Week in Review 4/22-4/28

Sunday, April 22: 3 1/2 mile walk
Monday, April 23: 1 hour Zumba
Tuesday, April 24: 1 hour Zumba Toning
Wednesday, April 25: 2.96 mi run- 39 minutes (13:10 mile)
Thursday, April 26: 30 min spinning, 30 min bands, 30 min pilates, 30 min stability ball cardio & strength
Friday, April 27: 11.66 mi cycle - 45 minutes (15.5 mph)
Saturday, April 28: 3.1 mile run (Race Against Racism) - 37:29 minutes (12:03 mile)

Go Dog Go.

I wanted to get out for just a short run this morning since I was off today.  I haven't taken Lucy with me on any runs since I've been running in town and she likes to chase cars, people, dogs, squirrels, leaves, paper... Anyway, I headed out to Springettsbury Park this morning with Lucy in tow for a short two miles and her little beagle personality had me cracking up the whole time. 

Our run, in pictures:

Pulling into the parking lot, pre-run.

Mid-run, dragging my slow ass along.  I swear by that hands-free leash!



Post-run.. happy little beagle.  Not because she got to go for a run, but because she
snuck onto the front seat where she's not allowed to be. 

Two minutes later... passed out little beagle.

 

Race Against Racism.

I ran my first 5k in 10 months on Saturday.  I wasn't sure if I would be ready to run 3.1 solid miles yet, especially after the number that Hyner did on my quads and feet.  Somehow, I managed to crank out 2.9 here in town Wednesday morning without tiring, so I decided that I should go for it.  Plus, the 5k I had on the calendar was the Race Against Racism -- my very first 5k two years ago.  I felt like I had to.

I thought I was running by myself, so I planned on showing up, running, and going home.  However, I was pleasantly surprised to see almost 10 of my coworkers there to run as well.  It was nice to have a little support system there, especially because I was having a little bit of a freak out, questioning if my body was really ready for 3.1 already. 

I forgot how much I hate the first mile of this race.  It's all a real slow uphill for a solid mile, then you get to cruise downhill and flat with just minor hills over the next two until you hit the last .25 which is a pretty steep but short hill.  I felt strong, although I had some serious side cramping and tightness between my shoulders, which I'm blaming on the fact that I had two cups of coffee and a little sip of water before the race. 

View from this morning's 2.5.

I finished in 37:28, just 11 seconds faster than my first time there, but 3 minutes slower than my second.  I have to keep reminding myself that for someone who hasn't really run in 10 months, I can't complain.  I'm back out there, I'm feeling good, and I've made so much progress since my stress fracture.

I even managed to squeak out a slow 2.5 this morning while Josh & Lucy were sleeping. 

It feels so good to enjoy running again. :)

Next up, the Lynn Spittle Memorial 5k on May 12.

Gorge.

Having one of those nights where I just want to keep eating even though I just had a meal.  I think it comes from the fact that I had to eat lunch at 10:40 today, although I did snack at 1:30.  After I ate dinner tonight, I found myself picking at sugar-free whipped cream in the freezer and a piece of lunchmeat.  I'm going to a two-hour circuit class at 6, and my goal is to come home and grab a glass of milk for protein,  but to leave everything in the kitchen alone.  I might actually pack tomorrow's lunch before I go to the gym so I'm not in the refrigerator when I don't have to be. 

Good call, self.

Recovery & Excitement.

Zumba was r o u g h last night.  Legs were sore to a point that was uncomfortable just standing and my blisters were rubbing something fierce.  My legs felt better this morning after the good stretch and since I was home again today, I thought it might be nice to stretch my stiff legs and go on an adventure with Lu.  I haven't had a chance to check out many trails this side of the river, so I spent the morning looking for a nice, flat rail trail to stretch out on. 

We ended up heading to the Lancaster Junction Rail Trail in Manheim.  First of all, let me just say this.  The directions I printed out from the Rail Trail website were totally off.  I ended up at someone's house.  I tried to get back on track with my GPS, which once again tried to take me up someone's driveway.  I pulled over to check the website again and ended up just putting the end road, Champ Boulevard, into my GPS, which actually worked perfectly.  Once we got there, smooth sailing, lol.

The trail itself is 2 1/2 miles one way, 5 miles round trip.  We only did 3 because my socks were starting to bother me. (WTF?)  Tried to jog a little bit and felt wayyyy better after actually jogging and getting a little looser.  The trail itself was perfectly flat, soft on my knees, and well-traveled.  I will definitely be back for sure.

I'm proud of myself for not using the soreness as an excuse to not work out. 

In other exciting news, I was contacted on Friday by a representative for ABC's The Revolution about appearing in a fitness segment.  After some serious phone tag and emailing yesterday, I unfortunately wasn't selected, but I'm excited that something like that was even a possibility!

And can we just discuss the fact that Harley Pasternak was discussing my life yesterday? 

Hyner View Trail Challenge - Rematch.

Josh and I at the start.

Saturday was the Hyner View Trail Challenge, my 2nd round with the crazy beast.  I talked my boyfriend, Josh, into signing up with me shortly after we met, and a friend of mine, Brittany, and her sister, Hannah, had also signed up.  I'm not going to lie, I didn't really "train," other than a few hikes over the past year, a few hills, and a few runs.  With my stress fracture, I honestly didn't think I was capable of much more.

Lie.



Team pink!



We actually ran the first downhill section from the starting line to the bridge, trying to get in between the runners and the hikers so we wouldn't get stuck on the Cliffhanger, the first section of the trail that transects the side of the mountain.  Despite our best efforts, we still got stuck at a few standstills.  When we hit Humble Hill, I had totally forgotten just how rough that hill was.  Throughout the rest of the day, my crew would joke about how I have Hyner PTSD - I didn't remember the hills being quite as bad as they really were, lol.  Humble Hill knocked the breath out of me and I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, but I was so impressed with our time making it up the first climb.  My recovery time was way better this year than last too.  We hit the view, 4 miles in, around 10:45, not even 2 hours in, way faster than last year's time. 

We stopped to refuel and use the bathroom and took off on our first downhill.  We ran as much of it as we could.  I took a tumble at one point when I realized I was running way too fast to stop on the terrain we were on, so I had to do a pirouette off the trail over a log, lol.  Brittany lost her footing at one point near the bottom and dove head first into the ground, scaring the crap out of all of us.  We hit the first major aid station, 5 1/2 miles in, at 11:15, still way better than last year.



The crew at the 3rd aid station.

The middle portion through a hollow was a nice recovery spot.  Good conversation with fellow hikers and shallow creek crossings made this the most enjoyable section for me.  We hit the top of the 2nd hill with at about 1:00 and took off on our second downhill, which was, for me, the most miserable part because of little loose rocks that we couldn't quite run over.  I knew I should enjoy it because the next uphill was going to kick my tired ass.  As we started up the 3rd, I was puttering out, my legs didn't want to move, but I just kept thinking about how the faster I got up this hill, the faster I would be done with climbing.  At the top of the 3rd climb, the SOB was harder for me than last year.  Last year, it was covered in mud, this year, it was dusty and loose.  I will say, though, that there is nothing better than the feeling of hitting the top of that last hill!

By this point, I was experiencing a burning sensation in the bottom of my feet that I've never experienced before.  It felt like I was running the whole thing in ill-fitting high heels.  The fire got worse with every step and quadrupled the minute my feet hit pavement.  As we hit the last two miles at Huff Run, Brittany and Hannah were a bit ahead of me and Josh.  Knowing that I could run this downhill, I told Josh I was going to run ahead because I couldn't take the burning anymore.  I ran through every creek, every puddle that I could find to ease the pain.  As I came out of the woods onto the last stretch of pavement, I was reading to take my shoes off and finish barefoot, lol.

We headed up the last tiny hill to the finish line, realizing that we were still under 7 hours.  I tried to run as fast as I could, but it was like running with 50 lb. boots on through mud.  My foot hit the timing pad right at 7 hours flat, 2 hours and 3 minutes faster than last year. 

I have to say, I was so impressed by the organization of the race, the course itself, and the comraderie and support of my fellow hikers and runners.  I am blown away by the athleticism of the ultra runners.  Forget your Olympic athletes, these people are insane.  Running 50ks in 5 and 6 hours over this crazy terrain.  I have no words for much I admire them. Well, not just them, but anyone who had the balls to tackle Hyner, whether it was the 25k or the 50k.  I think they need to wear capes when they compete in these events. 

Maybe I'll wear one next year...