All not according to plan, Part 2

And now for Part 2:

Firstly, we flew down to California (again!) on Saturday for my final dental appointment (and of course to see family!) We needed to get 8 miles in sometime over the weekend, and I wanted to get it over with on Saturday, since we had a Birthday Party to go to on Sunday. (Birthday parties are important when you’re 4 and 6!) I was just planning on having us run along the beach, like we did the last time we were down here, but J wanted to try something new. So he talked his friend into driving us down to South Orange County (Aliso/Laguna area) to try out a trail. Not the best choice.

J thought the trail would start with an uphill climb, then level off when we got to the “top”. The trail started out friendly looking enough, but that didn’t last very long. It definitely took off with a very brutal climb. We didn’t run this first section. (I’m pretty sure I would have tripped and died, if we had.) So we waited for the summit, but it never came… Eventually we started running, but after 1 mile of climbing straight upward, we called it quits, and made our way back to the parking lot. I was kind of upset. I really wanted to get a quality 8 mile run in this week, since last week was such an utter failure. So we decided to wait and try again on Sunday.

After the party on Sunday (about 5pm), we finally headed out for our run. I was a little nervous to start so late in the day, especially down here. (It’s hot for us!) But it actually turned out pretty well! We took off straight from my mother-in-laws house, and made our way to the the mighty Santa Ana River (lol). There is a dirt/rock path that runs alongside the “river” with beautiful views of a playground, a plant nursery, and a sewage treatment plant! We even got to wind our way over to Costco, and run under the 405 freeway. What beautiful scenery! (Sense any sarcasm? We are definitely blessed in the NW!) The first half of the run was kind of rough with the sun on our backs, very little breeze, and minimal distractions in the form of scenery. But, when we turned around, the run got much better! There was a heavier (and very welcome) breeze that cooled us off immediately. We were also able to refuel with Espresso Love Gu. (Better than Mint Chocolate!) We somehow lost J’s Gu, either along the way, or in the house, so we ended up sharing. I definitely want to try other refueling sources during our next several long runs. I’m still not completely sold on Gu.

We made our way back feeling pretty good and very accomplished. We ran 8 miles today! That’s farther than we’ve ever run before! Here are our splits:

Mile 1: 9:55
Mile 2: 10:27
Mile 3: 10:23
Mile 4: 10:11
Mile 5: 10:14
Mile 6: 10:01
Mile 7: 10:15
Mile 8: 9:46

Maybe not our most consistent run ever, but we were still able to negative split it! (Thank you wonderful breeze!)

Sunday:
8 miles (10:09 avg pace)

I’ll leave you with some pics of our failed run on Saturday:

The very beginning of the trail, with nice shady trees and a flat path (this section was quite short):
Stupid Hill:
Pretty view:
More view:
J, after we quit, on the stupid hill:
Bunny:
Later that night

We fly back up to Portland on Tuesday. Here’s a rough schedule for our week:

Monday:
Rest Day in Cali

Tuesday:
Track (probably)

Wednesday:
Easy 3 miles

Thursday:
First Thursday

Friday:
Rest Day

Saturday:
Work :( / BBQ

Sunday:
10 miles (Double Digits!)

SoCal Vacation, Part 2, and back again

It has been a little while since my last blog entry, and I’d like to say “things have been just too crazy to blog!” But that would be a lie. Vacation didn’t go exactly as planned. Instead of having fun in the sun, I was assaulted by Southern California’s allergens.

Friday, during our vacation, I went to bed with a tiny bit of a sore throat, hoping it would go away. It did not. Saturday was our planned 6-miler, and we completed it as scheduled. I felt good during the run, and my sore throat disappeared (only to come back soon thereafter). Boo! And it only got worse from there. The sore throat vanished by the next day, but then the nose started running, and then the cough developed.

And the runny nose and the cough stayed with me until…well they’re still kinda with me. :(

We returned to Portland last Tuesday, and I was planning on returning to work on Wednesday, but I was still sick. So I planned to return on Thursday, but I was still sick. So I planned to return on Friday, but yeah, I was still sick.

But I’ve finally started to feel better. Finally!! And I think I can return to work tomorrow. *Fingers crossed*

So how did this affect my running. Blarg. Here’s a recap:

Saturday:
6 miles (9:35 avg pace)
The run itself was kind of fun. We ran along the HB path near the pier. Our pace was pretty even, and there were actually a lot of other runners out there. Some in long sleeves and TIGHTS! It was 60°+, and we were roasting! What a difference living in different climates makes!

Mile 1: 9:32
Mile 2: 9:28
Mile 3: 9:41
Mile 4: 9:33
Mile 5: 9:43
Mile 6: 9:33

Monday:
3 miles (9:41 avg pace)
This run was done in the rain. And not just wimpy rain. I think the same amount of rain fell during that 30-ish minutes then falls all day in Portland. :) This run did not feel good. I could not have run any further, that’s for sure.

Wednesday:
Cancelled

Thursday:
Cancelled

Saturday:
3 miles-ish (“Blech” avg pace)
I was starting to feel a bit better, and was hoping this run would make me feel better. Strangely enough, it did. Not during the run (“Blech”), but afterward I did feel better. And look at me today. I have enough energy to blog! (And go with J to Costco! Whoopee!)

It appears that I’m on the mend! Here’s hoping the mending continues. I have my 1st 10K on Sunday (which just so happens to be our Anniversary), so I have to be better by then!

Also on tap for this week:

Monday:
3 miles

Tuesday:
Cross training/stop being lazy

Wednesday:
4 miles/Meet up with Alisa (hopefully! :)

Thursday:
3 miles

Friday:
Cross training?

Saturday:
Rest

Sunday:
Bridge to Brews!

Here’s hoping all goes according to plan! :)

M.I.A.

And not just from blogging. As if not blogging for 10 days weren't enough, I haven't run since the 5K. I feel lazy. I feel like I'm missing out. I just started to like running, and now I have to stop? You may have surmised by now that my shins have not improved. Not that the past week or so hasn't been productive.

Last Thursday we flew down to sunny (and hot!) Southern California (Huntington Beach, not Disneyland) to visit J's family. We haven't seen them in a few months, and it was too expensive to fly during the holidays, so this was our "Holiday" in more ways than one! :)

We flew back into town on Monday, the same day J's brother and girlfriend flew into Portland for a visit and to see the sights! We took them to Powells (multiple times!), Kells, Multnomah Falls, Widmer Brothers Brewery, Bridgeport Brewery, Voodoo Donuts, Pioneer Square, The Waterfront, Pizza Schmizza, and Deschutes Brewery. Are you noticing a theme? In case you haven't guessed, I love beer. Beer and food. And over the past week we have gorged on both! That, in addition to my running-less-ness has left me feeling...lazy.

So now that the "Holiday" is over, we will slowly be easing back into our good eating habits...next week... ;) Also, we're planning on making some fairly large purchases this weekend (drum roll, please!).....NEW RUNNING SHOES!! We determined this was necessary when the one attempt we made at running last Saturday (when we were still down in Cali, for those of you keeping track!) was a disaster. I made it about 50 feet before I quit. My shins hurt really bad. And J wasn't doing much better (stupid knees) so we walked for 30 minutes and called it a day (exercise-wise anyway). And thus, we made an executive decision; to purchase new running shoes! I'm hoping and praying this purchase will be the answer to my running prayers! (Please, oh, please!!!)

If all goes according to my dastardly plans, we will be hitting the road next Monday, back on the right track (oh, puns!) I'll try to update after our (hopefully) "epic" purchases. (I hope it's a good experience.)

Below are some pictures taken during my brother in law + gf's trip; indiscreetly stolen from gf's Facebook...oops!:

Pioneer Square
Powell's Books
Multnomah Falls
Voodoo Donuts