Back to Running

For the first time in months, I can say there's been quite a bit of running going on. Last weekend, I volunteered for the annual Mt. Helena Classic. We hauled jugs of water up the 1906 trail to where West End Trail meets the Backside Trail. My huffing and puffing was a good indication of just how out of shape I've become. I was amused by the course markings. John made sure no one was going to go off course this year. (See below!)

Considering how concerned I was about my Achilles tendon after the climb, I was surprised how much better it felt the next day, and the day after, and so on. Steve thinks it was a good way to stretch it out. Whatever it is, the combination of doing eccentric calf exercises, stretching, running on level surfaces and in good shoes seems to be helping. Buddy and I have run 23 miles in the past week. We're keeping them under 5 miles, which still allows us to go to beautiful trails.

View from Waterline

Saturday morning, Rebecca and Eby joined us for a 5 mile Wakina Sky loop. It's fire season, and the smoke from nearby MacDonald Pass was hard on the lungs. Still beautiful with the fall colors. Buddy and Eby are fun to watch too chasing each other around and getting into things that they should not.

Eby after running hard

Fall - Wakina Sky

If my body continues to cooperate, I hope to train for Snow Joke or another "destination" half marathon (Steve's been dreaming of a real vacation.) I'm having Buddy train with me with the possibility of Snow Joke. He's not had any more hip pain even after the 5 miles.

Oh, and I got the CamelBak Stamina II for 19 bucks from Sierra Trading Post. Love it as I do the single bottle belt. I've got too much of this stuff...

And, Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband. 12 years today. We had a great celebration weekend.

It's official - I will NEVER be a morning runner. I've tried all summer; especially since adopting Buddy. I've tried to reason with myself with the "won't it be nice to get exercise over with for the day?" The answer is no. There is nothing I enjoy about weekday early morning runs. I don't like waking up that early, feeling rushed, being crabby with the dog because I'm rushed, not being able to warm up properly and stretch decently once I'm done. Running in the morning does not help me clear my head either. I'm also suspecting that the six weeks of morning running is exactly what tipped the Achilles tendon situation to disaster. So, I gave up and life is so much better!

Buddy and I now walk in the morning. I zone out during our agreed upon time of 30 minutes while he does his business. We hit the trails or road late afternoon whenever the temperatures cool or earlier if we find a shady place. The result is way less pain because I'm warming up and stretching like a good girl, a mind at peace from processing the day's events, and a happy relationship between dog and owner because we can explore at a leisurely pace with absolutely no agenda. There's nothing better than seeing Buddy's head pop up in the window as I pull up to the house and his butt wiggle when he knows it's time to RUN! My new job is perfect for this set up. I'm done at 4 with plenty of time to be outside.

I'm happy to report that Buddy has finally learned to drink from his folding dish. He's a bit finicky this way, but is making allowances :). One thing is for sure - my one bottle belt is no longer enough for the both of us. On long runs, I use my Nathan pack, but really don't want to use it every day. Anyone have a recommendation for a two bottle belt that also has a bungee cord or something to hold the doggy dish?

And, what's up with this Montana heat wave? It's September - time for fall!

Congratulations to my brother-in-law, Chris! Ironman again - 13:39 is the unofficial time.

Alternate Swan Crest

My recovering Achilles tendon wouldn't allow for a repeat of the Swan Crest 57k this weekend. Although jealous - I know how beautiful the Swan Range is this time of year and I'd miss out on running with friends - I decided to suck it up and find fun in my own backyard. Buddy and I left in the dark directly from our house and did one big two hour loop of trail and roads.

Ominous Lime Kiln guarding the trail


The sunrise as we climbed above town

Buddy saying "Come on already!"

Post water and treat break. The patient "can we go now?" look.

We love this rock.

Warming up at home and happy to see Steve. Glad for gloves, hat and
layers as the high was 49 degrees!
We're sending good vibes to Chris as he completes his second Ironman Wisconsin today.

This morning, Buddy and I explored the Wakina Sky area; a place we seldom go. It was the first really chilly morning. 45 degrees had me scrambling to find gloves, hat and long sleeved shirt. We took our time on the way up Wakina Sky Road to warm up a little, watching the deer and squirrels (and Buddy didn't chase after any of them!), then ran hard up the trail. Instead of looping back on the Stairway to Heaven trail, we continued on Wakina Sky to Grizzly Gulch road. We'd been hiking a lot this week, and I wanted to run at a faster pace on a flat surface so not to stress my Achilles too much.

I've become a bit complacent on these runs compared to running in the Flathead. As Buddy and I cruised along, I heard a rustling in the trees by the road. Less than 20 feet ahead, a black bear ambled onto the road directly in our path. Definitely surprised, I shouted "Hey bear," hoping it would take off. It did, across the road, where it promptly sat and stared at us curiously. Buddy followed my lead and backed up the road from where we'd just run. Two cars passed by without slowing a bit. I continued to yell "hey bear" until it took off away from us. Here he? is ambling up to the ridge. Buddy handled it great; keeping quiet and following all commands. It's always exciting to see wildlife, but this one was a bit too close for me. We finished off our 5 miles on adrenaline.

My legs are tired. In addition to several 3-5 miles trail excursions, Steve and I started filling in what will eventually be our rock garden. We bought and planted a young juniper tree, two Barberry shrubs, russian sage, catmint, blue festuca grass, and gaillardia. Gardenwerks is the place to go - very helpful owner and lots of good stuff to dream about buying. The previous owners had not planted anything, just hauled in piles of mountain rock, so the dirt underneath was tough to dig up. Lots of work, and much more to do. I've got day lilies, red sedum, a couple more shrubs, astilbes, lupines, daisies, etc to plant. Since much of the planting is bulbs, it looks a bit funny with a few plants here and there. We can't wait to see what it looks like next year! Here's our baby juniper.

Well spent vacation days

This picture says it all. After a week of trail exploration, Buddy was finally TIRED. He curled up with his stuffed snail and has been sleeping the day away.

Wednesday night, we met up with Rebecca and Eby for a 4 mile loop of trail and pavement. Eby took off after something, most likely a deer, and didn't come back for awhile. We started to get worried, but she found us, panting like crazy. After drinking a ton of water and walking a bit, she got her second wind and finished the loop with us. If it's not Eby chasing the deer, it's Buddy.

Thursday morning, we did 6.2 miles on Mt. Ascension. Friday morning I had to get up early for work, so it was a 3 mile close to home day. Saturday morning, we did the 5 mile Wakina Sky loop, running most of it, the last two miles at a 9 minute/mile pace. After 8 months of being a slug, it felt good to actually run.
Since it was cool and overcast this morning, Buddy and I headed to the Ridge trail for another 6 miles. Both of us are re-adjusting to running life as evidenced by some stomach distress and then fatigue later in the day. It's sad how the body adapts to a fairly sedentary lifestyle so quickly, then struggles to keep up once it's pushed to perform again. My achilles continues to do well, as long as I stretch several times a day. Glad we can be back outside to enjoy the amazing trail system this area has to offer.

This next picture is of a strange looking mushroom nestled in amongst bunches of wildflowers. I'm kind of fascinated by fungi and where it grows. Weird, I know.

And the interest in running socks continues. Just got a pair of Drymax Lite Trail socks (on sale at Zombie Runner) and I like them much better than the original pair. Up until now, I've remained a devoted fan of the SmartWool ultra lite socks, so we'll see how these do on longer runs.

A total of 34 miles this week, not counting walks and hiking. We'll keep it there for awhile. Vacation is at an end. Back to school tomorrow!

Back to work

For my last day of vacation, Buddy and I did a morning tour of Mt. Ascension trails. We started out at the Lime Kiln trail head, did Rocky Road, Prickly Pear, Archery Range, Entertainment, and 2006 trails. We were on the trail at 7 am since it was going to be a hot one and Buddy doesn't handle heat well. It was almost cold in the shade; my fingertips were white for the first hour, but Buddy was in heaven.

While on the trail, we had the pleasure of meeting Michelle, a local runner (this year's Don't Fence Me In 30k winner) and dog lover, whom Buddy has deemed lovely. He would have enjoyed running at her fast clip, but was satisfied just to be outside. We ran what we could, and hiked the rest. Buddy stayed on leash most of the time due to the frequent encounters with deer. I wanted to avoid the panic of waiting for him to return after his attempts to herd them all. Yes, it's happened more frequently than I like.

By the time we reached the top, it was getting hot for him. We attempted to find the connector to the Eddy McClure Trail, which I had planned to take back. Unfortunately, it was in full sun, and Buddy was already panting. For some reason, Buddy hates to drink water on the go. I've read this about herding dogs; they don't want to eat or drink until their job is done. It still makes me crazy as I worry about heatstroke. So, we descended down a shady trail back home.

We finished after about two hours, my longest workout in several weeks. I felt pretty good except for some shin cramping towards the end. I had only brought water, instead of my usual Heed, since Buddy was drinking from it too. I'll either need to bring Saltsticks next time or Buddy will have to get used to Heed!

The school year officially starts tomorrow for staff. I hadn't posted about this change before for reasons not necessary to disclose. My graduate studies were in school social work, but it was hard to find a position in Montana. This past spring, someone retired and I was hired as a Social Services Coordinator for the district. Which means a lot of good things including -

1) I can serve students that need assistance regardless of health insurance or diagnosis
2) I do not need to bill for services
3) I no longer have to do the absolutely ridiculous amount of Medicaid paperwork
4) #3 also means I don't have to worry about doing paperwork at night or on weekends
5) I am no longer on-call
6) I still get to be in the school working with awesome people

It also means I get school holidays and vacations. I consider this a crazy, wonderful perk of the job, but it was definitely NOT the reason I accepted the position. My husband and family are already wondering what I'll possibly do to keep busy next summer. I've got plans though, which include a lot of gardening, visiting family and running.

Since I missed an entire year of races due to this injury, I'm planning to use the winter to rebuild my base and then figure out a race schedule. I've got some ideas, how about you?