The day started like any day should:
Where: Hall Ranch, Lyons, CO
Trail: Bitterbrush
Distance: 7 miles round trip
Time: 1:20
Elevation gain: 1,100 feet
Time of day: 8:00 a.m. old time, 7:00 a.m. new time
Temperature: 39 degrees start, 50 degrees finish
Person in picture: Ken
Number of deer seen: 13 (a new record)
Number of prairie dogs seen: countless
Number of runners seen: 3 (male), 1 (female), 1 (transgender – just kidding)
Number of pit stops: 1 at the beginning of the trail in the pit toilet. Least stinkiest pit I’ve ever been in. I highly recommend it if you need a place to hang out.
Average heart rate: 155 bpm
Max heart rate: 175 bpm
Before run meal: banana and coffee
Post run meal: chocolate frosted donut, two scrambled eggs with cheese, more coffee.
What hurt: my left hamstring.
Best quote: “I think I permanently got rid of that new car smell in your car.” - Ken
I was bummed about my hamstring. Over the past two months since starting Chi Running I have had no more hamstring or butt pain. But, now hamstring issues have returned (butt’s still okay in case you were wondering). I was looking at the Runner’s World site and saw this, which made me feel a bit better:
- “Counterintuitive as it might seem, very flexible people are prone to hamstring problems because their overly stretched-out muscles are more vulnerable to damage” – I did gymnastics for years and now yoga. I am still very flexible and sometimes wonder if this can make things worse.
- “Running a slow, easy pace is usually less bothersome than attempting intervals or hill repeats” – well, this explains a lot. I have been training a ton on the trails and doing much more climbing than in the past. I think this might be irritating things, so time for a break from running up mountains. I also think my damn pelvis is still rotated. How hard can it be to un-rotate a pelvis?
By the way, I got this info from a great article called, “The Big 7 Body Breakdowns.” The 7 breakdowns for runners include Achilles tendinitis, runner’s knee, hamstring issues, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, IT band syndrome and stress fractures. The article gives a quick snapshot of the injuries, their causes, the symptoms and how to prevent/recover from them. So far I am 2 for 7.
Then, to forget about my hamstring, I went on a cooking frenzy, making pumpkin pie and this amazing Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup. This is a great meal to make if you are having a ton of people over (we aren’t) or if you simply like lots of leftovers for the week (we do). It calls for 12 ounce of beer, so I used 11 ounces of Coors Light then chugged the last ounce because it works well to wash down donuts that way.
Don’t judge me because I didn’t make my own crust. Who do you think I am Martha Stewart in running tights? She would never use a pit toilet. And I’m not sure she would wear running tights. Or, fart.
Today I was thinking a lot about all of the runners in New York who aren’t running the marathon today. Do you have a story you want to share about what it has been like to be there? Did you find any resentment towards runners while you were in the city (I had heard rumors about this). One commenter on my blog talked about having friends who came all the way from New Zealand. Wow.
Are you struggling with any of the above 7 injuries right now?
Do you make your own crust (damn you)? I have made crust many times but it just doesn’t taste that good. That’s why I have my mom for.
How was your run this morning (where, what’d you eat before/after, how many pit stops)?
SUAR