Yesterday, a few of us did a practice run for a women's trail half-marathon at Fountainhead Park. It was tough and the humidity and late (8:30am) start didn't help. Even though it was hard, I learned/confirmed a few things about trail running.
1. I'm a lot slower on trails. On the road, I can average between a 9:30-10:00 minute/mile pace. That's about 6 miles/hour. On yesterday's trail run, we were running between a 12-15 minute/mile pace (4-5 miles/hour). I attribute this to the heat and humidity, and lesson #2.
2. Flats don't exist on trails. There is no such thing as a flat stretch of trail. You're either going uphill or downhill. If you think you're running on flat ground, you're likely going down a gradual incline which will eventually come back to kick you in the a$$ when you have to run back up.
3. Pick up your feet or risk a face plant. When you're running on the road you can easily get away with barely picking up your feet. If you attempt to run this way on the trail, you're probably going to end up kissing Mother Earth. Tree roots, logs, and rocks are just waiting to make a fool out of you. The longer you're out on the trail, the harder this gets since your legs tend to get heavier the more tired they are. Picking up your feet can be particular hard when you let gravity take control on the downhills. Although it's nice to just kinda roll down the hill, you still need to watch out for those speedbumps. One stumble could send you airborne.
4. Bring a lot more fluids and nutrition. Running slower, means a longer run. There are no water fountains or 7-Elevens.
5. Pack dry clothes and towels. Yesterday we were out for almost 3 hours. All of us were completely drenched in sweat. My shorts were dripping sweat down my legs into my shoes. Halfway through, I knotted my soaked ponytail to keep it from dripping any more sweat down into my waterlogged top and to minimize my splash zone so that poor Mandy who was behind me didn't feel like she was running through a sprinkler. I usually have a few towels to cover the car seat so that was part of my usual routine. Fortunately, I brought an entire set of dry clothes to change into for the ride home so that I didn't feel like I was sitting in my swimsuit.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Topless Hairstylists?
As seen in Craigslist:
We are currently looking for licensed cosmotologist/hair stylist to interview for a new high end mens salon/club opening soon. The themed salon will be around real stylist whom are dressed either in lingerie or topless depending on the service chosen by the customer. This will be a classy enviroment with upscale pricing and a 50/50 split with huge tip potential. You must be attractive, skilled, engaging, and willing to make every cut a memorable experience. There were be very strict policies in place with an emphasis of providing a extremely safe and pleasant working enviroment. We are only hiring the best 10 candidates so get your application in. Please email us your resume and a photo. We will be scheduling in person interviews based on the applicates qualifications and over all presentation. All resumes and inquires will be strictly confidential and not released or shared with anyone outside the HR department of the company.
We are currently looking for licensed cosmotologist/hair stylist to interview for a new high end mens salon/club opening soon. The themed salon will be around real stylist whom are dressed either in lingerie or topless depending on the service chosen by the customer. This will be a classy enviroment with upscale pricing and a 50/50 split with huge tip potential. You must be attractive, skilled, engaging, and willing to make every cut a memorable experience. There were be very strict policies in place with an emphasis of providing a extremely safe and pleasant working enviroment. We are only hiring the best 10 candidates so get your application in. Please email us your resume and a photo. We will be scheduling in person interviews based on the applicates qualifications and over all presentation. All resumes and inquires will be strictly confidential and not released or shared with anyone outside the HR department of the company.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Gender test
I read this article today and was surprised it takes weeks to determine if this runner is a male or female. Weeks?!
Benched :-(
As mentioned in my last post, I rolled my ankle on Saturday. On Monday, Mandy and I went out for a great trail run on the Potomac Heritage Trail near Algonkian Park. While out on the trail, I rolled the same ankle again. After a quick "ouch" and a few of my finest profanities, I shook it off and kept on running. Yesterday I had some unusual numbness and tingling in my toes so I decided to get my ankle/foot checked out today to make sure I don't cause any permanent damage.
No visual swelling or bruising: good. Pressing on the outside of ankle: no pain, good. The first press on the front of my ankle caused a little jerk, but I figured/hoped that I was just ticklish there. The second press was more conclusive and resulted in a jump and a snarl. Turns out that my two little ankle rolls stretched the talofibular ligament that runs along the front. No running until the tingling and the tenderness go away which could take up to SIX weeks. Boo hoo hoo.
I'm supposed to do a 22-miler this weekend and was going to do a field trip to the C&O Canal on Sunday. Plus I've got a practice trail run next weekend and my first trail race in a few weeks. I'm sorry, but this injury thing just doesn't fit into my schedule. Tonight I will break out my magic wand (or sacrifice a goat as my sister would tease me) and make all this silliness go away.
No visual swelling or bruising: good. Pressing on the outside of ankle: no pain, good. The first press on the front of my ankle caused a little jerk, but I figured/hoped that I was just ticklish there. The second press was more conclusive and resulted in a jump and a snarl. Turns out that my two little ankle rolls stretched the talofibular ligament that runs along the front. No running until the tingling and the tenderness go away which could take up to SIX weeks. Boo hoo hoo.
I'm supposed to do a 22-miler this weekend and was going to do a field trip to the C&O Canal on Sunday. Plus I've got a practice trail run next weekend and my first trail race in a few weeks. I'm sorry, but this injury thing just doesn't fit into my schedule. Tonight I will break out my magic wand (or sacrifice a goat as my sister would tease me) and make all this silliness go away.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Asphalt and Trails
Saturday – Had a great run on Saturday morning. I ended up in a pack with four other women. One of them was my usual running partner, Mandy, but the other three I hadn’t really spoken to much before this weekend. One lady grew up in Russia and it was interesting to hear her memories of older relatives bolting the door to listen to a Beatles record that was smuggled into the country. Another lady grew up in Leesburg and ended up knowing someone that Steve and I used to party with years ago. (My how things have changed, but I won’t get into that now.) The third lady – a 21 year old getting ready to go back to Longwood for her last semester – turned out to be a knitter! We talked about our latest projects and the usual “old lady” stigma that’s associated with knitting. All of this made the 16 miles go by much faster. The only downside was that I stepped off the path and rolled my ankle. Nothing serious, but it is a bit tender and slightly swollen.
The rest of the afternoon was spent searching for some trail running shoes. Supposedly trail running shoes have a thicker sole so that your feet don’t feel like they’re getting stabbed by every rock you step on. They also have a front bumper to protect your toes should you kick a rock or tree limb. After buying a pair at REI, Steve and I grabbed some apps and beers at Coastal Flats. We then decided to check out VA Runner. They had a decent selection of road and trail shoes, but they don’t put prices on any of their shoes (annoying!). The store had a decent selection of other gear, but the group of five 18-21 year olds sitting on the counter chomping on Twizzlers certainly didn’t instill confidence.
Sunday – Ventured over to Great Falls in the morning with Steve and Mandy to break in my new shoes. Lots of hills, rocks to scale, and a handful of U-turns to get back on track. We ran about 8 miles worth of trails over there, but it took us about an hour and 40 minutes. That’s about 20 minutes longer than if we were running on the road, but it was worth it. Steve had a post-Ironman “lets share our stories” party to go to that afternoon that I decided to skip. That Ironman has consumed enough of our lives for this year and I’m over it; at least until it squirms its way back in next year when Steve has to start training again. I decided to ice my ankle and work on a scarflette while he was out bonding.
The rest of the afternoon was spent searching for some trail running shoes. Supposedly trail running shoes have a thicker sole so that your feet don’t feel like they’re getting stabbed by every rock you step on. They also have a front bumper to protect your toes should you kick a rock or tree limb. After buying a pair at REI, Steve and I grabbed some apps and beers at Coastal Flats. We then decided to check out VA Runner. They had a decent selection of road and trail shoes, but they don’t put prices on any of their shoes (annoying!). The store had a decent selection of other gear, but the group of five 18-21 year olds sitting on the counter chomping on Twizzlers certainly didn’t instill confidence.
Sunday – Ventured over to Great Falls in the morning with Steve and Mandy to break in my new shoes. Lots of hills, rocks to scale, and a handful of U-turns to get back on track. We ran about 8 miles worth of trails over there, but it took us about an hour and 40 minutes. That’s about 20 minutes longer than if we were running on the road, but it was worth it. Steve had a post-Ironman “lets share our stories” party to go to that afternoon that I decided to skip. That Ironman has consumed enough of our lives for this year and I’m over it; at least until it squirms its way back in next year when Steve has to start training again. I decided to ice my ankle and work on a scarflette while he was out bonding.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Cookie anyone?
For whatever reason, I'm now getting Cookie magazine in the mail. I've never heard of it, but it touts itself as "the stylish parenting magazine for the new mom". Uhhhh... I think I'm missing something.
Trail Running Shoes
Since I've been running on trails more often lately and am also planning to do a few trail races, I decided it was time for a pair of trail running shoes. Say "hello" to the Salomon XT Wings.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Lake Placid Hats
I call them Lake Placid hats because I started these hats while traveling to/from and while in Placid. I had planned to work on my cardigan during the 10 hour drive, but due to excessive user error I decided it was best to work on something else for a while. Both hat patterns were very easy and were knit using a circular needle and magic loop technique. No DPNs for me.
The first one is using a pattern called the Amanda hat that I found on Ravelry. Based on the basket-looking stitch pattern, I thought it would be more complicated but it turned out to be pretty easy.
The first one is using a pattern called the Amanda hat that I found on Ravelry. Based on the basket-looking stitch pattern, I thought it would be more complicated but it turned out to be pretty easy.
The second hat is using the Foliage hat pattern which is available on knitty.com. I used a chunky yarn so it knitted up in about a day. That's pretty quick for a slow knitter like myself.
In case you're wondering, the cardigan is hibernating until I can bring myself to frog my latest mistake and finally put that $^%!* project to bed.
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