As for working out, I’ve been doing that a lot. In fact I have a confession. Sorry, runners – I’ve gone over the to dark side. No, not triathlon training – remember what I said about about the sensitive wallet – no, I’ve started crossfit. Yes, I’m drinking the Koolaid. Tastes pretty good too. It all began because of that pesky stress fracture in my foot (which still nags occasionally). I needed to do SOMETHING, and clearly, as my “scars on every limb” body will tell you, cycling is not for me.

I started working out with Beaverton Crossfit. Now I get to reach puke threshold EVERY DAY, instead of just during races. Isn’t that AWESOME? I really like it – it combines my love of intensity with finally teaching me how to do a freaking pull-up (not there yet, but SOON!).

I haven’t given up on running completely – in fact, Matt and I just ran a race on Wednesday. Let’s see, in the past 10 weeks I have run approximately 3 times for a grand total of 13 miles. So I decided I would run a 10k. You know, just for funsies. It was ugly, as I’m sure you can imagine, but I did it. This is part of the forest park trail series, so I’ve got something like 5 more races coming up in the next two weeks. My plan for now is to stick to crossfit 4 days a week, and run twice. We’ll see how that goes.

My running lately has been nonexistent due to the above-mentioned injuries, but I was a good patient and did not push it. Thus, I am now fully healed and getting back into things. Somehow I managed to not gain 10 lbs (after running 30-40 miles per week, this was a SERIOUS eating adjustment).

My first real run  (over two miles) was yesterday. I ran along the Wildwood Trail in beautiful Forest Park. This trail is a runner’s paradise. 30 miles ONE WAY along an almost completely flat, winding, barefoot friendly forest hillside. LOVE. There are plenty of steep side trails for hill training, but this was just what I needed to get started again. I did 5 miles. Felt pretty good – a little rusty and DEFINITELY slow – and I can’t wait to do more!

Wildwood Trail

I think 5 miles was a good place to start, as I’m “training” for the Forest Park Trail Series – a series of five races between 5 and 8 miles. I signed up for the whole series, and each race is limited to 100 people. I’m just coming off of this injury, so I’m not going to push it. Still, hopefully I won’t come in last!

Happy running

However, I do plan on the North Fork 50k as my last Colorado trail running hurrah.  If my 15 mile run in the Vibrams yesterday is any indication, I’ll at least be able to complete the distance!  Now to plan for hot and/or cold weather conditions.  Happy running!

You will note there is no mention of running…and I’m supposed to run Bighorn in a few weeks? Hmm, seems like a bad plan as my last double digit run was the horsetooth half LAST MONTH.

The good news: everything worked out. I got a job (wheee!!!) in Portland and the travel is done for a while (until the move, anyway!). So now I have more time to get back to reality and running! I’ve updated my training plan to try to accomodate the OTHER 50k I signed up for this summer (North Fork on July 16th). If I don’t miss a single long run between now and then, I think I can complete the distance successfully. I could probably run Bighorn in a couple weeks and finish (maybe?) but that’s a long way to drive to probably injure myself and not have a good time. I’m going to take it one day at a time, and if that weekend pops up and I’m feeling great, hey I may make it into a glorified training run and just spend some time in beautiful Wyoming. If not, no biggie. 

In a mysterious fit of race entering, I signed up for the Horsetooth Half (a hilly road 1/2 marathon – why?!). It’s in two weeks. I figured I should probably check out the course. It’s so funny to look back on my running history and think that my first big race was a half marathon that I took MONTHS to prepare for – now I can run 13 miles “for funsies” whenever I want. I love that.

So, I woke up early-ish on Saturday and rode my bike out to Maxwell Trailhead (7 miles?). There was actually some big bike-related event happening in the parking lot, and I felt a little silly riding my old converted mountain bike – which was then translated to awesome as I changed into my running clothes and ran off.

The hills on the course are a little intense – there are three good grunters which I hope to actually run during the race (I’ve done it once before in training) but I’m debating about how this will impact me in the later miles. I may revert to my “hike if you can hike it faster than you can run it” plan. It was a beautiful day, and I tried to enjoy myself in spite of the relentless pounding. I spent so much time on the bike path training for the marathon last year that I wasn’t particularly excited to be on it again, but hey – maybe familiarity will help me during the race.  I did the 13.1 in two hours and 25 minutes, which I was pretty happy with considering the level of derping that was going on. My 1/2 PR is 2:07 – and while I don’t have high hopes of PRing on this course it would be nice to get close.

Which means…back to running. I’m feeling rested now and am ready to ramp up my training for Bighorn. I feel like I’ve built a really good base these last few months and I’m ready to rock it. I surprised myself by actually going to yoga yesterday (after another bike ride with Matt), and it was really good – she happened to focus on hips so I was happy. I think I will really need to make an effort to do yoga regularly during this training cycle to keep things loose.

I also need to get my nutrition back under control and keep eating things that are good for me (it doesn’t help that it’s the end of the semester and it seems like everyone and their brother is having a going away party at work). Eye on the prize, Joselyne – and away from the cake!

Happy running

This is all leading up to something I promise

In my work lately I’ve been doing a lot of workshops on mindfulness. What is mindfulness? Well technically it is a detached awareness that allows us to really be in the present moment without life distractions getting in the way. The idea is to take a few deep, calming breaths and just focus on what you’re doing right now. I’ve washed dishes mindfully. Focus on the texture of the plates, the slippery feel of the soap, the warmth of the water. Feel the ground beneath your feet and the feeling of your toes in your shoes.

But my favorite place to practice mindfulness is on the run. Put your Garmin down for a moment, stop the iPod, forget about your pace, your nutrition strategy and whether or not you feel good or strong. Just be. Don’t think about work, or your family, or your stupid car battery that died this week. Think about how the ground feels beneath your feet. Feel the wind brush your skin, hear your breath. Look at your surroundings – don’t just rush by them.

My favorite runs are like this – I think it’s time I reminded myself of that

PS it’s a good thing I’m moving to Portland. I can re-join America’s hippie nation.

Well, Matt and I got back on Sunday from the 24 hours of Moab running relay. I was on an “extreme team” with fellow FCTR members Alex, Mindy, Brian, and Rob. Our competition was another even more extreme FCTR team made up of Celeste, Cat, and Lindsay. Not only did they beat us, but they each ran much farther than members of our team. Go wolfpack, you gals were awesome.

On to the details. I am fresh out of vacation days at work, so Matt and I opted to drive the 7ish hours to Moab after work on Friday. Ugh. We have crossed the pass several times over the last couple of years, and have NEVER had normal weather. This time we got re-routed through leadville on the way out (and almost called it quits during a blizzard in Glenwood Canyon), then on the way back were pummeled with snow, rain and traffic. We made it into Moab around 11:30 and set up the tent (in the dark, in typical Sulzner family tradition – thanks dad. I actually think my tent setting-up skills are better in the dark now). It was freezing. I mean low 20′s, shiver your parts off freezing. I did not sleep. Not good prep for a 24 hour race…

Got up bright and early for the race start. It was so dang cold that I made the decision to get dressed in my sleeping bag. I was insistent – none of my bare skin would feel the cruel bite of the cold desert air, so I contorted myself in all manner of positions trying to dress. I did it! It may have taken me three or four times as long, and I may have been just as cold once dressed, but hey. Crawled out of the tent and headed for the start line and sort of listened to the pre-race instructions (this would become key later). Alex had first leg and I had second, so I headed back to camp to get ready.

Alex was back in about 3.5 seconds (this is what it felt like) and it was my turn to head out. “Follow the yellow flags” was what I understood from the pre-race meeting. Ok, I see flags, here I go. Absolutely beautiful course through gorgeous red rock formations and canyons. I was enjoying the scenery so much I didn’t really notice for a few miles that there was no one else around. Hmm, I know this isn’t a huge race, but I should be seeing SOMEONE…and nope. Finally, about 2.7 miles in I saw Celeste coming from the other direction. “Oh crap, I think I ran the wrong way!”  Apparently it was a loop course and you’re supposed to switch directions each lap. Oops! Doesn’t really matter as it’s the same course, just run in different directions. Still, I felt like a bonehead.

Lean from the ankles!

I came in at 56:46 for the first lap, which I was happy with. I felt a little like the weakest link on this team (due only to my own poor self-esteem, not at all because of the other teammates who were awesome), so as long as I could keep it near an hour I was happy.

Mindy and I huddle for warmth

This trip as a whole was amazing – so much fun to hang out with the FCTR group and get in some awesome trail running on a great course. The only drawback was the temperature. It was freezing almost the entire time. I was walking around with 3 shirts, a down jacket and a rain shell (and a blanket) and I was still a little cold. This became a problem around noon with the return of the chronic over-dresser (that’s me, in case you didn’t know). I went out on my noon lap with 3 shirts and fleece pants on. Then, the sun came out. Okaaaay, now it’s 20 degrees warmer and I NEED TO TAKE OFF ALL MY CLOTHES OMG. So I stopped for a minute or two to disrobe and ran it in for 58:24.

All these layers were necessary, I swear

The best part of this race was our camp setup. Matt and I bought this EZ up tent for his 12 hour race last April, and it came in handy on this trip! We closed the sides and had our own little FCTR homebase pavillion. There may have been dirt everywhere, half eaten bags of food, and the pleasant odor of eau de locker room, but for us it was home.

Tent sweet tent

It was amazing how fast the time between laps went. I had about 3.5 hours between laps, which seems like a really long time unless it’s 28 degrees and you’re dreading taking off all your clothes to go run again…in the snow…yes we had some flurries.  My last daylight lap was lovely but a little slower – 61 minutes.  I tried not to feel bad as the 75 year old solo runners passed me…

Matt came back from his epic bike ride, and must have had a few too many beers because he agreed to pace me for my fourth lap. We were also fortunate enough to be allowed our pace dog, Japhy, as dogs were allowed on the course. So much fun – this was my most fun lap – running through the rocks with Matt and Japhy in the dark. Most people lose a lot of time when it gets dark, but we were only 5 minutes behind for 66 minutes.

Japhy the pace dog

It was now 10:30 and I didn’t run again until 2:30. What to do? Welp, I sat in the car with Japhy to stay warm, had a beer and took a nap! Unfortunately, my nap went a little over and I missed the handoff (sorry, Alex!) Luckily I was dressed and ready to go when he tapped on my car window. What the? Huh? Oh crap – yeah, I’m awake, here, let me just get my shoes on…and off I went about 20 seconds after waking up. I may have been asleep for the first mile of the run, but the adrenaline helped a lot.  I was actually feeling really good and cruising along right on pace. As I reached the summit, I did have the interesting auditory experience of a coyote kill. I heard a bunch of rustling off to the side, a loud “WHUMP!” the high pitched (but shortlived) shriek of the dying prey animal, and triumphant howls of the coyote (soon followed by several other nearby howls to form their very own coyote howling chorus). I know coyotes aren’t really dangerous, but it was still sort of eerie. Then I hit the slickrock on the downhill and…got lost. They had glowsticks spaced pretty well through most of the course until that one section, and I stood there and had no idea where I was. I could see lights in the distance from other people’s head lamps, but I knew they could be from the other side of the loop, and to follow them would be to risk death like Frodo and Sam with the swamp monster lights in Lord of the Rings. That might be a little dramatic, but at 3am in the dark in the middle of the desert, anything is possible. I wandered around cursing for about 5 minutes, then headed back up to the last glowstick I saw – and found another runner to follow. This lap was 73 minutes. 

I came back to camp at 3:50 ish and wandered around in a daze not really knowing what to do with myself. Everyone else was sleeping or running, and I knew I probably needed some food. I wandered over to the aid station tent, and the angels there were making grilled cheese sandwiches. Manna from heaven! I grabbed a couple and headed back to the car. I opened up a beer and ate my sammies to the warmth of the Jeep heater. Bliss!! I will tell you what, a grilled cheese sandwich and a beer at 4am on two hours of sleep in 48 is nothing to scoff at. Then I fell asleep, finally (for about 2 hours).

Woke up about 6:30 and headed to the start line for results and prizes. I did 27.5 miles myself, and our team had a total of 128.88 miles. Our team came in 4th, (wolfpack came in 3rd). To be fair, we were racing against the most extreme team possible headed by Anita Ortiz…

Overall an amazing trip spent with amazing people. I may have to come back next year from Portland!

Lecture aside, I think I have reached this point in my own training. On Thursday I figured I hadn’t had enough pain for the week, so I did a double header of Pineridge meeting the group on the second lap (sloooooowing down 6 miles into my run) to wind up with ~10 total for the night. Follow that up with corned beef, cabbage and oatmeal cookies and I was a happy runner.

Saturday was the inaugural March Madness Mayhem run (or something like that) and I headed out with a bunch of other like minded (read:crazy) folks for a 21-23 (depending on who you talk to) circumnavigation of the reservoir. I was debating whether to run with the group or continue my recent derpage on long runs. Luckily Mindy, Chris and Lindsay refused to let me hang back:

Me: Oh, just go on without me, I’m studying for the psychology licensure exam and I’m just slow”

Mindy: (in an eerily cheerful voice) oh, I’ll just walk with you then for a sec!  (starts running, forcing me to “vanity fartlek” along…)

Me: You guys don’t need to wait for me!

Cat: No worries! It’s a social run!

Me: I think I’m going to take it easy on this hill

Chris: This is my longest run ever by 12 miles, you can do it!

So, with a combination of public shaming and camaraderie, I went on to totally annihilate my Moab 19 mile time by 32 minutes. Okaaay, I guess pushing myself *might* have something to do with performance…

22ish miles for the day with a great after party including steak, dog related wine accidents and great friends.  Matt and I are happy to be moving to Portland in August for some new opportunities, but we will be sad to say goodbye to our trail running friends At least we don’t have to leave for a while – next up this weekend is the 24 hours of Moab!

Case in point: my run of Sharin O’ the Green this morning. I could vent about my usual gripes (and some unusual ones) about this race – namely that I stood in line to get my race bib for half an hour. So much for my warm up. That and the usual at family friendly events: moms on crutches pushing strollers lined up in front, etc.  But I won’t vent. The fact that I didn’t PR today is my fault alone. Lack of any speed work for the past, oh, two years may have something to do with it.  That or the 1/2 bottle of wine I drank last night. Either one.

Whatever, I got 25:30, which is 1.5 minutes off my PR. At least I got to break out the Vibrams again, I’ve been missing them. And it’s a place to start for one of my racing goals for 2011: break 23 minutes in a 5k. There, I’ve put it out there. Yikes.

My expert’s name is Josh (sorry Josh, if you ever read this, about the whining that is about to ensue). On our first visit, Josh takes on this, “oh, you run distance, you’ll be fine” attitude. I start to worry. No Josh, you do not understand. I have the arms of a T-Rex, soggy oatmeal for a core, and the only reason my legs have any strength at all is because I force them into a repetitive plodding motion for excessive distance. You want me to do 300 crunches? Oh, it’s gonna be a long night buddy.

We worked out for an hour. By we, I mean he suavely and gracefully demonstrated the convoluted body weight exercises he wanted me to imitate, and I gamely flailed along, grunting and sweating. He would start out with this hopeful expression, “Ok Joselyne, we’re going to do three sets of 12″  soon followed by, “ok, three sets of ten” and “okay just make it through this set” finally to a pleading, “one more?”

I have been so incredibly sore all day, I cannot tell you. I did not know there were that many muscles even in my body. I went for the group run, but was so pathetic that I never even caught up to them (I started early and did two laps, hoping to catch them on lap two).

Hopefully I will improve. That or Josh will crush me with the weight of his expectations. There are worse ways to go, I guess.