Been A Long Time!!!

WOW.. I didn't realize it had been so long since I've "blogged"
It has been a great two weeks with lot's of stuff to write about and I have thought many times I can't wait to write about this on my blog, or I would make the comment to whoever I was with "you know this is going in the blog" but then when I would find myself in front of the computer I wouldn't feel like writing and then the further behind I got the less I wanted to write.

I won't bore you or myself by writing about everything from the past two weeks but there were some good long runs, rides and workouts that I want to talk about and then in the next post I will hopefully put up some pictures.

The Mullberry Tree long run
Saturday May 24

Cheryl, Michele and I met at Academy sports to run at the River Trail with the Little Rock Training group. They were starting at Murray Park and we had high hopes that we would be doing "The Loop" but when we arrived they had different routes mapped out. Our plan was 10 miles so the loop would have been too long anyway. We didn't really like what they had planned so we made our own 10 mile route. We ran from Murray Park to the 430 bridge and then back over the Big Dam Bridge almost to the dog park and then back to Murray Park. It was very warm and VERY HUMID! sheesh we were sweating before we even started running. As with most runs the first couple of miles are the hardest, and with the humidity it was hard to breath. I also had my normal bathroom issue, but luckily we found a port a pottie within a few minutes after I felt the first rumblings. I think it was just past the 430 bridge there was a little boat ramp/park area I was sooo happy to see that little port a pottie!
After that I started feeling a little better and the rest of the run was pretty good for me.... I had been very nervous about the long run especially since I hadn't run anything over 6 miles since the Nashville Marathon. Michele and Cheryl weren't feeling any running love but at about mile 7 or so Michele found a Mulberry tree and the next thing you know those two were like monkeys and had picked all the branches clean!!!! It really was pretty hilarious to watch them and you should have seen the looks from some of the bikers going by! LOL
I finally got them away from the first tree when they spotted another one, I kept running thinking theywould be right behind me, but a few minutes later I looked back and they were NOWHERE to be seen!! I really didn't want to turn around, so I kept going until I got back to the bridge and picked up my water bottle.. Cheryl and I had stashed our hydration belts behind a bench at the foot the the bridge. One of the things I HATE about summer running is having to wear a water belt!!

One of the things that had kept us going during the run was knowing we were going to Boulevard Bread Co. after the run... well that and the Mullberry's!!
So off we go to the River Market... we knew that it was RiverFest weekend and roads would be closed but what we weren't prepared for was the fact that the River Market was behind a chain link fence. There were two guys "guarding" the entrance they told us they couldn't let anybody in until 10:00, it was barely 8:30 at the time, I said you have got to be kidding me we just want some coffee! They were very adamant that no we could not go through... well I don't know what got into me but I said hey look over there and they did so we made a break for it and ran past them over to Boulevard Bread. I heard them say "that was just wrong"!! LOL
To make it up for them Michele bought some cookies to give them when we left. That night we went back to the RiverFest to eat at Gusano's and see Miranda Lambert with Michele and James... those same two guys were still working the gate!!! We asked them if they enjoyed the cookies and one of the guys called out to the other one "hey I caught them"! LOL

DU FOR THE PARKS Duathalon
May 26

2 mile run 12 mile bike 2 mile run. Sounds easy.... right???
I was very nervous about this race I had only been on my bike a handful of times but the Thursday before the race I met Vicki and Lisa F for a training brick. We started at Vicki's house and we ran 3 miles biked 10 and then ran 2. It was hot which was perfect because we knew it would be hot the day of the race. I barely made it back to Vicki's house after the first run, I really had to use the bathroom so we didn't get to practice the transition the way we wanted and I didnt' get that experience of jumping off the bike and running right away, but that's ok it was good practice and Vicki gave me some good advice and tips. I got into a little bit of trouble for taking the time off of work to do it, but I was glad for the experience!!

So back to the race... Bailey and Michele came to the house and we all rode to Hot Springs with Bailey,she had a great bike rack and was able to fit all 3 bikes on it.
We of course got there way early and had plenty of time to register use the bathroom etc. Sarah P. and her husband Marty were volunteering and it was there job to "tatoo" us, They put our race number on our arms and then our age on our calf... very weird but kind of cool.
After that we got our bikes and set up the transition area.... I had a bright yellow towel that I put on the ground between mine and Arland's bikes so that I would know where to go when I came back from the bike ride.

The first run..... My first thought was it's just 2 miles just run hard... but then I remembered I had a 12 mile bike ride and another 2 mile run. I don't remember know my exact time for the first 2 miles but it was ok, 18:xx ?? I was really nervous about transitioning, I was so afraid I would do something wrong and be disquaified ( I am a worrier) but it was cool, I ran over put on my helmet and ran to the timing mat, once I crossed they said I could get on my bike .. I was so nervous I had a hard time getting on, I was very shaky, but once I did and got going I felt great!! Before we started the first run a guy from USAT gave us all the rules and he kept emphasising the no drafting rule, well I had no plans to draft but when he said you had to stay 3 bike lengths back I kind of freaked out a little, but as slow as I was on the run I didn't have a lot of people around me when I first started on the bike, but about a 1/2 mile later I am coming up on a guy and my first thought is I can't pass him, but he is going kind of slow so I had to and my heart was just pounding the whole time!!! He was really nice and said great job as I went by him. The course was an out and back and very hilly!!! on the way out is wasnt' too bad we gad some good downhill's but then a girl riding by said this is gonna suck on the way back!!!! Well she was right!!!!!
O.M.G. that was hard!!! On the way out during a flat section I had looked at my bike computer and I was showing 20.7 miles an hour on the way back on one of the hills I looked down and I saw 3.7 miles an hour!!!
BUT I was really pleased with my bike ride, I don't have clip in pedals and I had only been on a few rides so I thought I did a great job. I averaged 14.6 miles an hour for the bike section.
The second run... now that just plain SUCKED!!! When I racked my bike I tried to run out of the transition area but I just couldn't. I grabbed a water and once I passed the timing mat I started a slow jog. Gary and Curtis had already finished the whole race by the time I started my second run and they were cheering me on along with Debbie B.and Bailey. Gary offered to run with me but I said NO.. I didn't want the pressure plus I knew it had to be against the rules or something.
At the turn around they had a water station and i took two cups, the girl said do you want me to pour some down your neck, I said sure... big mistake I instantly felt like she had put a 10 pound weight on my back!!! I pretty much would run as much as I could and then take a walk break. It was so hot and the sun was just beating down on us. I really hated that I was having to walk during a 2 mile run but when you add everything together it wasn't just a 2 mile run!!!
I was able to spring it in at the end... I guess I came in faster than Arland expected because he looked suprised but very happy to see me.
As hard as that was I can't wait to do another one!!!!!!
It was a GREAT experience and I was happy to get to share it with Vicki, Jane, Arland, Michele, Bailey, Curtis and Gary... along with our great cheerleaders Sarah P.,Marty P. and Debbie B.
Bailey and Michele were a team and they won first place in the Female division, everyone else won a prize in their age group except Vicki and Gary I think their awards were in Grand Masters category. Arland and I left empty handed but that's ok I wouldn't trade the experience for anything!!
Afterwards we went to I-hop in Benton and had a great breakfast.

12 mile long run
Sun June 1

I had a Beauti Control seminar to attend on Saturday so we had to move our long run to Sunday. The seminar wasn't as bad as I had been expecting. A couple of months ago a fellow cruiser sold me some products and I really like them, well they had a "special" and for the price of $$$$$ you got all kinds of goodies and a huge discount the catch was to get everything you had to go to an all day seminar.... I got the post card the weekend before and I could have reschedules but honestly when would I find the time????? There were no grand prix races that weekend and I was feeling a little bit of Race burnout so I decided to just go. If I didn't really love the products I would have just bagged the whole thing ... but I really love them!!!!
I did miss the Dino Dash 5K at the River Market Cheryl and I did it together last year and I had planned on doing it again this year.... I'm a little bummed I didn't I looked at the results this week and I probably would have won 2nd in my age group.
Cheryl got her long run done on Saturday so on Sunday it was Kelly, Michele and myself. The plan was to meet at Michele's house at 5:30 and we would run from her house to just past my house. This isn't an exciting route and it's an out and back BUT it had lot's of potential potty stops along the way.
Michele was running a little bit late so we probably didn't get started until about 5:50 or so but no biggie. I think my stomach thing hit about 1/4 of a mile before the first port a pottie. I had to stop in the street and cross my legs once but overall it wasn't too bad. The next stop was my house... what a great idea to chose a route that had my house in the middle!!! We all had to use the bathroom there and we were also able to refill our water bottles. We only had 4.75 miles at that time so we ran on to the Soft ball fields and ran around the the little park over there, then we ran to the Big concrete bridge and through one of the new neighborhoods... I just wanted to make srue that we got the full 12 miles in before we got back to Michele's house. I think we might have stopped at my house again on the way back.. yep we did, I remember now that we had left our hydration belts there so that we could get a little break from them.
Overall this was a good run, we lucked out and we had cloud cover for most of the run, actually I think maybe all of the run. It also wasn't quite as humid as it had been the weekend before. Other than the potty stops we were running a good pace, I would forget to turn the Garmin off so I don't really have a true avg pace but it was 11:xx something avg for the 12 miles which I thought was pretty good considering it included two kind of long potty breaks!!

Killer Workouts
For a couple of weeks Michele and I were going to a Water Aerobics class at 5:00 on Monday and Wednesdays, I enjoyed being in the water but didn't really feel like I was getting anything out of the classes... well we knew there was a Bun's & Ab's class at 5:30 on Wednesdays just before Jane's 6:30 Latin Dance class.. last week we decided to give it a try. O.M.G.... that girl (Kelly) kicked our butts!!!!! It had been a couple of weeks since I had done any leg workouts with Andrea, between the Marathon and Calf pain I hadn't wanted to work my legs too hard.
So we did the Bun's & Ab's class and then we stayed and did Jane's Latin Dance class and then we did the Speed workout fromt he Tuesday night clinic. Not really a good idea!!! I was in so much pain for days afterwards, I mean I couldn't even sit down to pee!!!
This past Monday we went to the 5:30 Pilates class, it was pretty good, I didn't get a great vibe from the instructor but I will give it another chance. I do think the stretching helped my legs!
Wednesday night this week we went back to the Bun's & Ab's class again it was an awesome workout but this time we did stay for Jane's class but we didnt' run. I don't know if our legs are just stronger already or if the waiting to run until Thursday morning helped but I am not nearly as sore this week as I was last week!!! THANK GOODNESS!!! LOL
Thursday morning I met Livia at the Community Center and got in about 15-20 minutes of swimming and then I met Michele and Jane for a 5 mile run.
I was SO happy when it was over!! It was HOT and humid and it was 5:45 in the morning!!! Once again we lucked out with the cloud cover and the sun waited until we were just about back to the community center to pop out. We ran to Michele's house and I had another emergency potty break :( poor James had to wake up early so I could use their bathroom. This week has been kind of poopy for me!!! Monday Kelly and I met at the Community Center at 5:30 to run and again the stupid poop emergency.. Monday night after the pilates class Michele and I met Jane and Arland for a run.... yep another emergency :(
Hopefully once I get acclimated to the heat my stomach/bowels will calm down!!!!

I am loving getting my runs done in the early morning!!! It was so nice on Thursday to know that by 7:00am I had gotten in a swim and my run was done.
Kelly on the other hadn couldn't drag her butt out of bed yesterday morning so her and Arland ran together last night. She came to our house and I have to admit it was pretty nice to watch them run off into the heat while I say in my air conditioned living room! ;)

Tomorrow is the Mt. Magazine 15K ... 9.3 miles straight up a mountain... should be fun....right?????