Recharging

This weekend I found myself at the beach cheering on my niece at a softball tournament.

I just love the fall...it's still close enough to my favorite time of year (SUMMER!), but a wonderful time of transition.

Each day I found some time --- not as much as I would have liked if I can be totally honest --- to walk down to the beach and speed walk along the sand. I'm still a few weeks away from jogging so I'm doing what I can to keep my blood pumping a bit.

There is something wonderful about stashing your shoes on the dune, walking through the deep sand, feeling the sand between your toes, and cruising along the shoreline as the waves crash and the foam creeps up to touch your toes.

I could seriously keep walking...and walking to the sound of my favorite soundtrack courtesy of the ocean.

PR-ed my 5k today!!!

[Post race --- I am a sweaty mess]

I must preface this by saying I'm not a fast runner. I lumber along, I don't look elegant, but I am happy to just be out there getting my heart pumping.

With that in mind I was hoping to use this morning's 5k in Dewey as a fitness test. Though I am thrilled with my PR --- 28:28 minutes (9:09 min/mile) I am bummed that I wasn't 100%.

I foolishly wore a pair of shoes yesterday at work that tore up my left heel. Just call me a slave for fashion. As a result I've been hobbling around and even drove w/o my left shoe last night to the beach. Good thing my car's not a stick shift.

Anyway, I taped it up, added three heavy duty bandages to my heel and delicately jammed my foot into my running shoes this morning. As I limped to the starting line I already had decided to just see what happens. Worse scenario --- I stop and turn around or try and limp along.

I'm not exactly sure what happened, but it's as if I passed this pain threshold and was able to just focus on the task at hand. I just wanted to "do this" and didn't give a shit about the consequences.

I felt good out of the gate. I really felt confident out there.  My first mile pace was in the 8-minute+ zone which is beyond stellar for me! I faltered a bit from mile 2.25 to 2.5-ish. I was hurting, hot (man was it humid and the sun was brutal) and scared I was going too fast so I slowed down. I swear...it's all mental for me because I still felt relatively strong.  After seeing my time I'm bummed that I didn't keep up the intensity because if I had I would have broken the 9 min/mile mark.  Oh well...just another goal.

Anyway, I just put my head down and continued to focus on passing people. Me...passing people!  Hilarious!  I had been passing people throughout the race and felt good that even toward the back-half of the race was passing people here and there.  Go me --- Though having a group of 10-year olds sprint pass you didn't feel so good.

As I rounded the second to last corner I decided to turn the jets on full blast, open my stride and sprint hard to the finish line. It was a "wheels-coming-off-the-bus" feeling, but what did I have to lose --- other than tripping over my own feet and falling into a heap just shy of the finish line?  Luckily that DIDN'T happen.

As soon as I caught my breath at the finish line I carefully removed my left shoe to reveal a painful mess. Nothing that some air, hydrogen peroxide and some neosporin can't cure...right?  Anyway, I walked around w/o one shoe and caught up with the HipAHAs. Yay!!!!  As of this evening I've got another blister courtesy of the run...but it does look "better" than this morning.

The great news --- I PR-ed!!!!!!

The good news --- I gutted it out. [You can do almost anything for 30 minutes, right?]

The bad news --- my heel is very angry with me.

All good things must eventually end

So Friday has come and gone...which means that I packed up the truck and headed west.

To say that it was a sad day was an understatement. I had such an incredible experience. --- meeting wonderful people, trying new things, training hard and just living a more quiet and selfish life. It was heaven.

It was the last time I would wake up early, gather my things, kick off my flops and walk over the dune at Atlantic Street for daily HipAHA bootcamp. The good news was that the last workout didn't disappoint. Lots of core mixed in with cardio blasts (suicides and dune runs). Good...good times.

After class they made a little announcement about my departure (tear), they gave me a very nice card and we headed over to Perks for our last after workout coffee break and gab-fest.  I am really, really gonna miss this group. They pushed me hard, they were a lot of fun and they are just good people.

Friday was such a gorgeous day at the beach that after class all I wanted to do was grab my bike for One-More-Ride....but I knew that if I did that then I'd never get home and since I hadn't finished packing I knew I had to just stop living in denial and get moving west.

As I jammed all my gear into the truck, I wondered: (1) how did I originally get all this shit here and (2) I sure have a lot of shit --- most of which I never even needed.

On my way out of town I said good bye to my neighbors and as I headed over the Rt 90 bridge I made one last glance over my shoulder at the shore to say "goodbye good friend...I'm gonna miss you." If I didn't admit a tear came to my eye as I thought about the wonderful "summer camp" I've had over the last two months then I would be lying.

T-minus 48 hours before I have to do my hair, make-up, put on real clothes and shoes...and be a grown-up again.

I'll always keep a piece of this time in my heart and a jar of sand from Atlantic Street on my desk.

Salute to the Sun

[Pix of Coach Lori from the HipAHA website]

"A photographer gets people to pose for her. A yoga instructor gets people to pose for themselves."

I came across this quote and thought that it fit perfectly after this morning's morning yoga session on the beach.  I have to say...I LOVED it!  I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed the experience --- not just the calming and quiet time, but also how much muscular strength and flexibility it took to keep up.

I'll admit that last night I went back and forth when I was setting my alarm trying to determine if I wanted to check out this 7:30 am beach yoga class vs. a 9:00 am weights class at Gold's.  I am SO happy that I went to yoga.

Last night I was feeling pretty banged up --- sore and tired.  After flipping and flopping most of the night I may have only gotten a couple hours of sleep.  As you can imagine when I woke up at 7:00 am I really just wanted to turn over and wait for the 9:00 am class...but life is all about trying new things and putting yourself in sometimes uncomfortable or unfamiliar surroundings.  How else do you learn new things or meet new people if you play if safe and just stick to your normal routine?

After downing a diet coke I dragged myself and my mat to class.

The class was challenging and I was pleasantly surprised that I was not a complete disaster.  Bonus that I felt like a million bucks after that hour of stretching, balancing, strengthening and calming.

"Paint The Fence, Danielson"

For the last few months me and The Husband have been painting and cleaning up our new beach condo.

The excitement of the new place and getting ready for the summer season meant that we were energized to get cracking...and then it was June and the last thing I wanted to do was any real physical labor.

With that in mind I've had on my list to paint the two upstairs bathrooms since they both need some freshening up.

With a zeal I didn't realize I had in me I became obsessed with knocking out the master bedroom this week. The truth was that (1) I was sick of looking at the unfinished room and (2) I had already gotten too much sun and exercise this week and needed another activity.

Within a short period of time I had all my materials dragged down from the attic (boy was it HOT up there!) and was attacking the room.

In no time flat I was done! Since it was still early I headed back to the paint store to pick up a quart of paint for the second upstairs bathroom.

By the end of the night I was sore, covered in paint smears and flecks and my nails were destroyed.

On the bright side, my two upstairs bathrooms look cheerier and though my painting skills will not pay the rent they may allow me hold my own at a future karate tournament.
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HipAHA Chicks

What a gorgeous day to hit the beach for a morning workout!!!!

I met some of the HipAHA ladies for a 30 minute run along the beach at 6:30 this morning. The wind was light, the sun was shining and the sound of the waves was nearly mesmerizing.

Again, I am trying hard to love running and the only way to do that is to just keep doing it. I'll find my groove again...soon hopefully.

After the run it was time for beach bootcamp with the HipAHA chicks. The good news for me is that today was all about sprints. Yay...more running.

It was a great workout. After our warm-up we did (12) 45-minute sprints with a recovery in between each set. Next it was time for a circuit of leg and core workouts.

What I learned after this morning's workouts is that my virgin feet are not as tough as I thought. All this running on the sand has left me with the beginnings of blisters on both of my big toes. Yikes! This is not good for my sprint tri this weekend. Blisters and running are not a good combo.

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Two steps forward...one step back

After a quick shower to get the saltwater off from my morning surf lesson and a nice healthy breakfast (with some extra caffeine) I was due for a VO2 max bike ride with the girls from Fenwick.

Unfortunately I f-ed up the time and headed out later than I anticipated to make the 5 mile ride to the hook-up spot. Bonus that the winds out of the north were pretty brutal. I was not going to make it in time. Hence...two steps forward...one step back.

I hauled ass to try and catch the girls, but they were nearly 15 minutes ahead of me and with the winds I was barely able to sustain 15/16 miles per hour during the northbound ride. My bike at times was being pushed off the road. This is not what I needed today...resistance training. My core and arms were already feeling sore from the morning on the board. I didn't need more pressure on these muscles to keep me on the bike too!

By the time I got to the Indian River Inlet I decided to pull over and watch the surfers for a few minutes. More important than taking a break from the wind was that I walked my bike over the terrifying part of the northbound bridge vs. riding. In those conditions I was a bit nervous about being clipped by a passing car.

After enjoying my own Endless Summer loop I headed out toward Dewey. After a few miles I decided to give up fighting the wind and turn home.

Luckily the wind was not as brutal going home, but surprisingly it also wasn't a friendly strong at my back pushing me home. I still had to work for the miles, but at least I was able to sustain a more consistent 19-21 mph pace.

Bike Warriors

My alarm went off at 5:00 am and I immediately wondered what the heck was going on. I was feeling rough and whipped. After a week of getting back into a program I realized that I was over-doing it again. Can't help it I guess. There is so much fun stuff to do!

This morning I met up with some of the HipAHA girls for a group ride along Coastal Hwy. Their goal was to ride to the Ferry and back. I planned to cut it short and only ride to the Indian River inlet.

As we got rolling we were confronted with some mist, limited visibility and humidity. Gross. As we headed through Bethany we decided not to navigate the Indian River Bridge given the weather since the bridge is under construction and is a bit of a death trap in good conditions. No need to take any chances. I was already wishing I had brought one of the blinky lights for my helmet.

We decided to loop back and then head inland a bit. I rode along with the group for a little while as they went inland, but then cut back so that I didn't crush the mileage today. I still have to work in a long run today/tomorrow so that I stay on track for MCM.

Sand is evil

Most people think of lounge chairs, beach umbrellas, and drinks with umbrellas when they think about beach sand.

On Friday morning I learned that it can be evil quicksand and no friend.

On Friday morning I hooked up with the HipAHA Bootcamp in Fenwick for some cardio-blasting in the sand. See http://www.hipaha.com/.

After a warm up run/walk down the beach we integrated resistance station work with cardio.

One word people --- suicides. Remember those? Now try doing them in deep, shifting sand. Enough said.

Bonus that after class folks gathered at the local coffee shop for a caffeine infusion and a shot of the fresh juice of the day. Friday's juice was carrot/celery/golden beets. It was incredibly good and refreshing!

Needless to say...I'll be back for more.

Epic Bike Failure

My goodness I've experienced some bad luck on the Cannondale this holiday weekend. Two days in a row I've popped a spoke off my back tire.

The first time it seemed like my CatEye sensor slipped out of position and caused the break just outside of Dewey. After a quick trip to the bike shop I was back on the road.

The second time I was on an epic ride from OC to Rehoboth and while coming off a red light in North Bethany sure enough I heard the same strange noise and felt the bike shudder. Within seconds my back wheel was again stuck.

Motherf-er!!!!!!!!!!!!

I ended up (again) throwing my bike over my shoulder and walking it to a safe place to wait for my ride. Luckily, this time I was close to a restuarant that had ample comfortable chairs in the shade so at least I was comfortable while I waited.

Man oh man. This totally sucks.

The results are in...

and my 5k was clearly a mess.

31:05.01 ---- that's a 10:18 minute pace.

Man...that is pretty horrific. Placed right in the middle --- 252 out of 400 and something runners.

I actually blame nrot wearing my Garmin. I have a horrible sense for my pace and the Garmin is the only way I can keep, or attempt to keep, myself on track.

Oh well, there's always next time.

Ocean City Shenanigans

The first 5k of the season is in the books and I felt pretty good. Jen-Jen and I headed down to the beach for the first annual St. Patty's Day 5k sponsored by Shenanigans. Our other partner in crime was home sick and missed the race.

The bad news is that same-day packet pick-up was a bit of a shit-show that resulted in the race starting 45 minutes late. On a breezy morning...that's total bullshit. Given temps in the 50's and brilliant sunshine I opted for tri shorts and a long-sleeve t-shirt which resulted in jumping in place to keep warm. Once we got rolling my outfit was perfect.

I probably should have lined up closer to the front since I spent the first quarter mile dodging and weaving around all the walkers.

We started at Shenanigans (3rd Street) on the Boardwalk, headed to the end of the boards, circled around the amusement park, headed back up the boardwalk, passed the starting line, run up the boards and then circled back to the finish.

I forgot to wear my Garmin and as a result had no idea what my splits were. Was bummed not to be able to assess my progress, but more of an issue because I clearly went out too fast during the first mile and a half. I pulled back a bit and found a comfortable slot to hang in --- with the goal to surge during the last quarter mile. All went according to plan and I'm guessing that my final time is near what I did at my last 5k on New Years Eve. A little bummed that it wasn't better, but always good to know it likely wasn't substantially worse.

My surge at the end was significant and I am again reminded that I need to be more confident and not hold back. I'll work on that next time.

We're celebrating St. Patty's Day early here at the beach with an Irish inspired brunch and more cupcakes. Nice way to top off an early morning run.

Waddle on!
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