Running My Own Race

Thanks to @abcd-adventures​ for the nudge to post a SDS. I’ve been terrible about posting so thanks for the tag! 

Running has been going well since I cut back my mileage in the early fall. It seems like 20 miles a week suits me better than 30+ miles. I like running 4-5 days a week, and 4-6 miles each run is enough to feel like I did something but not so much to wipe me out the rest of the day. I’m thinking about a half marathon this summer- maybe the Seattle Rock n’ Roll in early June.

I haven’t been able to play tennis since July due to shoulder issues and tennis elbow. My shoulder mobility actually got worse after I stopped playing which didn’t make sense to me. I finally got into a orthopedic PA who diagnosed frozen shoulder, but I was unable to schedule care. Turned out to be a good thing as when I went someplace else to get care, they correctly told me that it was not frozen. I have rotator cuff and bicep tendonitis, but in addition the joints in my shoulder are also not moving. 

Today the PT mobilized my collar bone and wow, I could suddenly move my arm so much better! It’s still far from normal and still really painful but I’m hopeful that I may get full mobility back. I should have never let my arm and shoulder get so bad. 

Running and physical therapy, that’s pretty much what I’m up to on the sports front!

My third group ride in Seattle was a rainy one! Luckily I had gotten some good advice for gear and I stayed warm and dry. I love my run club in Minneapolis, and this bike club reminds me a lot of that. The people are super nice and it’s fun exploring different areas. Today’s ride was in Fall City and it was beautiful.

Beautiful, sunny day in Redmond, WA and I am so thankful. Living in Minnesota is wonderful but it does give you an appreciation for mild weather in November.

I’m running consistently but not a lot of miles. Today’s 5 miler felt great and is further confirmation for me that running less mileage was a smart move. Of course now I feel so good that I want to run a half marathon.

There is a half marathon here in January that is on the same flat route I ran today. I’m going to see if I can squeak my training up enough to do it. I’m not planning a hard effort, just enough to do the race and not suffer. Maybe it will work out, maybe not but something at least to give my schedule a little structure for the next couple months.

Thanks @abcd-adventures for the selfie tag! The big news for me this week is that I shipped my bike to our Seattle apartment. I was able to join the Cascade Bike Club which is a big group with rides just about every day of the week. The weather was iffy so the first ride was just me and the lead- a super sweet guy who took me on a fun ride around the north suburbs. Today I went for a ride by myself closer to our place but didn’t get a picture.  

I”m probably overly optimistic about the weather in the coming months, but I’m hopeful about getting to bike through the rainy months ahead. I’m figuring if I can run all winter in Minneapolis, I can bike through some mist. We shall see!

Thanks @marine-corp-strong for the selfie tag. This is from yesterday’s hike on Mount Rainier, our first visit there. Wow! I’m sad that we didn’t get here until towards the end of the season. We will be able to get back once more in September and then the snow here will start. I need to learn more about the park and what is open and available through the winter. If you know, fill me in!

I did my 13 miler on Friday so I could hike on Saturday. I’m doing the Hal Higdon Beginner Plan which is one of the lowest mileage marathon training plans out there. The goal is to stay in one piece until I get to the NY Marathon start line and that’s it. One 20 miler will have to do it.

Still in Seattle but we didn’t move-- not really really moved. Mike is here for work so much that we decided to get an apartment here so that we could spend more time together. Right now the weather in Seattle is good and it’s fun exploring with Mike and all the visitors we’ve had. No surprise that we have a lot more people that want to visit us in Seattle vs Minneapolis. I miss my friends and my routine in Minneapolis, but this is a good opportunity to shake things up. 

Back to Seattle for a nice 10 miles in perfect weather. I am loving the Burke-Gilman trail and am excited to have a trail like this to run during the winter. I’ve also mapped out a route from our apartment that has a beautiful view, but it also has 2 hills that I don’t think I can make it up without walking some of the way. I’ll try that out this week but think I made the right choice in running a flat trail for my long run.

Glad to be back in the double digits!

Thanks @amanda-healthyhappywhole for the SDS tag. Nice of her to think of me, especially since I’ve been missing out on tumblr for several weeks. I’m trying to catch up on all of you!

We just got back from Italy where we ate, drank, ran, biked and did a lot of sweating! It was 100° everyday but we were with some fun company and we still managed to have a great time.

I’m still training for NY Marathon and the miles start picking up this week. Glad to be back in Minneapolis where it’s a lot cooler.

Running on the Burke-Gilman Trail in Seattle is similar to running in Minneapolis. There was a paved rails-to-trails path that was awesome, spectacular views of a lake, and lots of geese. One bonus here in Seattle is watching the sea planes.

I got my 7 miles done today so I can run short tomorrow and start enjoying the day early. This path will be nice for some runs up to 10 miles or so this fall.

Thanks to @waynefromaustralia for the SDS tag! I’m still here and still running. I’ve also been playing tennis and traveling a lot.

Training for NY Marathon starts on Monday and I have mixed feelings about it. I had a cold a month ago that turned into bronchitis. I’m still not well and think it’s getting worse. The prospect of another round of marathon training with breathing issues (2 years ago I had a broken rib) is giving me pause. I just want to make it to the start line in reasonable shape.

I’m just going to run a low mileage plan and cross my fingers. I figure this time next week I’ll be totally well or totally sick.

Thanks @amanda-healthyhappywhole and @lindsayisfindingflow for the SDS request! I enjoyed seeing both of your beautiful faces. The timing was perfect since I just had my hair colored. You will all have to wait 8 weeks to see my grey hair.

A lot of you lovely people have been tagged today but I haven’t seen @bluedesignwall. If you like running, beautiful flowers or quilting, check her out!

I’m enjoying seeing so many of you in my feed today!

I’d like to give Second Winter a bop in the nose. I got 5 miles done before the flakes started flying. So far we have a wet 3” and should get another 6” overnight. Probably a few more before it wraps up on Friday.

Go away winter!

Tagged by @marine-corp-strong for an SDS and some motivation for an 8 mile run. I ran 8 this morning in some crappy rain. Now I’m wearing a sweatshirt and a coat while I sit in front of the fireplace watching basketball. Spring acted like it was coming to Minneapolis, but winter is back for the weekend.

I’ve decided I’m not rowing this summer. I’ve had serious injuries all 3 seasons I’ve rowed and a lot of back pain. I’ll miss it but keeping my back healthy is my #1 priority.

Thanks @cloudyasometimes for the tag to SDS!  If you don’t follower her, you should because she does crazy things on a big hoop and has awesome blue hair- which I envy. I had a blue extension in my hair for a while that you could only see if my hair was in a pony for running mode. It was like a racing stripe. 

This is on our run on the Dakota Trail which cuts through Lake Minnetonka. The ice is finally melting and, although this weekend has been really cold, the sun says that it’s spring and the trails are finally clear. I’m so happy that @exitrowiron is back!

I’m going to tag @by-endurance--we-conquer for a SDS because he is one of my favorites to follow. He does cool stuff, has cute kids, doesn’t re-blog, and takes good pictures. You should be following him! 

What a fun weekend in Atlanta! I ran the Publix Atlanta Half Marathon with a friend and really enjoyed it. We ran quickly enough that it was a good effort but we were able to talk and laugh the whole race. We finished in 2:19 and we could have finished in 2:15 except for a bathroom stop. That’s okay- sometimes you gotta go.

I got to visit with some family which was wonderful and Mike and I got to spend some quality time together. That’s us at the botanical gardens which were lovely. It was so nice to see spring in bloom when everything at home is still covered in ice and snow.

We will have to make a return trip to Atlanta since there are so many things to do and the food is really good. Great trip!

I’m happy with this week’s mileage given that we were vortex-ing here in Minneapolis. The Publix Atlanta Half Marathon is 6 weeks away and I’m feeling really good. My hill training has been non-existent but I’ll be working on that now that the weather is improving. I know the race will be crazy hilly and terrain around here is very flat so some hills are going to have to happen.

Our high school built a new sports facility and had an open house this weekend. Residents can purchase a yearly pass for a reasonable price and lock in that price forever. Doesn’t the track look fun?! The upper track is 7 laps to a mile, which isn’t the greatest but not terrible. The lower track is what I think looks crazy fun. I hate the treadmill and track running outside here is near impossible until late April due to snow, so having an indoor option just a half mile from my house is so nice.

I might also have to buy a basketball and shoot some hoops! 

Yes, it is really really cold here in Minneapolis but luckily the local run dome was still open today. It’s a bad picture but I got my 7 miles done this morning and that makes me pretty darn happy! Tomorrow is going to be even colder and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the city keeps the dome open, although I wouldn’t be surprised if they closed. 

Half Marathon training is going pretty well! I’m feeling good!