Rubbed the wrong way

Saturday I did somewhere around 15 miles. And what a perfect day to do that many miles. I jest of course!!

It was hot.

It was humid.

It was Houston.

We left the park around 6:10 in the morning and stopped at every water fountain on the way to our first 'official' water stop about 4 miles out.

I was feeling good. No problems except for being hot, but that is to be expected.

We then took off for water stop number two - on the out skirts of down town. And I am still feeling great. No pains, the legs are just wanting to go go go! Loving it! Except for the heat. And you know what comes with heat - sweat! And that stuff is just dripping off me. There is no way you could find a dry spot on my body.

WS#2 comes and goes and we make our way into down town then back to WS#2 - which is now WS#3. Starting to feel a little more tired, but hey - what do you expect after doing close to 9 miles!

On the way back to WS#1 - which is now WS#4 and WS#5 - I start feeling some pain in my toes. Uh oh! Then the bras start feeling a little tight in specific areas. Not good.

I do some adjusting of the bras, but there is no way I am taking off my shoes. Who knows what is going on in those things!

Miles 10 and 11 pass. Still doing okay, but I am getting tired.

Miles 12 and 13 pass a little more slowly. But look there is a sprinkler up ahead. Wouldn't that feel good in this oppressive heat?

YES!!

So I go through.

Only one problem, my shoes get a little too wet. They were wet before from sweat. Now they are even extra squishy. Hmmm, maybe not the best thing to do. But it felt so good!

Mile 14 is now behind me and it is the home stretch. I can do this. Squishy shoes and tight bras be damned!

And there it is - the picnic table and my TNT buddies. Yeah for me!

Now it is time to rid myself of the shoes and what do I find. Two blisters on the sides of both my ring toes (you know, the ones next to your pinkie toes).

I then go to the car to remove one of the bras and put on another shirt. No blisters there, but there sure were a lot of chafe marks. In places I have never had chafe marks!! And I had lubed up good with Body Glide that morning.

I can't wait for the weather to start cooling off. Running will be so much easier and less painful then.

Nutritionist

Several weeks ago my mother went to see a nutritionist and gained some knowledge about types of food that would be beneficial for her to eat, not eat, etc. Since that time she has reformed SOME of her eating habits and says it has helped a lot with her asthma.

On Saturdays, after our long runs, a bunch of us head over to Biba's for some grub and chat. We talk about all sorts of things and lately one of the topics has been nutritionists. One guy has gone to one in the past and a couple other people have been thinking of going to one.

So the seed was planted in my mind.

Yesterday I did some searches for a nutritionist in my area, but didn't know what I should be looking for. That is when I thought maybe I could ask for a recommendation from someone in the institution.

I went to the Employee Health & Well-Being site to see who I could call for a referral. Then I saw this on the web page:

Diet and Nutrition
Would you like some help sorting through all of the latest dieting trends? If you're ready to begin a healthy approach to eating, EH&WB has on-staff dietitians who can design a tailored food program that fits your lifestyle, food preferences and weight goals.

I called them up, hoping that this was not something I would have to get my department to "pay" for. And it isn't! So, next week I have a meeting set up with a dietitian to go over my goals, my history and eating habits. I hope it is beneficial and not just a reiteration of everything I already know that I should be doing, but just don't!

We'll see.

How not to train for a century

Yesterday was bike day.

I have this habit of drinking a bottle of water on my ride over to the local bike shop and once there I buy a large Gatorade, refill the bottle and drink the rest to make sure I am hydrated well enough. Last week I didn't do this and suffered so I made sure I left my place in plenty of time this week.

It is a good thing I did, too, because I ended up doing 45 miles total on Sunday. I only wish I had brought some crackers or some kind of snack, also. Next time.

Back to the ride. There were only 4 of us this week - one guy from the store and 3 "participants." The good thing about it being a small group is that we were able to stay together and everyone was pretty much at the same level.

My computer said we averaged 15.5 mph, but considering all the stop lights, stop signs and other obstacles we had to slow down for, this was expected. When we were able to get up to a consistent speed we went anywhere from 17 to 21 mph, which was good.

One of the guys riding is planning on doing the Hotter 'N Hell Hundred so the guy from the store decided to make the route a little longer than usual. No biggy. I was up for a few extra miles.

Once we got started I asked the guy doing the HHH how long he had been training. His response - a couple weeks. So I am thinking the ride is sometime in October.

About half way through the ride we make a stop at the Picnic Loop in Memorial because there is a bike demo going on. I check out some of the bikes and wander around for a bit then notice the guy who is going to be doing the HHH trying to pump up his tires. He is not getting it, asks for some help, and then when we do get the thing hooked up right his pressure is around 70 psi in the front and 80 psi in the back.

I am thinking we are going to have to change some tubes.

But no, he just hasn't checked his pressure in the past couple weeks. Didn't realize that he needs to check his tires and make sure they are at the proper pressure before EVERY RIDE!! Doesn't know what the proper pressure is!!! Doesn't know that if you use CO2 your tubes will deflate even faster!!

So I proceeded to tell the guy the max pressure for a road bike tire (120 psi) and told him what I ride at (115 psi), but said he should adjust to his level of comfort (110 psi is a common number). I then recommended that if he does get a flat during the HHH and uses a CO2 cartridge it might be a good idea to have the tube refilled with air at the next service stop. That is what I would do, especially if I changed the flat at mile 10 of a 100 mile course. But to each there own.

We eventually left the park and made our way back to the store. As we were getting closer the guy starts questioning the others about what he should eat before next weeks ride, hydration and nutrition during the ride, etc. I am thinking "what ride next week? This ride?"

So I ask.

The ride he is referring to is the Hotter 'N Hell Hundred!!!

Next Saturday!!

This guy is attempting a century ride with about a months worth of training. He knows nothing about basic bike maintenance or anything about nutrition or hydration.

OMG!!

He thinks because he lifts weights and does kickboxing and some other forms of exercise he should be okay.

But then who am I to judge. Maybe he is completely capable of riding in the Texas heat for 6 plus hours with little training. You never know!!

Getting Bettter

I am finally noticing a difference in my speed. Nothing major yet, but at least there is some improvement.

Today, we did somewhere around 11.5 miles. I ran with a friend who is pretty close to the same pace and she does 5/1's, also.

The first 4 miles were pretty good. We took too long at the water stops, though, and that hurt us. The next 3.5 miles were very slow, so I decided we needed to get back on track and not take so long at the water stops. But the breaks had taken there toll and her legs didn't want to go anymore. So I would run ahead, then when my watch beeped for a walk break I would walk back to her. The last mile or so I kept going. The weather was getting nasty and I really wanted to make it back to the park before the downpour. I almost made it, but not quite. It didn't really matter though, I was already soaked with sweat!!

After that it was breakfast with some of the group and then home for a nap.

Tomorrow is biking with my local bike shop and then I will be meeting up with folks from the ferret club I belong to for an "Education Day" at one of the Petco's in town.

Which brings up the topic of Beazer.

Beaz is getting up there in age for a ferret (around 6 to 6 1/2 years of age - he was a adopted and this is our best guess). And he is a Marshall Farms ferret (they are a HUGE breeder of dogs, ferrets and pigs for biomedical research. And they also sell some of their animals for pets). And because he is a MF ferret he is more likely to get specific diseases - adrenal tumors and insulinoma specifically. Well, he has had two surgeries for adrenal tumors within the past two years. After the last surgery he had a real tough time recovering so when he started showing signs of adrenal problems again (loss of hair, bladder problems due to an enlarged prostate), I didn't know what my choices were going to be. There has been a lot of talk of the use of Melatonin to help control the symptoms, and I had also heard a little of Lupron. My vet convinced me to try an injection of Lupron.

Well, the bladder problem disappeared in the first month of treatment. Great news! But the hair was still not growing back. So the next month when I took Beazer in for a recheck, the doc upped the Lupron dosage.

Guess what?

Within a week his hair was starting to grow back!! I was so ecstatic!!

I know the Lupron is not necessarily a cure, but it is as close as he is going to get to one. Which means he will be with me a little bit longer and most importantly - his quality of life has improved drastically!

Beazer with his absolute favorite toy - clear dryer vent tubing


And another favorite is this red "NFL Transportation" baseball hat I recieved when I volunteered for the Super Bowl a couple years back.

New Digs

A couple weeks ago my department was moved into a different building at work. There were some major benefits to moving that had me excited to move. The top two were 1) getting more space so my co-workers and I wouldn't all be on top of each other in our work area and 2) not having to be in the same space as a co-worker I DESPISE!!! That last one has been absolutely wonderful!!

The major downfall of moving is having to be in close proximity to my boss who can be a peek-a-boo and micro manager (my boss was on a different floor in the other building). But so far it has not been as bad as I thought it would be. Maybe I was just paranoid.

After being in the new area about a week, I was reminded that the building we were in had an exercise facility in the basement! So one day I went and checked it out. It is great (nothing like a gym you pay money for, but still good)! They have several pieces of cardio equipment (treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes), a universal gym thing, hand weights, stretching machines, etc. There is also a room for classes. So, since last week I have been using the gym after work to do my running and have been taking a ball class. This way I am more inclined to do my running. Normally I would ride my bike home and then have to force myself to change into my workout attire (which is very difficult to put on when you are dripping with sweat) then go out into the wonderful heat and run. Now I have my own personal fan and a TV to watch so I do not get too bored on the treadmill!

I'm Here

Yeah, I know. I haven't blogged in a VERY LONG TIME!!

Not really sure what happened. Just got out of the habit for a couple weeks, but am now trying to get my act back together!

I did the Webster Duathlon three weeks ago this Sunday. That was an eye opener. Not that I didn't know I wouldn't do that wonderful. But still, you always wish you could have done better.

As I was pulling into the parking lot, I saw fellow blogger and HRBer Sarah. I parked, got ready and we hung out together until the race started. I would say the majority of the people there (and there were not that many - it was the smallest race I have been in so far) were pretty hard core. Very fit, slim, trim athletes with expensive bikes and/or bike accessories, even a few with custom paint jobs. I knew I would be in the back of the pack.

The race started, and Sarah and I ran together for the first half mile or so and then I said "see ya" and watched as she disappeared into the distance! I kept plugging away at my run and eventually made it back to the transition.

This is where I decided I could make up some time, and I am glad to say I passed several people on the ride. And the best part - I passed one of the very fit, slim athletic chicks who was very proud of her body (i.e. she was dressed in a jogging bra and boy shorts). Usually I am not that competitive, but passing her made me feel good!!

Back to the transition area and out for the second run. I slowed down considerably and, of course, get passed by Little Miss Boy Shorts. Oh well, maybe one of these years!

I finished the race, met back up with Sarah and we made it over to the refreshment area. I specifically waited around because there was this one guy on the course I wanted to see cross the finish line. It was no one I knew personally, he was just going to be the last person to cross and I felt he deserved to have a couple people cheer him in while most everyone else was either leaving or at the awards ceremony. It takes a lot to be the last one. But you know what, he finished. He didn't say "the heck with it" or "what is the point?" He stuck with it. He said "good job" to me as I was getting ready to cross the finish line and he was just starting out on the second run. He may not have had the physique or expensive bike like the other athletes out there that day. But he sure did have the spirit.