Why I'm not running Ragnar this year

Last year my husband ran Ragnar and I not so secretly wanted to start my own women's team, so we could beat the boys team. (I know a lot of fast ladies.)

And then, to my surprise, I was invited to a women's Ragnar team. My running reputation had gotten around and I, apparently made the cut.

I was thrilled and very honored.

I love trail running and I love relay races.

But then, I ended up saying no.

Money
The first reason was the cost. Ragnar is about $200. I just had a destination race in Savannah and that wasn't cheap. But the team I was invited to also wanted to do glamping, which raised the price to about $360 per person. Which is a lot of money. Especially when a 5k is normally $25 and a half marathon around $80. I couldn't justify that much money.

Risk of injury
Had I gotten a free entry would I do it? Still no. I really wanted to. But I was terrified of the idea of running trails at night. Those trails are perilous. I really worried about twisting an ankle. It just seemed dangerous. I've run trails slightly before dawn and after sunset—trails I know. I still try to avoid it. I've run on the road when dark, and I still don't like to do it.

Camping
I don't like camping and port-a-potties. It's not something I enjoy. There is a hotel near the campsite, but it was full. I checked several times.

Over-nights
I cherish my sleep. And I have NEVER been able to pull an all-nighter. I need naps. So I really wonder how bad I'd do in the overnight portion of this race.

So I'm not running Ragnar. I don't want to spend that much money and really don't want to get hurt. It still sounds super cool. I hope the guys have fun. And best of luck to anyone running. I'll visit and cheer you on!

Workouts this week Aug. 20-26

Monday: OFF

I was supposed to run Monday night but I was exhausted. I came home and napped. And did nothing. 

Tuesday: Morning miles

I got up early and ran before work. I was supposed to run 6 miles. But I got out the door at 6 a.m. instead of 5:45 and then spent too long warming up. I was feeling good at 5 miles, so I ran 5.5 miles and then decided to skip washing my hair. Still on time to work. Yay. 

I ran at the indoor track, and saw a short girl doing that exercise study I almost did a few months ago. I was running easy, easy, and think I lapped this girl every 6 laps or so. (So she probably wasn't running race pace.) It's cool to see the study. (Which I didn't do because you had to run 8 miles indoors, WITHOUT water or music or your watch, on an empty stomach. Not worth it to me. I'm super busy.) 

Wednesday: Speed work

5:30 a.m. Speed workout at the track. Today's workout felt a little better than last week's. I was pretty happy with it. Mostly my 400s. But then I looked on Strava and saw I was faster a month ago. Oh well. 

2x800, 4x400,2x800

3:12, 3:09, 1:31, 1:28, 1:29, 1:26, 3:17, 3:16

My 400s felt good. I had a good kick at the end.

The last 800s were awful. I wanted to walk off the track and quit on the last one. I decided to finish whether it was 7 minute pace. And it was still well under 7 minute pace. I'm happy with the workout, maybe not the last 800s, but humidity. 

Thursday: Scaring walkers

I did 5 junk miles on the trails. I scared the bejeezus out of a walker on the trail. I came upon him. I was going to warn him, but he was still 12 or so feet off. He jumped sky high and shrieked. And then realized it was a tiny white woman. I apologized as I ran past. Then when I finished my run, my water bottle was gone. I had stashed it near the bathroom, where I've stashed stuff before. I couldn't find it. I checked the trash cans. Who would still a clearly cold water bottle? So no water for me after my 5 mile run. I've stashed water bottles for years and never had this happen. !!!

Friday: Trail run

I had planned to take Friday off running, but I was off work and Matt was running Cook's trail, so I joined him. And 8 miles might have been too much. My legs were a little tired on the last part of the run. I looked at my Garmin, and it said my 7 day mileage was 41. Eek. I usually run 30-ish in a Strava week.

The trail was was super easy pace. Cook's trail was still pretty muddy. About 1.2 miles from Sandy Creek Park, there's a big muddy section. Maybe 20 feet or more? I tiptoed across some branches, and then there was still more mud. On the way in, I sunk into the mud. On the way back, I tried the branches, but still sunk into the water. I've washed my trail shoes three times and hope they're not ruined.

Did some core yoga that night. 

Saturday

I had planned to do my 8 at race pace today, but after looking at yesterday's mileage opted for a rest day. I decided to go on a bike ride instead. (I hadn't ridden in almost 3 weeks.) I was going to do an easy 5 around the neighborhoods, but with Matt around I wanted to do Firefly trail from the house and back. Which the first 6 miles were fine, then I slowed it down a lot, and my quads starting protesting. I made it almost 18 miles. And I made it home. But my last longest ride was 13 miles. 

I need cycling shorts. I wore running shorts with a compression liner, and spent the entire ride picking at my shorts. I tried changing gears some too. Two hours might have been a bit too much and I can see why this would help your cardio. 

Sunday: Long run

Today my "long run" was 8 miles at race pace. I went to the Rogue Run, since their EASY pace is my half marathon pace. Sally and Kristin had agreed to pace me. We told Mike the plan and he joined in. Though they tried to talk me into a mile warm up and cool down and to just do the 10 mile route. I took the first half mile easy, and was pretty close to what I wanted. The group stopped for water at mile 4, which I didn't really want to stop, but I was running with a group so I had to stop. I peeled off from the group at 6. They did 10. And I did the last 2 miles with Kristin, and we picked up the pace. I think we averaged 8:18 pace, which was ahead of my 8:23 goal pace. (At one point Mike tucked in behind me so I couldn't slow down. Which is a devious strategy. He did give me some slack on a hill. And while I slowed way down I was happy to not walk either of the big hills.)

The workout was hard. Not too hard. And honestly the first few miles were easy. The hills were the hardest part. I went home and felt fine. I didn't feel too spent.

I wore my heart rate monitor and my watch gave me a new Vo2 max and updated my race predictor. (Which is hilarious.)

Thoughts: Strawberry cliff blocks are my new favorite fuel 

I probably should have done some yoga. I did roll twice and stretch some. 

Sunday night around 6 I just crashed. I started to feel sick. I sat down and felt immediately better. I think it was my body telling me to slow down. 

Miles this week: 32 running, 18 bike

5 runs, 1 bike ride, 2 yoga

My Sunday reward

Lake Chapman 5k (Trail 5k)

This morning I ran the Lake Chapman 5k.

Beautiful morning for a run. 

Let me preface this with

1. I am sick. I woke up sick Tuesday and have been running through whatever this is. 

2. I did my normal training and it was a tough training week.

Tuesday hill repeats, Wednesday 6 hilly miles, Thursday mile repeats, Friday long run. So I'd run my 24 miles (what I run in a normal week) before coming to the course. 

No taper. I rested Saturday and that was it. 

I wanted to run under a 26 minutes for the race. I did a 26 minute trail 5k last year. But it wasn't in me today. My legs would not move. 

Pre-race

Mile 1: I thought should be about 7:30 so I held back the first half mile and then I couldn't speed up. There's a hill about .7 mile in. First mile was 8:49. Which was way too slow but there was a giant hill. (I passed a girl on this hill. I've run with this girl before. She always goes out in front of me and finished WAY behind me) 

Mile 2: I couldn't get my legs to match the pace I wanted them to go. I was trying so hard. 9:08 (And another big hill)

Mile 3: 7:45. The last half mile was on the road and I didn't look at my watch. I was just hanging on. I felt like I was running another 9 minute mile. It hurt. But I wanted to catch that girl in front of me and didn't want to let anyone pass me. I didn't let anyone pass me.

And my last .2 mile was 6:39 pace.

I finished 8th overall. Fourth place woman. Two ladies from the racing team got 1 and 2. And I never caught the girl in front of me who was in my age group, so I got second in my age group. 

 I was happy with the last bit of the race. That when I was on roads I could run close to what I wanted on tired legs. And that last mile always hurts the most. I couldn't have done anymore. My legs were trashed afterwards. (And so sore Monday and Tuesday).

Spent at the end of the race. 

I could have run faster had I not been sick or tapered some. 

It was a beautiful day to run. I think I ran the best I could. And now I just really want a fast race after a few slower races. 

Took picture of the 15k after my race.

Finish line mug (instead of a medal)

Post race splurge. I rarely eat fried food but this was amazing. 

How to recover from a half marathon

It's been a week since my trail half marathon. I didn't think it would take me this long to recover but it did. It took me a solid week.

I googled how long it should take to recover from a half marathon a lot.

I thought since I was kind of counting the run as my long run for the week and didn't go especially fast that I'd be fine just like after a long run. But it took me longer to bounce back and that's fine. I thought it would take 2-3 days, like maybe a serious runner. But apparently I fell closer to *casual* runner in terms of recovery. I like to think that I'm tough. Maybe I'm just not as tough as I want to be.

After the race
After the race, I changed out of my wet clothes as soon as possible. I put on compression sleeves. I walked around some and stretched. I wasn't really hungry but I forced myself to eat a packet of trail mix. And eventually I remembered to drink water. I took two small cups of gatorade. I drove home (stopped and got a sandwich and forced myself to eat half) and kept walking around. Since I had to walk the dog and get ready for a board meeting.

At maybe 4 hours after the race, I started to feel really sick. I was shaking. I was having some GI issues. I couldn't breathe. I downed two huge cups full of water and felt better. I forced myself to eat the other half of the sandwich (and still wasn't hungry). I rolled my legs out.

My calves started cramping up a tad that night at the board meeting from all the sitting. I rolled more.

The day after

My toenails have never hurt this much in my life. It was so painful.

I knew at mile 8 that I was going to have blisters or toenail issues. I pounded those uphills and downhills and felt it. I knew I could run another 4 miles so it wasn't an issue. I ended up with one blood blister on a toenail that was already black before the race. I drained the blister after the race and didn't have any more blisters. Just the black toenails. Two of which turned purple a few days after the race. Not immediately. In retrospect, I should have laced my shoes better. Because my shoes were the right size, and I wore good socks (so I didn't get more blisters), it was just all of the hills.

But the day after, I soaked my feet in epsom salt and it was amazing. (I've done this most days since). I soaked my feet and put ointment and bandaids on my toenails.

My legs felt fine. I went on a walk.  I did some yoga. I took it easy. Had a headache and made sure to drink plenty of water.

Two days later. 
That Monday, I felt like I should run to shakeout my legs. But I was super busy and tired. So I did 20 minutes on the stationary bike to get things moving.

(I did NOT want to wear shoes). I had a headache and forced myself to drink water most of the day.

Three days later

That Tuesday, I did 4 easy miles. I did have to stop a few times. It wasn't a great run, but I felt like I needed to get things moving.

Four days after

Wednesday. I felt bad for missing Tuesday speed work, so I tried to do some speed. My training plan had 4 miles at race pace. Which is in the 7:25-7:30 range.
Mile 1: 7:36.
Mile 2: 7:45.

I couldn't hit the goal pace. And I felt tired. So I took a break and walked 200 meters after the first two miles.

Mile 3: 7:42
Mile 4: 7:29

So I hit a total of one mile at goal pace. One.

It was weird. My legs didn't feel tired, the way my legs usually feel tired. I've run on tired legs. But the run felt weird. Nothing hurt. Towards the end of the run, my thighs felt a little like jelly. Just my thighs. They were moving, but not as fast as I wanted. Nothing hurt. I was just working really hard for what should come fairly easily.

I'm telling myself that putting in the work counts for something. That ALMOST FAST miles are better than no miles?

Five days after.
Thursday. I usually take Thursday off. I was a tad busy, so I did 20 minutes on the exercise bike and 20 minutes worth of core.

Six days after

It was a glorious day. The weather was warm (perfect) and the sky was blue. It was the perfect day for a run. My plan was to do my long run—8 miles.

Mile 1 was sluggish. At mile 2, I fell. And while I usually get right back up. I sat there for maybe 90 seconds not wanting to get up. I eventually did. And then went to the bathrooms. It was hot so I wanted water. The water fountains had been taken out of the bathrooms. At mile 3, I knew I wasn't doing 8. I finished 4 and then eked out five miles. I stopped a lot during the run. It was an awful run.

My legs didn't feel tired the way they usually feel tired. My body was just screaming to stop. In retrospect, I ran it like when I've run when I'm sick. Like I don't have enough energy. So I ran five miles and was completely discouraged. At this point, I haven't had a good run 2+ weeks.

Seven days later
I was supposed to run in the morning. Before going to two birthday parties. But I really didn't have time to get in a run before leaving at 9. So I skipped my run. I should have done it after the two parties. But I'm always drained after being around people that much. So I took a nap and decided my legs could use another day of rest. I did some exercise bike and abs (and soaked my feet, like I've done almost every day this week).

Day 8
My legs finally felt normal and it was a good run. FINALLY.

So it took a week to recover from the trail half. It's okay to rest. It's okay to take it easy on your legs. I'm glad I got through that.

Workouts this week: 4 runs, 2 exercise bike, 2 core workouts, 1 yoga
Miles this week: 19

Workouts this week: Nov. 6-12

Monday: Off

Tuesday: track workout in the dark
The time change made our track workout very dark. There were some football lights on during my warmup, but then they turned off. I’d left my headlamp in the car because I thought the track had light. Haha.  I could see a few feet in front of me, but not much.

It was also rainy and the track was wet and by the end of the workout my feet felt like water balloons--wet and squishy.

I did a mile warmup. Then it was on to the workout. 5x800s.

3:31, 3:28, 3:26, 3:23, 3:07. Then a mile cool down.

I tried to run with Sally for the last one. I held on to her for 400. I tried. It was a valiant effort. Also does it mean that I started out too slow if I ran the last one in 3:07?

Lots of people came. We had some of our usual group, plus two new ladies.  And then a big group came late. There was some kids. A guy running 2:40 800s. A mom. I’m happy when more people come.

Next week I’ll bring my headlamp.

Wednesday: Medium run
I had planned on running outside. After going outside, I decided it was too cold and that I’d run inside. So I ran 48 laps at Ramsey. I’ll take boring over cold.

I ran 6 miles at an easy pace.

Thursday and Friday: Off
On Thursday I drove to Florida after work and didn’t have time for a run. Friday was vacation things and I didn’t run. I did run after a 2-year-old, which should count for something.

Saturday: race
I ran a 5k while in Florida and did a separate race recap. I’m happy with how I did.

Sunday: Long run

I really wanted to go back to the trail I ran in Florida this summer. This time after a little searching, I found the trailhead and place to park. (Yay). I did 8 miles. I ran 4 out and 4 back.
It’s only wide enough for one person. It’s mostly trail, though it’s sandy in some parts. I ran the first two miles, and then I came to the road where I had started this summer. This second section of trail has a lot more turns and intersections (where you can get turned around) than the first section. But I knew I could get lost this time, so I was more aware. AND I DIDN’T GET LOST. YAY!

I also had an awesome run. My legs were faster than my usual easy run: 8:40 pace on a flat trail. I felt great, like I could run forever. (Which is crazy for the day after a race). One of the best runs this fall.

Where to go for this run: Longleaf Pine Trailhead near Santa Rosa Beach. It's near 30a.
Address is 399 Satinwood Dr. Santa Rosa Beach Florida

You should be able to find it in your GPS. $2 for parking. And yes it looks sketchy when you first pull up.

Runs this week: 4
Miles this week: 23
States run in: 2

First ever 10-miler

10 miles seems like such a long distance. 10 miles.

A lot of the really fast runners do this distance every week. And I've been awe-struck by them, thinking I couldn't do that.

And this time last year I couldn't. I was running 3 and 4 miles three times a week. I didn't do my first 5 mile run until the end of October 2016.

But gradually, gradually, I started upping my distances. 6 miles got easier. 8 milers got doable. And then last week I ran 9 miles. And I felt like I could run 10. So this week was it.

And it didn't go according to plan. My favorite long run spot was damaged by a tropical storm that passed through. I spent hours Friday figuring out where I'd run: try the storm damaged trail and see how bad it is, try another trail that was less damaged, or do hamster loops at my usual lower distance spot.

In the end I opted for the IM Fields, where I run a few times a week. I decided to do 3-mile loops. It's close to my house and there's water and bathrooms. (Matt did 10 miles with the Fleet Feet AthHalf training group, and he had a GREAT run. I'm afraid to run on pavement, so I ran on trails.)

The goal was to run 10 miles. Time was not important. I was running for endurance, not speed.

I parked my car, and started by running downhill.

I did the first loop and at 3 miles was near my car, so stopped briefly for water. I took a few sips and started my second 3-mile loop. I got water after this loop too. (I used to think I was so tough for running without water, but even stopping for 20 seconds for a few sips of water makes me feel so much better. I have better long runs with water.) I had thought that for the last loop, I'd run the parts of the trail I hadn't run yet. But the loop wasn't that bad, so I kept the loop pretty similar to previous ones.

And I never walked. Or even felt like I needed to. Boredom was the worst part. I would have loved someone to run with. I had music. I was counting down miles by the 10th.

And it was done. I ran 10 miles. The longest I'd ever run. I took my time stretching. I tried to get a picture of me running for social, but did a terrible job and couldn't post those pictures. I came home, and when I got out of my car, my ankles were STIFF.

Probably too many tree roots. So I put on compression socks and rolled.

I thought a 10-miler would be worse. That I would be dead all day. That I'd be sore. That it would hurt. (But the ankles were the worst, and it wasn't too bad).

It was fine. I felt like I could DEFINITELY do the AthHalf that's 5 weeks away. Which is a scary thought because I've been so indecisive about it. I was waffling and then I decided no. And now I'm thinking about it again. I think I could do it, but I might not be happy with myself if I didn't have a good time. And I've been training for a 5k, not 4x that. I can't get enough speed training in during the next 5 weeks to make it happen.

So I'll be happy with my newfound endurance.

I'm super happy I can run this far. That my body can do it. (Though I'm trying to not overtrain, so I don't get burned out like I did in July.)

Workouts this week: June 26-July 2

June 26: OFF
Enjoyed my Monday off. Came home and took a nap.

June 27: Speed work X 2
Ran a mile for speed at 6:30 a.m.

Then did 6:30 p.m. track workout. The workout was warmup, 5 800s, then a cool down (with breaks in between).
After my mile, I didn't really want to do the last two reps, but decided to see how I felt.
• 3:27
• 3:27.9
• 3:30

And then I was basically done, but Matt told me I couldn't quit.
• 3:33. My legs were SOOOOOO Heavy on this one.
• 3:27. Ugh

(Also the track is long, so for .52 miles)

800 meters to cool down. That was HARD. I was so tired after that workout.

June 28: trail run

Did a trail run with the Athens Road Runners as part of the monthly trail series. It was white to orange trail at the Botanical Garden, which I've done once before. The goal today was SLOW recovery miles. And yep, ran 10:58s.

This trail is so steep, it's easy to run slow. I was pretty proud of myself for running the entire trail and not walking the hills. Thanks peer pressure, I wouldn't let myself do that.

June 29th: rainy run
My quads were sore. I was tired. Today I wanted a flat run. No hills. I ran by my house. And I started feeling better after I started running. (I think the tired feeling was from not getting enough sleep). The plan was to run 5.1 miles. Easy miles. Still on recovery. I hit 5.1 miles and the rain started POURING. I called Matt to come pick me up. No answer. And my phone wouldn't hang up. It's in a waterproof case but when the case is wet I can't touch buttons on the screen. So I walked the big hill and ran an extra mile back to the house. (I had planned to walk the last mile as my stretching post run.)

Good news: I bought a pair of new Nike Pegasus shield. They're designed for running in the rain. They're water resistant and extra grippy.

From Nike: Designed for use in rainy, wet conditions, these running shoes have a DWR coating on the mesh and Flywire uppers, as well as water-resistant booties to keep your feet feeling warm and dry. The grippy, high-abrasion outsoles offer traction and durability, while the Cushlon and Phylite midsoles are soft and responsive.

Verdict: They are indeed water resistant. My feet were dry and not sloshing in my shoes.

June 30: BodyPump + Speed
I went to 5:30 BodyPump. I DID NOT like the music for the 102 release. Ugh. It uses a lot of dumbbells. There are pushups. I did lunges with no weight.

Then I did some speed work from a workout from Nike.

Warmup mile
2 100 meter strides
1000 at race pace (4:12)
2 100 meter strides

The workout said cool down mile, but I was tired so I ran for 5 miles, which was a little more than half a mile. My Garmin doesn't track right on the indoor track.

Saturday: Failed long run
The goal was to run 8-9 miles. I skipped my long run last week. I went running today and my legs were tired. I walked in mile 2. And again in mile 3. At mile 4 I was ready to quit, but said I'd get to five miles. I could do that. At five miles, I willed myself to 6. At 6, I willed myself to finish a 10k, and then I willed myself to finish 7 miles. And that was that. I was hot and tired. And it was more than 4 miles. I was just tired.

Afterwards, I was feeling the twinges of shin splits when I was walking around that afternoon.

Sunday July 2: Progression run

I tried a progression run today. Which is weird for me since I like to rabbit my first mile and get slower. (Also I was only running 3 miles today. I'm slightly scaling back my mileage and tapering).
I ran my first mile 9:30, which is recovery pace for me.
Mile 2: 9 minutes.
Mile 3. 8 minutes.

I ran this on trails so I purposely made sure mile 3 was downhill. Not sure if I started too slow. I think I just forgot which part of the progression I was on for that third mile. So apparently I can do this. It was a challenge. I'd try it again.

**Starting to get shin splits. Had zero pain during the run. But my shins started to hurt after the run. So I iced and took so anti-inflammatories. I'll search what I should do, but I think it's the muscular kind of shin splints.

Also went to Sunday night yoga.

Car twin: my black and white mini, parked near a black and white FJ

Miles this week: 28

Days running: 6

Also 1 weights class, 1 yoga class

Cook's trail: Racoon edition

I’m three for three with Sunday morning trail run adventures:
1) wasps
2) getting lost
3) today

The run started off normal enough. Matt and I went to Cook’s trail (current favorite trail because it’s long, flat and pretty. And I’d rather do my long runs on trails, than on the road. Feel like it’s better for my knees.) We get there good and early, and start to run at 7:44 a.m.

It’s not too muddy (it is a little muddy). Matt sees a deer. I don’t see it. We run to the halfway point. 4 miles. I get water. Matt runs while I get water.

We start back. My goal is 10 minute miles (this is a slow run for mileage.) We’re right on pace.

We get back to the car. I run some extra to get to eight miles. Matt stops. He’s done. My goal is nine today, so I head back for another mile. I give Matt the car keys so he can get water and snacks.

I’ve got my headphones in. I got bored around mile 6 or so. And I’m not even a 1/10th of the mile in when I hear noise. It’s digging and grunting, maybe some hissing. I look to the right and see a large raccoon.

AND this week, this story about a rabid raccoon biting a trail runner went viral. Several different people shared it on Facebook.

Not the raccoon I saw. They're not actually CUTE in person. 

So I see a large raccoon, a few feet from me and FREAK OUT.

1. I scream loudly. (I’m sure Matt can hear me.)
2. I sprint away. Pace: 6:20 mile. (which is not bad for having already run 8 miles)

I get at least a quarter mile before I decide it’s not following me (I decide I can probably out run a raccoon). I run .75 mile before I turn around to come back. I grab a stick and call Matt. (I’m hoping he hears his phone since he didn’t run with it.) He doesn’t answer.

I try to text him. Only my phone is covered in sweat. My hands are covered in sweat and there’s nothing to wipe my hands on because my clothes are covered in sweat.

So I try to call him again, only I hit facetime with my sweaty fingers. And the phone doesn’t want to facetime him, so an error message pops up. So it won’t call him.

At this point, I’m considering walking the three miles to Sandy Creek Park and have him pick me up there. I’m not walking past that murderous raccoon again. Is there another trail that goes elsewhere and I can meet him?

I tell Siri to call Matt and she actually calls the right Matt (yay!). I over emote how scared I am of this clearly rabid raccoon. He tells me he’ll walk back to where I am. I start walking, knowing that I’m quite a distance from the raccoon.

And I don’t want the raccoon to attack Matt. We don’t have time for rabies shots.

Matt calls me. Only to hang up. I try to call him back. Only to see him in the distance. He’s also carrying a stick. I think he’s amused that I’m carrying a big stick.

I was worried the raccoon got him. But he didn’t even see the raccoon.

If it ran off when I screamed, that’s a good sign (it’s not rabid.)

So I tentatively walk back, keeping my eye out for where I saw it. I don’t see another trace of it.

Matt actually calls for the raccoon—he wants to see it. I don’t! He keeps trying to tell me that raccoons are out in the daylight, and grunt and dig—this is normal.

But I barely got a glance at the raccoon (I wasn’t wearing my glasses and I glanced so quickly). It was probably two raccoons getting it on. Because of how big it was (two) and all the grunting?

So I survived. No one got rabies. I learned that I can sprint after an 8 mile run. And that raccoons scare the bejeezus out of me. It was yet another Sunday trail run adventure.

Adventures on Wasp Bridge

Today I went back to Cook's Trail. I wanted to try it again. I ran with my friend Sally, who is SUPER FAST, but seemed interested in trying a new trail.

It's always better to run with someone, so I was thrilled she came out there.

Also, I heard rumors that there is a giant turtle who lives under one of the boardwalks, and sometimes you can see him out and about eating leaves. I want to see the turtle!

We met at 8 a.m. Which was still too early for me, but the air was already muggy. I didn't want to run any later because it would be HOT.

I got to the nature center early (no traffic) and had time to stretch and watch other hikers and runners, who thankfully cleared the spider webs before us.

We started our run and Matt met us, he wanted to do the route, but in the opposite direction. So we ran together for about 3.5 miles.

We started off slow. A nice warm up run. I thought the split was TOO slow but I think that's actually what you're supposed to do for the first mile of a long run.

The warning
At about mile two, we were met by two of the ladies I'd seen leave a few minutes before us (they were wearing knee socks, which seemed like a very smart idea). They were running back. The stopped us to tell us about WASPS. A swarm of angry wasps on a bridge. One lady was stung five times. The other once.

This freaked me right out. I was scared. I HATE WASPS.

The ladies told us our best bet was to sprint one at a time over the bridge IF we had to cross.

We were 2 miles in an 8 mile run. I needed to get my miles in. Matt needed to get back to his car. Ugh.

We decided to see how bad the bridge was and then decide.

They told us it was the second section of the metal bridge.

So every bridge we went across with trepidation. We finally got to a two section bridge. I hung back and didn't want to cross it. Matt crossed it. Sally crossed it. Nothing. I ran for my life. And nothing. Maybe the next bridge? But there wasn't a next bridge.

We hypothesized that maybe the wasps were just passing through. I was imagining a huge black cloud of buzzing wasps.

We ran to the halfway point in the trail and turned around. Matt left us for another route. And again, a group of three ladies stopped us to warn us of the wasps. We didn't see them the first time, we told them.

We kept running. At a good pace, I should add. And we saw another runners we knew.

"Hi Katie," I saw to a lady who I think works at one of the running stores. And Sally and I discuss whether it was Katie. I say we'll find out on Strava later.

The wasps
And then we come to the bridge not worried at all. I run across it.

And Sally runs across it and Sally screams. She has found the wasps.

My response was to take off like Usain bolt across the second bridge. I don't want to be anywhere near wasps.

Sally catches up and says she hasn't been stung. I'm about to start running again, when it's clear she needs a minute. I'm looking at her for wasps, when I notice that her shirt is BUZZING—specifically the shoulder that's closest to me.

"It's in your shirt," I say. "TAKE OFF YOUR SHIRT."

Yes, I'm with my new friend in middle of the woods telling her to take off her clothes.

She whips the shirt of in a nanosecond and throws it to the ground. (I don't know any other way to get a wasp out of a shirt).

No stings.

And I look at her. What do we do?

She's ready to leave the shirt. But it's her Ath-Half shirt. So we should try to get the wasp out, right?

We poke at it with sticks. The wasp is still in there. Eventually, she unfolds the shirt and the wasp is sitting there dazed. In a few seconds, it walks off the shirt. I'm wondering if she's going to let it fly away, but she clobbers in with a big stick.

She puts the shirt back on (I wouldn't have!) and we set back to our run. Completely weirded out. It was so scary. Ugh.

We finish our run and can't stop talking about the wasp. We warn people we see. The wasps bothered other people too.

I am SO GLAD we didn't get stung. It was kind of an adventure, but super scary. No more wasps. Katie saw a snake on her run. And no one saw the turtle, so......not the creatures we were looking for.

And if you need a new interval workout, just sprint the bridges and boardwalks on Cook's Trail.

Cook's Trail

Cook's Trail is the trail that goes from Sandy Creek Nature Center to Sandy Creek Park. I've wanted to try it for awhile. It's an out and back trail that's a little less than 4 miles each way.

And today it was part of the Athens Road Runners Trail Series. I was excited to finally try it.

The group met at 6 p.m. The group's plan was to run 6 miles. To run three and then turn back, or whatever distance you wanted.

There were almost 20 people there—a good crowd. And we ran. I ran with Michael Klipper and Team Sara (Cera Jones, and Sarah Everett) and a few others. Pace was around 9:30 a mile. THEN I decided to BE CRAZY and run all of Cook's trail, which is about 4 in and then 4 back. I figured someone else would want to do the whole trail.

Nope. Just me. I ran the extra mile. And it was a hilly mile. The first half mile was OKAY and then it got mountainous. I walked the hill (So 11 minute mile)  and then I got back to normal, easy-isn pace. (It was hot. so hot!)

Overall, I really liked the trail. And you have to do the out and back. You can't get to mile 6 and hop back to your car (no giving up). So I think I'd like for my long run. I'd definitely go back. (I like it better than the lakeside trail.)

• The trail was a little muddy the day we went. Apparently it wasn't too bad.
• One of the bridges was very bouncy (watch out!) I wasn't expecting that
• It was pretty flat and not too hilly, except for in mile 3-4. That last half mile after the gate is brutal
• There's lots of boardwalk to run on. (Some of it is slippery, but not too bad)
• There's a cool section that runs UNDER the road. (HOW COOL IS THAT!?)

There were also some cool bug sculptures.

Workouts this week: May 8-14

Monday group run: 5 miles with Fleet Feet

TODAY WAS MY FIRST GROUP RUN EVER. I've been meaning to try the group runs FOREVER, but today it finally worked out with my schedule (me having the time, the runs being offered and matching with my run for the day.) So I headed over to Fleet Feet for the run. Matt tagged along. He got there early and told me there was indeed parking and snagged a map for me of the route.

I showed up SUPER EARLY and stretched. I didn't know anyone so I mostly kept to myself. I didn't want to demo the Nike's that they had brought. It was too close to my race, so while I'd like some Nike road shoes, I didn't try anything on (this was partly being shy.) Eventually a few people I knew showed up. The speed coach matched me up with someone. A friend from work showed up. And eventually it was run time. (So stretch on your own before the run starts.)

There was an announcement about the Nike demo and the upcoming 10k and then at 6:06 we were off.

I have never run in a group this big. Maybe 40 people set off down the street together. It was really congested for the first half mile and then it thinned out some. I started running behind two fit ladies in purple. My first mile was too fast. 8:18. I was going for easy place so that I'd have enough energy for the Tuesday speed workout.

Mile 2 was 8:48 up a monster hill (where I passed the ladies in purple.)

And I have never been so glad for traffic lights. I welcomed those breaks waiting for the signal to cross.

Mile 3 was 8:24.

We ran through downtown and into the hipster neighborhoods. I wondered what the motorists thought of such a big group of runners. Maybe they see it all the time? I certainly don't.

Mile 4 was 9:03. I was getting tired and walked a bit. Another runner checked on me, but I walked maybe 10 steps and then ran when he started catching up. I just needed the tiniest break.

Mile 5 was 8:08. I was just going with the group and the group picked up the pace.

Maybe it was a tad faster than I should have run (for an easy run), but I think it was a good challenge, and could see myself getting faster going on group runs. I wasn't too tired after the run (despite the walk break). I felt great. And had a tiny little runners high in the third or so mile. I felt great.

After the run people were more talkative (after they got some water). I talked to an instagram friend, met a girl I know from my BodyPump class and went home (though I would have liked to go get a burger.)

Tuesday: Speedwork
Today was mile repeats at the track. (!!!!)

My goal was 7:30 miles. Three miles.

The group was small today: 4 people.

A couple and another guy I didn't know.

The girl was fast! (Maybe if I work hard, I'll be that fast!)

Mile 1: 7:24 (fast girl wasn't even breathing hard!)
Mile 2: 7:27
Mile 3: 7:09 (I cranked it up that last 200 meters so see how much faster I could run.)

I ran 1/2 mile cool down (and a half mile warm up to make miles.) I think my splits were pretty even. I was pushing, but not my hardest until the last mile.

I think I could definitely break 7 minutes for a mile this year.


Wednesday: OFF
I was tired. It was hot. I didn't want to run. I went home, ate a salad and took a nap.

Also, I've been going to the salad bar at Publix once a week. It's my default for when I want a healthy meal but don't want to cook.

Thursday: Indoor track

It was 90 degrees out and I didn't want to run outside. I was going to run trails, but I opted for the indoor track instead.

My training said 4-6 miles. I thought 5 sounded good. The plan was easy miles. So the first two I didn't look at my watch and cranked out two miles in exactly 16 minutes. So then I decided to try and hit 8 flat for all of my miles. At 3 miles I had lost some time and was at 24:10, then the next mile was 8 and then I cranked the last mile out at 7:27. My watch said 39:37 when I was down. Though my Garmin was all sorts of off since it doesn't measure distance that accurately for an indoor run. I swear it pinged me for a mile right at the mile line on the track but I had to run another whole lap to get my watch to say 5 miles.

So it wasn't an EASY run. Maybe moderate? I did push it a little. Especially at the end.

Friday off
I was supposed to go to pilates today, but pilates was canceled. So I did 15 minutes on the exercise bike and got bored with that. So it was an off day. I wanted a nap anyway.

Saturday: Long run

Today the training plan called for an 8-10 mile run. I opted for 8 and went out to Sandy Creek Park to run the loop.

I was invited to the Athens Road Runners group run, but I didn't want to run 8 miles on pavement this close to the race. I'll take a trail.

I went to my niece's soccer game first, and then went to the park (it was supposed to rain earlier in the day.)

1. I fell in the first mile and skinned up my leg. Ugh.
2. In mile 2, I tried to hop a wide mud puddle, missed and splashed my shoe in water. This led to problems in miles 6-7 because I got a nasty blister from running in a wet shoe. Also my split for mile 2 was super slow. I think the watch was wrong it was so slow. I was running 8:40 pace and it said 9:50. (9:50 is an acceptable pace, but it's not what I was running.
3. Mile 3. A white-haired man passed me. He said "I like your pace." I jumped because he scared the shit out of me. I was listening to music and never see other runners out there. He completely snuck up on me. His dog ran my pace for half a mile or so and then he started walking and I passed him, and never saw him again. Trail ghost reminding me to be more aware or surroundings? Maybe.
4. Mile 4 was okay.
5. Mile 5 was the mile of walking. I tend to walk the uphills. It's a brutal course.
6. On mile 6, the blister from that mud puddle started hurting. My Pandora station went out. So I stopped and tried to pop the blister and get music. I tried voice commands for Siri to play my playlist but she wasn't having it. I had to manually turn my run playlist on. This is when my phone stopped working.
7. Mile 7 was awful.
8. Mile 8 was slow and I barely got it done. I got to 8.11 so Strava would give me 8.1, but Strava gave me 8.0. Thanks.
That blister was hurting my foot so bad I took off my shoe and walked the rest of the trail in one shoe and the other barefoot. Once I got to the road I walked .4 miles barefoot back to my car. My texts to Matt failed to send and my Garmin wouldn't synch to my phone.

That loop felt a lot worse than last time and was more than 30 seconds slower a mile. It was still within an acceptable range. I think I was just tired from all the increased miles.

Sunday: 3 miles

I attempted to scout the course for the 10k I'm running this weekend. I drove to Winterville and ran three miles. I got one loop correct and then didn't quite run the last 3 miles of the course. I stopped a lot in the last mile to figure out which way the course went. I ran some of the course. And it is indeed flat. Pretty. And it's all on the road. I thought there would be more sidewalks, but not really.

My legs were BEAT from the long run. I thought it might  be a disaster of a run BUT nope. I started too fast. I looked down and my watch said 6:40 pace. I ended up running a 7:13 first mile (7:32 on the watch. I had to stop to cross the road. Then and 8:17 and 8:18 which is a little fast to be an easy pace, but I don't know how fast to run on the road.

I also went to yoga class Sunday night. Yoga is bliss. I love it. I left feeling limber and completely relaxed. The happy kind of woozy.

Week in review: 5 runs + 1 yoga class 
Days running: 5
Miles this week: 25.4
Miles this month: 51

Tarantula trail 5k

My goal was to run more races this year—and I've run my third race in four weekends.

Today's run was a trail 5k. And I signed up because I wanted to run a trail race. (It was the Tarantula 5K, a fundraiser for the UGA insect zoo. They actually had some tarantulas you could look at in cages.) 

I've been training for a 10k, so I wasn't really looking forward to this race. I usually do long runs on Saturday, and I kind of felt it took away from training (and that's too many races.) But trail races aren't that frequent so I got up and raced it.

My race prep was my usual workouts for the week. I ran 6 miles on hills Thursday. I took Friday off. I did try to walk the course Friday (And once before) and got turned around, so I never successfully walked it. I've been eating pretty clean in general, but didn't go out of my way to eat clean for this.

I got up Saturday morning and got ready. Since it was Earth Day, I decided on a ridiculous outfit: A green tank top and Werkshop crops in a raindrop pattern.

I showed up, got my number and sprayed myself in bug spray they had provided. (The bugs tried to eat me alive on Friday and even that morning. Gnats and mosquitos galore.) I got my bib attached and generally hung around awkwardly since I didn't see anyone I knew.

We lined up to race. We ran down a hill—the three runners from Athens Running Company took the lead and I let them. I focused on running easy, but strong.

There was a girl who was HOLDING her iPhone out in front of me. She tried to pass me. My watch said 7:30 pace. I thought ha,ha and let her ahead. I'd catch her in the hills. Less than 20 seconds later, she fell hard onto the side of the trail (because she wasn't watching her feet.) I heard the crash and kept going. There were lots of runners hot on my tail.

A 20-year-old in a long sleeve pullover past me going at a fast pace. I let her lead. She led me up the hill on the red trail. (I didn't walk!) This was a good pace. We got down to the river at about halfway through the course and the course was narrow—one person wide. I wanted to pass this girl, but couldn't. So I used it as recovery. Meanwhile the girl kept pulling at her booty shorts. I don't know how long this lasted 1/4 mile, maybe more. Finally I stepped quickly to the right, stepped in front of her and took off. I actually looked back several times to see if she would catch up. She was fading. (At least two more girls past her before she finished)

And at the 2 mile the course is flat and along the river (very pretty). And I was feeling strong. I felt as though my 6-mile runs had made me strong.


(And looking back, I did NOT training for that 5k last August right. I thought because I ran 3 miles a few times a week and occasionally a 4-miler I could do it. Haha. That’s why I died.)

I got to the fence that means one more mile until the end. From there, it’s ½ mile of river and ½ mile up a hill. (I usually run this part of the course, but in the other direction.)

And finally it was the last climb to the finish.

At this point I was feeling strong—I hadn’t walked a step (which is a goal—to not have to walk at the hilly botanical garden.) And I died. My heart was pounding. I had nothing left. I walked 10 steps and started again. I ran. I walked another few steps and the plunged up the hill to the finish line. I flexed for the camera (because I am a dork) and then I was done.

26:38, which isn’t bad for a hilly trail course.

I got fifth place overall. Second place female. The girl from the running shop beat me. (I knew she would. She is fast.)

I signed my card and then ran/walked until my Apple Watch said 30 minutes so I could get this Earth Day badge.

Strava said I averaged about 8:22 pace.

My splits were
7:39
8:16
8:13
And then 2:30 for the climb up the hill.
It was 5:58 for that last ½ mile or about 9:27 pace. That last hill killed me. My heart was beating so fast. I recovered quickly since it was only three miles.

And turns out I did know someone there. Yay!

Maria, who I know from yoga and classes at Ramsey, was 15 seconds behind me. She finished third place female.

And when I got the results there were five 20-something women who finished within 45 seconds of me. I like that I beat the youngsters :) Maybe I was leading the pack? (I certainly didn’t see them behind me. They probably caught up as I was dying at the end.)

Overall, I guess I’m glad I did the race. It was nice to see Maria. I liked that I felt so strong in the middle. The course was pretty great (except the end).  Not a bad way to start a morning.

So now I just need to figure out what to do with all of my race bibs and medals.

My next race will be the Marigold 10k May 20, which I haven’t registered for yet. Let’s see if I can get tougher before then.