a fresh start

happy spring everyone. although many of you are looking at a fresh layer of snow, it is officially the first day of spring. tulips, budding trees, happy birds and last but not least racing season.

my training for the avenue of the giants half marathon is underway and truly couldn't be going better. i am feeling virtually no pain in my shin. my times are looking good, if anything i need to slow down a bit but meh. and the weather here is absolutely ideal for a runner. love. it.


since i am blissfully unemployed right now i thought, why not do my long run on tuesdays? then i woke up tuesday morning to rain and wind. awesome. so after several hours of putting off the inevitable i decided to strap on my shoes and just go for it. it was the best run i've had in a long time. the mist & breeze were just enough to keep me cool and my own personal sheriff that drove be 7 times made sure i was safe. (at least that is what i am convinced he was driving by for!) 8mi in 1:16:23, not too shabby for a girl who's been nursing a stress fracture for the last 4 1/2 months.

the rest of the week was smooth sailing. with a good 5mi tempo run and a couple easy 2mi runs thrown in there i am pretty confident going into this 15k next weekend. then it's back to the double digits. bring it on!

new discoveries abound

as you all know i am fully committed to the Chicago Marathon this fall, but thought that it wouldn't be a bad idea to sign up for some smaller races between now and then. so began my search and i was pleasantly surprised that although most required some driving, there were some interesting options.

first being right here in my fair city (well just a short 10 miles away). The Redwood Wild River Run 15k, mar 27 @ a very nice 11am... for those of you who don't know i'm not a morning person.

then we have the Pear Blossom Run on sat, april 10th in medford, OR, which is about 100 miles away but thought it sounded nice. i like pears and i like to run, bingo.

the last one i found thus far is by and large the one i am most excited about. The Avenue of the Giants Marathon (and, thank God for me, 1/2 marathon cause i'm just not ready to commit to 2 fulls in one year!) on sunday, may 2nd. essentially it is in the Redwood Forrest. runners world called it one of the most beautiful courses in the country. imagine running amidst these guys. love. it.

so, although the last two will require a weekend trip which of course will cost me some begging, i am prepared to do for the good of the cause. said cause being me keeping my sanity while training for a marathon alone! boo.

while searching for these races i stumbled upon a wonderful little website called dailymile.com. some of you are familiar with it but those of you who are not, check it out. there you are able to track your runs, workouts and chat with other running enthusiasts. it even finds other runners in your area. i have not made any attempt to communicate with these people as that seems a tad forward. but i sure can stalk them and see if they would be good potential running buddies!

so, there you have my week of discoveries. oh and i did manage to get in 12mi of running and complete week 2 of p90x (which i have a love/hate relationship with, but that is for another blog).

we're not in Kansas anymore toto

so, apparently even though the sun is shining and it's a beautiful day here in CA, we are are under a tsunami advisory. now calm down mom, it's the lowest level of threat and it's more than likely not going to affect us what-so-ever, assuming i am not planning on going for a swim in the ocean or hop on a boat....which i am not. it is a little ironic though as my aunt has been completely convinced since the moment we decided to move here that we were just going to drop off into the ocean. not today though. but you can bet your a*@ that i will be watching and waiting at 1:46p (pacific time that is) to see that tsunami.

in other news, i managed to get up to 6 miles this week on my longest run. which to those of you who are well up there in the double digits, that is nothing. but to me, the one who hasn't been able to run since october, it's a lot and i'm pleased. what i'm not pleased about is the fact that by run #2 this week i could feel my stress fracture. boo! so, as much as i wanted to get out there and soak up the sun this morning for at least 5-6mi, i could not. but you can rest assured that tony horton and the rest of the p90x crew (which on a side note i am convinced that he is sleeping with Drea for those of you who are familiar with it, please tell me i'm not imagining this!!) has been kicking my booty all week.

so the question i leave you with.....what does one wear to a tsunami?

virgin blogger

well. i swore i would never do it but here i am, blogging. i always assumed that people who blogged were just self absorbed, ego maniacs and maybe that is true, but i will never admit it. upon the urging of friend and fellow blogger, the fair weather runner, i thought i would give it a shot.
it is my 35th birthday today. my husband and i recently moved to CA and i am insanely homesick today. as beautiful as the ocean and the redwood forest is and as yummy as the crab i about to partake in at THE wine, cheese and crab festival... i would love nothing more than to be in cold, wet, ugly old wichita kansas if only for a day. but enough whining. (just bring me a bottle of wine!)
on a more positive note, i am officially signed up for the chicago marathon with many of my fellow running friends and couldn't be happier. after my huge disappointment in san fran, this as i have stated will be my redemption. just without the hills and hopefully the stress fracture. so in my attempt to return to running after a 4 month sabbatical in order to heal i am hoping that this will keep me honest. i no longer can rely on the FWR showing up at my door and 5am for training runs so.... Until the true training schedule begins i will be working at my own pace, trying like heck not to get injured. Yoga, biking, strength training, and running up to 3 days a week. i have found a great course along the coast that helps take my mind off the fact that i am out of running shape, this too shall pass.
so there it is. hopefully a few will find my ramblings somewhat entertaining. ;-)