Updates & Halloween

The Choice 5k on the 19th was swell! We had a small but exciting turnout and are eagerly looking to develop a much larger event for next year.

I ran an excellent A&S tourney at an Amtgard event on the 25th and have been getting very positive feedback from the entrants. One person showed up three hours after the cutoff, I denied her entry, and she has been bitching and moaning and trash talking me ever since.

We had an office party and costume contest on the 30th, so I agreed to dress up with my department as nerds.

And today I wore the costume I've really been excited for. I got a lot of compliments on my outfit, but no one recognized the character.

I was on track to hit my October goal of running 70 miles until I missed my long run on the 27th because of a headache, leaving me with 18 miles to run in 4 days. I did 4 on Monday, 4 on Tuesday, 3.5 Wednesday morning, 3 Wednesday night, and 3.5 this morning to finish out the 70. And now I want to sleep for days.

Virtual Races

Who's a fan of virtual races?

Virtual Races are events that you sign up for online and can run or walk on your own time within a designated time frame (usually a month). Some races are free or charge a modest registration fee to support charities; some offer medals, bibs, and t-shirts.

So far, I'm very fond of the US Road Running virtual race series. They host monthly races and additional holiday events and team challenges. They have pretty sweet medals that they will customize with your name, race distance, and finishing time on the back.

This is the September medal I got. I'm also waiting on a Dr. Who 50th Anniversary Fun Run medal in the mail from a different organization. (You still have time to register!)

Some of the benefits of virtual runs are the opportunity to get a few friends together to run/walk your favorite trails, no race crowds or pressure, and you can split up the distance over a few days if needed.

Has anyone done virtual races or want to recommend any?

Choice 5k Race Bibs

I'm picking up bibs today for the Choice 5k! Time and money are tight, so I threw this together and sent it to a print shop. It may not look like much, but it's unique to our event and will make a nice souvenir for participants.

Shoulder injury

Last Friday I was throwing around a medicine ball like I've done before, and doing some burpee/pushups with 5-pound dumbbells, when my left collarbone twinged painfully. I'd finished my intended sets and was about to try for one more, so I quit and moved to the elliptical, easily pushing hard on the hand bars.

I forgot about it until the next day when it twinged again as I reached in my closet. It had been quiet all that afternoon when I'd been sword-fighting and doing difficult, draining, shot-block drills. It's been generally uncomfortable and mildly sore since then.

I've been trying to take it easy, skipping upper body workouts and trying not to panic about Spartan Beast training. I can feel a knot just below the clavicle but can't do anything about it. Today it twinged again, much much worse, when I reached into the fridge, and now it's radiating pain throughout my shoulder as I try to breathe through and blink back tears. Less than ideal for getting any work done.

So now it looks like I probably need to see a doctor. I broke my collarbone as a kid; it's lumpy and uneven compared to the other, but I never paid it any attention before and don't know whether there's been any change. I can't afford to see a doctor and am really unhappy and upset about this.

I feel like a failure because my body is seemingly too weak for moderate intensity workouts and because I talk about listening and being kind to your body but have failed to do so. I like to try to push myself to exhaustion, not injury. Logical brain knows this is nonsense and that this injury is just a fluke; Jerkbrain is being Jerkbrain.

The silver lining is that running is still on the table.

Arbor Hills Nature Preserve

I set out in brutal 90% humidity on Sunday to get in a two-mile trail run, roughly 7.5 miles, I think. It was my second run at the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve, and my first time solo. This is a gorgeous 200-acre park with both paved and natural trails, and I definitely recommend it. The hills are mild compared to Cedar Ridge but still much steeper than anything around my neighborhood.

 I hit the Outer Loop Trail and got a bit lost and distracted on the Trestle Loop Trail, so I stopped my watch, sat down, and enjoyed the scenery and cool air for a few minutes.

I fell in love a little bit with a guy with a beautiful dog I kept passing throughout the run. I eventually found my way out of the Trestle Loop and back onto the Outer Loop. Once I finished, I turned around and ran the Outer Loop back the other way . . . up the hills.

I may preach to others to be kind to their bodies, but my mantra this day was "Just fucking do it!" whenever I wanted to walk, which was frequently. Going the other direction, I found the gorgeous Riparian Forest and trekked back and forth through there for a while.

At about 1 hour, 45 minutes, I was BEAT. But I dutifully tromped up the last hill and ran one last small loop, determined to finish. It was little more than a glorified speed walk, done slowly. Ultimately, I was amazed at the strength I still found in my legs to carry me up all those hills and across so much distance for a whole two hours. I can't wait to work harder and longer next weekend.

I tested my new Gooseberry hydration pack, Under Armour tee and matching runderoos (which are too cute and I really want a pic of me modeling both), and GU watermelon chomps. I'm pretty happy with all of them. It took me a whole hour to figure out how to hack the hydration pack since I was working so hard for tiny sips. I bit the mouthpiece and used my hands to pull the pack straps forward, squeezing the pack against my body and using the force of physics in my favor instead of trying to suck against the direction of gravity. The chomps have a lighter flavor and are easier to consume than Gatorade chews, which get stuck in my teeth pretty badly.

All in all, it was a good run.

Cobras and llamas and bears, oh my!

I got to go to the Sharkarosa Ranch on Sunday, Oct. 6 to see lots of cute animals. It was a gorgeous, cool day without a cloud in the sky. The drive way up to Pilot Point was tedious but definitely worth it with friends.

First we saw Cody the Cobra.

There was a petting zoo with lots of cute goats, two rabbits, a big pig, a sheep, a llama, and a camel. I didn't know camels could be so soft! There were all sorts of lemurs and other monkey-creatures napping in their enclosures. Two two-toed sloths did what sloths do; that is, sloth.

A wittle wallabee was all by himself on the far side of his pen. The kangaroos lazed through the afternoon, as well as two deer: a male and female.

This majestic creature was in an accident as a youngster and healed oddly.

There were two sad-looking bear rescues doomed to listen to "Bear Necessities" playing on repeat in their enclosure. And here is a link to the full album (30 photos).

Street harassment is never funny.

A member of a running group on Facebook posted that she pulled up in her car beside a runner and badgered the runner to stop so she could ask, “Do you know Jesus?” She later commented that this never happened and was only a joke.

I'm not laughing, either.

I commented, “I don’t find anything funny about harassing runners, for any reason.” After several others’ comments and her trying to explain it, I asked “Is a joke funny that has to be explained?” And one of the lovely self-professed Christians who though it was fall-off-her-chair hysterical told me to “shut the hell up” and ‘gtfo.’ 

These people are *awesome,* and I keep nearly rage-quitting the group, but my mere presence and measured responses cause them so much consternation that I think I’ll stay awhile.

Street harassment is never funny.

I credit my atheism to Christians.