Chronicles of a fish: the days of surf and turf

And here are 15 of my 17 bales of hay....and what a gorgeous day we are having here!! Woo hoo!! The moutains you see in the background are the Blue Ridge Mountains, home of Skyline Drive/Shenandoah National Park - where I do a lot of my running and cycling.

15 of 17 bales of hay!.jpg

And yes, pgmcpq, life is grand post-race!!!

Hay Bale Hurdling Run

It just keeps getting better and better.

Gorgeous evening...deer were frolicking in the upper field so I headed down to the lower field to do an easy warmup and plot my hay bale strategy. Little did I know until I was about a half a mile into the run that there was a lone deer watching me. I altered my path so I would not disturb this lovely creature, but she seemed not to be bothered by me at all. She watched my entire 2 mile warmup, and then about 5 minutes into my hay bale antics she either got bored with my running or unimpressed with my hurdling and left. I was sorry to see her go - I was enjoying the company.

But speaking of my antics, what a blast I am having with these 17 bales of hay! Holy crap, hurdling these round bales is a gas! I started with a few graceful twists and turns around the bales, then tried my first hurdle. It wasn't very graceful but I got the job done. A few more zigs and zags, and then my second hurdle was a bust - I got to the top but didn't have enough momentum to get all the way over. Next two hurdles were good, but they didn't have a whole lot of style. I took a break with the hurdles and just rounded the bales and then ran the perimeter for about a mile, then headed back into the heart of the field and embraced the art of the hurdle and owned those bales. Seriously. I found my mojo in the dusk out in that field, and I cracked the code to proper hurdling technique. Pick the proper line of approach...speed up......bounce off the ground.....fly through the air like a super hero....and let the momentum propel you to the other side. 8 out of 9 bales hurdled. That was the bomb.

Again, I'm not running by pace but rather by enjoyable feel. Loving this style and phase of training. I really, really needed a break.

Per Garmin:
5.05 miles and 8 bales hurdled in 49:15.34 for an average pace of 9:45 min/mile.

Trainer

Very threatening sky + tired legs = climate controlled basement bike spin.

I couldn't convince hubby to let me drag a few bales of hay in the house to practice the advanced Irish hurdle technique per Catweazle's video, so instead I clipped myself into my bike and churned and burned for 20 miles. I'll be taking The Mad One out on Saturday for a 50 mile organized bike ride in the Shenandoah Valley. Should be fun!

Shenandoah Fall Foliage Bike Festival, Saturday October 20, 2012

In spite of the fact that my hubby's very worn single speed bike got more respect and admiring glances than The Mad One did (however, there was one very nice gentleman who did offer a few nice comments about my bike.....AFTER he was all over hubby's ) this was an awesome event and awesome ride!

Weather could not have been more perfect, oh, except there was a lot of wind the last half of the ride that tried to toss me about or push me back, but the sun was shining and everyone had a smile on their face. This was my very first proper ride on my new steed, and I was impressed from the very first hill how The Mad One handled - beautifully. I can't believe how much easier churning up a hill is on a well crafted 17 pound bike - I never dropped down into my small ring for any hills - and I only popped off my seat when I wanted to give hubby a run for his money.

I still have a bit of confidence I need to gain on the bike, and that should come with time. I find that I tense up on the downhills and ride the break. I embrace the uphills and find myself really loving them. I think with the downhills it's a little of not feeling in control that bothers me. Oh, and the crazy free falling speed is a little bothersome too....and my eyes watering from the wind, blinding me....and the vibration of the uneven road bouncing me and my glasses and my vision all around adding to the difficulty of seeing what's ahead of me. But I think it may have to do with the fact that I'm not pedaling, and therefore feel like I'm at the mercy of other elements and not fully in control of the situation. I assume more practice/experience will help me with this. It's in my head, and I need to work on that. I didn't fall off the bike at all this time, and I'm getting more comfortable clipping in and out. I'm also getting really good at pedaling with one leg while I'm trying to get the other leg clipped in.

Here's a link to the bike's website in case anyone finds themselves in my neck of the woods next October - it really is a very well done two day event with loads rest stops with food (most of it homemade by local folks) and water available. The big hits at the first rest stop were the hard boiled eggs and bananas - especially the hard boiled eggs. Pimento cheese sandwiches, not so much. Lunch was the second rest stop and that was a buffet of freshly carved sandwich meats, salads, soups, chips, fruits, cookies, etc. Third rest stop was cookies, cakes, fruits, hot and cold drinks, etc. Hubby said he's never eaten so much on a 50 mile bike ride before!! I'll be back next year for sure!!

http://shenandoahbike.org/

And here's my Garmin - 50 miles of fun riding. We didn't stress or push, except when me and The Mad One were trying to teach that stinkin' single speed a few things.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/235562211

(Trail pic alert ^^^^ )

Bales of Hay

In ticker tape format....

Gorgeous evening....off to lower field...2 mile warmup....some love to Mr. Smith's very sweet black cat....hello to the deer....into the land of bales...same circuits as last night, pretty much....nearly knocked my noggin getting my leg tangled in the baling twine :eek:.....avoided all piles of deer poop....zigged and weaved and flew and sprinted....plucked straw out of my shorts......and still loved every minute of it.

I've found muscles that I had forgotten I had. I imagine it's primarily the result of the uphill trail running, but I'd like to think this format of field running and jumping is contributing to waking up these muscles too. Oh, and speaking of the missing hay bales, they are still missing and no ransom note yet. :rolleyes:;):)

Per Garmin:
5.23 miles and 15 bales hurdled in 48:06 for an average pace of 9:12 min/mile.

Into the Land of the Bales

I left the Garmin home and made a bee line immediately to the land of the bales. After a nice warmup around and diagonally into the land, it was my 6 circuit series utilizing the bales - 360 degree circling, simple weaving, and kick-@ss hurdling. I did finish up with two new additions - sideways running (not sure what it's called ) and a little backwards running. I think these two final gems were the hardest on me, especially considering how dark it was by then on this beautiful evening.

~5 miles in ~50 minutes. Loved the freedom of no Garmin.

When are WE doing it??

Seriously, looks like a blast....I'd just have to keep reminding myself to not look behind me. YIKES!!!! :eek:

pgmcpq wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPDJSblJeMc

Oh god.....Hay Wrap!!!! Brilliant!!

Up early for 20ish minutes of yoga and abs. Diet was so-so today - better than it has been but not as disciplined as yesterday. My primary downfall was the cup of hot chocolate with gourmet peppermint marshmallows I downed midmorning.

Urban Evening Run

Plan: 3 miles easy

Very chilly out there this evening - a damp chilly that you feel in your bones. I had to dig out the winter gear for this one, plus my very fuchsia rain jacket due to the misty rain. This was my first road run since the marathon, and I could feel the pavement beneath me, perhaps more so because I chose an older pair of runners due to the rain.

This run was supposed to be at an easy effort, and to be honest with you I wish I had gone slower. I stayed within acceptable pace range per McMillan, but I did feel the effort was higher than it should have been, which is a little disconcerting to me. It's Halloween tomorrow and many of the houses in town were decorated for the big event, so that pleasant distraction made up for all the trash bins that were out by the curb for trash day tomorrow I had to weave through. The miles were pretty steady in pace, which, no doubt, was in large part due to the two lines of a Tracy Bonham song I had stuck in my head that I kept singing over and over again.

Actual: 3.75 miles in 31:49.7 for an average pace of 8:29

Because this run was a short one, I got out the yoga mat and did about 40 minutes of yoga and stretching. Felt good!

Edit: after looking at my notes and numbers, tonight's pace should have been closer to 8:40 - 8:50 min/mile. I knew I heard RaccoonQueen's voice in my head yelling at me for a reason.

catweazle wrote: »

Is it time to perhaps considering running with a heart rate monitor?

Gosh, then I'll have to figure out what all the numbers mean, not that I can even see those teeny-tiny little numbers on the watch dial as I'm running - unless there is an option to make those teeny-tiny little numbers bigger on the dial? And the strap tends to constrict my breathing - or am I putting it on too tight?

shotgunmcos wrote: »

@hocchiedoubledee - what Yoga are you doing on your mat?
@Kurt - Just doing the same with a nice Rioja myself...

Well, I guess I've mainly been doing a pretty tame power yoga (but it feels good), however tonight I started a Vinyasa yoga that was way above my ability, so I bagged that and ended up doing 36 minutes of Yoga for Runners - loved it!! In the past I've attended yoga classes, but those classes are now near impossible for me to attend so I've turned to the free videos available on my cable provider (tv). You can't replace the benefits of having an instructor and a row of mirrors in front of you, but these videos allow me 24 hour 7 day a week flexibility and an abundant selection. I definitely feel better after yoga.

Burning corks?? Ashen moustaches?? I love you guys!!