bit. Not a whole lot, but it was still noticeable and I didn't want to aggravate it further. So I left before practice was officially over. I had gotten a pretty good workout in nonetheless.

Yesterday I went running with Robert. He said it was about three miles, but I think it was closer to four. The weirdest thing happened. My left leg started hurting (to the left side of my calf) and then my whole left foot went completely numb. It was very odd. It was like I was running with a brick attached to the bottom of my leg. I didn't like it one bit. I'm not running today because I just feel like I should take a day off and rest my body. I was going to throw a disc around with this Don guy tonight, but that's a whole other story. . .

Ten miles

I went running this morning. I could only do ten miles. My legs were hurting. They are so tight and sore and I can only imagine it's from the half marathon and frisbee on Thursday. Hopefully this shorter run will help build up those darn muscles. Because, afterall, it is in those lower mileage weeks that your body becomes stronger.

My calves are still tight along with my hip flexors and hamstring. But what's new?

10 miles; Iola... Milwaukee... 4th Street... 11th Street...

the disc in texas

I had so much fun playing frisbee tonight! I was a little worried as I was walking toward the field--I only saw a bunch of guys doing a drill. This surely wasn't pick-up, I thought to myself. I asked the guy that was sitting on the bleacher if he was playing and if it was pick-up or not. He was like, no it's practice. Oh. Practice. Then I told him how Tony had told me to come tonight. The guy was like, oh well then you can talk to him after their done with the drill. Finally Tony comes over and we introduce ourselves. He told me I could scrimmage with them after the next drill. So I put on my cleats and threw with the other guy until it was time to scrimmage.

This is what I love about ultimate frisbee: everyone is so nice. It doesn't matter where you are, what team you're on, or if you're a beginner, everyone is nice and willing to help out. Well, I guess unless you're in some big-time tournament or something. Which brings me to my next point...

They want me to come play in the sectionals tournament in Austin in a few weeks with them! They really need women and since I'm pretty good they're willing to practically pay everything for me to go. It's kind of exciting. So I'm seriously thinking about it. I might as well play in a tournament while I'm here, right? Right! And then I get to see another part of Texas. I think it could be a really good time.

There was only one other girl who showed up. So I pretty much played savage the whole time. My legs held up even with all the intense running. I did start to slow and get kind of lazy at the end but that was after like two hours of endless playing. The thing that bugged me the most was my feet! I don't know if it was the socks or what--they're relatively new--but my feet felt like they were totally getting blisters. They're still a little tender on the balls of my feet. It was weird, that usually doesn't happen. Next time I'll put BodyGlide on them for sure!

Anyway, playing disc makes me happy and I'm glad I found some people to play with while on Sabbatical.

~2 hours; Texas Tech ultimate

My first run on Sabbatical.

It was my first run since Hobble Creek. It was noon. It was hot. I was tight. Other than that, it was an alright run.

I went a little over three miles. It was about 80 degrees, and there's not much humidity here, so it would have been like running in Salt Lake City at noon. Which I never make a point to do. I'm still trying to figure out where to run in this crazy place. I just don't want to get lost, that's my main fear. So I went on a route where I was sure to remember the turns. 11th Street to Milwaukee to 4th Street and back. So simple. The only problem is that 4th Street is pretty busy and there's not much shoulder to run on. I'll figure things out, though.

My legs were pretty tight. I've been dang sore since Saturday. It was good to get out there and losen things up a bit. I'm playing frisbee tomorrow, so that should be good too. Hopefully my hamstring behaves along with every other major muscle group in my body.

~3 miles

The Hobble Creek Half Marathon

I was talking to my friend Emilie Creswell a few weeks ago, and she told me about a half marathon she was running. Since I missed the chance to run the Provo River Half, I jumped at the chance to run this one.

Emilie and I went down the night before and stayed with her friends in Orem. We went out to eat at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Provo (or is it still Orem? Who knows!) for our carbo-loading extravaganza. I ate way too much, as usual. After making a stop at Cyndi's new house we headed back to Orem to try and get some sleep.

I had a hard time sleeping. Maybe it was the anticipation of the race. Maybe other things were on my mind. The thought of being in the elite 100 Women finishers was definitely hanging over my head. Could I do it? I thought there was definitely no chance. Surely there were 100 women faster than me in this thing. But I wanted that medallion so badly.

We woke up early race morning. We had to be to Springville by 6:30 at the absolute latest--that's when the last bus was scheduled to shuttle runners up the canyon. We took the wrong exit, but eventually found the park and was on the last shuttle bus on time.

From where the shuttle bus dropped you off to the start line was about a 3/4 mile walk up the canyon. I guess you could say it was a "warm-up" before the race. It was still a little annoyed and my left ankle started hurting terribly, which I took as a bad sign. But by the time we actually started running, my ankle didn't hurt anymore. I swear my body is on crack sometimes.
This race is mostly downhill, and it's fast. It's good practice for the quads for St George. It was surprising, though, what actually hurt during this thing: my calves. Was I just trying to bust up the hills? Emilie said her calves were tight by the end too. And my right hamstring was bugging me a little bit. But not too much.

I love the race experience. I love picking people out in front of me and passing them. Each women I passed I knew I was one more closer to my goal of the elite 100. I knew this race was fast, but I didn't realize how fast. I was pushing it, sure, but not terribly hard. I've had other races where I felt like it took all I had and I still wasn't going that fast. I still had something in me for the last few miles.

I took them one at a time. I thought to myself, "if I can just coast through mile 10... then mile 11... then I thought just keep it up through mile 12 and I can start to push it a little harder..." once I got to mile 13 I knew I had it and I kept pushing. This was a good course.

I finished with a time of 1:42, gun time. Since my watch broke I couldn't keep my actual time, but it was probably a good minute or two before I crossed the start line. Needless to say, this is my best half marathon time ever. Perhaps my best race ever. I crushed my previous PR by ten minutes! I was running a 7:51 pace for over 13 miles! I never thought I could hold that! My dream of Boston has been rekindled! I need an 8:20 average pace in St George to qualify, so if I can race like I did last weekend I can do it. It's really quite exciting.

So if you must know, I was in the top 100 women finishers. I received the coveted elite 100 medallion. Now it's true: I am an elite athlete. It was a good day all around. Everyone should run this one next year. I'm quite a fan.

P.S. Emilie and I both won in the random prize drawing after the race, which is exciting. While running the race we passed the Hobble Creek Golf Course. As I was running by I thought to myself, "wow this is really beautiful! Fred should come down here and play this course!" Then I almost got hit in the head with a golf ball (actually the guy right in front of me literally almost got hit, but it startled me nonetheless). So when they were doing the random prize drawing and they were giving away the 2 passes for 9 holes at the Hobble Creek Golf Course I thought to myself, "I should win this..." And then they called my number and I did! So when I get back from Texas Freddie is going golfing with me. I'm excited to see his advanced skills on the golf course. Emilie won a prize right after me. A new pair of Mizunos at a running store in Provo. Oh, and we both got a new pair of socks with our prize. Good times!

The few days leading up to my best half marathon ever.

On Wednesday I played frisbee. It was, of course, pretty secret and not a whole lot of people came. I think we had like four on three or something. Netti and I both didn't really want to be there and were a little ornary. It was funny because Don left the full field even though we only had a few people. Netti and I kept sneaking the endzone cones up after each point. Don finally noticed and we all had a good laugh.

On Thursday I went running. It was a good break from packing up my life. I needed to get out there. I got out the door around 9 o'clock. It's probably a little late to be out there by myself because it's pretty dark at that time these days. I ran all the way out to 2100 South and stopped at Smith's to get a drink. I got sketched out by this guy sitting in his truck. I thought for sure he was going to follow me home and try and kill me or something. Don't worry, he didn't. He was probably just a nice old guy sitting in his beater truck waiting for his wife to pick up some eggs at the grocery store.

On the way back I ran into Karla Hoggard. She was running in the opposite direction, toward her house. As soon as we both realized who the other one was we stopped and chatted for a minute. She told me about the fifteen mile run her club was doing that saturday, but I was already comitted to the Hobble Creek Half Marathon.

I felt pretty strong on my run. It's always a good feeling to get a strong five mile run in.

disc at bryant; five miles on 9th east

I think I saw some kids from camp!

Now that I'm unemployed I have time to go running in the morning. I had my alarm set for 7'ish, but didn't drag my butt out of bed until nearly 8 o'clock. It wasn't too hot by the time I got out there, so I was lucky.

I only ran about 3 miles. My body was just feeling tired. Can legs feel sleepy? Well, mine did. It was good just to get out there and loosen things up, though. I'm not complaining.

My right knee hurt randomly throughout the run. And my left ankle hurt sometimes. I was a little tight in the shoulders and arms. But my hamstrings held up. I love my aging body!

~3 miles; 800 East to Kensington Ave

Frisbee

Disc was pretty good last night. I wasn't too sore and was running well. I guess the tournament motivated me to actually want to run hard, because I didn't start to get lazy until the very end when I was convincing Tori to move into the cool house with us.

My hamstrings didn't really hurt, which is good. I don't remember any other noticeable aches and pains either. My body is pretty random sometimes.

3 games; Bryant