Warm! Sort of...!

I was up the stairs and prepping myself to bear against the cold for my morning run, dreading the icy sting at 6 am, when.... the icy sting wasn't there. It was 38 degrees. 38 DEGREES! I never thought I would get so excited by anything so ridiculous (though I'm sure I must have, and sort of vaguely remember doing so, when I lived here before...but that's what cold-climate-living-induced Post Traumatic Stress Disorder does: it blots out the past, and rather effectively at that. No need to remember such things as blue toes and 9 months of winter and endlessly scraping windshields and endlessly shoveling off driveways.... ). I joyfully BOUNDED through my run (the most variable striding and non-gingerly-marathon-shuffling in at least 2 weeks...), opened all the windows, walked around outside downtown as much as possible in California-worthy clothes while still getting lots of productive work done at my favorite organic tea spot, as all the warmth and humidity (it actually rained) did absolute double-take wonders for my energy level and attention span...

This confirms it: I do NOT belong here. All the local-yokels were bitching all day about how it was "damp" and "slushy" and "awful" and the cause of their "ruined skiing plans"... Well, this former local-yokel will personally take comfortable temps and breathable humidity levels over freezing herself over anything so inconsiderate as to think of involving snow any day of the year -- and most importantly, even if it was just for one day, it has sure made the prospect of making it through to Christma-Chanu-Kwanza-Ramadani-Solsti-Festivus-ica Break in California a lot more something like doable.

Wonders Really Will Never Cease...

Well, the impossible (at least one of them, anyway) has happened: the 45-75F gypsy vegan runner has become an often-sub-zero Montana-winter gypsy vegan runner, and still a night-runner at that (have to keep earning the rights to my other trailnames, Jerry!). I'd counted on the indoor track at MSU getting me through this reverse-migration stint in Bozeman, but, alas (read: BUGGER-BLAST-BOLLOCKS), they do their renovation projects backwards here and are working on the indoor track in the winter so that it can be open by summer. Right...

After the 24-hour run, I had tendinitis in one foot and a flare-up of a old left-knee ITBS that I've been playing tag with for the last few years, and so between PT and rehabbing hadn't really been running enough (or at all, at times) to really notice the coming potential dead-stop with the change in weather on the way. Then it hit like a ton of bricks (or a #*@$load of snow and negative temps) just as I was ready to start testing out some real distance... and not only could I "not run", I didn't want to leave the indoors at all. But it wasn't too long before I was going nuts and needing to run or completely lose any marbles still left upstairs, so thanks to about 20 lbs of polar fleece, my trusty running buddy Kermit the Second, and -- the real star and savior of this story -- the YakTrax PRO I found via my favorite Zombies Don and Gillian before leaving dear California that seemed like they might come in handy sometime down the road, I am, indeed, back on it (and yes, beloved trailrunning friends, off it too :).

I've run every evening and/or night this past week and a few the week before, and and even taken to my old Bay Area practice of run-commuting to and from errands, appointments, etc in the past few days (ran through the drive-up ATM at the bank last night!). Getting my mileage back up looking toward running with Catra and Jerry over Christmas and Franklin's Fat Ass 50K back up here in January... and in the meantime am getting to know the whole part and parcel of this running-in-winter mess, like eye-cicles (icicles that form, after about 3 minutes some nights, in the corners of my eyes) , the need to keep fingers moving (and the yowl-producing consequences if I forget), what happens if I forget to "clear" my YakTrax whenever I get the pavement to do it and then run onto a shitload of ice...only made that mistake once so far with nothing more detrimental than me looking a twit trying to stay upright. And yes, I hate it, I dread going outside before every run and have to talk myself into it and psych myself up for it and put really, really good music on Kermit the Second... but as much as I absolutely hate the cold, and as much as I ABSOLUTELY hate snow, I simply love running more. And as long as I have a say, nothing -- not even Kelvin -- will get between me and all those miles (or kilometers) still left to cover.

Running Sock Pickle

Help request--> Any vegan runners out there have any micro-runner sock recommendations? I am trying to find an animal-free replacement for what I consider to be the Perfect Sock: the SmartWool Micro Crew Runners. I blew through a pair of Balega micros in the race today, which was no loss as they had no cushioning and slid down my heels after the first mile and a half. Thorlos don't fit the shape of my feet.... and I haven't had much luck with anything that has an "ankle", though most things without one tend to work their way off my heels as the Balegas did...! Who knew socks could get so complicated? All I want is an ultra-microthin running sock with a crew ankle that doesn't move, that hugs my foot and has some cushion without adding any bulk or layers, and breathes completely (ie retains no or little moisture) and prevents chafing and blisters -- is that so hard to ask? SmartWool should just start making all their socks out of hemp or bamboo or flax or soy or all of the above and leave the sheep of the world alone (which, hey, would really BE "Smart"!), and then I wouldn't have to stop buying the Perfect Sock...! Alternative suggestions, anyone?

Pacifica Goes Long(ish)

So I'd been thinking this past week that I could more than likely run past the 21k PCTR race in Pacifica I'd signed up for today, and that I would aim for completing the 30k course (an extra loop of the 9k portion of the 21k course). Well, when I turned up at registration this morning, turns out I must have been thinking along those lines a few months ago when I registered -- I was already on the 30k list! Which was great, absolutely no wiggle room to back out after that!

It was a glorious run on an amazingly beautiful course; I had no idea the area around Pacifica looks like that back in the hills. Most of the trails were lush with ferns, berry thickets, forget-me-nots, eucalyptus groves, and many varieties of thick, broad-leafed jungley-type plants. The weather was perfect; coastal fog and mist, cool and a bit breezy but not chilly. It was like running in Hawai'i with air conditioning. Plenty of elevation (that I may be fondly remembering in detail tomorrow) which made for some fun climbs and even better speedy descents -- love running downhill!

I run alone pretty much any other time but racing so it was such a wonderful change to hear the conversations and footfalls and passings of other runners. Between the sanctuary of the open space and the companionability of fellow trail-heads, I had no desire to break out music of any kind as I now usually do when I run. By the last 9k lap, though, with a slight twinge in my knee and my feet balking at the latest sock trial (see 2nd post for today), I was ready to let little Kermit pace me to the finish... and I have to say as awesome as it was to commune with the sounds of nature and of conversation with fellow runners for the first 2/3rds of the race, it was an equally incredible if different experience to be moving through such stunningly beautiful surroundings listening to music of peace, social justice, and human potential.

I felt on top of it with minimal training, did not need any "sugar boost" from gels or sports drinks to make it through as I used to, and I bounced back more quickly afterwards; ever since I went completely raw I have found that my body is more resilient in every direction, it's just too cool. The power lifting at the gym and all the deeper work and inversions we've been doing in yoga lately can't have hurt either...! And it finally happened, I ate my first trail -- every trail runner I know has taken a tumble at some point, I've been wondering when my time would come and now I can safely say it's over and done with. Happened about halfway through the course, and I must say I'm proud of the fall: with all the core-stength training I've been doing, I was strong and stable enough to save it from being a bad one, and was able to pick right up, laugh it off and keep on tearing madly down the hill. All in all, it was a great start to the running season as my first run-event of the year. Thanks Wendell and Sarah for another great personal-achievement race in a beautiful place :)

>> update 7/4: results. as usual, smack in the middle, not stellar but not too bad, especially since i haven't been training on trails much. ah well, maybe that 7 minute mile will come around next year...

Race Calendar

I've added a calendar of my upcoming races to the right-hand column of the blog. Aside from letting you friends and extended family know what I'm up to, this can also be seen as a suggestion: come out and join me on a course! For those of you who run, many of the races on the calendar are with Pacific Coast Trail Runners, whose "races" are non-competitive and held in some of the greatest spots around central California. Most of their events have a range of distances, my calendar only lists the one I've signed up for so if those aren't your speed, follow the links to learn more and get the full list of course options for each event. For those who tri or want to, I plan to add more Sprints to my roster for the fall, a great way to get into the sport or take a breather from longer races.

On the calendar for October is PCTR's 24-hour race in San Francisco. Unlike last year, I plan to keep all body parts functioning optimally so that I can actually run the whole thing this year! I'll be shooting for 100k...did I just say that out loud....? To all friends who live in or around the Bay Area (or friends visiting from afar), if any of you would be up for coming out and doing a few laps (or more) with me, I would be most grateful for the company and the pacing!