In Every Run That Must Be Done; There is an Element of Fun (comments welcome)

[Naomeri]

3 Days Until: Excelsior Firecracker 10K

Why did I think I needed to do a hill run??



Honestly, If I could’ve done this run in the morning, it probably would’ve been fine. But at 5pm on a sunny day? Not super fun. Also, I thought I’d have a nice cross breeze in both directions, but instead, I got wind in my face all the way up, and basically nothing on the way back. I started out too fast, and then just smacked into a wall on the back half.





This is what the hills look like when you’re on them.



I saw a bunny!! Actually, I saw several bunnies as they darted away from my when I went by, but I got a picture of this one.



We also had a bunny on our patio this morning, who needed to be chased back into the woods, rather than letting it hang out in the gardens. The deer have done quite enough plant-eating there, we don’t need bunnies too.



2022 workout data to date: 167h 47m 32s of exercise; 72,510 active calories burned; 88,152 total calories burned

 

[Naomeri]

2 Days Until: Excelsior Firecracker 10K

Well, the weather app’s hourly forecast screwed me over today. It said it was going to rain until 2pm, and then be cloudy for a couple hours. It did rain until about 2, but then the clouds immediately disappeared, and my run was hotter than I planned. So I only made it 4.5 miles before I had to give up and walk the rest of the loop. I also started off way too fast, but I didn’t feel like I was going that fast at all.



Due to the number of shortened runs I’ve had lately, I’ve decided that my training regimen needs a reset. So I’ve rewritten it with shorter runs than I originally planned between now and Twin Cities Marathon Weekend at the beginning of October, and on into Wine & Dine weekend. I think I got off track with illness in April/May, then the garage sale, and then the mulch event, and then the pulled calf muscle, and trying to continue with the plan as written is just pointless. After the Firecracker 10K on Monday, I don’t have any more live races, so everything is flexible.

Does this look like cloudy-to-partly sunny skies to you??







There was a turtle on the path!



2022 workout data to date: 169h 26m 42s of exercise; 73,219 active calories burned; 89,028 total calories burned

 

[azrivest]

Does this look like cloudy-to-partly sunny skies to you??

No, but that first pic with the bike path is really pretty

 

[Naomeri]

1 Day Until: Excelsior Firecracker 10K

I got to trim trees today! All by myself (which is more peaceful than having someone in my ear telling me what needs doing, as if I can’t see ) The sign of a good tree trimming is that you can’t tell what was done, but everything looks better than before.



After the trimming was done, I did 16 slow(ish) minutes on the stationary bike, but the trimming was my main workout for the day. I’m going to try really hard to get to sleep early tonight because I need to be out of the house about 6:45. I hope the forecast dries out a bit overnight.



2022 workout data to date: 171h 41m 58s of exercise; 74,025 active calories burned; 90,019 total calories burned

 

[GollyGadget]

Good luck on your race and the weather! My dogs are currently staring me down because they need to go out but it's relentlessly raining sideways so they have to wait.

 

[Naomeri]

Excelsior Firecracker 10K 5K

So, at 6:23 am, just as I was about to start getting ready, I got an automated call that the 10K was cancelled due to forecasted storms and participants would be able to do either the 5K or the 1 Mile. I debated whether it was even worth the hassle, but decided to go ahead and go for the 5K. As it turned out, the storm hit at 7:30 and delayed the start until 8:15, as we ran in the rain. There was no reason we couldn’t have run a (very wet) 10K at that time, but I’m not in charge of those decisions

Pre-race photo, before the rain started



In the first mile, I tied my fastest mile speed, which is a little shocking because it was a crazy nightmare of a start. Instead of starting the 1 Miler and the 5K separately, they just kinda went for it and it was a mess of slow people, fast people, and little kids. I didn’t have any intervals running, I decided to just wing it for the whole race. I walked a little too much in the second mile, but picked up the pace for the end. We spent most of the third mile on a crushed gravel rail trail and it was muddy and puddly and narrow. Thankfully, we got back on pavement for the last little bit. It was really neat to have my grandparents there to cheer me on, and I put on a speed burst to blaze past the runner ahead of me to the finish line. I got my medal (it was just a magnet—no ribbon, which presents a display problem for the future), a free drawstring bag, and a bomb pop, which is the best post-race snack I’ve ever gotten

Thanks to my short hair, I don’t look much like a drowned rat in this final stretch picture my grandma took, but I certainly felt like one!



I missed my 5K PR by 2 seconds, but that one was virtual, so stopped at exactly 3.1 miles, as opposed to the 3.2 miles I ran today, meaning I did technically PR?? I’m not counting it though.



They had the 10K runners still wear their bibs, since they obviously didn’t have enough shorter distance bibs for all the extra people. Only the 5K and 10K bibs had timing chips, so I guess it wasn’t any trouble to just lump everyone with chips together for the official stats.



Here are a couple pics from the starting area and the storm clouds before it rained.







2022 workout data to date: 172h 19m 54s of exercise; 74,376 active calories burned; 90,434 total calories burned

 

[HangWithMerida]

Good work on your 5k!! The crowd looks very patriotic.

 

[Naomeri]

88 Days Until: TC Loony Challenge

It was really humid today. Not excessively hot, but really humid. How humid, you ask? This was the view out my windows when I got up for work:



Luckily for me, it got cloudier and cloudier as the day went on, and I didn’t have to deal with the sun beating down on me, or baking pavement trying to fry me. Since I’ve proven myself incapable of slowing down until overexertion forces me to, I changed my run/walk from 30/30 to 30/45 and that knocked about a minute off my pace. The longer walks felt strange, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it before fall weather comes and lets me go faster again.



I saw some shy bunnies on my run, and a deer that stood still long enough to let me get a picture.



2022 workout data to date: 172h 51m 42s of exercise; 74,638 active calories burned; 90,749 total calories burned

 

[GollyGadget]

It's been humid here as well! My glasses fogged up on my runs Saturday and Sunday which usually only happens in winter from the temperature differential.

 

[Naomeri]

85 Days Until: TC Loony Challenge

So…July is continuing just where June left off: a succession of things going wrong.

On Wednesday, I decided to try a Pilates workout from a new workout app. Big mistake! First of all, it started with all the arm workouts all together, then the legs. Half the time I was doing the leg workouts, my shoulder and chest muscles were trembling. And then, when it was all over, it said I only burned 107 calories in 23 minutes! If I’d been doing the same amount of yoga in my Sworkit app, I’d have burned nearly double that. And my Sworkit app lets me build custom workouts so I don’t get the trembling muscle problem.

Then on Thursday, which was supposed to be a running day, with a trip to the local amusement park for some fun on my short work day, my grandpa had to go to urgent care, and then onto the hospital, so I had to stay home in case my grandma needed me to do something (which she did, as it turned out). So going out for a run was obviously out. I ended up doing some yoga.

Today, I was able to get out on my lunch break and get my half hour run finished. I’m glad I didn’t wait until after work, because it got hotter and sunnier, but it was cloudy at lunch.



In other news, I got my Stitch plushie for my Wine & Dine Lilo costume. I had a little backpack that I think will work to carry him, but the strap was scratchy, so I ordered some seatbelt covers that should protect my neck and the underside of my arm while I’m running. Once I get the dress I ordered, I’ll test it out. This look should make for some cute pictures!



Tuesday night had a great sunset sky.

This is 9:01



This is 9:16





2022 workout data to date: 174h 34m 30s of exercise; 75,352 active calories burned; 91,585 total calories burned

 

[Naomeri]

Bonus Post: Furry Friends!

I took some pictures of chipmunks this week and decided to write their names on them.













There was also a bunny in the yard, far away from my grandma’s gardens, like a well-behaved bunny.


Lazy cats are lazy

 

[HangWithMerida]

Hope your grandpa is feeling better. It’s great that you have such a close relationship. It sounds like the Pilates uncovered some weaknesses. Pilates is so hard, especially when you consider it’s just your body weight. Classes I have done seem to target working each muscle group to almost complete fatigue before moving on, which is what the workout you did sounds like. Shaking muscles are working hard. Maybe don’t count it out altogether just yet. Yoga and Pilates aren’t interchangeable so maybe they both have a place in your rotation.

 

[Naomeri]

Hope your grandpa is feeling better. It’s great that you have such a close relationship. It sounds like the Pilates uncovered some weaknesses. Pilates is so hard, especially when you consider it’s just your body weight. Classes I have done seem to target working each muscle group to almost complete fatigue before moving on, which is what the workout you did sounds like. Shaking muscles are working hard. Maybe don’t count it out altogether just yet. Yoga and Pilates aren’t interchangeable so maybe they both have a place in your rotation.

Yeah, I won’t count it out, I just need to find a better option with more control for me over the exercises I do

 

[Naomeri]

83 Days Until: TC Loony Challenge

I was supposed to run 4 miles yesterday, but I couldn’t get out in the morning when it was cool because my grandpa was getting out of the hospital, and my cousin and his family came to visit in the afternoon and evening. I did run down to the stop sign at the end of our cul-de-sac twice, and around the house once because my cousin’s little boy wanted to race. I was not dressed for running, and had to run with one hand on my chest to avoid embarrassment We also spent at least an hour outside playing in the yard, so I logged that as my exercise for the day.

Today, I mostly took it easy. There were sporadic rumbles of thunder throughout the afternoon, so I didn’t even go out to visit chipmunks. After dinner, I decided that I was a little too lazy and decided to walk my usual neighborhood running loop. It took me 43 minutes to walk what I can run in 30 minutes, so that wasn’t too bad. When I got home, I did half an hour on the stationary bike.

Today is the first day of my new training plan, running July 10-November 12. For the prior plan, which covered March 6-July 9, I totaled 233.21 running miles in 50h 6m 48s, at an average pace of 13m 2s. I also logged 209.67 miles on the stationary bike in 12h 50m 57s, with an average pace of 3m 41s. I also managed to lose 2.2 pounds, so that’s a win.


2022 workout data to date: 176h 47m 38s of exercise; 75,942 active calories burned; 92,380 total calories burned

 

[Naomeri]

81 Days Until: TC Loony Challenge
Part one of two—this is actually about yesterday





I have this magnet on my magnet boards and it’s relevant to yesterday. I was supposed to run the second Frozen 5K and I didn’t even make it halfway. I wanted to do it on my lunch break, but some extremely rude trainers decided that their stuff takes priority over everyone else’s time and went a half hour beyond the hour they’d scheduled us all for, without so much as a “hey, sorry this is taking longer than planned, does anyone have any conflicts?” And that just threw my whole day out of whack. So I tried to do my run when I got off at 4:30 and the sun was just horribly hot and the wind was just insane (20mph+) and everything just went badly. I was angry and depressed afterward, and that’s why I waited until today to write this up.



There is a little bit of happiness from yesterday though. I got the baby chipmunk to eat out of my hand! At the moment, he’s only willing to do it from his safe spot inside the drainpipe, but it’s progress.





2022 workout data to date: 177h 23m 34s of exercise; 76,226 active calories burned; 92,718 total calories burned

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Sorry to hear about the rough run! It is annoying when people don't respect others' time. I'm sure you'll have a great 5K sometime soon!

 

[Naomeri]

81 Days Until: TC Loony Challenge
Part two of two—this is about today

Well, I got out there and did my 5K. I did not enjoy it, but I did it. It was, once again, too hot and sunny, though the wind was slightly less than yesterday.



As I was leaving to go do my run, I saw a little butterfly fluttering on the garage floor. I coaxed it onto my finger and took it outside to the garden.



2022 workout data to date: 178h 4m 28s of exercise; 76,590 active calories burned; 93,151 total calories burned

 

[Naomeri]

80 Days Until: TC Loony Challenge

I had a stressful day at work, but I got through it. The main event of today was having a big tree in the woods taken down by a professional before Mother Nature could do the job. I noticed a few weeks ago that this tree had developed a giant crack, so I’ve been paying more attention to it, and on Monday, I noticed that the branches furthest from the trunk were suddenly at face level, when they used to be out of reach. So my grandma called a guy that had good reviews on NextDoor, and he called back yesterday and came out to check it out, and agreed that it was an imminent danger and rearranged his schedule to come out this morning. He and his grandson had the thing down with minimal effect on the surrounding trees/area by noon. They even took down another annoying branch for my grandma.

Giant cracked tree. For reference, my hand could fit in that crack.



View of the tree on June 14, 2022



View of the tree (or lack thereof) on July 13, 2022



After work, I got a haircut and did a Target pickup, because cases of water are too heavy for my grandma to pick up at the grocery store, and we’re all trying to properly hydrate ourselves (we have not-great well water, so bottled water is essential). Then I did another Pilates workout, this time building my own workout in my Sworkit app. It worked much better this time, being able to break up the muscle group focuses so no part of me got worked to the point of exhaustion. I can definitely feel like I worked out though, especially in my core, so I think it was good.

Oh, and my grandpa decided that since I’ve been extra extra helpful this month, with all the tree-trimming I did last week, and then handling everything at home while my grandma has been dealing with his medical stuff (which still isn’t solved, because hospitals are dumb?), that I deserve to have my July rent forgiven . That’s a quarter of the remaining balance of my W&D room at CSR, so…YAY!!

One last thing, I was looking ahead to the TC 10 Miler part of the Loony Challenge, and this is the elevation profile:



I think I might want to do that stupid hilly road workout a few more times before October (just not in the middle of the dang afternoon)


2022 workout data to date: 178h 23m 40s of exercise; 76,739 active calories burned; 93,311 total calories burned

 

[Naomeri]

79 Days Until: TC Loony Challenge

It was a better day at work today (it helps that I have my summer hours on Thursdays, so I only have to work until 2:30pm). After work, I drove to the Luce Line to run, under the theory that a gravel path in the woods would be shadier and at least marginally cooler than running on the neighborhood blacktop. It was sort of shady, and maybe cooler, but it was still not a comfortable run.

Once again, I started off much too fast. I had my intervals set at 30/45, so I don’t know how I was going so fast. I eventually ended up changing to 20/40 intervals in order to finish my run.



Look at this well-behaved little bunny in our yard! My grandma and I saw its parents hopping around down in the woods, also being very good bunnies, but they were too far away for a picture.



Duchess has been following me all over the place lately. She really likes the new mix of nuts that has only her favorites, instead of making her dig past perfectly good pistachios, cashews, and walnuts to get at the almonds and hazelnuts



2022 workout data to date: 179h 9m 3s of exercise; 77,106 active calories burned; 93,754 total calories burned

 

[Naomeri]

75 Days Until: TC Loony Challenge

So…I skipped my run on Saturday. I didn’t feel well and it just wasn’t going to be worth it to even try running. I did have to help my grandma in the garden a bit, so that counted as my exercise for the day. By Sunday, I was feeling fine, so I did my scheduled 45 minutes of stationary biking.

Today was hotter than the surface of the sun. Ok, maybe not quite that bad, but my WTForecast app summed it up nicely:



I cut my run/walk intervals from 30/30 to 30/60 to keep myself from overdoing it. It seemed to help. I also did about 6 minutes of stretching in the garage before I went out to run, in an effort to acclimate to the heat a little before running in it.



I got some of my Wine & Dine costume pieces delivered today, I’m really happy with them. I still need to find a colorful bra or crop top or something to go over the skeleton without coving it too much (I’m supposed to be a skeleton in running clothes, and I certainly don’t run topless ). I wouldn’t wear this outfit for a long race, but a Disney 5K where I can walk the whole thing if it’s too hot is no big deal. I LOVE the way the Lilo dress fits me, and I might wear it in the parks on a future trip.




Duchess made sure to get my attention this afternoon so she got her afternoon snack on time



Yesterday, I snapped a couple shots of pollinators doing their thing in my grandma’s garden.




2022 workout data to date: 181h 22m 45s of exercise; 78,007 active calories burned; 94,859 total calories burned