Chasing Hamburgers

Les and I went riding this morning.  Las Llajas, of course.  The trail is perfect right now, the little rain we got a couple weeks ago has knocked all the dust off, but it's not muddy yet.

This morning I decided to push on up to what we call "Sunshine Mountain."  This is 5.7 miles from our house and pretty much all uphill.  I haven't ridden that far since before the marathon, so I didn't know how I would do.  Well, I got fourth woman overall on the segment called "Oil Wells Climb."  This is 1.2 miles with an average grade of 10.4%, some parts are close to 20%.  I watched my heart rate climb and climb, finally maxing out at 169 BPM.  It took me 24 minutes and 17 seconds to ride that segment!  A 24 minute mile while running is crawling, but doing this on the bike is killer!

After catching our breath, we headed back down.  The fun part!  About a third of a mile from the top, Les slowed.  "There's a momma cow and her calf."  They were just ahead of us on the trail, running for all they were worth to get out of our way!  They finally took a short cut that led back to the ranch, while we headed for home.  You just never know what you're gonna see on Las Llajas!

Not "our" cow, but this is what she looked like.

Total ride:  11.4 miles in 1:33:22, 7.3 mph average.
1,638 feet of climbing
Average HR 137
Max HR 169
Calories burned 690

Have you ever seen anything crazy while out running, riding, or walking?

Hiking the Mist Trail

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend.  Lots of eating, lots of fun and laughter with family, and a major hike. Yosemite National Park is practically in Fresno's backyard.  Just a short 60 miles gets you to the park entrance and another 35 miles takes you to the valley floor.

Les and I have made many trips to Yosemite in the past 22 years.  He proposed to me there on November 3, 1990 and we've been going back ever since.  When Les proposed, we hiked the Mist Trail to Vernal Fall.  This time we continued another two miles to Nevada Fall.  3.5 miles, with 2,000 feet of elevation gain!

The hike is described this way:

Medium, but bordering strenuous if you go all the way to the top of Nevada Fall. The stretches beside Vernal and Nevada Falls are both quite steep - in fact, the last few hundred meters up the Vernal Falls trail are stairs cut into the cliffside.

Those stairs in the cliff are killer!  Many were so steep, my hand was touching the ground as my knee was bent.  But the views from the top make it worthwhile!

Both of our Garmins had trouble tracking with the tall cliffs, and mine died completely on the way down, so I don't have complete data.  I did see my heart rate hit 162 as we were climbing the final steps to the top.

At Nevada Fall the trail continues on up another four miles to Half Dome.  The cables are down for the winter, so even if we'd been prepared, we couldn't have gone.

We made our way down, via the Muir Trail.  It was four miles, as opposed to 3.5, which made it just a little more gentle.

I had very little soreness on Saturday and none on Sunday.  I guess running hills has helped!

Turkey Trot 2012

I was going to sign up for a Turkey Trot that is taking place tomorrow.  A few weeks ago, when my Dad's health was so bad, I didn't know what we would be doing or where we would be on Thanksgiving, so I never signed up.  He's currently back in Fresno and I'll get to see him this week. I don't have a race scheduled, so I did a Turkey Trot of my own this morning!

I couldn't have picked a more beautiful morning - 49 degrees, not a cloud in the sky and no wind.  I didn't have a time or distance goal, I just wanted to see how I would do.  I didn't feel great, but I ended up running six miles!  I can tell I'm still not completely recovered from the marathon (11 days ago) but I'm starting to feel a little more pep in my legs.

I had a great ride on my mountain bike yesterday - even set a new PR on Marr Ranch Blacktop, taking second place overall of women!  I shaved 3 seconds off my best time.  First place is safe for now - I'm 15 seconds behind her.

Tomorrow will be a rest day, then we're planning to go hiking in Yosemite on Friday.  What about you - any Turkey Trot plans?

Murphy's Law for Runners

After a very rainy Saturday, I was ready to run this morning.  It was a little misty when I left, but not too bad.  I thought I'd do 5-6 miles.  My legs weren't great, but they felt good.  The mist felt wonderful, the air was clean.

About 1 1/2 miles from home all of that changed.  It started pouring!  Water was dripping down my face.  Murphy's Law for Runners says this:

The rain will start to fall 5 minutes into your run, and stop about 5 minutes before you finish.

I'd like to add a little:

The farther you are from home, the harder the rain will fall.

Like the typical Southern California wimp that I am, I cut my run short.  Still got in 3 miles, but I can run another day.  Getting rained out here is rare, so I don't have to run it in unless I want to.  Today I didn't want to!

Marathon Recovery Report

I had a really great recovery week.  It's surprising to me that I was able to ride my mountain bike up steep climbs, but could barely run at all.  At least I'm getting my heart rate up!  We have a friend who hikes a lot, he told Les he didn't think he could get a good workout on a bike... until Les took him riding!  As soon as the road turns up, cycling gives a great workout.  Of course the downhills are fun, too!  There's no coasting during a marathon.

Sunday: Rest
Result:  Rested

Monday:  Rest
Result:  Rested

Tuesday:  Rest
Result:  Walked 2.01 miles in 35:47
Moving slowly, but still moving
Ave HR 96

Wednesday:  2 miles easy
Result:  Rode 6.81 miles in 47:37, 8.6 mph
Ave HR 128

Thursday:  Cross train
Result:  Walked/Ran 3.05 miles in 43:57
Walking was okay, running was still a bit painful
Ave HR 111

Friday:  2 to 3 miles easy
Result:  Rode 9.36 miles in 1:08:31, 8.2 mph
Ave HR 129

Saturday:  Run easy, no more than an hour
Result:  Rested.  It's raining steadily here and I have no reason to push myself out the door!  Yay for a Saturday off!

As you can see, right now I can get my heart rate up higher on the bike than running.  As my legs continue to recover, I know I'll be able to get a higher HR running as well.  My plans for now are to continue doing both.  I haven't signed up for my next marathon, but I'm pretty sure there will be at least one in 2013.

Total for the week:
Running:  5.06
Cycling:  16.17
Total:  21.23

Setting a PR

Les and I rode our mountain bikes again this morning.  Our trail is tough, I get a good workout every time.  This morning we had a time constraint, so we only went 4.6 miles before turning around. 

There are several Strava segments on this ride, the final one is called Marr Ranch Blacktop. This is a quick stinger - blacktop after riding on the dirt.  When I first uploaded some older data, I was 5th overall of women.  A few weeks ago I moved up to 3rd overall at 58 seconds.  Today I did it in 57 seconds.  A new PR!  I am only one second away from 2nd place overall.

I was really surprised because my legs still felt pretty dead after last week's marathon.  Les said I was sandbagging the rest of the ride. It was great riding today knowing I don't have a long run in the morning.  I think I'm going to enjoy spontaneous running and riding for the rest of the year.  We're suppose to get rain, so I just might sleep in on a Saturday for the first time in 2012!!

Marr Ranch Blacktop is just before the 8 mile mark

Total stats for the ride:

9.4 miles in 1:08:31, 8.2 mph.  1,022 feet of elevation gain.

Ave HR 129
Max HR 161 (this was on Marr Ranch Blacktop)
Calories burned 520

Coming Back for More

I love this quote by Dathan Ritzenhein:

The marathon has so many elements to prepare for. I think that is one reason I always want to come back for more. There is always something to change in your preparation and I am still trying to discover what I am capable of.  I guess I just love the challenge.

Dathan is the American 5K record holder.  His half marathon time is 60 minutes and his full is 2 hours and 10 minutes.

I really didn't know how I would feel about running a marathon.  But after running two, this quote just sums it up.  There is always something to change and I'm actually amazed at what I am capable of.  No, I haven't run a sub 4 hour marathon, but I have finished and learned a lot along the way.  I don't have another race planned yet, but I feel sure there are more marathons in my future.

My recovery is going well.  I took Sunday and Monday off, walked on Tuesday, rode my bike yesterday and finally tried a little running today.  I use the word "running" quite loosely, since I did a combination of walking and really slow jogging, also known as wogging.  I have a little soreness, but it's only noticeable when I try to run.