First Ever DNS

This is my 100th post! Anyway, this may be a first ever- I injured myself blogging. Last Sunday when I did the Waffle run I forgot to stretch afterwards and when I got home the first thing I did was the last blog post (Waffle Run). When I stood up from the computer my left foot hurt. Over the next few days it kept getting worse, so I didn't do track on Wednesday and at work this week every step was torture. My only thought was Plantar Flatia or something like that, but it felt more like an irritation. Finally yesterday I took Advil and iced it twice for a half-hour at a time and it was a little better this morning when I went to swim-spin. During spin I didn't stand when everyone else did. I envisioned all my training lost and down for at least 2 months which is what happened last January when I got a heel spur on my right foot and couldn't run for a month and a half. Well I was moaning to Julie about my foot at coffee after swim-spin and she said her husband just graduated from Chiropractor school 2 weeks ago. She called him and said I'm bringing a guy over. So off to Julie's house and her husband Jeff looked at my foot and then leg and back and neck and said "you have a bone out of place on your foot, your glute on the right is tight and your sciatic is tender, you have a rib out of place and your back is compensating in about three places." First he fixed the foot, my big toe medial carpal (? doing this from memory) had fallen and the point of it was digging into my plantar flatia. Then he adjusted both legs and put the rib back in place and adjusted my back and neck and then really worked the hamstrings and sciatic of both legs. Feel so much better! Still a little twinging in the foot, so I may not run for another week or so until I'm sure it's ok.
The DNS comes from the First Run which is a midnight New Year's eve 5K that I'd signed up for, but I'm not going to do it. My first ever did not start, hopefully my last.
Happy New Year everyone!

Waffle Run

This morning I did a 4.2 mile run with the LaCamas swim club I joined this month. It started at 7 AM while it was still dark out, so no start pictures. We took off from the club and went up a hill behind the club through a neighborhood. Then down a large hill and up past the track where I do Wednesday track work. I wanted to stop there because on Wednesday we turn into the track and walk a warmup lap. Anyway, about then I caught up with Bridget who I do track work with and I ran with her to the end. We seem to be really close speed wise. About a half or quarter mile from the end, Cecilia caught up and said "come on, let's finish strong". I stayed close to her and Bridget as they took off, but soon Bridget came back to run with me and let Cecilia go on. Finished at 38:22 which is a 9:08 pace, which with hills is a good pace for me. (I need more hill work) Afterwards they had pancakes, cookies, and sausage. Denise (coach) told a story in Thursday spinning about making waffles and then the club grew and the added waffle irons blew the breakers and now with a large crowd at the run they make pancakes on a gas grill, but still call it a waffle run.

Wednesday's track work came out to a 7:27, 7:37 miles and 3:51 half, 5 seconds difference from last week. It was earlier 7:15 AM instead of 8:15, because everyone's kids were out of school so we joined Nicole, Julie, and Denise who run at that time normally. A total of 6 of us, we ended up in groups, Cecilia and Julie fast, Bridget and myself medium, and Nicole and Denise slower. Cecilia talked me into doing blast class on Thursday, weights and using a ball for crunches and lifts, etc. I gave up trying to do leg lifts and such after falling off the ball and just worked on staying crouched on the ball without rolling off when we did ball work. The triceps lifts with weights and bands hurt, need work there. Plus on the ball I would start shaking- need lots of core work. Then spinning afterwards, probably do that each week and work into also doing blast-spin on Tuesday. Then swim class Friday- Swim-spin Saturday- I should set up a cot in the back of the club and just stay there!

My daughter and I will be going to friend's tonight for dinner and then church for the late service. Then dinner at friend's Christmas night. Hope everyone has a great Christmas!!

Padden Parkway Path Run

Missed my run on Sunday, so Monday I looked out and it was still clear skies and nice looking. So I thought about running South of Portland somewhere, but dawdled and then noticed it was really cold out, so plan b. Drove up I-205 into Vancouver to the Padden Parkway exit and parked at Krispy Kreme (top picture). A lot of maps of Vancouver don't even show the Padden Parkway, so I think it's a fairly new highway and has a really nice paved bike path along it for about 4 or 5 miles. The best part though is a really long path-only bridge that goes over I-205. When they built it a few years ago, the paper had an article about it being very expensive and delivered by a special truck.
Anyway, left the Krispy parking lot and got to the path and took off, my Jeep said it was 34 out. I started out too fast and then up the bridge and over and then slowed to a comfortable speed. There were patches of ice all over the path as it is shaded in several parts. There was one intersection to cross and both out and back I had the light in my favor as I crossed and didn't lose a step. Only went out 2 and turned around for 4 miles in 35 minutes even for an 8:45 pace. Bought a dozen doughnuts to take to work and displayed great self control- I didn't have a single one. Of course they only lasted 2 or 3 minutes once I brought them in the shop, so I didn't have to resist for long.
In the spin Saturday of the swim-spin we exchanged gifts by playing blackjack in groups of 5 at a time. The rest would spin while each group went up and played. If you won you'd get to pick a present, then if you won the next time you could trade with someone, it got vicious of course. I ended up with some bicyclette wine.

Race Bib Numbers

Since the next race I have planned is New Year's eve at midnight, I figure the number wall is finished for this year. I have 4 years of races and numbered rides hanging. 26 numbers this year 30 something events because the same OBRA number is used for all the bike races. Doing a full and half next year I don't know if I'll have that many numbers in 2007, but probably close.
For track workout on Wednesday there were 3 of us and it was 54 out, so a nice run. Did 5X800 and adding the first 2 800's together I did a 7:27 mile, the next two added to a 7:37 mile and the last 800 was 3:51 which if doubled would be a 7:42 mile. I felt good and really like that pace. One of the girls, Stephanie had to go, so we ran back to the club and Cecilia and I did lunges with weights and jumps and side skates. They seemed hard, but ok, then Cecilia corrected my movement saying put all of your weight on the front leg and then they were holy cow hard. Then we got some steps and did skips and jumps up on the steps. The skips were hard for me, Cecilia said to lightly tap the step with your foot and I had a hard time doing that. She said it trains you to run light and with less effort. Then in swim class we did dolphins which for some reason caused me and a girl in the class to cramp up with calf Charlie horses. Thursday I did spinning class and Cecilia didn't, she poked her head in and told me her butt hurts from the stuff we did after track. Denise (coach) led the spinning class and had us stand in the big ring and lift one hand for a short time and then switch hands- ow, that was hard.
Tomorrow's swim-spin has a present exchange game during spin where you can win first pick of the presents somehow, should be fun.

Glendoveer Golf Course Run

Had to work this weekend, but Sunday we had our Christmas party and not being a party guy left work early. First I took the daughter and cut a Christmas tree. Then being a triathlete- saw waning daylight and decided to get a run in. Told the daughter to decorate the tree and went to Glendoveer golf course to run their dirt and wood-chip track. Since the last track workout, my hammie and sciatic have hurt, so I took it easy up the hill to start and did two laps and a little more for 5 miles with no pain. Didn't feel like I was going that slow, but it came out to 48:28 a 9:41 pace the slowest run since July. But I felt fine and no pain today, so it's ok. When I got home my daughter had decorated the tree and it looks nice.

Since I had to work the weekend, I didn't get to do the tri club's Saturday swim-spin, so I went swimming Saturday evening when the club was almost empty and did 2000 meters in intervals.

Track Workout #2

Had my second track workout this Wednesday. There were 5 of us this time and Cecilia said we would do a ladder- 200, 400, 800, mile, 800, 400, 200. The 200 I did in 48 seconds, then 1:38 for the 400. 3:42 for the first 800 about 20 seconds better than last week's 800's. The mile I did in 7:49- very good for me! Then 3:53 for the last 800 and 1:48 for the 400 and then for the last 200 I tried to keep up with Cecilia and started to fade and she yelled back come on so I pushed it and did 44 seconds and stayed just behind her. Will I ever learn? 2 years ago I did a full out sprint at the end of triathlon to beat a guy and hurt my right hamstring doing it. Today of course my right hammie hurts. It was in the low 40's so we stayed at the track to do lunges and side-steps and jumps, etc. During the warmup run one of the girls told me about a Pearl Izumi outlet store on the side of the Nautilus world headquarters which is a few blocks from the club, so after running and before swim class I went there (top picture). Got a running jacket and some bike shorts and running shorts for half price. I asked the clerk if the Nautilus factory had a good break room with machines and he said they had a 30,000 sq foot gym for the employees in the place, fully stocked of course. Spinning today and then tomorrow is a blast class which is doing weights on an exercise ball, might try it.

Kelso Run

Needed to do a run today somewhere where I'd never run before and would take at least an hour to drive to. So I picked Longview Washington because I'd often seen a really pretty park in the middle of town along a river there that looked like it would be a nice run. First though, Denise (coach) invited me to a special before the club opened swim she was doing before she went on vacation for a week. Got to the club and Denise, Kevin, Julie, and myself did a swim paceline for about 1800 meters trading off and trying to beat the clock in 150 meter intervals. Then to coffee at Panera. Then I took off for Longview up I-5. It's about an hour's drive, but as I was crossing the bridge from Kelso to Longview I saw a paved bike path along the river on the Kelso side. So I turned around and followed it and it turned out to be 2.3 miles long and a nice looking path. Parked in downtown Kelso and really hoped my Jeep would be ok by itself.
Crossed a couple of railroad tracks- no ped bridge or walkway to the path. Started running and it was 44 at the Jeep, but along the river it was windy and a little colder. Turned around at one end and the wind was at my back, yeah. Not going too fast because I did a swim-spin brick yesterday and swam this morning. Passed some kids who turned off the path as I approached and went up a small wooded hill. I looked back and at the top of the hill was a tarp setup- homeless kids? Kelso is a small town, I guess everywhere has those problems. Heading back, I needed to go but the trees were leafless and there was nowhere out of sight, so I pushed on. Did a little extra at the end to make an even 5 miles in 43:44 an 8:45 pace. Got in the Jeep and went to find a bathroom, said a little "please lord let me find one soon" prayer and the next corner came to a Bible church with a port-a-pottie in it's lot! Went back to the path and took pictures. On the way out of town saw a Sunrise Bagel shop and ate there.

During spin yesterday after the swim, a guy fell off his trainer towards the end of class. I looked over and Tom, a cardiologist on the tri team was starting to do cpr. Cecilia was riding beside me and she ran out to call 911. Another guy who sells defibulators was there and he helped Tom do cpr until the emt's arrived and they took the guy out still doing cpr. Needless to say everyone was a little freaked out, I didn't know the guy, Jim, but people said he'd been at the club since 1999. Heard later that he didn't make it. As Deb says- "live passionately" you never know!