The random:
-While running on the trail yesterday I went by a guy fishing in the creek. Without taking the cigarette out of his mouth, he said to me “I wish I could run like that” and then proceeded to tell me “I’m gonna get me a little rascal and go to the Grand Canyon”. Huh??? Note: Barry informed that there is a scooter called a little rascal and some commercial that talks about riding it to the Grand Canyon.
-Also while running on the trail another guy told me “Watch out for ticks, ma’am”. I said “okay!” but thought to myself “10-4. I will keep my eyes peeled.”
-I saw a bear at work today as I was driving through the Jefferson National Forest area. He walked out into the road, stopped and looked at me for about 5 seconds, and then hopped the guard rail and went off into the woods. This is the 4th or 5th time I have encountered a bear while at work. Luckily I have always been in the car.
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| Not the actual bear I saw, but this is what he looked like |
The bad:
-It was 80 degrees outside today
-Today’s track workout. I set out to do 6 x 800 and that’s what I did. About halfway through I fell apart and then was able to regroup a bit for the last two. I did an 800m warm up and cool down, and 400m recovery jogs in between intervals. I ended up doing recovery jogs after intervals 3-6 as 200m walk and then 200m jog. This seemed to help a bit. Here are the splits:
3:55 (too fast) / 4:03 / 4:18 / 4:11 / 4:03 / 4:06
This was my first time ever doing 800m repeats, but it nearly broke me. After number 3 I got my head on straight and tried to redeem myself on the last 3. This workout was tough on me both physically and mentally. I was feeling pretty down on myself afterwards. I guess I have some work to do. Note: I’m not looking for sympathy or anything, just being real with you about how I felt during and after this workout.
-I currently have a blister on the bottom both of my feet, right on the ball of each one. No good.
-My ankles/achilles area on both of my legs are all messed up and have been since my Saturday long run on that trail. I rolled each of my ankles at least 3-4 times during my run, and I think my muscles and tendons are out of whack from that. They are very tight and feel like they are on fire while I run. Stretching them out after running is very painful until they loosen up a bit.
The good:
-Barry was watching The Breakfast Club on TV when I got home. Need I say more :-)
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-I also met this cute 4 month old Beagle puppy at work today named Charlie. He was so sweet!
Have you ever encountered a bear or other wildlife?
Did you have summer weather today?
Who else loves The Breakfast Club (and Sixteen Candles and Weird Science)??
I love the ‘Brat Pack’ and I think John Hughes was a genius.
Turkey Runner 
Snakes. Always snakes on the trails I ride on. Occasionally a deer or fox but thankfully never a bear. Weather was 85 an 40% humidity today in DC. What I call San Diego weather. Breakfast Club and St Elmo’s Fire.LUD.
I remember coming across many snakes while riding with you. You must be a magnet for them.
Oh, why hello there, Charlie! Aren’t you a cutie?Don’t feel too bad about the 800s. This was like, your third time at the track, right? No need to feel bad about yourself. Just look at it as room for lots of improvement.The first encounter I ever had with a bear was in Virginia! I was camping at Shenendoah. Then I saw quite a few bears in Colorado. It is always fun to see them, as long as I know I am far away and there are no cubs around (but the cubs are so cute!).
Haha how funny that it was in VA (where I live). I think we have a lot of black bears in the state. We didn’t see any bears in Colorado when I went hiking with my cousins, but we did come across a rattlesnake. We went the other way 🙂
I have summer weather all.the.freakin’.time. But of course, you’re probably tired of me announcing that all.the.freakin’.time.I grew up in rural New Jersey, and we had bears in our backyard…with frequency. In fact, at school, we had “bear drills”, where we learned what to do if a bear approached while we were waiting at the bus stop! [Put down your lunch, make a lot of noise, don’t look it in the eye, back away slowly.]Don’t feel too badly about the 800s. It was a hot day, and the track can be brutal in the heat. Plus, you’re still getting a feel for the right pace. Obviously the first one was too fast. Just like with your 400s, you’ll start to settle into some more even pacing, and find the right balance between hard effort and completion. So don’t beat yourself up. That workout definitely did you some good (both physically – and mentally!). So chill. And..umm…stretch and roll your ankles/calves, PLEASE???!!??!
Not at all 🙂 Announce all you want!Too funny (but…not?) that you had “bear drills” in school! It’d be something to encounter them up close, since you can’t outrun them or climb a tree. I am doing lots of stretching and foal rolling tonight! Promise!
Oh my goodness, I would freak if I saw a bear!! I wouldn’t beat yourself up about the 800’s. First off, track workouts always suck in my opinion. Secondly, I think your times are really good, especially since the last few were faster! It was hot here the last couple of days, too. I left for my run at 7:45 so it wasn’t too bad.
I thought it was kind of neat, but there was that split second when he looked at me where I was worried he was going to come straight at me. Thanks for the consolation about my track workout. Honestly, I was okay with the times. McMillan says I should be between 4:02 and 4:12 for 800 repeats based on my recent 10K time and I was within that except for the two that were above/below that range. I was just mentally down after it because it was tough.
That’s pretty scary to encounter a bear while out and about! I’ve never seen one of those, and the only wildlife I’ve seen recently are geese and turtles. I hope your feet feel better soon!
Thank you!
I am so jealous that you’ve seen four bears. Were you on the Blue Ridge Parkway? A few years ago I got to the wellness center right as everyone was all excited because a baby bear had just run by the window! It made the newspaper and everything! I was so bummed because I missed it by about two minutes.That little beagle looks just like Mighty Dog! My dad got him while I was in college. He was such a sweet little guy.
I was on Highway 21 between Speedwell and Elk Creek. The other times I’ve seen bears I have been over in Tazewell County (A mama with 2 cubs, so cute but sooo dangerous!) or in Grayson County headed down to the Mouth of Wilson/Grayson Highlands area.
LOVE the Breakfast Club! I think I still have my VHS tape of it, ha. Bummer about your blisters and ankles! I hope they feel better soon! Blisters are so horrible. I usually get them bad when the weather heats up since my feet sweat more. Try some vaseline or body glide on them! I’ve done that during intervals before. Just like have an absolute struggle fest and then have to just pick myself back up and try to finish strong. It gets easier!!!!!!
The Breakfast Club was one of the first DVD’s I got when I got my first DVD player.I’m happy to report my blisters are healing up (or at least getting tough enough that they won’t tear) as of today!
I see prairie dogs, birds, and people with their dogs. I think one time I saw a tarantula but I looked away and ran faster so I didn’t have to let that thought sink in.My goodness… I think it would be incredible to see a bear like that. Scary, but I’d be awestruck. There are certain animals that truly impress me with their beauty, size and/or strength. Bears are on the list!