Running Journey

Get Your Kicks

My new shoes arrived yesterday.  Sorry for the blurry pic.  I'll post a better one later.

They are kinda bad ass with the black and shiny blue metallic inlays.  I was contacted by Vibram to try out these shoes.  They are Saucony shoes but have the Vibram outsole.

More to come!

Happy Running & Dirty Feet,
Jessica

Western States Weekend

Wow! Is this field packed this year!  It sure is going to be an exciting race to watch whether you are there in person or watching the live updates.   The valley temps could hit 100 degrees.  How will that affect this year's race?

My predictions (because it's fun to speculate and I'm "that" person who also tries to predict Oscar winners):

Of course this is totally speculative.  So many things come into play like who does better in heat or cold.  Who the pacers are.  If someone gets injured, etc.  Here we go...  Men First:

1. Scott Jurek (heard he may have some plantar issues but he's undefeated on this course.  if he is not having an injury problem - and maybe even if he is - it's hard to bet on anyone beating him here)
2. Hal Koerner (last ws100 champion but he'll have to content with the king of the course if he wants to repeat)
3. Dave Mackey (don't know much about him other than he's been tearing up the trails and seems to be many people's favorite - aside from Scott)
4. Anton Krupicka (he's one tough mountain runner and maybe should place higher but I also heard rumors he is injured - will he even start?)
5. Eric Grossman (don't know much about this guy from out east but many say he could be the dark horse)

And the women:

1. Krissy Moehl (mostly quiet in 2008 but who can forget her amazing year in 2007 and record at Hardrock? She's also has a stellar pacer and has run here before when not at the top of her game.  She paced Hal when he was champion last time around.  This could be her moment to shine on this course)
2. Nikki Kimball (I'm not sure if any of the women in this race have run against Nikki toe to toe and beat her.  She may very well take 1st but I'm rooting for the "underdog" here and calling if for Krissy - if someone like her can even be called an underdog)
3. Jenn Shelton (I know she's not as experienced in the California mountains since she's from out east but she can be a very strong runner and if the mountains don't get her she can easily be top 5.  She might need a few more years before she takes the top spot in a race like this but she certainly has the potential to kick some ass)
4. Bev Anderson-Abbs (Very strong runner with plenty of WS100 experience and hard to even put her 4th in this list but the competition is tough this year!)
5. The next few spots I won't list because they are just about anyone's for the taking like: Anita Ortiz, Francesca Conte, Connie Gardner, Prudence L'Heureux, and Michelle Barton.

You can read some fun dialog on all this speculation over at Andy or Karl's blogs.

Can't wait for Saturday!  Good luck everyone and have a blast!

Jessica

I was running. And Running...

I'm glad my injury break was pretty short term.  It's nice to be back running!  My 4-5 days per week is quickly going to turn into 6 days per week I think.  Without Nickie around to help take care of Tobey during the day she is a bit attention deprived while I'm at work so I probably need to run with her every night after work which is what I've been doing so far this week.  I was going to take Monday off but Tobey had other plans :)

Last night I was going to run 5-6 but running after wings and a mojito didn't go over so well so I cut my run back to 3.3.   It was a good mojito though!

I don't have a lot of time to get in long runs if I want any sort of taper so I'm planning on 19 miles Saturday with Stefanie at Zig Zag Mountain.  Neither of us have ran over there so it could be a bit of adventure!  I think the run peaks out around 5,000' which is apparently where the snow level is so we may run into a little bit of snow up there somewhere.  But - it has been melting pretty fast the last few weeks so who knows.

Friday is national bring your dog to work day and I'll be bringing mine!  Fortunately I work somewhere that I can bring her any day throughout the year (though really not more than once a week).

Happy Running & Dirty Feet,
Jessica

Therapy Run

They all are to some extent aren't they?  Some more than others.  For me this was one of those "more than others" especially if you take into account that I haven't been able to run much lately, and an even bigger factor the events of the past week as you can probably figure out from my youtube post.

My Runs have been progressive over this past week as I try to make sure I'm over my chest strain.  I managed to get in 4 runs of 1.1, 2.2, 3.3 and 8.3.  After today's run I'm pretty sure I can resume normal training since I had no issues (so far) and Tahoe is only 4 weeks away!  It's going to mean a shorter taper but I'll work with what I have.

Today was also Toblerone's (Tobey) longest run ever as well.  She turned 1 year old Thursday and went the 8.3 distance with me today!  She loved every minute of it and I'm pretty sure she enjoyed the run even more than I did.  She even stopped about 4.5 miles into the run to frolic in the water fountain by the lake.

Happy Running & Dirty Feet,
Jessica

The Veronicas

Going to see them in about a week.  This is a great song.  Beautiful and sad all rolled into one.   Powerful singing and lyrics for sure.

No Running = Suckage

So no running for me.  Somehow I managed to strain my chest again.  It's happened 3 or 4 times.  My theory is that having open heart surgery in 2002 makes me more susceptible to this type of injury.  I'm pretty sure it happened when I went to the grocery store on Saturday and hauled a way to heavy backpack 1 mile from the store to home.  It's a frustrating and stupid type of injury that is preventing me from running just when I was getting back on track (doesn't it always happen that way) and also may be trashing my plans to run the Tahoe Rim race.

I went out for a run that next day (Sunday) and noticed the chest pain.  It got worse throughout Sunday and has been fairly unbearable since then - especially when I exert myself.  Yuck.  It's a fairly similiar pain to pericarditis that I've also had a few times in the past. While it was not officially diagnosed, the treatment for both is the same - rest, anti-inflammatory medicine, and no running until the pain subsides.  In the case of "chest wall syndrome" than can be 1-5 weeks.  In the case of pericarditis that can be 4-6 weeks.  The problem with either is that you can't "fully" rest them because to do so would require not breathing :)  With Tahoe only 5 weeks away and my peak training happening over the next 2-3 weeks I'm almost certainly screwed unless I can miraculously get back to running within the next week.

Seriously.  Really? 
Hopefully I'll make it to Tahoe still (to race) - Some how.  Some way.  If not...  there is always 2010...

Happy Running & Dirty Feet,
Jessica

Week 1 - Alternative Transportation

So after a week without a car I have walked about 20 miles that I would not have otherwise walked.  I only ran 17 miles last week so I walked more than I ran!  Mainly this was due to letting my quads recover from a major thrashing running down Dog Mountain's 20% grade last Sunday. 

My walking miles will go down a bit this week and my running miles up. I'm carpooling 1-2 days this weekend instead of public transit (which equals 3 miles of walking each day), and I'm hoping to hit the 40 mile run mark this week (which includes a 15 mile run home from work).

Congrats to everyone who ran the SD100, Squaw Peaks, and Kettle Moraine this past weekend!

Happy Running & Dirty Feet,
Jessica

Moeben Review (sleeves & skirt)

When I first heard about Moeben I wasn't sure what to think.  Here were these fancy arm sleeves that cost about $32 and I was perfectly happy with my $18 pair of sleeves I bought at a cycling store.  Then I started to see them everywhere.  Then I asked Shannon (owner of Moeben) if she would be interested in sponsoring Twin Peaks.  Twin Peaks 2009 was canceled so that didn't happen.  But Shannon was gracious enough to send me some samples.  She sent me some of the regular arms sleeves as well as a utility skirt.

The Review
I was very impressed.  When I first tried them on I noticed they were immensely more comfortable than my Pearl Izumi sleeves.  I like that the sleeves are longer than most other sleeves so that you can pull them over your hands if they are a little cold, but not so cold for gloves (or you just don't want to carry the extra gloves).  The sleeves each have one pocket on them.  Again, I wasn't sure about the pockets.  What are they for?  Gels?  I don't normally use gels so I wasn't sold. 

When I went out for my test run I brought Tobey along.  I quickly found out how versatile the sleeves and pockets really are.  I stuffed a poop bag into one of the sleeve pockets and my cell phone in the other.  My phone actually fit well and didn't bounce around like I thought it might.  I ran a few miles to test them out and I as sold.  Great job Shannon on some great sleeves!

I have similar comments regarding the skirt.  It had lots of great useful pockets and was super comfy.  I'll have to try it out on a longer than 4 mile run but so far I'm a fan of the Moeben skirts as well.  It sure is nice to have so many great skirt options for running when about 5 years ago there was maybe 1 or 2.

Moeben sleeves and skirts all offer UV protection, come in a variety of colors and you can even get eco-friendly and fleece versions.  Moeben also offers leg sleeves which I'm looking forward to trying when fall comes back around and I want to wear a skirt but it's too cold.  I'm not a big fan of running in pants so they may be the perfect solution - plus they are super cute!

Happy Running & Dirty Feet,
Jessica

Dog Mountain

Sunday, Stephanie and I set out for a 17 mile jaunt on Dog & Augsperger Mountains in the Gorge.  The plan was to go up the "less steep" side of Dog Mountain (2400' of climbing in 2.8 miles).  After 2.8 miles we'd hook up with the out and back 10-mile Augsperger Mountain Trail then finish our run with a climb up to Dog Mountain and back down the "steep side".  Plans changed when we hit the Augsperger trail and quickly had a "dude, where's my trail" moment.  It was some serious bushwhacking.  We tried to ascend down the trail a bit and it seemed to just get worse.  How long would this go on?  5 miles?  400 more feet?  It was likely most of the trail so we opted out and turned around.  We made our way up to Dog Mountain with vistas and trails each more beautiful than the previous.  It was one of those rare runs where things just keep getting better.  We were treated with an amazing wildflower rainbow covering the hillsides, views of Mt. Hood & Mt. St. Helens, panoramic vistas of the Columbia River Gorge, and trails practically cut into the cliff-side at places as we traversed meadows and ridges.  No wonder this was a popular hike/run!

After our summit of Dog Mountain, I put my camera away and we made our way down the "Steep side".  Steep indeed!  A brutal climb I'm sure with 20% grades.  Hello Horsethief & Joplin!  It was one of those descents where you constantly had to hold back and couldn't just let loose and sail.  If you did, you would likely loose your footing on the loose, dry dirt and rocks, or be unable to stop and collide into a tree or one of the many hikers making their ascent.  It was quad pounding, knee aching and toe hurting - and it was awesome.  As we "enjoyed" our descent and said hello to the many eager hikers I was thinking - "how am I going to get my 17 miles in today?"  At the end of it all we turned out about 8 miles (with 3200' gain) with our side treks.  I had to run 9 more and planned to take that in once I got home.   When I did get home I was mapping out routes and decided that I needed to go to Sephora for a few things so why not run there?  I'm not sure when I became the kind of person who says "I need eyeliner.  Oh it's 9 miles round trip and 85 degrees outside?  Why not run there?"

The 9 mile road trip was a blast and running in the heat was refreshing (yes I love a good sweat and heat).  Very different from the gorgeous scenery of earlier in the day but I still enjoyed every step, soaked up the sun - and got in my 17 miles to end up with 100 for the month of May - my first 100 mile month in about a year.  June is shaping up to be many more before I taper in July for Tahoe.

Here is a pictorial journey of the Dog Mountain Run because words can't do it justice (neither can these pictures, really).

Going up (.01 miles into the run)

Dude where's my Trail?  Machete Required.

Heading up the "less steep" side

GORGEous Trail Running

Wildflowers

Mt. Hood

Mt. St. Helens

Going down from the summit

Looking back up toward the summit

Happy Running & Dirty Feet,
Jessica