Chocolate Festival 2018

I had been on the fence about whether or not to run the 10k this year, but in the end I decided that it would be beneficial for me to run it as a tempo run, since I haven't had much speedwork lately.  I knew that it would absolutely not be a smart idea for me to all-out race it, and thankfully I was able to keep my competitive side in check and keep myself to tempo effort rather than race effort.  I ended up coming in 2nd place female. 

Pre-race chat with my former running buddy Jim and the female winner of the day.

and we're off!

My finish.  Coby and the girls got there just in time to snap this pic!

After a quick post-race shower, we headed back downtown for the Chocolate Festival.  It was fun to do it with the kids.  I think our favorite was the chocolate-covered bacon.  The weather couldn't have been more perfect, and once we had spent all our chocolate tickets, we headed out to the barn for a picnic lunch and time spent with Pony.  

Ready to eat some chocolate!

Pony was loving all the attention!

It was too nice out not to take some photos!

Gray Kitty photobombed us, and Pony was not very cooperative about joining us...because she just wanted to devour grass.  

Picking up the Pace

For awhile now I have been working on including slower runs in my week, and doing a warm-up mile before running faster miles.  I've also been working hard to hold myself back in the first mile of half marathons in order not to go out to fast.  This strategy has not been working super well for me.  It was not my strategy when I was running my best races, and I do not want it to be my strategy anymore.  My best runs have always been about consistency, not about starting slow and speeding up.  So consistency is what I'm working on getting back to.

I can see how starting slow and speeding up is a good strategy for other people, especially to help warm-up the legs, but here is why I think it is not useful to me.  My legs are not my limiting factor when I run.  My lungs are.  And once I establish a pace, it is really hard for my lungs to adjust to a faster pace.  When my lungs struggle, my legs don't get enough oxygen, and then my legs struggle.  If I establish a quicker pace in the beginning, that is the pace that my lungs settle to, and so I'm able to hold it for awhile.  This doesn't mean I want to start off a half-marathon at 6:00 pace, but it does mean that I don't need to be trying to hold myself to 7:30 in my first mile.

My current training goal is to increase my average pace on weekly runs less than 8 or 9 miles.  Less 8:00-8:30, more 7:00-7:45.  My lungs don't get stronger on slow runs, they get stronger when I make them work.  I ran a strong race at the Bluegrass 1/2, but my goal half marathon time is several minutes faster.  I want to get my lungs and legs used to running faster consistently.  I know that I have to be careful not to over-tire my legs in this process, but I am trusting myself to listen to my body.

This week I ended up with 2 hilly tempo runs, a long hill run, and then another run that was supposed to be 5 and ended up being 7... I felt really good on the first 3 runs. I was getting tired towards the end of today's run, but it made sense after how hard I ran all week!

This week : 

M : circuit training 33:15

T : group run 7.5 / 7:14 / 413 ft

W : TRX 45 minutes

R : run w/Corey 8 / 7:34 / 554 ft

F : horseback ride 45 minutes

Sa : run 10.1 / 8:17 / 1440 ft

Su :  run w/Ben 7 / 7:40 / 367 ft

total miles : 32.6

At various times over the years when running long hill climbs, I have contemplated turning around at the top to run the hill again.  I never actually did it, until this Saturday.  I was in West Virginia to ride my horse and go for a hill run, and the run was going really, really well.  The sunshine and temperature were perfect, the turning leaves were gorgeous, and I felt good.  I was running a 3.5 mile stretch of Rt 60 that had mile-ish long ups and downs.  On the way out from the house, the road was down, up, down.  When I turned around and climbed the 1.1 mile climb, I just plain loved it.  It had steeper sections and less steep sections, but it went steadily upwards for the whole 1.1 miles.  3/4 of the way up, I knew I wanted to do it again.  I reached the top, and actually turned around to go back down.  It was just as gorgeous the second time, and I never for a second regretted my decision.  

I have been frustrated lately, realizing that I have lost some of my hill strength since leaving WV.  Being able to do those long hill climbs this weekend and feel strong doing them made me feel a lot better!  

The view at the start of Saturday's run.

Heading down the first hill on Saturday.

Enjoyed getting to see this cute Pony on Friday!

A long overdue long run

Happily, I got back to a normal running routine this week, and ran 5 times.  I didn't impose a 6 mile minimum on myself though, I went back to my 4.5 mile minimum for now.

Runs this week : 

M : 5 

T : 5 

W :  4.5 

(sprint, avg 6:42 pace)

R : 4.6

Sa : 12.2

(jog, avg 8:29 pace)

total : 31.4

I was really happy with Wednesday's sprint!  Wednesday is faculty meeting day, so it often turns into a day off because of how late I get home.  However, I really wanted to save my days off for later in the week, and I got home with enough time for a quick run before sunset, so I decided to go for an overdue sprint run.  I'm glad I made that decision, I have a race next Saturday and I'm sure it will be helpful for my body to have run something close to race pace beforehand.  

I was even more overdue for the long run than I was for the sprint.  I am running a 10 mile race next Saturday, and haven't really done a long run since my last half marathon in November.  I decided to run an out and back to the top of Muddy Creek Mountain.  It is the perfect place to train for the Blue Ridge Half Marathon.  Check out that elevation profile... a totaled 1,344 ft of elevation gain.  

I crashed pretty hard after this run, but I had anticipated that.  I really need to start doing more long runs so that my body can get used to them.  

In other news, I finally found something to keep my hands warm during winter runs!  I bought ski mittens.  Waterproof and windproof, well insulated, fleecy inside.  I tried them out for the first time on my long run.  It was hard to decided what to wear, because it was in the high 30s when I started, and was supposed to get into the 50s.  (it was probably in the mid 40s when I finished).   I have had such bad luck lately, with my fingers getting painfully frozen no matter what the temperature.  My fingers get cold and numb even in 50 degree weather.  I knew my new mittens would probably be too warm for this run, but I was afraid none of my other gloves would be warm enough.  Lately my fingers have started hurting in the first 2-3 miles of my run, and I knew there was no way I would survive 12 miles if that happened, so I decided to err on the side of being too warm.  Hot, sweaty hands were a very new feeling.  I ended up alternating wearing the mittens and carrying them.  They came in handy when 2 dogs rushed at me on the top of the mountain, it was nice to have something to swat them with when they were snapping at my legs.  

The weather this weekend was awesome. High 50s yesterday, and up to 70 today!  I happily went to visit Pony both days this weekend.  Today I enjoyed lying on a blanket and basking in the warm sunshine while she was grazing.  Yesterday, she was so excited to see me, she started running in from the far end of the field before I even got out of my car.  Today, she was already at the gate when I pulled in.  

Photography Lately

Looking forward to two photo-taking opportunities this weekend!  Saturday mid-day I will be taking pictures of a cheer-leading team of 5/6 y/o kids led by a friend.  Later Saturday, or possibly Sunday, I will hopefully be taking some family photos for a friend.  I'm looking forward to both, as they will both be good experiences and hopefully will result in some fabulous photos!

My camera came with a short little wire tripod that I've barely used.  I was at the barn a few weeks ago and it occurred to me that I could set the tripod up in the grass, turn on the self-timer, and take pictures of myself with my horse.  I've been wanting some nice photos with her, and have no desire to pay someone to take them for me.  So I set up the tripod and took some pictures.  It was so much fun, I did it again the next day.  And the next.  The second day, I discovered that I could change the self timer from 2 shots at a time, all the way up to 10 shots at a time.  The 10 shot feature was great, because it allowed enough time for movement between the 1st and 10th shots, so I could get more variety.  Here are some of the best shots I got.  I'm usually against cropping my photos, but I did crop the ones I took in these photo-shoots, because it is a lot harder to set up the perfect image when you are taking photos of yourself!

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

This is one of my favorites...one of my friends photo-shopped the power lines out of the sky for me!

It came out so well, I ordered it on a canvas to hang on the wall in my apt.

Here are a few other photographs I took recently that I really like.

Taking it Easy

I got 5 days of running in this week, but I didn't have much energy for it.  Ran some shorter loops that I usually try not to do anymore, because I figured a short run was better than no run, and better than pushing myself too hard for something my body is just too tired for.  3 more weeks of school, and then hopefully I will get some downtime to regain some energy! On the upside, even though I have been feeling drained, my average pace on each run has been great.  Part of it might just be my desire to get it over with and get back home, but hey..whatever works!  Also, Friday's run involved a monsoon that appeared in the middle of the run, which contributed to an increase in speed.  2 days later, my shoes are still wet.  I should probably go find some newspapers to stuff in them.  It only just occurred to me today to take out the insoles...I bet they'll be dry by tomorrow afternoon.  I've run in rain before, but this monsoon was much more intense than any other rainstorm I've run in.  I could barely see at one point, and not only were my shoes wet, but I could feel puddles inside the shoes.  It was crazy.  But also rather exhilarating.

This week:

M: off

T: 3.78 / 33:28 / 8:51 w/FB

W: 6.3 / 45:08 / 7:09

R: 2.76 / 20:54 / 7:34

F: 4.7 / 32:38 / 6:56

Sa: 5.06 / 36:48 / 7:16

Su: off

total : 22.6

Just didn't feel like running today.  Plus, it was cold and windy, and I'm kind of over running in the cold after an abnormally long winter.  I rode my horse for a little bit instead.  

Pony Heaven

It would be really nice if we could have a drought-free summer this year so that she can actually enjoy this grass for more than a few weeks!

 love

Spring has finally arrived to this gorgeous place I call home.

How many frogs can you find in this picture?

And how about some food pictures, I haven't posted any on here in awhile!

Tomato-Basil soup made with tomatoes that a coworker needed to get rid of.

Mashed Parsnips with Basil

Minty-Fresh Guacamole

it was...interesting.

Springtime

I'm so unbelievably glad that spring has finally arrived!  Spring was in full glory in Roanoke when I was there for the Blue Ridge 1/2 two weeks, ago, but as soon as I drove over the border back into West Virginia, everything was brown.  Many trees are still struggling to burst into green, but by now, there are flowers in bloom everywhere, and the weather has been warm, sunny, and beautiful.

These yellow flowers in the field by the barn are so bright and pretty.

And pony has been shedding like crazy!  I was going to clip her this year like I did last year, but she has shedded out so fast I don't need to!

She's the best.  And she's being super-sweet this year!  Usually, any time there is grass in her field, she runs away from me and I can't catch her without help.  This year, she is actually choosing to walk up to me, rather than run the other direction.  It's awesome, after years of frustration with her running away.  

The only downside to spring this year?  Allergies.  I was allergy-free for my first 3 years in WV, but last year my allergies were terrible, and this year they are again.  Thankfully, Zyrtec is some kind of a miracle drug, and as long as I take it in the morning, I'm fine for the rest of the day.  The first couple days of allergies before I realized I needed to go buy some Zyrtec were no fun. It was very disappointing when I realized I was allergic to brushing my horse!  Thank goodness I don't have to worry about that anymore.  Maybe next spring I will remember to start taking the allergy meds before I end up sick...

New Lens 75-300mm

I finally got around to buying the zoom lens that I have been craving.  I found one for under $100 and had to grab it before I lost my chance.   Now I need to buy a new camera bag.  The one I bought originally just barely fits my camera with both my other lenses (18-55mm and 50mm), and there is no possible way it can fit the camera body and 3 lenses. 

The new lens came in the mail a few days ago but I didn't get around to opening the box until last night and I didn't get a chance to get outside and use it until this evening.


As I was driving  church, I saw THE MOST AMAZING RAINBOW. EVER. EVER. EVER. but sadly I was not in an area where I could pull over and take pictures.  I am very sad about this.  It was HUGE. and BRIGHT.  Like, most rainbows I've seen have been way up high in the sky and very very thin.  This one was low over the road, in the trees, and so, so so, incredibly wide.  It really was amazing. 

On the way home from church, I stopped at the Greenbrier River and took a few photos.  The rest are from when I went out to the barn as the sun was going down.

AT THE RIVER

 



AT THE BARN

 



there was a decent sunset to the west, but in the north...ominously dark

In other news, I won a 5k today.  Like, beat every single other person that showed up.  My time was 20:12.  More about the race tomorrow.