So this happened

So this happened Friday...
In his defense, I locked him in a room he is not used to, and scary people came to fix my bathroom. He did not approve of this and used his crazy focused Border Collie skillz to GET THE INTRUDERS. Luckily the carpet was the only victim.
And even though I was in complete shock, I wasn't really mad because he is too damn cute so focused and smart. In fact I actually felt sad for him that he was so scared. I should have known better than to disrupt his schedule.
This reminded me of the "feather pillow incident" of 2009. Just moved to my new place in Alameda, CA and for my first day going to work, I decided CB needed a little extra comfort in the form of an old feather pillow. When I got home he looked pretty pleased with himself. Im convinced he didn't destroy the pillow for the sake of destroying it, but instead it was an accident that got out of hand. All of his toys from the past 9 years are still intact. 
CB and I got in the Christmas spirit by hanging our annual live pine wreath.

Sunday I wanted to go run 10 miles outside. CB wouldn't let me leave without him. And after Friday, I was scared to leave him alone for a few hours. We ended up running 6 miles in just over 47 minutes, one of his fastest paces for a longer run.

Happy CB on top of Sledding Hill with Soldier Field in the background.

It was 20 degrees, with a feels like of slap yo face pain, and we literally enjoyed every step. Seeing my little guy so happy melted my heart.

The wind was a bit fierce but overall I felt pretty good running in the cold. I still need a balaclava and to find a way to keep my fingers warm, but double layers (tights+warmup pants, and base layer+ puffy jacket, double gloves) seemed to be adequate for the cold.
The harbors are starting to freeze, and I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I see people ice fishing again on them.

Little man was super pooped when we got home.
Right after we finished running, and I parked CB outside at the local Caribou (Post weekend run tradition) so I could get fancy holiday drink,  it started to snow. And it continued to snow all day and all night. The actual accumulation was only a few inches, but it was beautiful to look at from inside my place. And absolutely terrible to walk through the dirty slush Monday morning.

CB is not amused with the snow at all, and I dont blame him.
And now back to another week filled with my company's holiday party, and the usual month end close stuff.

I also bought a Groupon for 1 month unlimited classes at a dance cardio place close to me.  It's been ages since I've taken any dance classes and  i'm pretty jazzed about trying something new.
GO BEARS!



-xaar

How I Continue to Rock It.

It's no secret that I am a mediocre injury prone runner. And that's why I'll never give any sort of "advice" here on the blog. With a *disappointing* marathon PR of 3:35, half PR of 1:46, and 5k PR of 21:30, I have a lot to learn. I'm not qualified to give advice or "how to" information until I'm a certified coach or until someone is paying me to run races (and I start winning money from them). Not likely to happen, ever.

As the year comes to a close I start reflecting on the previous year to see what I can learn.

This was my first year without significant running related injury. Aka, the longest I've ever gone without injury.


High school: plagued with stress fracture, & other very painful foot problems. Sat out entire 1st season, had a sexy air cast too. Always injured.

2002-2008: undiagnosed stress fracture.

2011: Undiagnosed stress fracture. X-ray later confirmed existence of stress fractures from the past.


Stopping for photos in the later miles of the Miami Marathon 2012 because I was in so much pain from the hip flexor.

2012: Hip flexor strain in which pain lasted 7 months. Started 1/12.

2012: Ankle & ITB pain which lasted 4+ months. Started 9/12.

So what's the differences in 2013 vs 2011-2012? (And prior?)


•I hired an incredibly intuitive Coach to save me from myself (and overtraining) during marathon training. Best. Decision. Ever. For the past 2 years I've seen myself accomplish things I never imagined possible in such a short period of time.

•I no longer static stretch. I strained my hip flexor while stretching. Lesson learned. Only dynamic stretches from now on.


•Religious use of my 4 BFFs (pictured above). I've found a correlation that when my calf gets tight, I start to get shin pain which escalates to other issues.

•Rotation of running shoes. And only wearing running shoes for running. This Study says there's a 39% less risk of injury to people who use multiple shoes. For reference Here is my lineup:


Saucony A5- only very fast speed work, races of less than 6 miles.

Mizuno Wave Sayonara- Tempo runs, middle distance runs.

Brooks Pure Cadence- Speed work, racing half marathons.

Newton Distance- Long runs with goal pace mileage. Racing half and full marathons.

Nike Pegasus- Easy runs, of both short and long distance. (Recovery days)

•Strength training. I've been very diligent to get in strength sessions 2-3 times a week.


•Eating a well balanced diet made from mostly whole foods. (Not much processed shit, never soda) Because of this my body can recover quickly post hard effort, and I rarely ever get sick. And don't forget the beer and wine too! I swear hops cures muscle soreness.

•Listening to my body- I know when to stop if I'm feeling something funny going on. There's no shame in taking an unplanned rest day and/or switching to cycling or something else which isn't further aggravating the issue.


CB knows how to rest, we should all take a lesson.

•Rest days- I take between 1-3 rest days a week. My body thanks me by being healthy and injury free. This is why you'll never see me do a running "streak." Nothing like an overuse injury to sideline you for the spring and all those races you want to run.

And finally...


•A very positive attitude. I really enjoy running and working out and have found when my motivation dips, I get more aches and pains. I run because it is fun.

*The 3:35 marathon is disappointing because It was not indicative of my athletic ability on that day. I know I was capable of much better. I am solely talking about the time on the clock here.


- xaar

Grant Park Turkey Trot

21:49 *second fastest 5k ever behind this one a few weeks ago.

37 of 1339 Overall

6 of 846 Women.

1st AG of 136

Course PR by almost 3 minutes

I'm pretty Meh about the holiday season, couple that with being absolutely burnt out from work the past few months and you get someone who rolls their eyes at all the"festive" fakeness going on. Tuesday I left work late and decided to walk home. I saw a huge crowd and decided to go where all the people were, which would usually end up in the middle of some protest. But instead,  I saw the Daley Plaza Christmas tree all lit up.

I must have missed the lighting of it by 15 minutes, but it was just beautiful. And put a huge smile on my face.

Thursday morning I took the CB dog out for a run and we crashed the staging area for the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade. I really enjoyed walking around seeing all the floats and mini horses, marching bands and Budweiser Clydesdales.

I'm just so thankful I didnt have to participate in marching band here in Chicago when the feels like Thursday morning was "butt arse freezing cold." Although wearing those hideous polyester suits in the steamy Florida temps was no bueno either when I was in high school.

Saturday morning was the Grant Park Turkey Trot. I ran the race last year with my Tribu and had a blast while being frozen to the bone. I decided to wake up early & be the first in line for packet pickup and then walk back to my place and chill before the race. Perks of a race within a half mile of your apartment.

CB and I ran over to pickup early and he was so sad he couldn't run the race with me. The sunrise on the buildings was beautiful.

After waiting at home for an hour L and I walked back over to the start of the race and I warmed up a bit. My only goal for this race was to have fun (and beat my time from last year) After warming up I hopped into the front of the very narrow start corral and ran into Ken who got yet another PR this year.So freaking inspiring! I ended up tucking in a few rows behind the start line since I knew from last year it wasn't a very deep competitive field.But also didn't want to get run over by the speedsters.

Mile 1: 6:45, felt amazing and like I could have held the pace for a while.

Mile 2: some headwinds, starting to slow down.Breathing getting labored due to the cold+ wind.

Mile 3: slowing down a bit more but feeling great.

Mile 3.1: Kicking it in hard. Too much kick left. haha

I could have pushed a bit more but am happy to beat last years time by almost 3 minutes. I had a lot of fun and right now that's the most important thing for me. (and staying injury free!)

Everyone got a medal for finishing which is a nice perk considering this was probably many of the participant's 1st races ever. I read somewhere Thanksgiving is the busiest road race day of the year. If a medal gets people motivated to be healthy, that's wonderful.

I love this race because it's pretty well organized and in my usual stomping grounds on the lakefront which I know all the nuances and cracks of the sidewalks so very well. Being a stones throw from my place doesn't hurt either.

  What's next? Probably the Rudolph Ramble on December 15 if the weather isn't too FUBAR. I'm not a huge fan of running in extreme cold + wind. Breathing becomes very labored and I get bloody nose- sinus issues. I could care less about earning any "hardcore badge" for running outside when its "feels like less than 20 degrees."   It's just not my jam. Maybe a Balaclava would help? But my hands still feel like someone smashed them in a car door. 

  What's really next? Continuing to focus on my health & well being, Portuguese, possibly starting to study for the CPA *Gasp*, and making healthy foods without leftovers for 2 people. And loads of playtime with the CB Dog. And drinking loads of delicious craft beer. DUH. - xaar