Running, Camping and Hiking

Some highlights from the last few weeks:

1. I ran my 2nd 5K and finished one minute and 40 seconds faster (or less slow, as the case may be) than my 1st. In 850 degree heat and 1,000% humidity.

2. Celebrated Brad's 31st birthday with an ice cream cake and dinner at Lola's. <3

3. Went camping in the Canaan Valley National Wilderness Refuge in Davis WV with Brad and Ilsa. Saw no wildlife.

4. Ate at Hellbender's twice while in Davis. Drank PBR.

5. Hiked the most difficult 12 miles of my life in the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area. This included calf-deep mud, ankle-rolling rocks and multiple stream crossings.

6. We ALMOST GOT STRUCK BY LIGHTNING in a large open field on top of a mountain in Dolly Sods. Cloud-to-ground lightning struck about 100 feet away from us. It was one of the scariest things that has ever happened to me; I literally thought I might die.

7. I learned that I really am stronger than I think I am.

Dear Charleston,

It has been almost a year that I've lived here, and I know we've had our ups and downs. I have had days that I've really disliked you, your lack of good bars and good bands and Whole Foods. I wanted you to be different, evolve, grow, but I know you're not ready for that. I was hoping that I could change you, but I don't know if that is possible. You are set in your ways and I have to accept you for what you are.

Lately, I'm beginning to feel like you are the one who is changing me. I've had so many days in which I am awestruck by your natural beauty. In those moments, I think, wow, how lucky am I that I get to live here? That I can drive 15 minutes on a Wednesday after work to KSF and be suddenly deep in the woods, in the wildness. That I can hike for an hour up a mountain and be greeted with spectacular views, green hills as far as I can see.

Do you remember when I found that wild orchid growing in the state forest? Thank you. That week in March when our yard exploded with daffodils? Thanks for that, too. Maybe, if we both try a little harder, we can make this work.

Love,
K

Susan G Komen Race for the Cure

Running a 5K is something that I've been wanting to do for a couple of years now. So last week, when Brad told me that his firm was getting a team together for the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure, we decided to sign up.

Although I run at least 3-4 days a week, most of those runs are on the treadmill at 600 am. I only run outside once or twice a week, and I have no idea how far those runs are. I was very, very nervous all week and I can't really articulate why. I guess it was my inner teenage fat girl telling me that I couldn't do it. I was afraid I would finish in last place, even though intellectually I knew that would not happen -- there were thousands of people running, walking, and even some wheelchair participants.

Yesterday was the big day. I woke up, ate some toast, slathered on sunblock and got dressed. Brad and I drove the 3 minutes from our house to the state capitol building, where the festivities were in full swing. We saw a bunch of people we knew, and talking to them eased my nerves a bit. I had previously made Brad promise to run with me, even though his natural running pace is much faster than mine (he's an athlete and 7" taller than me).

Soon, the race was on! I made the most common rookie mistake and started at a much faster pace than I could sustain for 3.1 miles. After about one mile, I had to slow down and eventually take a 30 second walk break. After that, I began to run again, trying to keep my pace slower, but I had to take a few more short walk breaks in the second half of the race. I tried to keep them all to no more than a minute or two. Before long, the finish line was in sight and Brad and I picked it up for the last maybe 50 yards so we could finish strong!

When we crossed the finish line, the clock read 35:19. But the time chip didn't start recording until we crossed the start line and, since that took a little while due to all of the participants, I'm not sure what my official time was. I think it must have been 34-something minutes, which makes me super happy. My goal was to finish in under 37 minutes! Eventually the results will be online and I'll know for sure what my time was.

I'm so happy that I did this! I'm also so happy that my wonderful husband did it with me. He walked when I needed to walk, told me to slow down when I was going too fast, and made me laugh even when I felt exhausted. On top of all of this, he never runs and he has a 40-mile mountain bike race today in Virginia! So he risked sore knees at his race to be there for me.

I know that running 3 miles is not a long distance, nor is it a big deal for a lot of people. I also know that I did not run fast. But, for me, the fact that I even did it is a big deal. I tend to tell myself that I can't do things, and then I never even try. But now that I've done one 5K, I know I can do others. Then maybe a 10K?

The one bad thing is that, by the time we got to registration, they only had XL t-shirts left. I was hoping to be able to wear my shirt to the gym with pride, but it's so big that all I can really do is sleep in it. Ah well. Maybe next time.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Some of my recent obsessions are:

Putty-colored nail polish. It's like a cross between brown, gray, and purple and totally rad.

Fresh pineapple. I've been buying at least one a week, cutting it up and eating it within about two days. I can't stop.


Iced tea. This brand, to be exact, because it was on sale at K-Roger for 59 cents a bottle! Score.

The Discovery Channel's miniseries Life. In HD.
This weekend is plants and primates, the last episodes! Brad and I look forward to this every week, and we're both going to be bummed when it's over.

Coonskin Park. I've been going to the park at least 6 times a week -- walking the dog after work Monday - Friday and trail running on the weekends. It's very close to where I live, and surprisingly under-utilized. It makes living on the side of a mountain in a neighborhood with no sidewalks much more bearable.

*****

We're off to Virginia this weekend, where I will be playing pit crew for Brad at a 13-hour mountain bike race. Then I'm traveling to Indiana for work on Monday and Tuesday and getting my summer haircut on Wednesday! I'm fighting the urge to chop it all off.

Kneepeas

Because I'm sure the universe is simply dying for an update, my knee is much better today. I took three days off from working out and elliptical-ed this morning at the gym. It felt so good that, after I got off the hamster wheel, I ran a mile on the treadmill before heading home to ice my leg with my kneepeas (a bag of frozen peas that are designated for icing body parts, not for eating).

In other news, I'm headed to a brand new doctor tomorrow, whose name I randomly chose from my health insurance's network of doctors. My doctor in Pittsburgh was kind of a dick, and he never listened to me. I have high hopes for new dude tomorrow.

Pain Cave

I have finally gotten to a point with my fitness that I am proud of. I can run that 5K that I was aiming for -- in fact, I have been running 10-15 miles a week pretty consistently for the last month or so (a combination of treadmill and trail). I know that is not a lot, but I hope one day to be one of those people who runs 10-15 miles at once, and for the first time I have been feeling like that is achievable. "Every runner has to start somewhere!" I tell myself. So what if I'm starting later than most; I spent my teen years being over 200 pounds!

Yesterday I went to the park near my house to run, on a familiar trail that I have run several times already. I ran this particular trail end-to-end and back (about 2.75 miles, I estimate), was chased by a goose in the process, and then got back into my car to drive home. As I sat down in the car, I felt a twinge in my left knee. Huh. I have had problems with my right knee for years, but never the left.

By the time I got home, moving my foot on and off of the clutch was excruciating. I showered and iced my knees, and then took a look -- very swollen, as I suspected. Walking up and down stairs is seriously difficult. Putting pretty much any weight on the knee while it is bent is very painful.

I'm so discouraged, I don't know what to do. I have worked very hard to get to this point in regards to running, and I am afraid I'll lose a lot of fitness by taking too much time off. On the other hand, I know I need to take care of my body and, frankly, I think I could run today if I tried.

So, I'm bummed. Super bummed. But hopefully a couple of days' rest is all I will need to heal.

In the meantime:

Easy Like Saturday Morning

This morning, the sun was shining and it was a beautiful, crisp 35 degrees outside. Brad left on his road bike to do a century just for the hell of it, and I decided to head to the Kanawha State Forest to do a trail run.

First, let me say that I have spent a decent amount of time hiking on the trails at the KSF, but I am the girl who needs the super stiff hiking boots to keep from rolling her ankles. Second, I can run a couple of miles easily now, but all of the miles I've run have been on the treadmill. As I drove the 15 minutes to the forest, I began to think that this was not a good idea. The trail I was headed for, the Davis Creek Trail, is one of the flattest in the forest. It does, however, have its share of rocks, roots, and slippery, muddy areas. I imagined myself spraining an ankle and lying in the woods, waiting for mountain lions to kill me. I hoped that they would be swift about it.

Before I could talk myself into turning around and heading to the gym, I arrived, parked, strapped on my ipod and Smartwool hat, and was on my way.

I'm sure you saw this coming: I think I ran the whole time with a huge grin on my face.

Wow, trail running is awesome. I had to walk one short, icy section along a little ridge, and when the trail suddenly became a river, I had to walk off trail to get around it, but otherwise I ran along at a good pace, my "girl power" playlist blaring, smiling and sweating in the sunshine. I don't know for sure how far I ran, nor do I really care, but based upon how long it took, my estimate is about 2 miles. I would have run longer, but the trail mysteriously ended and I wasn't sure where to go next. When it finally dries out, I'm going to be all over Middle Ridge trail -- that one goes on forever.

Now I'm home icing my dodgy knee. I have to head to the mall this afternoon to find something to wear to my brother-in-law's wedding in Wisconsin next weekend. I hate the thought of spending such a nice day in a mall, but it has to be done.

I hope everyone has a glorious weekend!