January 2010 Fat Ass!

It was a great day for running. Steve drove me out to Lump Gulch to meet the group a little past halfway. I managed 13.2 miles for the day and felt great. Several completed the full 31 miles and Rebecca did 21! Our reward was cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven, a pot luck dinner and good company.

The trek back to town

First look at the removal of pine beetle infested trees

Yummy...

Good-bye 2009

2009 held some great moments in my personal life, but those moments did not really include running. More like injuries - high ankle sprain, achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, two broken toes, and one broken tailbone. Almost an entire year off. Now, 12 lbs heavier and starting to regain some fitness, I'm contemplating 2010.

My goals:

1) Rebuild my running base cautiously. The AT seems to play nice as long as I stretch a lot and walk before running.

2) Incorporate strength training and core work. The exercises I picked up from months of rehabilitation are helping, but I'd welcome any suggestions for workouts any of you are doing at home.

3) Lose the above mentioned 12 lbs!

4) Rejoin the running community soon. I do miss group runs. Just not sure I can keep up quite yet.

5) Pick a couple, few, some? races for motivation. On my contemplation list...

January Lame Ass - I can't run a 50k on one long run of 8 miles, so I'm going to skip the Fat Ass, the Half Ass or maybe even the Skinny Ass and do what I can.

May Don't Fence Me In 30k - This is the one race I'm really hoping to do. A great course full of the best trails close to home.

June Wulfman's CDT 14k - Not a long race, but I think it looks fun. Especially because it's put on by the Butte Piss and and Moan Runners Club. I just like their name.

July Missoula Half Marathon - Take it or leave it. It's on the list because some friends from Montana and possibly from North Dakota want to run it.

July Swan Crest 100 - No, mom, not run it - VOLUNTEER for it!!!!

August Elkhorn 50k - Only if my AT is gone, gone, gone.

October Le Grizz 50 - This is my dream race; one based on the hope that I'm injury free and having a stellar running year ending with the completion of my first 50 miler.

What are your plans?

Out of the deep freeze

Buddy contemplating winter.

Tomorrow is the start of a two week vacation.

Enjoy the holidays!

Shoe Update

I'm still loving the Ascends. I've done a couple more 3 mile runs on snowy roads with icy patches. Both runs were in below zero temperatures. My feet stayed warm, dry, and I didn't slip at all!

Did I mention I'm really enjoying a return to road running? As much as I love the trails, I've got to admit I'm a little scared after January's fall. Even though running the dogs this weekend on snowy trails was fun, I definitely had twinges of fear as I was slip sliding along. Road running has it's tricky moments too, but I'm enjoying it. Maybe I'm still just basking in the glow of running without pain!

Snow!

Lots of it! Buddy and I were able to complete a 30 minute hike through lots of fresh snow this morning. It was -5 degrees. I didn't even check the wind chill. We just needed to be outside in the new powder. After shoveling the driveway and sidewalks, it was time to play.

Buddy waiting for me to throw his toy.

Trying to destroy the thing.
So proud of himself and his toy.


Tired.

Have a great day!

First Thoughts - Mizuno Ascend 4

With the VIP discount and a coupon, I got new shoes from Road Runner Sports for under 40 bucks. After wearing them around the house for a week, I decided to try the Ascends out on a snowy 5 mile trail run.

So far, I LOVE these shoes - for many reasons. I ordered a 7.5, same as all my running shoes, and they fit perfectly. The Ascend is very lightweight and flexible. The traction is better than my Cascadias and the shoes have a bit more needed stability. The very best part of this shoe is the low heel counter, which means that nothing is touching the almost gone achilles nodule.

I don't think the Ascends are water resistant, and my toes did get a little cold while running through deep snow. Once I got back to the road, though, my feet quicky warmed up. It helped wearing SmartWool socks too. This shoe isn't as cushiony in the forefoot, but that didn't bother me during this run. Hopefully, this will hold true for longer runs too. I'd say this is one of the most comfortable pair of running shoes I have ever owned.

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