Transmountain Challenge

It's been about two months since I completed my last half marathon before surgery. I wanted to cross Texas off my list of states so I headed to El Paso to knock out the Transmountain Challenge. 

I hit a small brewery in Las Cruces, NM for some chos and peach beer. Pretty good! This was their Xsmall plate. Perfect for just me.

I made it down to the Golden Horseshoe that Mom and I hit a few years earlier. Kind of a gross place, but you can find great deals. Also helps if you speak Spanish. The only thing I could remember from my recent trip to Tulum, MX was asking how much; however, everything was appropriately marked and I just did a bit of nodding to get through it all. 

I later hit a little dive called Taps down that direction as well. The chos were even better. 

I probably shouldn't have drank all the beer but I considered it carbo loading. I headed back to my hotel and prepped for the run the next morning.

Parking was a bit of a mess because half the roads were shut down. You had to drive around the barricades to park which wasn't exactly intuitive. 

The morning wasn't terribly chilly. The first mile or so was relatively flat. Heading into mile 2 my running partner slipped on some rocks and almost ate it. He tweaked his ankle a bit but managed to keep running. We maintained a 2:1 run/walk interval for most of it until we got to the crazy steep parts of the hill. It was about 6 miles of uphill. I wanted to die. The breeze was chilly, especially after you work up a sweat. My hamstrings (what I've always thought to be ischial bursitis is actually torn hamstrings after 3 years of misdiagnosis) were killing me with the uphill! I was actually walking faster with less energy than running so we skipped a few intervals and reversed them for a bit. The scenery was pretty though.

Down hill was AWESOME! It felt good to work different muscles. We even managed to make up for some of our lost time from the hill. 

On our descent, this pack of runners ran by us when we were on a walk interval. They shouted something about not giving up trying to be encouraging. It really was just annoying. If I stop, encourage me. If I'm walking, keep your mouth closed. We dusted them on our next run interval and never saw them again. 

About mile 10-11 is when my posterior tibial tendonitis started to kick in. I slowed way down. We still managed to finish in roughly 2:37 which given the hill really isn't that bad! I should also mention we dressed as foxes....what does a fox say by the way?

I managed to get back to the hotel before checkout so I could get in a quick shower. I hopped in the car and headed straight back to Tucson. 

For a final race, I'd say it felt pretty good and deem it a success.

Chips and Salsa Half Marathon (THE BIRTHDAY HALF)

The week before my birthday, I decided I had to find a half marathon on my birthday.  Besides, it's not like a birthday falls on a weekend day every year.  I found the Chips and Salsa Half Marathon in Albuquerque, NM.  Since NACHOS are my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE FOOD, and chips and salsa is a close relative, I thought this would be perfect.

As is typical for my running adventures, no one could or wanted to go with me. Bleh and boo hoo and all that jazz.  As I was getting ready to head out, I thought I'd Google some things to do.  I found a list that named Downtown ABQ as a good place to hang, so I expanded the list and noticed Hot Yoga Downtown Albuquerque studio.  I've always wanted to try it because I want so desperately to LOVE yoga - I know my hammies certainly need it!  And guess what! They had a class I could actually make...provided I got my ass in gear and got out the door.  The only down fall was my yoga mat was at work (we do lunch time yoga at work once a week).  So I really needed to move because it would still take less time to find a local Walmart and grab a cheapy mat.  That is exactly what I did.

I took the back roads to ABQ.  It took the same amount of time but was about 60 miles shorter than taking I10 all the way there.  I made it to Walmart quick like, grabbed my packet and headed across town.  The interstate system through town was pretty awesome unlike Tucson, so it was easy to get around.

I told the studio I was new to Hot Yoga and visiting for a run. Another guy who walked in with me was also new to the studio and Hot Yoga, so that made me feel a little better. I thought he'd be a pro either way since he showed up in all Lululemon men's gear.  I'd done little research on Hot Yoga...so I had an "Oh crap" moment when I realized it was 90 minutes, but thankful they had a shower (which is standard). I was also thankful that I'd brought my EcoVessel with me to keep cold water in...which I drained with a quickness in the hot and humid room.

As we started going through the flows, Mr. Lululemon started sitting out more and more. I was happy I was hanging although not going as deep as some of the other people. I know it is about some zen meditation, but my miniature competitive streak was still happy. I finished. I was oh so thankful for the relaxation at the end!

After a quick shower...undressing was the slow part. It's hard to peel wet clothes off, I decided to hit the Lululemon store...mainly because I was jealous I didn't have fancy Hot Yoga gear.   The dressing room attendants were awesome.  I chose a pair of Groovy Run Shorts with a pretty cherry blossom pattern.  It turns out the people at Lululemon were volunteering at the race the next day too.  They promised to remember my name and cheer me on. I thought it was sweet.


In my search for ABQ activities, I stumbled on a Mexican restaurant called El Pinto.  Apparently many famous people have eaten there and loved it. It also happens that they have America's Best Nachos according to the Wall Street Journal in 2006.

So here they are! This was a huge portion (and only a half portion at that) with a bit of something on every chip and all very fresh. However, they lacked any real complex flavors. It was simply freshness and nose watering jalapeños.

After my carbo nacho load, I headed to the hotel and prepped for the next day. I got very little sleep due to the storms and the stupid flood mass alert siren on my phone. Bleh.  I managed to crawl out of bed, eat a little something, pack the car and head to the race with a little time to spare. 

I expected the race to be small but I was a bit frustrated with the lack of organization. Most people couldn't find the start line...and none of us could figure out the map. Once we found the start line, we realized we were facing the wrong way...which caused the race to start late since we all had to flip around.  The race director ensured us the course was well marked.  And it was.

The course wound through a lot of neat neighborhoods.  There were many gorgeous houses that I fantasized about owning some day. I even spotted some hot air balloons which always makes me smile.

There were plenty of water and Gatorade stops along the way, but no fuel, gels, snacks, gummies, whatever.  Make sure you bring you own if you ever do this race.

At the second water stop, I saw a hot dog.  The hot dog looked familiar... I was just happy to see someone else dressed up since I only saw a taco racing...and of course I had my sombrero and mustache.  As I passed the hot dog, a girl yelled my name and sure enough it was the crew from ABQ Lululemon!  They remembered me!  It was pretty awesome considered I was wearing a hat, had no name on my bib and wasn't wearing my new Lulu shorts and they still found me!  It made my birthday pretty special since no one else was there to cheer me on.

Around mile 10, my ankles started to hate me and I gimped along the last three miles trying to do a 2:1 interval without a timer.  I need a backup app for that (one that won't mess with Nike+) for when I leave my Gym Boss at home.  As I approached the finish line, people were standing under it holding it up for me.  I hate those things.  It's not the first one to collapse on me and ruin my final moments of a run.  I'm pretty sure I finished close to last with 2:53 (even though there was a 3:30 cut off). 

I then made my way over to the snacks.  Water, granola bars and fig cookie bars...and wait for it....wait for it.... HALF A BURRITO! WTF?! NO chips and salsa?!?!?! This was a Chips and Salsa Half not a Burrito Half! Oh well, I was happy to have half a meal in my tummy for the drive home.

 

As you can see the bling isn't too terribly spectacular.  You'd think they'd do more since it was the 10th anniversary, but oh well. I did at least have the opportunity to double dip and earn my virtual Birthday Bash 5k medal.

Once I got back into town which took a bit longer due to the flooding (I'm sure the car floated at one point out on the reservation), a friend took me out to Blanco's for nachos (of course).  They are tied for number one nacho spot with Sir Vezas.  I had a couple of margaritas (hello Mango Jalapeno) and birthday flan!

Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend Shinanigans

I took off on Thursday for Disney to do the Dumbo Double Dare (10k Saturday, 1/2 marathon on Sunday).  My hotel wouldn't let me check in 45 minutes early so I caught up with the Endurance Sports Connection crew to help them schlep stuff from hotel to hotel and pack swag bags for our meet up.  The bags were PHENOMENAL! We stuff 500 of them in a little under two hours.  Loads of freebies (I'd say better than the expo)!  When we finished, we went to Trader Sam's at the Disneyland Hotel for some food and drink. Good times! We congo lined around the restaurant and likely earned some weird looks as we slowly but surely took over about half of the outdoor seating.

While hanging out with random ESC people, we learned that there was a 2 mile power walk through California Adventures in the morning for resort guests.  I stayed with a wonderful bunch of people at the Grand Californian so we could hit power walk.  I did run over and finally check into my hotel so my roommate had a place to sleep.

I ended up doing the power walk in my race clothes and managed to not smell TOO bad for race day.  Then I hit the INSANE expo.  I probably waited around an hour and a half to get my shirts and bib, another hour and fifteen to have my ankle taped and another hour to purchase race merchandise.  My feet were killing me!!! Not a good start for the race weekend!  I did manage to wander around Disneyland for a bit by my lonesome.  I hit Indian Jones and Pirates and called it a night. 

The fireworks...those suck...  I'm so used to going to bed early and the race was early.  They went off around 9:30 and made me jump out of my skin!!!  My roomie came in shortly there after.  I felt bad that I was half asleep when I met her but oh well. 

The next morning was EARLY for the 10k.  I was Vanellope von Schweetz.  The 10k went well.  I ran with a couple of people for ESC on a 2 min run/1 min walk interval.  We actually finished around 1:18 which wasn't bad.  We managed to stop for some pictures, but I wasn't really digging the characters.  It wasn't like WDW.  It seemed to lack the more classic characters.  It was princesses and Pixar... I'm just ho hum about both. I want LILO and STITCH and Wreck-It Ralph and of course the Fab 5.

Once the race was finished, I attempted to find my way back to the hotel.  I am incredibly directionally challenged so I wasn't shy about asking an officer how to get back to the road I needed to be on.  HE WAS WRONG! I spent about an hour and a half walking in a weird circle trying to get my GPS on my phone to work!  I finally made it back to my room around 10:30.  I got cleaned up and headed to the park.  I was supposed to meet a friend.  His phone died and so I ended up wandering the parks alone most of the day until another lady from the group came and wandered with me.  We left around 7 and I again tried to sleep through the fireworks.

Then I did something REALLY stupid.  I hopped in the car with another lady and we drove to San Pedro where we registered for another half marathon on Monday called Conquer the Bridge.

The next morning was even earlier for a 5:30 race.  Have I mentioned how much those fireworks SUCK?!  I lost my 2:1 group due to a bathroom break and somehow never managed to catch them.  Well, actually, I passed them at some point.  Oh well.  I managed to take the shorter route back to the hotel this time. 

Of course I had to hit the park one more day!  I went to California Adventures and enjoyed a few single rider lines and fast passes. My roommate joined me later and we had a good afternoon in the park.  We followed that up with the hotel hot tub because I knew I was going to need all the help I could get for the back-to-back half marathon I was about to complete!

Yet another early morning on Monday so I could drive up to San Pedro.  The good news is there was no traffic because of the holiday.  It was cool by the Los Angeles Harbor.  I should also point out this was my second race (first was Vegas Spartan this year) where I ran in just a sports bra instead of a shirt/tank.  I was self conscious, but I was also cheap and didn't want to buy yet ANOTHER shirt on my emergency run to Target for race clothes.  We managed to get on a local news station as we ran by the start...which really made me regret not wearing more clothes.  I warmed up quick once the race started.  The misty air, temps and lack of crowd made this an AWESOME race.  I kept with the 2:1 interval minus going uphill on the bridges.  The whole bridge concept was neat...mainly since it is rare that it is shut down for event traffic.  It stayed in the perfect temperature and overcast range until about the time we went back up over the Vincent Thomas Bridge which was probably around 8:45 or so.  By that point the 5.3 milers had started and it was almost like being at the Disney races all over again.  We actually managed to shave 30 minutes off my (I say my since I finished alone and I'm not sure what my partner finished in) Disneyland Half Marathon time.

I've been on a runners high for almost two weeks... the next race is set for my birthday (September 15th).  I'll be running the Chips and Salsa Half Marathon in Albuquerque, NM. I can't wait...chips and salsa is a close second to nachos and since they are my favorite food in the world, this race seems like the perfect way to celebrate my birthday!

Extraterrestrial Full Moon Midnight 10k

I opted for the 10k length of the ET Full Moon Midnight races for two reasons.  The first is that I wanted to be relatively functional to avoid any buses that smell like shit.  That was terrible last year.  I can understand BO but smelling an overflowing toilet for three hours was not my idea of a good time.  The second reason later developed in the form of posterior tibial tendonitis.

I got up early and headed to Vegas.  I ran some errands once in town.  I had read a bit about some SwiftWick socks and thought since the running store was closer to my hotel than a local running store is to my house that this was a great opportunity to run and grab some.  I checked into the hotel and headed to Fremont Street for lunch.  $1.25 hot dog.  It's a must.  I don't know why...but I crave hot dogs the instant I hit the city limits. I also went to the Main Street Brewery and ordered a flight of beers.  Carbo load right?  Hey, it was still early.  Not like it would still have an effect.

Later, I headed to the expo to get my packet and bus tickets for my spectator.  He was cranky, but I was still happy to have someone there cheering me on.  The expo is always simple and cute.  While it was crowded for such a small race, the lines went quickly.  The race director, Joyce, seemed bombarded but managed to get everyone taken care of.  Of course, I had to get details on the costume contest.  I HAD to enter the costume contest!!!

I managed to do a whole whopping 2 laps in the pool at the hotel and get in an hour nap before starting to munch on my final meal.  It wasn't very exciting - cold sweet potato hash and sausage.  I munched off someone who had that pre-race before and since I'm semi paleo/whole30 at the moment, I thought that would be a good idea.  It was just OK.

The bus ride took about 3 hours.  The 2-2.5 hours from Vegas is really only if you are driving yourself. Despite the bus being marked quiet, it was rather chatty so not much sleeping going on.  We stopped for the marathon drop, but no one got off the bus since it was a 10k only bus.  We made it to the Lil A'Le' Inn by 11:45.  It took all my will power to NOT buy a beer before the race.  I love my beer.

The costume - lets talk about the costume! I rocked a metallic blue spandex suit.  I had loads of sparkly blue makeup on and a green tutu.  I wore the green tutu mainly to cover the fact that I had a zippered crotch (this isn't a "normal" costume based on some of the strangely posed models).  Of course even though I had short shorts on underneath, I still couldn't use the zipper.  The tutu also matched my spiffy glasses.  The costume was super hot, but once outside in Rachel, it felt good!

Anywho, I won Best Female Costume.  The Nevada shaped rock in my hand was my trophy :)  I was super excited.  I didn't run but maybe a 1/4 mile in the glasses, gloves and with the ray gun.

The first 5k was a PR for me.  About 31 minutes.  The second half was a bit slower since my tendonitis started to bug me.  I finished in about 1:13.  My GPS said it was only 6.18...so I wandered around the parking lot for a minute.  Then I went and claimed my breakfast.  It's good when you are hungry, but any other time it would be horrible.  The veggies were dry, hard boiled eggs were over cooked, but the rest was good.  I wish I was more of a biscuits and gravy person...but eh.  It just doesn't do it for me.  Plus, I was trying to avoid that doing some of the semi-Whole30/paleo diet stuff. 

Now....how will I out do this next year?!

So Much Physical Therapy, So Little Time

Well, I knocked out my class (because I pretty much gave up my social life) in about eight days.  Yes, that quick.  So quick that the college wouldn't let me take my final exam yet.  I begged and pleaded and they are letting me take it next week.  It's amazing I accomplished so much given that I am now up to three physical therapy appointments a week.

Posterior tibial tendonitis therapy is going well.  I walk backwards a lot trying to stretch it out and train myself to have an arch that isn't really there.  It seems better...especially after the tri and the running experiment I did there.  I've been instructed to walk 4 minutes, run 1 for about 20 minutes a day, but I still HATE walking.

Now, the ischial bursitis....it's looking like that isn't really what it is.  It's looking like a pelvic floor issue even though I don't experience all the urinary incontinence issues.  I've been given the assignment of leg lifts against a wall, band exercises and kegels (TMI?), then they can work on my SI joint which may be part of the issue, and straightening my hips and tail bone (I don't want to know how they fix the tail bone *shudder*). 

So far, I've managed to do a whole lot of PT, finish my class and still make a whole lotta healthy foods.  I'm starting to tucker out.  Whole30 has to wait till vacations are over anyway.

Tri To Help - Mesa Edition

Last weekend, I completed my first triathlon - Tri To Help in Mesa, AZ.  For people who have never completed a triathlon, this is an EXCELLENT start.

My ONLY issue was I thought they needed signage.  I know it was a VERY small even (limited to 8 people per wave), but I was still LOST walking around.  It probably wouldn't be like that at every event, especially if you attend the YMCA - oh yeah, it was held at a YMCA.

The awesome thing - it was mostly indoors.  First, you grabbed your score sheet and some Activate, then headed to the locker room to prep.  Once you meander to the pool area, they marked your calf and arm with your number.

The swim was 10 minutes long and the water was super warm.  I'm a terrible swimmer even though I have been practicing.  I hate sharing lanes because I'm terrified I'm going to knock someone out...sure enough I was the only one who ended up sharing a lane.  The guy was big so it didn't make a lot of sense to me how that was figured out.  He had a huge wake which threw me off my game a little bit, but I survived and managed 16 one-way laps (that's how they count them).  They marked my sheet 15, but the hash marks were 16 and I know I was an even number based on how where I was when I finished.

I then had 10 minutes to change into my cycling gear and get to the Spin room.  I clearly need some better gear - like the kind that glides right on when you are damp.  I used a camp towel which is great for light drying, but not so great for the heavy stuff since it feels like it just pushes the water around till it evaporates.

The biking wasn't so bad.  It was hard to get comfortable and you obviously lose time if you have to stop and adjust your bike every so often.  Plus, there was no tension on the bike so I bounced a LOT.  My poor butt killed me pretty much all week.  I was still happy with my pace and made it about 8.34 miles before time was up.

Next, you had 5 minutes to get down to the treadmill.  I managed to run to the locker room and get my iPod and head phones and get my ankle brace on just in time.  I've never been so frustrated walking before though.  I wanted to run so bad.  Oddly enough, at a 4.2 mph pace, it was more painful on my posterior tibial tendonitis than running felt.  The last minute and a half I gave up and broke into a run.  It was GLORIOUS! I'd missed it so much.  And for some reason, I find it easier to run on a high tech treadmill.  It wasn't nearly as annoying as being at home doing it.  Maybe it was because it was bigger, more roomy, not as claustrophobic...  Anywho, I made it 1.42 miles in 20 minutes.  Not bad for mostly walking.  I am short afterall.

There weren't a lot of women to compete in this - 22 I believe.  I placed 14.  I'll take it and maybe next year, I'll do better.  I'm still pleased with my first time results.  However, it did not cure my nervousness about doing one outside with "real" transitions.  There is one coming up in April that will be local.  I look forward to it (pending ankle surgery decision/outcome).

Finally! Last Class!

My final class for my Public Administration Certificate starts today.  I've already petitioned for graduation.  I'm excited and annoyed at the same time.  Since it is an online college, I've gotten REALLY good and fast at hunkering down, giving up my social life and focusing on nothing but homework for about 2-3 weeks.  I can knock out a ten week class in as little as 11 days (that's my record, next best is 17 days).  But this next class does NOT look fun AT ALL!  Typically there are 8 assessments and a couple of assignments/papers.  This one has 7 assessments, 6 assignments and a final exam! Ick. And more ICK!  I'd love to knock this one out in 3 weeks or less because that is exactly how much time I have until I leave for Vegas!  DEFINITELY not going to take until October 6!  Eww.  I remember taking the full 10 weeks for my first class.  I feel like I'd still have been in

In the mean time, physical therapy is going to be a HUGE time sink.  Especially since I am going to be going two to three times a week since I'm so broken.  I start a new one next week for my ischial bursitis.  The new doc thinks maybe a possible "pelvic floor" issue.  My previous doctor came up with that but her staff SUCKED and NEVER got me any info on a PT person for it....twice.  I mentioned it to the new doc and he agreed.  BUT I don't exhibit ANY of the symptoms...so it just annoys me.  To add to my annoyance, the questionnaire asks all about if I have issues peeing and pooping and holding it in or getting it out. NOPE!  Also, it is typically an issue for women who have given child birth - NOT me... Bleh.  I feel like I'm throwing money down the drain.  Stretching my hamstrings does nothing for me.  The prednisone I got for my tendonitis has been nice, but alas, yesterday was my last day on it.

So I suppose if I'm gone for the next two weeks, homework is where I will be.  Hopefully I can get some extra workouts in...gotta look good for Vegas.