My sciatic nerve has a lot of nerve

So, I've been out of commission for a while when it comes to running.  The last time I ran was three weeks ago.  It was a slow, painful 13.1 miles, but I managed to finish in exactly 2 hours 30 minutes.  Not a horrible finish time, but not my most glamorous moment, either.  It certainly was not the finish time I so badly wanted and trained for.   However, I noticed many people struggling during the run.  I could tell they were feeling completely defeated.  I made a point to help a few people along the way, and it was amazing to watch their disposition change from tearful to laughing and smiling.  Perhaps my purpose wasn't to meet my goal that day.  Maybe it was to help someone else reach theirs.

Me, just after crossing the finish line on the football field at Oregon State!

You might recall me yammering on a while back about my torn glute.  Come to find out, everything tightened, which led to the tear, because of my aggravated sciatic nerve.  The tear has healed, I am still battling a severely tight calf, and my sciatic nerve will not calm down.  This nerve....has a lot of nerve!  It's something I have battled for many years now, on and off.  Especially when my children were small, and I carried them around a lot.  I don't even have to run in order to set it off.  One time, when we still lived in Cincinnati, I took a casserole out of the oven.  That's all it took.  That bend over, lift, twist motion had me living with a jacked up back for the next six weeks.  (I know what you're thinking.  That must have been some casserole!  It was.)

With all that being said, I'm letting my sciatica issue have a break.  Running, even walking, seems to really irritate it.  Instead, I've shifted to garage workouts, which seems to not bother my back/butt much.  I mostly feel weak in the back (or irritation) during push ups.  The days we have a lot of push ups to do, I cut back a bit compared to what I could do in my pre-injury days.  My husband has gone to great lengths to provide a wonderful home gym, and I'm taking advantage of it.  When I realized my schedule was going to drastically change due to finishing my degree, I cancelled my gym membership and promptly ordered Insanity.  Yes, the one you see advertised on TV.  It.  Is.  A.  Killer.  Workout!  Holy moose balls, does it make you sweat like a mother. We also try to squeeze in a P90X workout or two each week for strength training.

We also decided 2013 is the year to finally finish our backyard (AKA: the pea gravel pit).  I have spent the past few weekends shoveling gravel and rocks until my hands ache to the point of not being able to grip a pen come Monday morning.  We have moved slab stones back and forth so many times I've lost count.  I no longer care to hear the words "retaining wall", "shovel", "hoe", "sunscreen", "back fill", "dirt", "Home Depot", or "rocks".  I am complaining because my shoulders and arms are killing me, as well as having swollen, raw fingertips (even though I wear thick leather gloves while working), but what great cross training!  And we're going to have an amazing pond once it's all said and done.

There are some evenings I simply cannot squeeze in a workout.  I'm taking 14 credits, all of which are very reading and essay heavy.  To top it off, I have tight deadlines to get it all done.  It takes hours and hours and hours to type it all.  Except for the contemporary math class.  No essays for that class.  That one is just weird, difficult to wrap my brain around, and takes me no less than 30 hours per week just to grasp the concepts.  I am not exaggerating or kidding.  Sadly, nobody I know has heard of any of the math concepts I'm working on, and that includes a local friend who is a college level math instructor.  Sigh.  Thank God for youtube videos.  Did you know there are math instructors out there who video themselves going over all sorts of math problems?  Well, now you do.  I start working as soon as I arrive home from dropping the kids off at school, and I don't stop until it's done.  There have been many days I work from 8:30am until 10:30pm, and those days really, really blow.  It's hard for me to unwind before going to sleep, and I end up dreaming of math equations at night.  I keep reminding myself that it's just this term.  Only 5 weeks to go!  I have to pass each class in order to graduate at the end of this term.  I can do it, but that means certain things have to slide.  Like some of my workouts.  Some, not all.

So, I'm taking this 10 week term to let my butt heal.  This has been a longer, more drawn out injury thank I'm accustom to, and the distraction of college coursework has been nice.  I will admit, I want to get out of my car and kick people in the shins as I see them running down the road.  That's probably not an emotionally healthy thought, but it's how I feel.  Right now, I despise them for being able to run while I'm...broken.  I have no plans for races this summer or fall. I want to run just to be able to run again.  (Will run for coffee!)  Once this term is over, I will hop back to it.  Until then, I'll be at my desk, typing my life away, or in the garage doing an Insanity/P90X workout.

Cheers!

Twin runs....with not so twin'ish results

It always amazes me how the exact same route go so very differently depending on the day.  Heat, hydration, and carbs are all major factors when it comes to making it or breaking it with running.  At least they are in my book.  We will refer to these runs as Twin A and Twin B.

Saturday (Twin A)
Saturday is our typical "long run day".  My physical therapist approved me to go for a 7 to 8 mile run.  So I did.  It ended up being 8.15, but he didn't split hairs about the slight overage in mileage.  It was warm out.  A lot warmer than we're used to here in the Pacific North West.  42 vs 70 is DRASTIC.  The high for the day was 77, according to the news.  I was hot, but well hydrated and carbed up.  We finished our 8.15 mile run with a 9:39 pace.


Mile 1 9:40
Mile 2 9:09
Mile 3 9:13
Mile 4 9:19
Mile 5 9:51
Mile 6 10:46 HILL
Mile 7 9:37
Mile 8 9:36
Mile 9 9:32

Here's what we saw along the way...

This was distracting.  Birds were chirping, squawking, and quacking like MAD throughout this leg.

Bird gang up close - QUACK!

I almost squished this little guy!

Hard to see in this shot, but Mt Hood is straight ahead.
Need a closer look?

This side of the mountain is shadowed this time of day,
but you can see it is 100% white with snow.

Mt St Helens lurking in the background.  To the right of the potty.  :)

So pretty....yet so STINKY!  You can smell these trees all over town.

Will run for iced soy lattes!

Wednesday (Twin B)
Ran the 8 mile loop again.  Why?  Because 1) it was Kent's last day of vacation & he wanted to do something super awesome, and 2) since taking so much time off to heal my new butt crack (AKA: torn glute), we are waaaaaaay behind in half marathon training.  I'm not trying to re-injure myself by logging too many miles in one week, but I would really, really, REALLY like to hit my time goal of 2:19:59 at this month's race.  It's the only race I've signed up for this year.  I have trained hard for this.  Hills.  Intervals.  Long runs.  More hills.  Somehow, this  run didn't go nearly as well as Saturday's.  It was even hotter out than Saturday, and it probably didn't help that we waited until late afternoon to run.  The hottest part of the day.  I hadn't been drinking enough water because I was so busy studying.  Oh, and two days prior to this one, I ate very low carb.  Sigh.  It showed in every possible way.  We ended this one with a 10:07 pace, and I felt like poop from mile 5 on.

Mile 1 9:41
Mile 2 9:15
Mile 3 9:35
Mile 4 10:19 Slowed down because Kent said he wanted to go slower today.
Mile 5 10:34
Mile 6 10:50 HILL (Notice, my pace is always about the same on this hill.)
Mile 7 10:35
Mile 8 10:07
Mile 9 9:36

Here's what we saw this hazy, humid, hot Wednesday - same loop as before...

I think this was the very same spot he was hanging out Saturday!  

This leg of the trail really screams out SPRING.  Gorgeous.

Do you see them?  Look hard.
I've been keeping an eye out for weeks now to see.....

....THE TURTLES!  The turtles are finally out for the year!

Hard to view through the haze, but.....

 Mt Hood is there, in all its snow covered glory.

As soon as this bridge is complete, I will be a mile closer to Starbucks
at this point during my weekly long run!  It's on the other side of the highway
from where I'm standing - under the yellow arrow.

Second iced soy latte of the week...because I ran for it.  :)

Summing It up
I need to quit being so amazed that the same route can play out so drastically different within just a few days.  It's not like I'm new to running, weather changes, body changes, injury, illness, etc.  I know that every little factor can change the outcome.  Just being up on my feet moving for 8 miles was the goal.  I hit the goal.  Moving forward.  I hope this Saturday's run is more like Twin A instead of Twin B, though. :)

Glute Update
The good news is, my glute didn't hurt AT ALL during my Wednesday run!!!  YAY!  It played nice for a change.  The only thing bothering me was the calf on that same side (left).  It has been so crampy lately.  I went through this a few years ago, and never figured out the magic cure.  It would also cramp badly while swimming.  Looks like I get to fight this battle again.  I wonder if I'm holding my leg/foot in an odd position to  make up for the glute issue?  I will make sure to address it during my physical therapy appointment tomorrow (Friday) morning.

Speaking of glute issues, I want to thank everyone who has commented & sent emails trying to help me out/support me throughout this injury.  I love the support I get from this crazy little blog!!!!  We all know how much it stinks to sit out due to injury. I do take every suggestion into consideration, and toss the idea(s) to my PT.  Very helpful.  :)

Butt check!

My physical therapist agreed to let me go for a 3 - 4 mile test run.  As long as it was flat and slow.  The only flat area around here is the Salmon Creek Trail.  There are a few rolling hills, but it's reasonably flat for this area.

Almost each post had a bird perched on top.

Those trees are LOADED with spring buds.

Difficult to see, but new grass is starting to grow up through the old , dry grass.

My legs so badly wanted to run a steady 8:30 pace.  It sure feels nice to be rested!  Kent kept pulling me back, keeping us steady around the 9:45 mark.  I found myself surging ahead as I "zoned out", and then I would fall back into pace again upon "waking up".  (He is still threatening to put a leash on me to keep me in pace.)

All in all, I did find until 1.5 miles.  That is when I noticed a pain in my butt.  It wasn't bad, but it was there.  (Get it?  I said BUT it was there.  Oh, how I crack myself up.  I said CRACK.  Like a butt crack.  The humor never ends with a butt injury.)  The pain never increased or decreased.  It just hung out and made me think it would get worse if I pushed it any harder.  We made a point to slow down even more around the 2 mile mark, finishing with an even 10:00 pace.

As many times as we've run this trail, we hadn't ever noticed this rusted out trailer.

I wonder if they recently cut back the brush to reveal it?  

Yesterday, I was approved to go on a 7 - 8 mile run Saturday (4/30).  It is supposed to be my last 12 miler before my upcoming half marathon.  I'm going to stick to what my PT says, and keep it VERY conservative.  I'm still hoping to reach my time goal, but won't be shocked if my tush freezes up and won't comply.  Only time will tell!  I was proud of myself for getting in these first post-injury miles, following what my PT's advice without straying from the plan, and doing all of my PT exercises for the week...so I treated us to post-run soy lattes.

Will run for coffee, baby!

Will (not) run for Mexican food!

We didn't run for coffee this week! This time, we made a swap for Mexican food.  Oh, and I didn't run.  All of last week, I was on a strict no exercise plan.  Part of the week before, too.  We can thank a torn glute for that. So I had to live vicariously through Kent's 12 mile run Saturday morning.

Kent typically doesn't go out for long runs alone.  This might be one of his longest runs in solitude since...well...since the kids were pretty much babies.  He used to take off and go trail running when we lived near the Santiam River.  Back then, he was making guesstimates when it came to mileage.  That was long before the days of wrist Garmins.  We know there were some days he ran far.  He just doesn't know exactly how far.  At any rate, running long this weekend, in his own head, at his own pace, and on his own terms, was a good thing.

Unfortunately, he didn't find any "road treasures". (AKA: crap on the road that I usually drag home - zip ties, bolts, nuts, tools, etc.)  I have a theory that I find more road treasures than he does because I'm constantly scanning the ground for snakes.  (Yuck.)  My favorite find yet is a plastic, squeaky dolphin.  We were running down Salmon Creek Avenue back in February when I found him.  He now lives in the back pocket of my Camelbak Marathoner Vest, and cheers us on as we run with a cute little "SQUEAK".

World....meet Squeakers!

Anyway, Kent remembers very little about Saturday's run.  At least those first 8 miles or so.  [The 8 mile mark is typically where we get tired and bitchy.  So every little thing from that point on is embedded in our brains, but the good stuff seems to slip away before it has a chance to gel.]  No fun reports from him.  No updates on what the trail looks like now that spring has decided to stick around.  He isn't a picture taker.  So, no pictures were taken.  I'm sure you now see what role I plan in our weekly long runs, right???   I take all the pictures, feed us our Shot Bloks & Endurolyte tablets, keep us on pace, make us stop for potty breaks, remind us to drink some water even if we aren't thirsty, provide tissues for the porta potty, manage the Garmin, take more pictures, pick crap up off the road, and carry it all home. I'm such a mom...even while running.

Remember the point during my last long run where I said at mile 8 we could go left and stay on pavement or go right and hammer out bark mulch trail hills?  He chose to take a right this time around, and it beat him up pretty good.  Even with hills, mulchy trails, and squishy wetness....he rolled in with a 9:17'ish pace.  I could have smacked him when I read the Garmin after his run.  Not because he is faster than me.  We already knew that.  It's a given in our relationship.  It's because, the ENTIRE time we run together, he is telling me to "slow down".  That I'm going too fast for him.  My 9:51 pace for an 11 mile run is FAR from a 9:17, hilly, part mushy trail, at the very end of the run when you're so damn tired 12 miler.  I clearly need to crack the whip on him more often while running.  Oh, if only my new butt crack would heal faster.  I want to crack the whip while I'm still fired up about this story.  Oooo, or maybe he would crack the whip on me.  I might not like that.  I better take back what I said!

After his 12 mile adventure, he was starving.  So we headed out for Mexican food.  We tried La Costa Mexican Restaurant, a place new to us, and LOOOOOOVED IT.  It's across the street from Westfield Mall (on Thurston Way) here in Vancouver.  It is our new favorite Mexican food restaurant in town.  Because I didn't run 12 miles, I had to really watch the caloric intake.  No chips (boo).  No rice or beans (double boo).  No gobs of cheese & sour cream (boo hoo hoo).  I gave my rice and bean bowls to my daughter, who happily inhaled them both.  Since I have Celiac Disease and have to stick to a STRICT gluten free diet, I ended up ordering something not listed on the menu.  Shrimp tacos.  Corn tortillas, a little bit of cheese melted onto the tortillas, tons of fresh cabbage, pico de gallo, grilled shrimp, with just a little bit of creamy fish taco sauce.  The. Best. Tacos. I. Have. Ever. Had, and I grew up eating Tex-Mex in Dallas, Texas, y'all!  

La Costa is our new favorite post-run fueling station! 

Anyway, we're trying to be brave & try new things.  That's not an easy thing for me to do, no thanks to the  Celiac side of life.  We like to keep it local to support businesses in our area.  Also, it gets old driving over the river just to find a restaurant we like in Portland.  There are actually a lot of great places here in town.  We just need to get out more.

Yes, this is what not running or working out at all has brought us.  Food talk.  Sorry.  The blog post is proof that life is boring without exercise.

As far as my torn glute, it is feeling a little better.  It still hurts, but not all the time.  Only when I move certain ways, including walking.  I'm going to try an upper body workout this evening.  If it hurts at all...I will stop.  I will remember to take it easy.  Go slow.  Ease back into things.  The exercise info my doc handed me said it's OK to try easing back into it now, but to beware of any pain.  No problem.  I hate pain, and try to avoid it as much as possible.

Here's to a another healing week!

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Bad Ass: New socks, big news, & torn glute update

I gifted myself a pair of fun new running socks upon deciding to go back and finish college.  That's right, I'm headed back to school.  Tuesday morning, before driving my children to school, I registered for spring term classes!  When I made the decision to leave school, I needed just one more course to graduate with my Associates in Early Childhood Education.  We were flat broke newly weds, wondering if we were about to go bankrupt, and scared to death we wouldn't be able to keep making mortgage payments.  So, I made the grown up decision to quit school, get a full time job, and help save our home.   In my head, I kept telling myself it was only one class.  That I could always go back and finish.  Before I knew it, I had a baby on each hip, we moved across the country for my husband's job, and that one remaining class was a distant thought.

Many things have changed over the past 17 years since I left the college scene.  Not only are all of the classes I need offered online, but now three courses are required for me to wrap up this degree.  There were a few program changes over the years.  There was also a credit conversion a few years ago.  All of the courses used to be 3 credits, and now they are 4.  That screwed up a ton of stuff for me in terms of credits required to meet the degree standards.  Lucky for me, I had a ton of "extra" credits floating around that the school was able to use in lieu of forcing me to retake everything.  On top of signing up for the three required classes, I ended up adding a math class.  Why?  Well, it is a required course for the next school I'm hoping to attend.  I want to continue on and receive a bachelors degree.  So, I'm taking this math class as a "leap of faith" because I haven't actually heard back from school #2 to know if I've been accepted yet.  Anyway, I'm registered for 14 credit hours & ready to start in a couple of weeks.  How bad ass is that?  The picture below was taken the very first time I wore my new "bad ass back to school" socks, and I must tell you, I had a pretty bad ass run that day while wearing them.  I'm hoping to have a bad ass spring term!

My new socks say it all!

Speaking of bad ass, my glute still hurts.  However, as of this morning, March 15th, it does feel a tiny bit better.  That's not saying a lot, I know, but it is more positive than what I had to say two days ago.  The pain of this injury, which seems to have occurred March 2nd, peaked on the 13th.  Quite frankly, it was horrible march 9-16, the 13th was a grim day.  It was all I could do to not barf...the pain was THAT bad.  This morning, I woke up with zero pain, until I moved.  That's an improvement, though.  I have been waking in the morning with a lot of discomfort, and I'm pretty sure I'm not sleeping well.  I wake up many times throughout the night trying to get comfortable.  Needless to say, I'm exhausted from lack of sleep!  Oh, and for whatever reason, that torn glute has caused a "pulling sensation" just under the skin.  It feels like there's a piece of masking tape on my ass that needs to be ripped off.  For the past week and a half or so, I have not been able to raise my left leg.  For instance, two days ago, if I were to sit on a chair & try to lift my leg from the ground, it hurt too much to do so.  I could barely get my foot an inch off the ground.  Today, I can do it.  It hurts a lot, but not excruciatingly so.

My back seems to be overcompensating for all my glutes cannot do right now, which has left me with super tender lower back.  And even though I have been inactive for over a week, my IT band feels about as tight as can be.  I've been instructed to not stretch it until this glute heals a bit more.  What I would do for a hot rock back massage right now....

So, there you have it.  Though the topics above aren't about running, they are still pretty bad ass. :)

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A pain in my butt (literally)

I have a torn gluteal muscle (AKA, "strained glute").  For the record, calling it a "strain" is an insult.  It feels as though my ass cheek has been ripped from my body.  It hurts.  A lot.  All the time, but especially when I first wake up in the morning.  That first hour or two is rough.  I'm on a strict no exercise routine for the next two weeks.

What caused this?  Most likely, my last long run, but I'm really not certain.  I remember it hurting those last couple of miles pretty bad, but it just felt like a huge muscle cramp in the rump area.  I kept stopping to stretch it, but stretching didn't relieve the pain.  From that run until today, I constantly feel as though my butt cheek is in the middle of a massive muscle cramp.  You can read more about torn glutes here.

I start physical therapy soon, and hope that taking a couple of weeks off will help get me strong enough to run the half marathon in five weeks.  I was on track for a fabulous PR, and feel as though that has been taken away.  I'm not sure what to think at this point.  I don't want to get my hopes up, but I also don't want to throw myself a pity party (too soon).

I will be sure to post updates.

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Unexpected surprises with this 11 mile run

Before I get started with all of the details of this week's long run, I want to be clear that it was MY FASTEST LONG RUN & 11 MILES EVER!!!!!

11 miles
1:48 total time
9:51 pace

The 9's!  I've never finished a double digit mile run with a pace in the 9s!  The closest I've come was a couple of weeks ago with a finish pace of 10:14 with my 10 mile training run.  I've been practicing getting faster.  I've done my hill work.  I've been cross training like mad.  I have done my homework, people, and it's finally paying off!  

We started off headed the opposite direction (leaving from home).  I chose this route hoping it would help my shins.  It did.  I have shin pain if I start of going downhill.  When we go our "usual route", the first four miles are downhill.  By mile 2, I'm in a lot of pain.  As long as we're on somewhat flat ground, it's all good.  Such a nice change!!!

I spent many, many miles of this run "in the zone".  In my own head. Miles were ticking along.  I would hear my Garmin beep at each mile, and would think how quickly the time had gone by.  About the only thing that continually bothered me was my need to stop and pee every 5 feet!  I didn't recall being bloated or consuming extra sodium recently, so the need to pee this often was baffling me.  I would get into the porta potty, and would barely have anything to let loose.  It was annoying!  (Fellow runners, we all know what a pain in the ass it is to get those sweaty running tights back in the "right spot" once we've pulled them down.)  I finally stopped stopping for the restroom after round three of trying because I realized it was my mind playing tricks on me. Sigh.

Spring is getting closer!  It was a beautiful day to run.

It's easy to be in the zone when it's so peaceful out.

Around mile 6, on the Salmon Creek Trail, I became very, very dizzy.  I felt as though I might vomit.  It came over me rather quickly and suddenly.  I'm still not 100% sure what that was about.  It was really odd for me to do this.  The only other times I've ever done that is when I was going way faster than usual or when it's super hot out.  It was warmer than what we've been running in lately, but nothing harsh.  I wasn't overdressed.  I had plenty of water, electrolytes, sugars, etc.  I wonder if the increased temps, increased humidity, and a tad faster than normal pace got to me?  I don't know, but nothing was terribly extreme.  Kent and I both wonder if I was hyperventilating a bit?  I did notice I was gasping for air when I stopped.  Very unlike me. Who knows what the problem was.

Hints of green are starting to appear more and more as the weeks move along.

We've had a lot of rain. You can see how high the water level was just a few days ago!

When we started up the hill, at the end of mile 6, I realized how tired I had become.  I honestly wanted to stop and walk home from mile 7 on, but I kept going. I was in my own head again.  Everything was quiet.  As we approached the 205 bridge, I heard what sounded like someone loudly screaming HELP, HELP, HELP!!!!  I looked over to see what it was, only to find it was a peacock screaming at us!  It was the strangest thing I've ever heard.  Almost like a rather loud Siamese cat.  Not to mention, my heart was beating out of my chest.  This creature was fairly close to the road.  So it was LOUD.  [Note to self, never have a pet peacock because they make terrible screeching noises that sound like a woman screaming for help.]

Running along side the cage....SCREAMING!

Still SCREAMING, but with feathers fanned out.

We stopped at mile 8, a decision making point regarding the route, and I was totally beat.  I was never so happy to stop for a minute and rest.  I seriously wondered how in the hell I was going to make it home running.  Either way we chose to go, there were hills involved.  Our options were to go up through campus on the bark trails or stay on pavement all the way home.  At that point, I needed to keep things super easy on my already worn out body.  I chose to stay on paved road. Bark chip trails make me feel as though I'm working five times harder than need be.  (It feels like running in sand, to me.)  I couldn't even fathom the thought, at that point.  All I could think of was getting home & into a hot shower.

After making it up all of the hills, just before the 10 mile mark, my left calf began to cramp like mad.  I stopped long enough to stretch it a bit.  Then, I looked down at my Garmin.  I could not believe what it said.  Average pace......9:53!!!  WHAT???  How did I not see that all along?  I had been so focused on trying to keep myself steady & more consistent than usual, I never bothered to think of the average speed. I took off with new hope, new energy, and new determination.  I did NOT want to see my pace slip into the tens.  I had worked so hard the entire run, I refused to blow it that last mile. I have been making a point lately to make that last mile faster than the previous mile.  This time, I had that goal in mine, but also wanted to get my average pace below that 9:53 mark.

That last quarter of a mile or so, my left IT band began to sting.  Nothing on me, other than shin pain going downhill, has been hurting lately, so you can imagine how disheartening this pain was to me.  I haven't had IT issues in quite a while.  As a matter of fact, I spent a lot of time this past summer and fall babying my knees.  This left side bugged me, badly, all last spring.  I hobbled my way to the finish line at the Corvallis Half Marathon last April, after walking the last three miles of the race.  My goal this year (for Corvallis) is to not only be able to run the race uninjured, but also set a new half marathon PR for myself. By mile 20 of the Vancouver USA Marathon last June, I thought my knees were done for good.  I certainly don't want to aggravate them again, but I cannot afford more physical therapy at this point in time.  I know my issues stem from hip alignment issues.  I think it's time to go in and make sure all is well in the hip department. 


Here's the mile by mile breakdown:
Mile 1 9:35
Mile 2 9:40
Mile 3 9:33
Mile 4 9:42
Mile 5 9:38
Mile 6 9:29
Mile 7 9:43 (Gradual hill starting)
Mile 8 10:23  (It was a hill that seemed to never end)
Mile 9 10:45 (Bigger hill leading up to the hospital)
Mile 10 10:15 (This was the end of the hill & my left calf had a bad cramp)
Mile 11 9:37 (Ended with a negative from previous mile!!!)
Last 25 Feet 6:23 (No clue where this came from!!!)

All in all, I am so glad I didn't stop when I wanted to (mile 8).  I would have been happy at that point to just walk home.  I am very proud of myself. Unlike last week, I did not set a goal for this run. I'm glad I didn't. I think that would have limited me. I tend to only work toward the goal instead of pushing harder.

{Quick Health Update}
After the run, my lower back was killing me.  I kept having to pee every 15 minutes or so, and that's when I realized, I have a urinary tract infection.  Uggg!  How did I miss it earlier in the day?  Sometimes, when I run, I feel like I have to pee within the first couple of miles, but nothing is there.  It's more of a muscular thing for me, I think.  I just assumed that's what was going on, but for an extended amount of time.  I should have known this was different.  I was so tired during the entire run.  I simply should have clued into what was going on, but missed it.  I made a quick trip to urgent care for a test, which came back positive.  Now I have pain pills and antibiotics.  Looking back, that might have been what the barfy feeling and dizziness was all about around the 5 mile mark.  I haven't had one of these in many years.  I had forgotten how miserable they are, and that they get worse before feeling better.  ICK.  Here's to feeling better soon!

{Quick Camera Update}
My images have been super-sucky lately.  Sorry about that!  My favorite little camera has finally become too tired to drag along with us on runs.  I keep trying....it keeps protesting.  The flash no longer works, and it's so dreary here, we need flash.  Never fear, a new camera has been purchased, and ready to roll for next week's run!  I hope it makes snapping memories of our weekly long runs a little more pleasurable.  :)

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Moulton Falls Trail Run

After a loooooong week of super killer workouts, Kent decided he wanted to do a trail run for our "short run" weekend.  (Remember, our training plan for winter calls for a super long run every other week vs the typical every weekend plan.)  I'm not much of a trail running fan.  Last summer, I rolled my ankle on the Tar Bell Trail, and it took months to heal.  I'm also not a fan of snakes, which are frequently seen on trails.  YES, even this time of year.  Nobody else seems to ever see them.  I think I'm a reptile magnet of some sort.  *Ick*

We decided Wildwood is much too popular.  Heritage is too boring.  Whipple Creek is too short.  We have made it our mission to find less frequented locations (for our trail runs) from here on out.  Moulton Falls was our pick of the day.  Neither of us had ever been there, and it ended up being a total picture-fest on the way back down the hill.  [Perfect for me because my right hip was SCREAMING to stop, at that point.  I took every chance I got to stop and walk & stretch.]

Entering the trail.

I would loooove to own that house in the background!  Can you imagine their view?

I was on fire headed up the hill!  I'm not sure how in the hell I did it, but I pulled off my fastest two mile stretch EVER!  It's a gradual climb up to the falls.  We started off on a paved trail, but it quickly turns to packed gravel.  Totally runnable, but you really need trail shoes to pull off a solid run here.  I could feel gravel hitting the backs of my calves the entire run, and brought home at least a pound of the stuff in my shoes. Lucky for me, I wore my Brooks Cascadia 7s!  They were perfect for this adventure.  How I was running with a pace in the 8s, uphill, on a gravel trail is beyond me, but here's what I did:

Mile 1 8:45
Mile 2 8:30

The first two miles were a blur.  I was in the zone.  Nothing was hurting.  My legs felt as though they could run that pace forever.  It felt as though God had lifted me up by the bra straps & carried me, while my legs went through the motion of running.  I know that sounds nuts, but that's what it felt like for someone who never runs that fast.  Wow!

Showing off my "Bad Ass" socks!

I told him to pose like he was showering in the water fall.
See if he ever listens to me again. :)

Once the first two miles are over, you hit the falls.  That area isn't very runner friendly.  There's a lot of hiking involved.  Tree roots and rocks galore.  So we hit the porta potty, hiked around, took a bazillion pictures of the scenery.  It was gorgeous.

Wondering how to get across....hmmmm

The sun started to shine!

This part looked like it would be fun to float through on a tube!

Look what I found AFTER taking my pants down in the porta potty!

EEEEK!

This part would NOT be fun to go through on an inner tube. lol

We found the bridge, but it was pivoted AWAY from our side of the river.
Neither of us had ever seen a bridge that could pivot before.  (No crossing for us!)
We assume it's to allow large logs/trees to flow through without damaging the bridge.

The stairs getting down to the bridge were kind of scary.
You can't tell by this picture, but each step is slippery with thin layer of moss & also very steep.

We were *just* below the snowline.  We could see it, though!

I'm so glad this type of terrain was short lived!

Every single rock was slippery with moss.  So much for dry shoes.

I wish I could have backed up for a better shot of this rock wall.
The trail was too narrow to do so.

We found a railroad track out in the middle of nowhere.

More water flowing down a rock feature.

Of course...it started to rain hard.  What would a run in Washington be without rain?

Still raining...

STILL raining....

Yep, *still* raining...

During that time spent enjoying the scenery, my hip stiffened.  Sigh.  That, on top of the last half of the run being downhill, the last half of this run wasn't nearly as fun (or fast) as the first half.

Mile 4 10:01
Mile 5 10:47
Mile 6 (last half mile / hip killing me) 10:49

The rain stopped just in time to enjoy the last half of our run.

Lesson learned. The next time we do this trail run, I am NOT stopping to enjoy the view.  Well, not for as long, anyway. Next time, I'm out to prove to myself that I can carry out that 8 minute pace from start to finish!  :)

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