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March 31, 2007
It's Working, So Far
Thank you for all the positive energy yesterday! I had a wonderful day.
The rest of this blog entry seems to imply that I don't already live a dream. I mean, regular life for me is akin to a vacation for most people. My life is good, real good.
With that said, I'll continue on to say that I'm applying for what I might call my "dream job." The employer for this job held "Round 1" of interviews last week, and mine was yesterday. The interview went very well, and I received a call at the end of the day saying I was a "finalist" for the job. This means that I will return for "Round 2" sometime in the next 2 weeks.
When I applied for college, I recall the guidance counselor recommending that I apply for several "safe" schools, schools I was likely to be accepted into, and several "reach" schools, schools that I wanted to attend but may not be accepted into. The job that I am interviewing for is definitely what I would call a "reach" job. In a fair and honest assessment, I would be quite surprised to actually get this job. Then again, I attended a college that I considered a "reach" college, so anything can happen. At this point, I'm overjoyed with the fact that I made it through "Round 1," and I will prepare well for "Round 2."
All of your positive energy is working, so far. There's more to come down the road a bit; I hope you don't mind if I ask for a little more in "Round 2!"
Posted by Meghan at 8:42 AM | Comments (12)
March 29, 2007
When Big Things Happen To Little People
Well, it hasn't actually happened yet. Something big is going to happen to this little person tomorrow afternoon. If anyone has a spare thought or prayer or good luck wish, I could sure use it right about now. And if this big thing goes well, it will make several more big things happen. It's all exciting and positive and good, and I'll fill you in later.
Thanks!
PS. I'm still doing the resting thing with the running. I'm a restless rester, let me tell you!
Posted by Meghan at 7:52 PM | Comments (7)
March 27, 2007
Where To Go, What To Do
First, I want to thank all of you who took time to comment and advise on my last blog entry. You all have given me a lot to think about.
As is the case with most real-world people who try to be competitive athletes, my life is booked pretty solid. Most of you probably know that I my work-week consists of some crazy hours, 7 12-hour night shifts in a row (I am rewarded by bountiful amounts of time off afterwards, however, to make up for it.). During my work-week, my life is booked as solid as you can get; there is no wiggle-room.
I had decided that, at least for today while I try to figure out what to do with my body, that I would do "whatever I felt like doing" for exercise (and no running), as per many of your recommendations. When I woke up, I automatically went into the high gear of getting ready to run. Then I realized that I wasn't going to run, that I would do some other sort of exercise, that maybe I wouldn't exercise at all, and that I could slow down just a little. A bit later, I was standing in the family room, staring out the window, coffee cup in hand, wondering, "Where should I go? What should I do?" I didn't know what to do. It was altogether kind of frightening and refreshing. Admittedly, it felt more frightening than refreshing, though. I plan and effect my training with care, intention, and purpose, and I enjoy doing so. It's a challenge to deviate. I'm sure that many of you can relate on some level.
But anyways, for today, I did what I felt like. I rode my bike trainer (because it's snowy/sleety outside today) and I walked my dog.
Some other thoughts from your comments:
1) I never thought about how a higher-protein diet affects your energy levels. Since it increases your metabolism, that makes sense. I have to read-up about this.
2) I guess I'm leaning towards doing a chill week of a little running, a little cross-training, and a fair bit of resting. After that, if my condition doesn't improve, I don't know what I'll do.
3) I do need to get some massage-work done. I was purposely neglecting this to pay the vacation bills, hah! I should neglect something else instead, hah!
4) I know everyone is different and blah-blah-blah. But how have other people come back faster/differently/better than me from this race? My sweetie, for instance, is running beautifully, and I know of others who are as well. It's not fair! (Okay, I know this is irrational, so no comments, please.)
5) Maybe I need to grow more flexible with my training. I'm not going to remove the "purposeful running" philosophy I take. However, perhaps an infusion of flexibility into this wouldn't be so bad.
Posted by Meghan at 6:53 PM | Comments (5)
March 26, 2007
Week of March 26th
Monday- 1. 10 miles (1:32) hilly and easy, Yellowstone River trail; 2. 3 miles (a dreadful 30 minutes) flat and easy, in my neighborhood; 3. yoga 45 minutes; 4. SUPER-core workout
Tuesday- rest from running; 50 minutes easy spinning on the bike trainer
Wednesday- total rest
Thursday- total rest
Friday- 1. 3 mile jog (30-ish minutes), in my neighborhood; 2. CrossFit workout
Saturday- 40 mile road bike ride (3-ish hours), Grand Teton inner road
Sunday- 14-ish miles (2:30-ish), Big Hole Mountains from Packsaddle Trailhead near Driggs, ID
I could feel my calf on Monday's runs, though less so than on Friday and Saturday of last week. I was really tired running on Monday, and you'd think that I would feel great after a day of full-on rest. I'm not sure what's going on. On another happier note, it was another sports bra and shorts day, miraculously beautiful. Snow is in tomorrow's forecast, though.
I took the day off from running on Tuesday because I'm just not feelin' my juju. We'll see how I feel as the week goes on.
And so ends the bonafied rest week (as explained in other blog entries). I can't yet tell if I feel rested, though. Time will tell.
Totals:
30 miles running (about 5 hours)
3:20 road biking
Yoga x1
CrossFit x1
SUPER core x1
Posted by Meghan at 8:12 PM | Comments (0)
What Would You Do?
Come hither, gather 'round, and listen to my story. I don't know what to do and I need advice. My running is not going too well for two reasons: 1) fatigue, and 2) niggles.
I'm a tired girl; I'm beginning my fourth week of running tired. I'll feel strong for one day, maybe two, then I just feel tired again. Typically, I feel strong most of the time with a tired day thrown in here and there. Lately, my legs feel heavy; my stride rate feels slow; and, my pace is just gawd-awful.
And, I've got little niggles here and there. My right Achilles hurt for a couple days (That's gone.); my adductor muscles are always tender (That's been the case, though, for months.); my left calf is now niggling (That started about 3 days ago.). Funny thing is, I'm not running high mileage or speed workouts, things that typically instigate fatigue and niggling stuff.
Here's the kicker, I'm currently taking good care of myself in all other departments. For the most part, I'm getting good rest, eating and drinking well, doing lotsa yoga, and doing strength training. In the outside-of-running categories, I feel like things are going well. I guess the only notable element of this category is that I'm eating a consciously higher protein diet. For the last several weeks, I've added healthy vegetarian proteins to my normal caloric consumption. That is, I'm eating more than my daily caloric requirements, but in a higher-protein fashion. I needed to gain several pounds of what I perceived to be lost muscle weight from The Coastal Challenge, and so this has been my method of gaining weight. It seems to have worked, as I'm at my healthy weight again.
So, is this a possible remnant of my last race? This is an approximation of my weekly mileage since The Coastal Challenge: 25-ish, 15-ish, 50-ish, 70-ish, 55-ish, 55-ish. I took 2 weeks of full-on recovery (the 25 and 15 mile weeks). Then I ramped back up to 50-ish with a quasi-recovery week. Then I went back to where I had been pre-race, and where I wanted to be (70-ish). During the next 2 weeks, I just couldn't get myself to run over 55-ish, because of just plain fatigue and these niggles.
And here I am today, still a tired girl with a pain in her calf. What to do, what to do? Here are the options that I see: 1) continue to run as usual this week; 2) take a low-mileage week; 3) take a bit of time off running and cross train; or 4) just plain rest. Even though I feel unfit while I run because of fatigue, I know that I am quite fit. I don't wish to lose that which I already have. If I thought my body would come out of this slump on its own, I'd continue pressing on and waiting patiently. If I thought the fastest way to repair my body would be to rest completely, I would do that. However, I've never been in this place before, so I don't know what to do.
At this point, I would love to hear from people who've been in fatigue/niggle slumps likethis one and how they dealt with and recovered from it. Puh-lease? I'm desperately seeking a solution here...
Thanks!
Posted by Meghan at 7:23 PM | Comments (10)
March 24, 2007
Week of March 19th
Monday- 1. 7 miles (1:10, yes it was that slow) hilly and easy, Eagle Creek Road; 2. 3 miles (28 minutes) flat and easy, in my neighborhood; 3. yoga 45 minutes
Tuesday- 1. 7 miles (1:02) hilly and easy, Lava Creek Trail; 2. 5 miles (41 minutes), hilly and easy, in my neighborhood; 3. SUPER-core workout
Wednesday- 1. 7 miles (59 minutes) rolling and easy, Rescue Creek Trail; 2. yoga 45 minutes
Thursday- 1. 7 miles (56 minutes) hilly and steady, La Duke Trail; 2. 5 miles (45 minutes) hilly and easy, in my neighborhood; 3. yoga 45 minutes
Friday- 1. 7 miles (58 minutes) hilly and easy, in my neighborhood; 2. lifting arms; 3. SUPER-core workout
Saturday- 1. 8 miles (1:05) flat and easy, Old Gardiner Railroad Bed Trail; 2. yoga 45 minutes
Sunday- rest
My legs were sore and tired on Monday, no doubt about it. I'm hoping that the heavy dose of ice cream I just consumed will help the tired-leg cause. Heh, heh. It was another gorgeous day in Yellowstone, not a single cloud in the sky and about 50 degrees. I recently received a running skirt as a gift, and I tested it for the first time today. It certainly is rather freeing and airy (If you get what I mean, wink, wink.) to run in a skirt, but it sure is tough to stuff a tomboy in a skirt of any kind. The verdict is still out on it, I'll report back.
Ooh, ooh, ooh, I had fun doing an out-and-back on the La Duke Trail on Thursday! The trail is a perfectly-graded set of switchbacks that climbs away from the Yellowstone River valley jsut north of Gardiner, MT and into the mountains. After a distance, the trail tops out at a pass where you descend gently into a high valley (The trail continues on, but this is as far as I have ventured.). As such, the way out is all climbing and the return trip is all descending, and I pushed all of it at a steady pace. I will admit it, the climb hurt, as my ever-tightly wound calves were screaming on the way up. However, I ran it all! Then I just plain blombed the downhill, such that the dog couldn't keep up with me (She deserves a bit more credit, as it was a warm day and she was mountain climbing in her winter coat of furt still. Poor hot dog!). What a joy!
I have little pain in my left calf muscle that popped up out of nowhere. I could feel it a little on Friday and a little more on Saturday. I took Sunday as a complete day of rest to try to get the calf muscle to settle itself.
Totals: 55-ish miles (8:00-ish hours)
yoga x4
core x2
lifting arms x1
Posted by Meghan at 9:14 PM | Comments (8)
Notes From The Trail
Note #1:
When the dog and I run together, she helps herself to plentiful drinks from streams, creeks, lakes, ponds, puddles, and basically any form of water. When it's cold out, June (the dog) drinks from the edge of the water source. When it's warmer, June plunges into the water, sits down, and drinks while she dunks. Today, for the first time this year, June took a full-on dunk into a creek. I can't blame her, as my thermometer at the trailhead read 70 degrees Fahrenheit. I ran in a sports bra and shorts, and I was hot, thank you very much.
Note #2:
I have so far told 2 people this story, and both of them were as dumbfounded as me. This afternoon, I ran on a trail that paralleled a dirt road for over a mile. While I was on this paralleling section of road/trail, a red pickup truck drove by, stopped, rolled down the window, and waved. I gave a little wave and kept running. From where I was, I could see that the truck was occupied by 2 younger men, probably about my age. My protective girl hackles went right up with this pickup; you know, just me and 2 creepy fellas in the middle of the wilderness. The truck paused in the same spot for a minute or two, then continued down the road.
A bit later and around a slight curve, I could see the red truck parked in the road at a funny angle. As I got closer, I realized the truck was aligned such that the passenger had a perfect view of me. Not only could he see me, but he was video taping me with a camcorder! I stared bewildered for a moment, until I got my wits about me. I put my hands up in a What? kind of motion, to which the passenger immediately lowered the camera and said sorry. I said, "What are you doing?" He said, "What?" I said, "What the hell are you doing?" He said, "Nothing." I said, "What the f#^$ are you doing?" And he answered, "Sorry." I said, "Just cut it out." and ran on. A few minutes later, the trail divereged from the road and I didn't see them again.
What gives? All I can say is that we live in a strange, strange world. Sometimes I wish I could don a man-suit before I go out to run.
Posted by Meghan at 6:15 PM | Comments (12)
March 22, 2007
Rest In Peace
We runners become ardently attached to the material objects that facilitate our hobby. Watches, sunglasses, shoes, that perfect pair of shorts, and hydration packs are among the things that we simply cannot live without. Last summer, I lost my first and (at the time) only running watch, the one that I purchased in the 8th grade. Even though I now own the same model, which looks a bit more modern, I still lament the watch's loss.
Sometimes, you just have to let go of that which you become attached to. How does that saying go, "If you love something, set it free..."? Well, let's just say that I loved my sunglasses, and I certainly set them free.
One evening in Costa Rica, my sweetie and I went for a sunset beach run. At the end of our run, we stopped to do pushups, situps, and exercises of that sort. We noticed what looked like a swing in a tree. It was a circular branch, suspended horizontally about 6 feet above the ground by rope, a perfect pullup bar. We set a camera and both of our sunglasses on the ground, and went to work. Somehow, the rope broke under my sweetie's weight, and he and the pullup bar came tumbling to the ground, atop the camera and sunglasses. When the dust settled, we found that my sunglasses had not survived the accident. The frames were shattered and the lenses had popped out in 2 different directions. There and then, my sunglasses left this mortal world. I was rather attached to those sungalsses, a pair of Smith Toaster Sliders in which I had run thousands of miles over the years, and I was sad to see them go.
I was also presented with a problem in that we were on a remote Costa Rican beach, rather at the very end of the Costa Rican civilized world, without a pair of sunglasses. The next morning, we went into a little village and began inquiring. At each little shop, we received chuckles and responses like, "Nope, no sunglasses around here." Finally, just as I was about to give up, I found one tiny store that had 4 pairs of sunglasses to choose from. For about $5 US, I became the proud owner of the ugliest pair of purple sunglasses that I have ever seen. They were rectangular, reflective, and they made the world look purple. However, I had to wear them so as to not go blind in the tropical sun.
Over time, I gradually got used to them. The shock of looking at myself in the mirror diminished and I became acclimated to viewing a purple world. When I returned to the United States, I settled into the business of finding a new pair of sunglasses. I took my time, though, trying to find the perfect pair. Today, my new sunglasses, these pretties, arrived in the mail just in time to wear them, as opposed to the Costa Rican purples, out for a run! They aren't too different from my last pair (I even bought the same color, "Root Beer."); rather, they are a newer, more modern model.
Rest in peace, little Toaster Sliders, I still miss you.
Posted by Meghan at 10:49 PM | Comments (7)
March 21, 2007
Running Skirt Review
All right, peeps, I've only worn my running skirt twice, so I'll call this my "preliminary review." So, I've got a Running Skirts skirt in "pinkymaroon" (colors are shown here) and a Running Skirts sports bra. If I come up with anything else to say, I'll add on to this review.
To tell you the truth, I've been right scared to wear this stuff. I got the skirt and sports bra as Christmas gifts, and it took all my gumption to wear them almost 3 months later. I had plenty of opportunities to try them out while running on the two hot-climate trips I took during the winter, but I wussed out. On Monday, I donned the skirt and sports bra and did a run on National Forest Service road; on Tuesday, I wore the skirt on a trail in Yellowstone.
Here are my notes:
1. I won't ever wear the sports bra running again. It doesn't have enough support for me. Frankly, I don't know how anyone could feel adequately supported, unless you have no breast tissue. I have a small chest (by all measuring standards) and the lack of support was uncomfortable for me. It's a cute sports bra, though, so I guess it's relegated to a biking/hiking/yoga top. Why Running Skirts sells this as a running sports bra is beyond me.
2. The Running Skirts skirts are made with either spankybriefs or compression shorts underneath; mine has the spankybriefs. Though the inner briefs fit, they have really tight elastic around the top of the thigh! Most running shorts with internal briefs have elastic legs that stay around your thigh, but aren't super-tight. The elastic was tight enough that it lefts marks on my legs for a while after I took them off. The skirt fit well in all other aspects, and I have small legs to start with, so I don't know why this was the case. I'm somewhat curious if the elastic would relax after wearing/washing the skirt for a while.
3. The skirt material is stretchy and it kept its form for both runs. It looked the same taking it off as it did when I put it on. This is a great feature. The material is wicking; the only part that was sweaty wet after an hour or so was the small of my back. This is great, too.
4. A skirt with spankybriefs creates an open-air effect, moreso than the rather short running shorts I'm acclimated to. When you splash through mud or water, it goes up the skirt a little. When a gust of wind blows by, you can bet it blows up the skirt. I actually don't mind this effect, at all. It kept my legs cool.
5. The skirt has 2 pockets on each hip, each with a velcro closure. I tried carrying chapstick and a cell phone in each pocket. The pocket held the chapstick perfectly, but the cell phone was a no-go. The stretchy material allowed too much bounce with even a tiny cell phone. I think the pocket would hold lightweight things very well (1 or 2 Gus in each pocket, for example), but not heavier things. (Then again, I still haven't found a good way to carry my cell phone in my running shorts. It always goes in a jacket, vest, or water bottle carrier pocket.)
6. I was pretty self-conscious running in a running skirt. I'm not quite sure why. It is actually minutely longer than most of my running shorts, so its not an exposure factor. It looks like running shorts from any distance expect for close-up, so most onlookers would probably never notice was running in a skirt. Perhaps it's the tomboy factor. I probably wear a skirt once or twice a year (if at all), so wearing a skirt to run is as counterintuitive as it gets. I think I could become acclimated to it, though.
My conclusion:
The Running Skirt sports bra sucks in the support category for even a small-chested individual; I will use it for low-impact activities only. The Running Skirt skirt is functional and attractive. It's not perfect, but, then again, very rarely do we find absolutely perfect clothing objects. I'll keep wearing it, if I can wrap my own mind around wearing a skirt at all.
Posted by Meghan at 10:23 AM | Comments (12)
March 19, 2007
Weekend Fun
My sweetie took these photos on Sunday's long run. They are small and the quality is poor because they are cameraphone pictures, sorry!
This was taken about 6 miles or so into the run, when we were climbing up and down rolling hills before descending into the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone River (which appears as the vague drop in topography in front of the snowy mountains in the background of the photo). The trail wasn't yet cured; it was so slippery and muddy that we ran on the grass next to it.
This was taken while crossing a small footbridge over Little Cottonwood Creek, a tiny feeder creek for the Yellowstone River, about 15 miles into the run.
Posted by Meghan at 5:29 PM | Comments (1)
Tweaked Muscles, Road Biking, White Coyotes, And Other Notes From The Field
All's well that ends well, yes?
I wrote in my weekly log that I was feeling my juju on Wednesday's run, which included a tough, switchbacking uphill climb followed by a screaming descent. Somewhere during that run, I tweaked my right lower calf/Achilles. I didn't realize it until the soreness set in a few hours afterwards.
Much ice and massage later, I decided it best to take the day off on Thursday, so as to let this very important area of the body heal. It felt mo' betta' on Friday, so I took to the trail again. The lingering whatever in my calf/Achilles never actually hurt during this run, but I recall a hot sensation in my lower calf while on an extended uphill climb. However, it was never sore after the fact, so I wasn't too worried.
My sweetie visited this weekend with his road bike in tow and a request to ride some of the still-closed-from-tourist-traffic but non-snowy Yellowstone National Park roads. I agreed quickly, figuring a road bike ride would give my calf/Achilles another day of rest before our Sunday Big Plans.
On Saturday morning, we took off from my house for a 40 mile or so ride. I cannot possibly explain with fairness the loveliness of this weekend's weather. For Saturday's ride, it was probably 55 degrees at my house (though cooler at higher elevations) and perfectly sunny. I rode in various combinations of a jersey, a long sleeve polypro shirt, a vest, and shorts.
From my house, we climbed uphill to the closed gate for the road to the interior of the national park. In the summer, from mid-April to mid-October, this road is open to all kinds of wheeled vehicles. In the winter, from mid-December to mid-March, this road is traveled by oversnow vehicles like snowmobiles. In the 2 shoulder seasons, the road is closed so that snow may accumulate in the fall and melt in the spring. Well, the spring melt has occurred and the road was completely clear. Even more, the road was closed to all vehicle traffic. There were probably 10 cyclists up there riding, each with the same great idea to enjoy such a beautiful day on a closed road.
Can I just mention here that the road bike climb from my house to Golden Gate Pass is so easy now? This climb has always been a bit of a challenge for me. But this time, on my first outdoor ride of the year, it was a breeze. I was a happy girl. And my calf/Achilles felt fine the whole time.
On to Sunday. If you can believe it, we ran on a trail at 6,000 feet elevation that was clear of snow most of the way? We began at the Hellroaring Trailhead, which is near the Tower developed area inside Yellowstone. We loaded up with water, some snacks, an extra layer of clothes, and bear spray for a long run. The first portion of the trail was an 800-foot descent down a north-facing slope. Unfortunately, the switchbacking, exposed trail was still snowpacked, so we had to pick our way down carefully.
Once at the bottom, we encountered a white coyote. The fur of many mammals around here turns white in the winter, this coyote included. I think someone forgot to tell him or her that most of the snow is melted, though. It stuck out like a sore thumb in the otherwise green and brown terrain. Even without the white coat, we wouldn't have missed the little bugger since it walked by about 15 feet away from us. Pretty sweet close-up view.
Shortly down the trail, we crossed the infamous Yellowstone River via a suspension bridge with gushing water beneath it. From there, it's an over-hill-and-yonder jaunt to the banks of Hellroaring Creek. At this point, when the creek conditions are right, you can ford the creek here. We correctly predicted that Hellroaring Creek would be roaring with icy snowmelt water and uncrossable. Thus, we took a 3.5-ish mile detour up the creek, across a footbridge, and then back down the creek to continue our run.
Here, the Hellroaring Trail meets with the Yellowstone River Trail, and we headed down the Yellowstone River Trail. Before you're allowed to run along the banks of the river, the trail requires you to navigate another over-hill-and-yonder jaunt until finally, finally, it makes a plunging nose-dive into the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone. This often-mentioned, infrequently-visited canyon is appropriately named as the river shoots for miles through black volcanic rock.
The trail itself was never flat. I begged and prayed for just one flat section, but never found it. Sometimes the trail would climb up over a canyon cliff, other times it would take a giant flying leap right back down to the river. Whatever the terrtain, it was just beautiful. And the weather held first in the 40's, then in the 50's, and by the end at the lowest elevations, into the lower 60's. Heaven on earth by Yellowstone weather standards.
We wound ourselves along the river until the trail finally ran into the town of Gardiner, MT, just outside the northern park border. We'd parked another car here, 23-ish miles away, and ended our run there. First things first, I'd been craving a Coca Cola and I satiated myself on sugar and caffeine straightaway. It's crazy what one craves while running out on the trails.
I never felt superstellar while on this trail run, mostly just tired legs. Because we're smart, we'd spent 2 hours soaking in a hot springs the night before. I blame the hot water for my heavy-feeling legs. Something about delicately dancing on snow, and sloshing though ankle deep mud, and climbing incessant canyon cliffs might have contributed to the fatigue process as well. I didn't much care, though, as it was a beautiful training run and I held tough through challenging terrain, even with tired legs underfoot.
As a side note, my calf/Achilles felt great for the entire journey. All's well that ends well.
Posted by Meghan at 7:07 AM | Comments (2)
March 18, 2007
Week of March 12th
Monday- 1. 10 miles (1:28) hilly and steady, Old Gardiner Road; 2. yoga 45 minutes; 3. SUPER-core workout
Tuesday- 1. 7 miles (60 minutes even) hilly and easy, Lava Creek Trail; 2. yoga 45 minutes; 3. lifting arms
Wednesday- 1. 7 miles (1:02) hilly and steady, Deaf Jim Cabin Road; 2. yoga 45 minutes; 3. SUPER-core workout
Thursday- rest from running; 1. yoga 45 minutes; 2. lifting arms
Friday- 1. 7 miles (don't recall time) hilly and easy, La Duke Trail; 2. SUPER-core workout
Saturday- rest from running; 2:30 (40-ish miles) road bike ride
Sunday- 23++ miles (somewhere under 5 hours) hilly long run on the Hellroaring and Yellowstone River Trails
Totals
54-ish miles (9:30-ish)
yoga x4
SUPER-core workout x3
lifting arms x2
40-ish miles road biking (2:30)
More base miles, puh-lease. We're shooting for 80+ this week.
I took Monday's run out steady from the get-go, pushing hard on the uphills and opening my stride on the downhills. It was challenging, and I loved it.
I wasn't feeling my juju at all when I started out on Tuesday. All I had was two dead legs underfoot. I didn't really care, though, because it was about 60 degrees and I was wearing just a sports bra and shorts and splashing though the mud like a 5 year old. My legs came around about 30 minutes into it, and I felt mucho, mo' betta'.
The juju was back in full force on Wednesday. I was feelin' my oats. I wish I had more time to play, but I had to go to work!
This week didn't play out as I had planned. See my blog entry all about it.
Posted by Meghan at 12:41 AM | Comments (1)
March 15, 2007
A Compliment Of The Highest Kind
One of my blog readers, Corrado, left this comment on my last entry:
... and the wonderful thing is... that Nature through your eyes and tales becomes a wonderfully big nurturing entity... if only your touch and sensitivity to Nature's value and beauty - instead of much widespread emphasis on fear and discomfort one could face in Nature - was better distributed amongst the many, well... maybe things would get better in these environment-fragile days... If this whole ultra-running "thing" could make people really love the world we live in, as well as make them feel challenged as they try to inhabit it, survive in it, and live to tell the story for ongoing generations, well... maybe things might just gradually improve... thanks to the sort things you and your sweetie are doing... no kidding...
Thank you, Corrado. I cannot imagine receiving a higher compliment. Corrado's comment ilicits several thoughts and a few questions upon which I am going to ponder and ramble about in this blog entry.
In many developed countries like the United States, there currently exists a giant disjuncture between humans and the rest of the natural world. Many people do not identify or associate themselves with nature. Additionally, it seems that humans have aligned nature with feelings of fear and discomfort, as Corrado noted. Even more, some people have created the idea that humanity must fight against nature.
Personally, I am challenged to comprehend a divide between humans and the rest of nature. Originally, humans were as much a part of the natural world as the elk and bison I can see out my window right now. Today, whether we recognize this or not, we humans are still innately dependent on the natural world for our survival and well-being. I know that others also recognize human connectedness with nature; many cultures around the world embrace and interact with nature in profound ways.
So, where did the gap between humans and the rest of nature come from in our culture and others like it? Some argue that modern humans have departed from nature because nature is simple and primitive and we now prefer that which is techologically advanced. Others point to a lack of education and exposure to the natural world. Their thought logic: If we do not learn about and experience the natural world, then we won't understand it; if we do not understand the natural world, we cannot identify with it. Still others argue that humans have purposely alienated themselves from the natural world because they believe themselves to be special in their advanced evolutionary state. I'm not sure that we know, yet, where these anti-nature ideas came from.
As my readers know, I live and work in Yellowstone National Park, almost completely immersed in the natural world. If I look to the north from my house, I can see down the Gardner River Canyon, which is now chock-full of muddy snowmelt tumbling towards its intersection with the famous Yellowstone River. Looking south, I spot the divot in the ridgeline that is the pass at Golden Gate, where the paved road clings to golden yellow canyon walls as it heads towards places like Old Faithful. And to the east, Everett's Mountain fills my view; it's not particularly tall or attractive, but I know this mountain is important because bighorn sheep, which are rare in this area, live in protected respite upon it. Some evenings, I can hear the wolves howling or the coyotes yipping. In the fall, the bull elk bugling is incessant. And, in the summer, the ground squirrels in my yard really know how to chatter. Occasionally, I wake up in the morning to find that a herd of elk have bedded down in my yard for the evening. This afternoon, I had to remove 2 bison pies (I think you know what I am talking about.) from my sidewalk that were left by a passing bison herd. Two summers ago, I looked out the window just in time to see a black bear amble down the street in front of my house in the evening dusk. All of these things are, quite literally, intricate pieces of my life.
In his comment, Corrado describes nature as a "nurturing entity." I feel wholly nurtured by nature. The warm, gentle breezes that blow up and down the Gardner River Canyon in the summer tend to warm my soul and calm my nerves. Sometimes, the ground squirrel caucophany in my yard makes me laugh out loud in its silliness. When the sunlight bounces off the walls of the Gold Gate pass as I pedal by on my bike, I'm often energized into action. Living among big predators like bears who are higher on the proverbial food chain than me teaches me humbleness.
There is a natural healer in Sri Lanka who says, "Man is nature and by nature must he be nurtured." I couldn't agree more. I have the fortunate opportunity to interact with Yellowstone National Park visitors professionally and personally, and I have learned that lots of people feel nutured by nature. With frequency, I hear that a Yellowstone vacation has, "melted stress away" and "allowed me to get away from it all." Outside of Yellowstone, there are so many examples of humans calling upon the nurturing aspects of nature. Why do you think Central Park, a great, big, undeveloped green spot in New York, is so filled with people on a beautiful summer day? How come so many people's vacations revolve around outdoor activities like camping, fishing, hiking, and hunting? Why do spas, the ultimate source of rejuventation and renewal in our modern society, utilize aspects of the natural world, like water, mud, stones, and seaweed? And, as Corrado mentioned, trailrunning and ultrarunning are yet 2 more access points to the nurturing aspects of nature. I am sure most of us can recall many times when exposure to the natural world has made us feel peaceful, happy, content, and energized.
In this blog, I've posted other essays, soliloquies, and soapbox rants about environmental fragility of one sort or another, and that isn't my direction of travel in this entry. My only goal here is to identify the fact, no matter where we live and what we do, we are all innately connected to, have relationships with, and can be nurtured by nature.
If anyone is interested, I read this essay recently, and find it quite interesting. Its topics dance through some ideas I've written about today.
Posted by Meghan at 4:32 PM | Comments (4)
March 13, 2007
Costa Rica Vacation
(This blog entry is long overdue, since we got back from vacation almost 3 weeks ago now!)
After completing this race, my sweetie and I had a 10-day vacation in Costa Rica. We rented a small SUV in the capitol city of San Jose and forged out to the Pacific Coast. For 10 days, we made our way south along the coast, visiting little towns, national parks, and beaches along the way. We found the literal and figurative end of the road on the Osa Peninsula, way down near the Panama border. From there, on foot, we went even further into the Costa Rican wilderness. It was an adeventure I won't soon forget, and here is a short photo tour of the highlights of this 10-day adventure.
After completing a 6-day stage race while traversing the Costa Rican backcountry, we sought out a bit of indulgence in the food and beverage category. These passion fruit margaritas were certainly a highlight of this indulgence. We drank these margaritas on the deck of a restuarant that was perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean at sunset. I cannot imagine a more perfect way to let the 6-days of pain, dirt, discomfort, fatigue, and soreness of racing melt away from one's body.
Just outside of a town called Dominical, we randomly stumbled upon this bed-and-breakfast. It's called Costa Paraiso, and, if you ever make it to this part of the world, you must stay the night here. The accommodations are simple but sufficient, no luxury to be found here. However, the inn's location was outstanding, on the edge of a point jutting into the ocean. We ran miles on the beach at sunset, then again at sunrise. We lazed in hammocks in the dark, listening to the waves hit the point of rocks. We had a great morning breakfast on the inn's deck, overlooking the ocean.
They joke in Costa Rica about monkeys outnumbering human populations. Along the remote southern Pacific Coast, I believe this to be true. When we first started seeing monkeys, we took photos of them in their troops high in the treetops. Little did we know that we would have some close encounters with them. This is a White-Faced Capuchin Monkey, and it was just hanging out in a tree about 3 feet from a trail that we hiked. These guys may be little, but they are agile creatures. We watched them move gracefully through treetops hundreds of feet above the ground.
After several days of traveling, we arrived to one of the outposts of the Osa Peninsula, the tiny village of Drake Bay. Here, the road ends and you must walk or take a boat to your next destination along the coast. We left our car and hopped a boat to a small hotel down the coast called Drake Bay Wilderness Resort. What an experience this was! There was no electricity; we slept in the most simple of accommodations; we were just 2 little organisms amongst the tremendous diversity that is the jungles of Costa Rica. This experience made me feel like the tiniest of creatures in a great big, unending world. It was an amazing experience.
We went to Drake Bay with the express intent of looking for the whale and dolphin populations that live in the area at this time of year. We spent a day on a boat and did we ever see whales and dolphins! We also got to spend some time snorkeling atop a coral reef, which was exciting as well. However, my favorite experience of the day was chillin' with a sailfish. While motoring around in the boat, we saw the tail fin of this sailfish sticking out of the water. We went over to the fish, and it swam next to our boat for about 10 minutes before it headed off into the deep. It swam so gracefully and its electric blue stripes flashed in the sun as it moved. I know these creatures are the sought-after prizes of deep sea sport fisherfolk, and I wanted to tell this fish, "Go deep and stay there! Watch out for those baited hooks! Don't get caught!"
After 3 days in Drake Bay, we took a boat back to our car and decided to go to the real end of the Costa Rican earth. We drove our little SUV down some awesome 4x4 tracks (Got a flat tire! And got it fixed!) across the Osa Peninsula to a place called Carate. Literally, Carate has about 3 residences and 1 "store," I kid you not. It also has an airstrip, upon which charter flights bring a few tourists every now and again. Where the road ends, the beach travel begins. From Carate, it's about 2 miles down the beach to 2 tiny hotels and the border of Corcovado National Park. Along the beach, these horse carts are used to carry goods to and from the national park and the hotels. We parked our car near the airstrip, and walked along the beach to a little hotel called Corcovado Lodge Tent Camp. What a fun place! For 3 days, we slept in open-air tents atop wooden platforms, hiked jungle trails, and walked and ran along the beach.
Corcovado National Park, a large park located on the Osa Peninsula, has a great system of trails that run near to the beach and also into the jungle. We spent a day ambling along a beach trail, exploring the park. There is no one out there! It was just us and the wide ocean and the deep jungle. This was my favorite part of our vacation.
After returning to our car in Carate, we made a long and arduous drive along the frightening Pan American Highway back to San Jose. The highway is narrow and crowded with traffic all kinds. It ascends and descends some serious mountain passes. At one point, the road climbs above 10,000 feet elevation! We arrived safely back into the capitol city of Costa Rica. On our last day of vacation, we took a guided rafting trip down the Class IV and V Pacuare River. It rained cats and dogs and buckets of warm rainforest rain all day, but we had a great time floating through the jungle and running some wild rapids. It was a great ending to a superb vacation.
Posted by Meghan at 7:59 PM | Comments (9)
March 9, 2007
Some Promised Photos
Finally, here are some photos from the race. All photos are from my sweetie. Each photo's caption appears under the photo.
This is the view from a hill near our camp after Stage 1, looking in a mostly easterly direction. The prominent mountain in the center of the photo is Volcan Arenal, an active volcano. The less prominent mountain on the right of the photo is Cerro Chato, a dormant volcano. We traversed over Cerro Chato during Stage 1. The lake on the left side of the photo is appropriately named Lago Arenal. Stage 1 began on the other side of Cerro Chato.
Tent City! After each stage, this Tent City would erect itself out of the Costa Rican wilderness. We had been warned to bring ear plugs because it could be loud. I never had trouble sleeping. In fact, I slept like a baby every night! I'm on the left side of the photo, in the pink and blue fleece jacket, standing next to my tent.
Do you recall the toilet and shower facilities that I described in our camp after Stage 4? These were the showers! To top it off, the showers were literally about 50 feet away from the food table, which is where most ultrarunners seem to comingle in quantity. Not much for privacy; I showered in my bathing suit.
Here I am finishing Stage 5, on the beach, righ next to the Pacific Ocean. Our camp was located right here as well, a perfect place to spend the night. The heat during Stage 5 was intense, but swimming in the ocean right afterwards made all the difference!
On the morning before Stage 6, we witnessed 3 baby sea turtles successfully make their way to the ocean.
This is the coolest race "trophy" I've received, a real (and sharp!) machete. The blade is engraved in Spanish with the race and my ranking. I have to figure out how to put this on the wall. And, yes, because I know y'all will ask, I am a Pepper.
Posted by Meghan at 8:58 PM | Comments (15)
Week of March 5th
Monday- 1. 1:27 (10-ish miles) hilly and easy, Victor, ID area; 2. lifting arms; 3. core
Tuesday- 1:30 (10-ish miles) hilly and easy, Victor, ID area
Wednesday- 1. 1:08 (8-ish miles) hilly and easy, Lava Creek Trail; 2. yoga 45 minutes; 3. core
Thursday- 1. 1:40 (11 miles) hilly and easy, Yellowstone River Trail; 2. 45 minutes (5-ish miles) hilly and easy, around my neighborhood; 3. yoga 45 minutes
Friday- 1. 1:10 (barely 7 miles) rolling and easy, Rescue Creek Trail; 2. lifting arms and legs
Saturday- 1. 1:10 (gonna call it 8+ miles) flat and easy, Gardiner Railroad Bed Trail; 2. yoga 45 minutes; 3. core
Sunday- 1:30 (10 miles) hilly and easy, Yellowstone River Trail
Heh, heh. The weekly log has returned. Did you miss it? After 3 weeks of recovery (at 26 miles, 13 miles, and 50 miles for those respective weeks), I'm ready to train again.
Miles, miles. Just plugging away at these base miles. At this point, I think I have a good base. But I want a better one, and I've got the time to do it, so I'm doing it. Besides, who can get a decent workout in when the entire freaking world is a muddy, slushy, watery torrent of spring melt runoff crap?
Totals: 69-ish miles, 10:20 time out
yoga x3
core x3
lifting arms x2
lifting legs x1
Posted by Meghan at 8:57 AM | Comments (0)
March 8, 2007
Not Following My Own Advice
Quoted from my own blog, on March 2nd:
"Spring really is just around the corner... Soon, Yellowstone's black and grizzly bear populations will be waking from their winter-time slumbers. They emerge from their dens just as the snow begins to melt to feed on winter kills. Winter kills are the animals (mostly elk) that don't survive the harsh winter conditions. Typically, they die and are frozen into the snow untouched. When the spring melt begins and the winter kills begin to thaw, it's like a bear buffet of fresh meat, a perfect way to fatten up after hibernating for 6+ months. Resultingly, I'll shortly have to exercise more caution with reference to training in their home territories, lest I not become a member of the aforementioned bear buffet..."
Let me preface the rest of this entry with the following: I should have heeded my own advice (You know, that whole "exercising caution" thing.), and from now on, I definitely will.
When I left the house, the weather was a bit iffy. The wind was blowing and pushing through some intermittent snow/rain/sleet showers that briefly doused warm earth and created rising blankets of steam just above the ground. By the time I parked at the trailhead a bit later, the sun was burning through those fast-moving clouds and the weather was discernably improving. I dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and running tights (and tied a rain jacket around my waist in case the nasty weather returned). I donned two hand water bottles and set out. I had no specific time, distance, or destination in mind. I just wanted to run freely out on the trail. I stuck my cell phone into my pocket, and joked with my sweetie as I drove to the trailhead that I would use it to call him if I was being chased by a grizzly. I didn't bring bear spray; more specifically, I never even thought about bringing along bear spray.
After 49 glorious minutes, I was entirely absorbed in looking down at the Yellowstone River below me and the canyon walls above me to notice the trail in front of me. Suddenly, I came to a screeching halt in front of a winter kill deer carcass, freshly chewed upon and sufficiently odiferous. When in Yellowstone, one nevereverever stands in proximity to a fresh carcass because where there is meat, there are meat eaters. However, in my amazement, I just stood there looking at the thing. I even managed to stick my toe into the mess just to see what the inside of its rib cage looked like. Then, then, then I finally realized what I was doing, yelled a profanity of sorts, and moved quickly back in the direction I came from. I made lots of noise and walked until I was safely around the corner and out of sight.
It was not my own skill or cautious movements that kept me safe today. It was just pure, random luck that the owner of the carcass, a bear of some sort, wasn't around to proudly defend its food source from my unsuspecting and inattentive self.
What you should do when running in bear habitat:
1. Run with at least one other person.
2. Make noise to announce your presence in hilly, wooded, or other low visibility areas.
3. Pay close attention to your surroundings. Continuously scan the surrounding terrain, including the trail in front of you as far as you can see.
4. Don't go anywhere near freshly mangled carcasses.
5. Carry bear spray; keep it accessible; know how to use it.
Boo. Bad me. Don't do what I did. I'm going to do much better next time.
Posted by Meghan at 10:35 PM | Comments (5)
Celebrate Women!
Today is International Women's Day. In some countries, women get the day off work. In others, women are surprised with flowers, candy, and other little gifts from the men in their life. Mostly, the day is a celebration of women and their achievements.
So, ahem, men, get out there and do something nice for your friends, mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, girlfriends, wives, and etceteras!
Posted by Meghan at 8:52 AM | Comments (5)
March 7, 2007
Please Note:
On this day, March 7th, I wore shorts while running in Yellowstone National Park. The trail was gooey, icky, sticky, mucky, slushy, slippery, and, oh yeah, fantastic.
Around here, when winter finally begins to cease her incessant grip upon the world, people celebrate. The celebration is rather simple, of course, but definitely noticeable. The sidewalks are occupied with walkers; people's smiles are wider; there seems to be a skip in everyone's step. We say to each other in passing, "Well, it looks like we've survived another winter." and, "What a great day, isn't it?"
My celebration of the warm and sunny day was also simple. I donned a pair of shorts and went out for a trail run. I smiled as I slid through slush. I laughed when I splashed through puddles. I grew happier as my legs grew muddier.
I'm pretty sure it'll get cold and snow again, perhaps once or twice. But for now, I'm going to enjoy this.
Posted by Meghan at 4:30 PM | Comments (3)
March 6, 2007
Monday Adventuring
On Monday, I ran around Victor, ID, including a climb up to Mud Lake and back. Two interesting things happened on this run:
1. At the start of the climb to Mud Lake, where development ends and wilderness begins, a nice house sits rather innocently. However, a not-so-innocent dog lives at this house, and I do believe that this dog was placed upon this earth specifically to terrorize those who want to climb to Mud Lake. Now, don't get me wrong, I like dogs and all. However, after a strange dog punctured my hand with its canine tooth last winter on a training run in Utah, I exercise a lot of caution with reference to the beasts. This one is a big, burly German shepard that runs out into the road barking and snarling and generally acting awful. So far, this dog hasn't made physical contact with me or my dog, but I can't help but wonder if that might happen sometime. The run to Mud Lake is superb, but running the dog gauntlet before beginning the climb up there makes it almost not worthwhile.
2. Yesterday, I ran the whole climb to Mud Lake. In the past, sections of this climb, because it's so steep, have forced me into a powerwalk. None of that yesterday, folks! I've learned that one of my strengths is being able to run a lot of tough climbs, so one of my spring training goals is to continue developing this ability. Yesterday's endeavor to Mud Lake was a step (or a few thousand steps) in the right direction.
Posted by Meghan at 9:09 AM | Comments (5)
March 2, 2007
Not Quite Normalcy
(I'm slowly writing a big post about the "real" vacation part of our trip to Costa Rica. Race and vacation photos to follow also! I'll probably post this stuff early next week.)
It's insanely difficult to return to this winter weather from a training perspective, after running around at low lattitudes for 3 weeks. Up here, at these high elevations, tucked into the mountains, we are still in the throes of winter. However, according to my notes, I wore shorts on a training run last year on March 23rd. Does this means that the sufferfest will end in a few short weeks? If so, I think I can survive!
After 2 weeks of doing, quite literally and quite intentionally, almost nothing running-wise after the race, this week might just (barely) exceed 50 miles. Then, next week will be as close to "normal" as I can get. I'm motivated to run, no doubt. If only I could run in above-freezing temperatures, the motivation factor would be through the roof.
Spring really is just around the corner. The other day, I talking with someone about bears. Soon, Yellowstone's black and grizzly bear populations will be waking from their winter-time slumbers. They emerge from their dens just as the snow begins to melt to feed on winter kills. Winter kills are the animals (mostly elk) that don't survive the harsh winter conditions. Typically, they die and are frozen into the snow untouched. When the spring melt begins and the winter kills begin to thaw, it's like a bear buffet of fresh meat, a perfect way to fatten up after hibernating for 6+ months. Resutingly, I'll shortly have to exercise more caution with reference to training in their home territories, lest I not become a member of the aforementioned bear buffet. That night after this bear conversation, I appropriately had a nightmare about a 100 foot-long grizzly bear that wanted to eat me! Sigh, let's stay in the realm of the rational, shall we?
Happy Weekends, all! I intend to practice and equal mix of activity and lazy-ness this weekend. We're planning to run and ski (just not that much of it). We are also headed to a new hot springs that we haven't visited before, which will assist in the lazy-ness portion of this endeavor.
Posted by Meghan at 10:31 AM | Comments (4)