Let's do a little recap of the mishaps I have endured since I decided to train for that race, shall we?
- First time out with Christi on the course, I fell.
- Third time out, a screw came out of my shoe and I couldn't clip into my pedal.
- Fourth time out, a moth flew into my shirt and I almost killed myself trying to remove it.
- Let's not forget RACE DAY! Broken derailleur at mile 8.18.
On top of that, remember that little 13.1 mile run I did the day before? (If you missed that post, click here and be wow'd at my feat :)) Well...I knew there'd be repercussions the next day, but I was ill-prepared how crap-ola I'd actually ride. It didn't help matters that temps were soaring in the high 90's. I just do NOT do well with endurance sports in heat. Bleh.
Just know that mid-way though this ride - with a face swelling at exponential rates, calves not one bit happy from the long run the day before, temps rising well over any one's max comfort zone, and relentless freaking hills - I SUCKED on this ride. Badly. Even cutting the course by about 8 miles (giving us 54 miles total) didn't help too much.
Still...
I didn't let it bother me. I just poked along at a pace I was comfortable with and let the others meander on ahead.
 |
| Yes, that's them WAY up ahead |
 |
| Christi, Julie and my friend, Kettie This little store saved. my. life - COLD WATER! |
RUNNING!!
Don't worry all your bike folks out there, I will still ride - I really do enjoy it - but I just don't think I want to train in this heat for hours on end (and I'm still having burning, painful feet issues...are my feel swelling or something?) and my heart's not in another long ride right now.
I emailed Ron, the incredibly smart guy who is helping me with my running (PLEASE read his latest post here about running injuries - it is chucked full of very interesting, and helpful, information) and he gave me the thumbs up to progress with the running.
Finaaaaaallly!
To celebrate I did my first set of hill repeats today in well over a year - and all went well (heel's a bit sore tonight but I think that's more so because I've been standing on it all day). I even hit numbers in the high 7's. I KNOW!! - very, very pleased about that! Best celebration ever!
Hello, running shoes! Oh how I've missed you.
Before I close, I have to share this little tidbit I heard on the news tonight:
Colorado has the lowest obesity rate in the nation: 19.8 % (so about 1 in every 5 is obese in Colorado. Mississippi has the highest at a tad over 30%). While I'm pretty dang proud to live in such a high activity, gorgeous state (seriously, if you can't take advantage of all the incredible outdoor stuff Colorado has to offer, then you shouldn't live here), I was disturbed to learn that in 1995, 19.8% would have been the highest obesity state. It's sad the direction America is headed. (Click here to read the article, if interested in learning more).
My body has noticeably changed in my running hiatus, and not for the good either. Now that I've been given the A-ok, I think I'll head to the mountains today to take advantage of being the slimmest state in the nation .... and do a little mountain trail running.
Run Strong, Friends
54 comments:
SO so so glad you're up and running again! The bike was a nice (albeit panful) interlude but you're on your way back girl!
I saw that obesity over the years map on FB. Wow. Just wow. Things need to change.
Hey was I FIRST??? Wonders never cease!
NOOOO!!! you can't stop riding! :) But you can stop riding long if you want. You have for sure had some rough ones, it's a wonder you keep going back. I am so very happy though that your first love is making it's return.
Psstt...consider doing Venus de Miles at the end of August...we could do the 67 mile...that's not long right?
Enjoy the run! Of course, I know you will!
Stung in the jaw?? Holy ow! I was stung by a wasp just below my elbow while in Costa Rica. It was five days ago and the swelling's just going down!
So glad to hear that you're back to running!
Wow, bad luck with the bee, it sounds horrible. I don't know if you're the same, but I tend to find that walking or standing give me more heel problems than running at the moment. Best of luck with the running!
I am with Julie. You can't stop riding. We have too much fun. The feet thing we can work on. That is something with your set up or your shoes.
However, I am happy that you are running so we will have to give that a try together!
OMG, every muscle in my was cringing reading about the bee! I've been stung lots of times but the last time my arm swelled up, I went to the doctor and he said that the next sting might put me in the hospital so if that had been me I would have run off the road and crashed and face planted. Well done to stay calm! :) Even through the sting!
I get bees caught in my helmet all the time! One flew in Wednesday so I pulled over and took it off, thinking the bee would fly away but it didn't, so I ran my hand through my hair and it was caught in there! Sorry you've had challenges. It's a shame because biking is amazing!
Don't give up riding, maybe just take a quick break :) (easy for me to say since I didn't get stung in the face...). Glad running is going well!
I had heard about MS being the highest in obesity, guess i missed the fact about 19.8 being the highest rate only a few years back. Wow. that is sad.
The bee sting sucked, but is irrelevant when you consider the fact that you are running! And quite a bit at that! Awesome.
And I can only assume the back healed up pretty quickly? Yay!
You are one tough lady!
I think I belong in CO.
Sounds like you and your first love, running, are being reacquainted big time, and biking will just have to understand. I mean seriously biking hasn't treated you that well anyway (even if you are as superstar at it), so he should just let you go. Running is waiting with open arms and all kinds of possibility! Yay for you!
A bee near your face? I had some little bug fly into my bike shoe and I flipped out and fell on the side of the road! If that was me with the bee I prb would have flown myself into traffic!! So incredibly happy for you running!!! ((HUGS)))
Sounds like that course is out to get you!
Glad you are able to run again.
My heel randomly started hurting the other night for no good reason and I thought of you. Luckily it seemed to go mostly away after 24 hours but it was very strange.
Ok, I have been fighting it, but now I have even more of a reason to have some serious Colorado envy!
I love everyones grotesque biking fall pics. The middle one closely resembles my first mountain biking excursion. I had no business wearing clips!
Run Happy!
Seriously what the hell is up with you and bugs?????!!!??
That sucks that you got stung. Ouch! But yes, I think you should stay off the Elephant ride course from now on, you don't have good luck over there. You can't give up riding yet though, not since I'm back to riding again...you have to ride with me still!! Will will have loads of fun because there will be beer afterwards. ;)
I will miss you at Copper, but we are going to see good things from you in your running very soon. YAY!
BTW-I read that article yesterday too. Found it on Yahoo. Very interesting.
- I would say that that route has a thing for you. Bee stings, I am deadly allergic, everyone would be panicing around me to make sure I dont die
- I predict it wont take long to miss your bike (laugh at it now, lets see in a couple weeks.
- Enjoy the running
The worst part of my long ride the other day was when my feet starting burning and hurting so badly the last 20 miles. They felt like when you go directly from an ice bath to hot water - my toes especially were in such pain. I thought it must have had to do with the heat...??? I've never really ridden that far in heat before.
I'm with you on the heat hate..blech.
Hooray for running! And yes, I'll be doing the Vegas half. For some reason Bill wants to run it?? I'll bet it won't be hot so you should come too. Unless you all make it to Gunnison County..then I'd be more that happy to run with (way behind) you.
Sorry for the down website. We had a hacker mess us up! Please check back folks! Thanks for the shout out Jill!
You are a trooper! You kept going after a bee sting on your FACE?! Youch!!
YAY for resuming running!! Cycling is awesome at all, but it's just not running...
I'm sure you can read my mind as I type this. Yes I really mean it when I say sorry to hear about another biking mishap. But OH YES YAY I mean it about your running! Super news! Heading for the mountains! Happy times Jill!
Yeah and Boo at the same time? Yeah that the heel is cooperating and you will be out running again....that is awesome.
Boo that you are hanging up your cycling shoes for a bit.
Either way do what is best for you and what makes you happy. Life is too short to not enjoy it.
As for the obesity rate....oh please don't get me started. Yesterday's post included a rant about The Food Network not having a vegetarian show or even a healthy eating show for crying out loud.
They are the ambassadors of food and they showcase TONS of butter in every recipe. Drives me nuts.
Okay, I am loving this side of bad ass jill! Seriously awesome here! I think that you've had this heel issue/trouble running since I found your blog so this is super exciting to be reading about you returning to running!! So happy for you!! And this bike ride...ouch! yes, sounds like your luck on the bike is not so good...ha ha.. poor girl.
So missing Colorado right now. We are halfway thinking of a trip in September so Waylon can run that Colorado Springs Marathon but not sure it would be wise. He might really hurt his quads with such a downhill course. We would also want time to adjust to altitude.
Reading this just made me happy! And excited about life. Minus your Bee sting. :) Happy Friday Jill!
So glad you are running again.
Bees...see? One more thing I'd have to worry about if I took up (outdoor) cycling.
Ouch! I'm glad your running is going well because I'm not sure that cycling suits you. Stupid, vicious bee.
Funny I got stung by a bee a few weeks ago whilst running. Yay for you and the bike. I say keep on keeping on, and don't let the mishaps slow you down. Great job for the hill session. Thanks for the motivation. I am actually looking into biking for next spring maybe? Take care.
a bit sore is so much better than a LOT sore. Thanks for linking to Ron's post, I need that one for sure!
BEE aouch...
happy running to you!
I have decided that you are so right about summer racing...and I have decided that PR will have to wait until we get the other season we have here: the one I call less hot!
Bees in helmet straps? OK, that's another reason for not taking up cycling. :^)
I'm glad you can run run run for real now! Would love to run with you someday.
What kind of biking karma God did you piss off? Wow, I got bit by a bee playing golf last year and it HURT like a motha.
Hills....f yeah.
Um, you may want to check out my latest Blog post. I give you an Award, teh first ever Award that I'm hoping will spread like wilfire.
OMG..seriously?? That course is definitely cursed for you!!
Yay for running again! I'm so happy for you!
Now, I have to read all of those other linked posts that I've missed over the last 2 weeks! :)
I read those same stats and was appalled. Vermont was in the top 5 for lowest obesity but it also talked about how it used to be. Very sad. And I do look around and think if Vermont is the lowest five we are in trouble. And lately I am not helping. The other day I saw a woman wearing very short shorts who absolutely must not own a mirror. Horrible!
On to running. yeah yeah yeah for heading back to running! I hear you on the heat. And man that bee. You have some bad luck. Years ago I was stung by a bee while on a motorcycle and it hurt so badly.
Oh Jill! I should not be laughing at your bloody mess of a body....I should not be laughing at a bee stinging your jaw. I am a bad bad friend-ha!!
OK-first of all, I loved this post! Your writing-SO good!!!
Endurance sports and heat. It is SO damn hot here right now and I'm running at 4:45 am and I'm still sweating like a freakin' pig. Well, I kinda am a freakin' pig after this taper recovery crap but that's another story:)
Jill-High 7's!!!! I'm SO happy you're running! Just so happy-I know how much you love this!!!!! Hope you had an awesome trail run!
This obesity crisis-sad. Just sad.
Anyway, hope you have an awesome weekend. So excited to follow your running adventures again!!
Wow Jill you are a trooper for sure. I think you have handled more endurance sports issues in the last few years than most of us do in a lifetime! Glad you got the A-okay sign for running. When I lived in Colorado I loved having so many options and friends to run/bike and just workout with. The obesity epidemic is so SCARY.
I think that Elephant Rock is more like Evil Tiki Devil Rock for you. Stay away...
I hope the bee sting swelling has subsided and that your feet are no longer burning. But now that your bike is fixed, don't abandon it!
So excited to hear about your new running journey :)
I hear champagne corks popping all over the country as we celebrate your return to running. And none too soon. What's next on that bike route - a grizzly attack?!
Love the blood, you're so tough!!
I'm SOOOOO happy you're back together with your running shoes. Thankfully, it wasn't a permanent break up and now they'll know how to treat you right! I hope you three have many, many days of happy running in the mountains this summer!!
xoxo
Oh, yes, MS wins the award once again. Let me say, I don't think things will be changing anytime soon. Mississippians LOVE their all you can eat fried anything. It's really disgusting.
So happy you are back to the running. Woo Hoo!
Thanks for sharing the pics. Nice!
You have a very amusing way of delivering your biking misfortunes. Am I allowed to laugh...even a little bit?
I saw your 13.1 feat as your gmail status and I'm off the read the post now!
The obesity stats are depressing. pffft.
OMG...you got stung by a bee and kept riding? You are hard core.
I'm with you... I like the bike, and it's good for recovery, but I LOVE to run.
Jill you are tough!! Bee sting, sore calves and you still trucked on. Who cares about the pace at that point!
CO is gorgeous. So so many opportunities to be active. We would love to live there but not many baseball programs :/
How are you feeling??
Wow sounds like an all out war with the biking and it seems you are winning. Congratulations on the 13 miles!!!! Woooooot!!!
You're such a trooper. I'm not sure how I would have handled a bee in my helmet.
GORGEOUS pictures! I am in awe.
Did I see something about running? Yay!
We had the same adventure: I received the visit of a bee today but I was on the scooter coming back from the swimming pool.
Glad that you are running again! Looking at the pictures I understand why my wife said: "the bike or the wife".
Positives, positives, positives. I like it. Well done all the way around. Can't wait to see the TM video.......
Great post as usual Jill. Where to start... God might be trying to tell you something about Elephant Rock. But by all means ride it again, I can't wait to read what else could possibly go wrong. jk.
Sounds like your running is going well. I'll have to go back and read about your 13.1 miler.
I heard those same stats about state obesity. Kinda sad.
BTW, I'm in Minnesota this week for a family vacation, hence no treadmill to do incline work on. I am enjoying the cooler weather though. Last week was kinda a tough one with the holiday. I didn't get much quality hill work, but I did a nice flat 20 miler. By the time I get back to my normal routine, it will almost be taper time for PP :-) I'm feeling under trained at the moment. Talk to you soon.
Wow, how did I miss this?
Ow! Stupid bee. You forget how much that kind of things hurts til it happens to you again. I had a bee or a fly or something fly into my jersey on my last mountain bike ride, and I'm NOT steady enough on it to shoo anything out. I was very nervous until I could stop.
I don't blame you for pushing the bike to the side a little. We know running is your true love. It's hard to balance multiple things. Sometimes I feel like I'm being tugged in several different directions between road bike, mountain bike, and running shoes. And I've been too lazy to work to balance them all.
P.S. I can't IMAGINE running after eating donuts! It was bad enough on the bike. And, speaking of donuts, I agree about how sad and scary the rising obseity rate is. Yikes. That's a big chance for the worse in 16 years.
Oh my gosh, you and that bike ride were not meant to be (without pain at least)! If I had gotten stung, that would have been it for me. So glad you're running again!!! Oh, and I'm with you on this heat, ack!
ouch! you go seesta! i'm a whimp, i'd quit right after the stupid bee sting. ;(
i do believe this calls for a celebration cocktail.. or two. ;D
xo
Gah! I am glad those injuries were not FRESH ones.
The bee....didn't anyone ever tell you that the last thing you want to do with a bee sting is exercise?? Only sayin' so because I learned the hard way one time...BIg old reaction. Anyhoo...I trust by now all swelling is down. Hope so, anyway!
Way to go on the hills, Jill! Ah I just realized the Jill up the hill thing as I was typing, and wonder now if jack went up too?. Random train of thought thing.....ignore.
I will be clicking on the link to your friend!
I love reading your blog and stories and pictures!
I heard those obesity stats on the radio yesterday. Crazy.
Post a Comment