Brick

I bailed on my run with Nicole tonight, of course there is some guilt in that.  Damn my grandmothers for making my mother baptize me... sorry grandma and grandma, but really... this guilt thing is tough. We are running a race on Saturday and will get to spend some time together so I'm not a complete butt munch for bailing.

I've been wanting to experiment with riding to the beach running the beach then riding home.  This thing is called a brick.  I suppose what I did counts? 7 miles ride to the beach 2.5 mile run 6.5 mile ride back home.  I really wanted to see what it would feel like and it felt great.  Not hot fudge sundae great or Jack Daniels great but wow look what I can accomplish great, and honestly that is a better kind of great feeling.  Shhh don't tell anyone!

My legs don't feel like bricks, though, probably the excitement of just doing it?

After chatting with Mike B about this plan and which beach to run Napatree sounded best, nice hard sand. Plus I haven't been to Napatree since Sage died, thought that would be fitting as Sage was built like a brick outhouse and I've been missing her a lot lately. Sage and/or Giz and I got out to the beach nearly every weekend last fall and the previous winter, good memories. Although I lost some of the video (when I reformatted my iPhone) of the two old fogies getting crazy at the beach, I'm most bummed about that.

Sage and Giz - Jan 2012 Quonnie

I digress...

My ride out was uneventful.  Although I needed to reroute a little as Elm Street was torn up and then decided to not deal with the collection of filled potholes on Beach, wise move, I think.  The ride out to Watch Hill (just like the run out there) seems to get easier every time, funny how that works isn't it?

The run was as I remembered it.  I had only been out on Napatree a couple times since Super Storm Sandy and it's new normal is still pretty!  Not many people either!

Then to ride home.  I got harassed by some teenagers driving by close, then turning around to drive by close again and their capstone was to drive by close and screaming.  Fortunately I didn't flinch, well too much.  Of course I kept repeating the licence plate 466 448 sounding like Dory repeating "P Sherman 42 Wallaby Way Sydney" name that movie and now I'm not sure if that is the right licence plate.  Dave suggested the better idea would have been to stop and write it down, smart guy that husband of mine plus he knows that my mind is like a sieve sometimes, ok MOST times....

And a some of my favorite pictures of my tough girl 11/10/02 - 1/30/13

On the look out for some asses to kick!

Whaddya mean we have to go home, I OBJECT!

So young, so obnoxious August '03 with Diesel @ Napatree

Take this off or I swear I WILL bite you!

Sincerely,
Beth, enjoyed the run down memory lane on Napatree!

Lonely Run

I goofed off on Saturday.  Slept in, really slept in.  After sleeping through the night.  So not much to post about.  Although I did finish my socks and pick out a new yarn and pattern, but this is a running blog not a kintting blog and well I don't want to be accused of false advertising!

And now on to something you may really like.

My long run plan this a.m. was going to be to run to the beach run a 5K with a friend and run home, which would total 13 miles, 12 was on the schedule so we were good with mileage for the long run.  Woke up to pouring rain, I love the sound of it drumming down on the copper porch roof just not that heavy drumming down on my head.  Ugh, I don't really want to deal with a race in the rain and potential blisters, since I now seem to be getting them, WTF?  Begged off the 5K plan and set out to start running when the rain lightened up and looked to be a gentle rain.

Rain!  That means bright clothes - check!  Then let's do this thing!

A fellow Team Lung Love member is running a 1/2 in Maine this weekend, so we ran our 1/2's together, in a manner of speaking.  Maine looked as dreary as Rhode Island from the picture she posted on FB.  She was smiling like the champion she is, love the always positive outlook and attitude!  You go girl!  Hopefully she fininished her 1/2 in less time than I did!!  (2:28)

While I was reviewing my stats and Hubb was asking some interesting questions about the data I collect and what it tells me I realized that I didn't do my loop in the park.  I did stop and snap a picture in the park, there were people doing what I think is Tai Chi in the mist.  Looked peaceful.

Tai Chi?  Wilcox Park

I just ran on through admiring the flowers and totally forgot to hang a right and do my loop.  How long have I been doing that loop and I forgot, really? Beth, really?  Wow... yeah, hope it was a joyful distraction to cause you to lose focus like that, impressive, actually.

Traffic was kind this morning, stopping way before I reached the cross walks to get over in to CT.   Thank you drivers, are my rantings paying off?

What I did run across, ok bad pun, were 2 runners and 2 walkers wearing dark clothes, really people it is rainy and cloudy, this is a windy hilly road and your not visible.  What are you thinking?  Obviously NOT!  I will give them credit enough they were running / walking respectively against traffic, so there is that little bit of common sense.  I was happy to see two bikers dressed brightly. LOVED the womans Elmo shirt, bright red and perfectly hillarious! At least I think it was Elmo, well my distracted mind thought it was so that is good enough for me, for now.  When I got back to RI, and was in town, there were two runners dressed brightly, KUDOS!!!

I could see them WAY off in the distance, as could the drivers!

I enjoy all the regular things I see on my runs.  Look forward to them actually.  I've run by the high water markers and evacuation route markers for many months now.  Today I decided to see how tall I was:

Nearly 10 feet tall!
Well when I run I certianly do feel tall and proud (look a little dorky, hey I own it)!!
OORAH Semper Fi, baby!

What was missing on this run was my shadow.  I love running with her, sometimes she is in front of me urging  me on, sometimes she is right beside me keeping pace, other times she is behind me, most surely pushing me on wards.  I love running in the rain, it is peaceful and exhillarating, I did miss my shadow.  I tried to see if I could see her in the puddles, not so much.  Alas, the sun did come out a few hours after I ran so I took my shadow and two of the dogs (and their shadows) to the beach.

Gus and Gizmo and their shadows

Stats

Feh, it will do.

Totally forgot the loop in the park!  Gahhhh

Pacing / Elevation  A little scattered, I'll have runs like these.  All in all I felt good.

Splits

Sincerely,
Beth, looking forward to running with her shadow again, soon!!

Hills!

Another hill session tonight.  A couple friends suggested a hill in a neighboring town.  It was a about a 1.5 mile run TO said hill.  Not bad, good warm up.  I wasn't quite feeling like running tonight, but I begged off taking all four dogs to the beach to run hills.  I better run hills, damn it.

Isn't he a beauty? 70 feet in elevation over 0.2 miles.  Puffy heart!

Hill!

Arriving home I found a package waiting for me!  Woot!  A Nathan water belt, the new one with the zippered pocket and all four bottle with race caps.  Hubb said, "You need two of these belt things?"  I said "Yes, like you need an entire room filled with RC plane kits."

Half of the room

I washed out the bottle for the new Nathan (it is pink, so cute) and filled them with water.  Changed over the iPhone holder.  The iPhone fits in the zipper part but I wasn't sure how well a pack of GU chomps would work.  Doubted I needed them I wasn't going to run more than 5 or 6 miles I figured.  But always good to test stuff out.  The belt is a little bouncier than my fuel belt, I think this is because the belt is more meshy and lighter and doesn't fit as snugly.  I should have gone down one size.  It sat nice on my hips and a mile or so in I wasn't even really aware of it.  Just like my Fuel Belt.  I know I wasn't going out on a long run, why bring that much water?  Well, I was running hills and I did want to see how my new toy worked and frankly I'm over feeling like a big geek wearing the thing.

To get to that hill there was a little hill at the bottom of the street and a rail road crossing. The evening train was coming so I ran up the hill to the crossing, back down and by the time I got back up the train had passed so now it was on to the 'real' hill.  He is a beauty.  Slow slope in the beginning and then a whoop up to the top.  It was fun.  I felt more power each time I went up.  All 5 times.  It was starting to get late and my PF foot was squawking a little.  I do have a 20 mile run this weekend, so I need to not injure myself prior to it or DURING it.

I walked back down the hill.  I wanted the more extensive recovery and to save my knees a little bit.

Stats:

Aren't the little hills cute?

My pacing was decent.

Sincerely,
Beth who ran hills and is happier for it

ooooooooommmmmmmmmm

Yoga day today!    I needed it.

What walked into yoga class tonight was a hot mess, oh read on, please.

After my very unseemly display of aggression, yesterday, with a driver who tried not once to plow me over in a cross walk but twice at the next cross walk.  I stood in the walk and I may have dared him.  The memory is a skitch fuzzy at the moment.  Then he pulled over and started yelling foul things at me. I may have yelled back and kept on running.  Smart? Probably not.  Refreshing, well yeah sort of.  Besides the bikers that hang out on the bridge witnessed this, and I'm sure they would have protected their own and gone after Mr. New York plates on a White Lexus, right?

What is so difficult to understand about this sign??

For a bit of background:  I live in a beach community, summer means tourists.  I may have yelled something about f-ing tourists PEOPLE actually LIVE here show some damed respect.  I do appreciate the tourists for the money they bring and then leave in our wonderful town (just not at the Wal-Mart, please, frequent some LOCAL businesses);  I don't appreciate them not paying attention to driving and trying to plow down me or any of our other residents two and four footed alike, or stopping me WHILE running UPHILL to ask for directions.  Really?  Even better are the ones that want to disagree with the directions I give.  You stop a woman and ask for directions chances are you are going to get directed by landmarks, deal with it.

We do have beautiful beaches!!!

Today was a work at home day, which is nice.  Hubb was off fishing with a buddy, it was just me and the four footteds, laundry to do, a pile of documents to read and edit *cue red pen* and a spreadsheet to review from a consultant.   Around noon I contacted the consultant looking for his work product.  Well he was getting to it later.  Well OK, so I need a nap and have a few errands to run so I did that.  Around 3 I checked back for said work product.  Well he forgot the file, could I send it to him. Done! I am not a fan of consultants, so I was a teensy bit frustrated.  He did send me said work product at 5:09 stating he couldn't complete it because he didn't have the file. Grrrrr....

And that was the frustrated hot mess that walked into Yoga class tonight.

Yoga was packed, seriously packed.  12 people packed.  Usually on Friday night it is 2 or 3 of us chickens, we even had 2 roosters too!

The class went so quickly too.  I was ready for more and the instructor said, "Ok well, your choice, what does your body need to do before Shavasana"  Wait? What? I'm not ready for Shavasana, believe me usually I am ready for Shavasana to be the WHOLE class.  Must have been that power nap this afternoon?  I did a shoulder stand and went in to plow and then untangled myself and settled into Shavasana.  The instructor chanted during the final minute, that was so freakin' cool!!  I just love her.

At the beginning of class the instructor asks us to dedicate our practice to someone.  The first person that popped into my head was my Father.  He had done something very sweet for me to let me know he and my mother support me in anything and everything I do. I do know that, it was a nice reminder, he is a sweet guy. So my practice was for my father.  I've often wondered if the people I think about in my practice get any sort of positive energy or anything.  Or maybe it is just me who feels positive?

oooommmmmmm

Namaste

WTF... Wednesday Thursday Friday, What Were YOU Thinking?

So we last left off after the Anywhere 5K and my first training walk for SGK...  That leaves Monday, Tuesday, and today...

To recap last week:  Running:  27 miles  Walking: 6 miles.  I am a little under my weekly mileage, but hey my weekly mileage is aggressive and it is freaking hot and humid (fact not an excuse).

Monday is TRX and a 3 mile run.  I enjoy TRX, eventually I will get the roll over plank with my feet in the straps.  Monday was not the day for this, so feet on the floor, and I managed for the full 30 seconds, 2x on both sides, that is a LONG freaking time! I didn't feel the muscle soreness I had felt in the past weeks, so it is time to step it up a little bit, I suppose.  Because of the heat and my absolute paranoia about passing out I didn't run till after TRX.  Took my happy little feet down to the ocean to run Quonnie.  Cute cute cute little beach, easy 3 miles at low tide.  Well it was high tide.  Kinda hard to tell from this picture of the Weekapaug Breechway how freaking high the tide was.  Still in all it is a pretty picture.

High Tide Weekapaug Breechway 

The sand was soft soft soft, the breeze was off the land so warm warm warm, but hey, it was the beach and I could run through the surf, and I did, and I loved it.  At the end I just stood in the surf letting it splash me.  I really should have taken off my shirt and dove in, it was just me and a guy who rode to the beach on his bicycle who jumped in and then sat at the bench at the top of the dune to take in the awesomeness of the Atlantic Ocean.  Next time I won't be so shy, my sports bra isn't revealing and if I am ever going to do a tri-athalon I need to get over my fear of the water!!

Tuesday was my New York day and a rest day.  Up at 5 a.m. and home by 10 p.m.  L.O.N.G. day.  I did get to see one of my gal pals and that makes the day A-OK!

Today, Wednesday, Hump Day, the beginning of WTF...  3 miles are on the schedule, remember I swapped my Thursday short run for the Wednesday long run.  So far this is working out well.  I am a little tired, and a teensy bit crabby on Wednesday so 3 miles is good.  I ran them after I got home from a very long and productive and rewarding work day.  Yeah, I'm one of those people who actually LIKES their job and LOVES their boss and and works with GREAT people.  We are one in a bajillion, we do exist!!!  3 miles around my neighborhood is hills and more hills, good thing I like hills!  The first 1/2 a mile wasn't as rough.  I tried something new.  Coach Julia said she walks the first 2 or 3 minutes and then runs.  I did this, and it actually did help that first massive uphill I need to do!  I can reset my Garmin to make that first bit of walking a lap and then I can accurately clock my slow as molasses in January pace in the heat and humidity.

Wednesday is also when I see Amy for a chair massage.  She always makes me feel like a rock star, and I love it!  I've been having problems with tight back and neck muscles for years, when she first started working on me 4 years ago, when I came to her unable to turn my head from side to side, she said it was like dealing with cement.  Eventually all the solidified fascia and muscle started to give way and the muscle memory went to a place of relaxing and letting her get her wonderfully pointy elbows in and break up more of the cemented together muscle tissue.   So I love my nearly weekly 20 or 40 minutes of Amy time.  My left trap has been tight, to the point of "standing at attention" as Amy calls it. I was worried it was the water bottle I carry when I run, and maybe it is, but she said and I noticed, that it was much more relaxed and my left shoulder wasn't trying to 'kiss my ear'.   Perhaps it was a bit of stress from the 1/2 on Saturday?

I did use the water belt on Sunday, for the 3 mile run and 6 mile walk.  I liked it.  I do need to run more than 3 miles with it to really get a good feel for it.  As a runner co-worker said about the belt, he likes it because it feels like it gives his lower back some support.  I don't know if I noticed that or not.  Possibly...

I will leave you with a picture of Gus, he turned 5 on Monday, we celebrated with some carrot cake all around, we all LOVED it!!  He is a handsome guy.  A rescue, I can't imagine our life without him.  It isn't easy to rescue a dog, challenging for both, most rescues have been abused in some way or another and they need to learn to trust humans again.  The first 3 - 6 months is an adjustment period, for every one.   Us figuring the dog out the dog figuring us out, everyone figuring where everyone else fits in the pack.  He is loved and he knows it and he loves us back.  Although I only think he loves me the most in the morning because when I get out of bed he jumps right into my spot, nestles his head on the pillow and falls back to sleep, awwwww.....

Gus at Quonnie, on the Quonnie Breachway

Running and Yoga on the Beach

So, yes, this is about yesterday's activities.  The day got away from me visiting with friends...

My day started blissfully with a 2.5 mile run on the beach.  I am now caught up from skipping July 4th!  Yeah...  I am also making Saturday's run optional depending on what I have on tap for Sunday.  I do need to get out and move today, I did have a busy day yesterday, yes, yes, I am getting there.

Knowing I had afternoon plans with family and friends I was in a bit of a quandary about what to do about Yoga.  Then I remembered the Westerly Community Yoga Center moved their Friday a.m. practice to the beach.  Oh cool!  I could catch up on my lagging miles by running the beach and also get in a yoga practice, all before 8:30 a.m.  what could be better?

The run was on the lovely Misquamacut Beach.  Which I was surprised to find was a much harder surface than the softer sands of East Beach in Charlestown or Quonnie in Weekapaug.  This required me to run more up on the balls of my feet.  So 2.5 miles was perfect amount of miles and time.  My calves are feeling it today, from that and my afternoon of walking around doing touristy stuff with visiting friends.

Yoga on the beach is fun, the tide was coming in and while we all wanted to be on the nice firmer sand we would have been practicing in the water by the end of the class.  Although those next to the sinky girl (me) may have been OK with that.  No, no one called me 'stinky girl' but me.  We did end class in a circle, in the water with a nice Ohmmmmm  really beautiful combine with the sound of the waves.  Namaste.

Saturday Beach Run!

6 miles on the beach this morning.  No shoes, no tunes, just the feel of the sand in my toes and the sound of the surf in my ears.  I got a bit of a late start.  Intended on getting up at 6 and heading out the door.  The alarm went off, and I didn't get up.  Lazy I suppose?  Or in need of more sleep?  In any event I was out the door after 8 and some what reluctantly...  by mile 3 I was in the grove and happy to be out running and kicking myself for delaying.

The wind was at my back, which made for a bit of a sweaty run.  Approaching the Charlestown Breachway the seaweed made the ocean look like Borscht and smell even worse.  When I touched the rocks on the breachway and turned around, I felt the breeze and smelled the smell a bit stronger.  But wow, it was nice to run into the breeze.

Love the elevation map from the run.  All of 10 feet.

My pace of 11:39 may not be stellar, but hey it was in the sand and barefoot and this is my fun run for the week.  I will make this a tradition to start my Saturdays, when I am not racing.  My Saturday run schedule per 'the plan' varies, but hey, once the plan it put together it sort of goes out the window right?

It is pretty though, isn't it?

Took a nice hour long nap this afternoon.  I may have over done either the running or the drinking or both last week.  Or just underdone (is that a word) the sleeping/recovery?

Tomorrow is a 10 mile run, in-land, with a co-worker.  I'm nervous and excited.  He is a speed racer and I am a distance slogger, so it could very well be interesting.  He is hoping I help him with distance and I am hoping he helps me with my speed.  Could be a match made in heaven or hell... only time will tell.