This Heat is Depressing

There have been a few distractions keeping me from my blog writing duties. First things first...

Miss Ava Nicole arrived on the planet about 2 weeks ago. :-)

She is my step granddaughter and is the most beautiful baby ever. She's a good sleeper and we all enjoy holding her. She visits us often. :-) I've skipped at least one run just because I was holding her. :-)

I also spent one week (the same week Ava was born) playing host to about 40 polar librarians. Here we are at a tour of the National Ice Core Lab.

That was a big distraction and was also the reason I didn't register to run the Estes Park half marathon this year.

I also tried to start wearing contacts last week and that didn't go well at all. It just made me frustrated and gave me headaches. I was hoping they would be a more comfortable alternative to wearing my glasses when I work out but, with the heat and the fires, this just wasn't a very good time of year to try them out. And speaking of...

The heat has been ridiculous. We've had record setting temperatures. For some reason, I am unable to cope with it these days. I had a headache for a full week as I tried to acclimate. We had one day at work without air conditioning. That didn't help at all. I had a bit of a melt down, feeling sorry for myself because I felt crappy for a full week. I thought about giving up on this running season until it cooled off. But then I got some uplifting advice and good suggestions from the running club and decided I should just relax a bit.

My knee is also still in recovery mode but feels pretty good at slow, short, easy distances. But, I've still been very inconsistent. I went to physical therapy on the Monday after the conference. I have 3 exercises and 1 stretch that I am supposed to be doing once a week for 3-4 weeks. I have a follow up appointment to keep me honest. It has been hard to keep up with it but I've got about 2 weeks before the next appointment so I'd better get going.

I'm trying to start up at boot camp again. I now have a membership to the YMCA and will attend the 9am MWF boot camp in Boulder. I've also run a couple of times at the Arvada Y. I think that will help with my weak glute muscles the PT says I have. And I got registered for the FitLinxx which is a computer program that records which fitness machines you use, your reps, how much you lift, and all sorts of stuff. That should keep me honest too.

I'm still registered for the Georgetown to Idaho Springs half but I'm not super focused on it right now. I really just want to get consistent and healthy. I'm no longer focused on the 2:30 goal. I am still focused on the Bear Chase trail half though. It's September 30th so I have more time to prepare for that one. But we shall see how things play out.

So, tomorrow I'll be running 4-5 slow miles with the club. And after that, I will celebrate with beer and french fries at the Arvada Beer Company with my love. :-)

First Run of the Summer Season

I met the club and my sister at 7am for the first training run of the season. I'm starting on the beginner plan which called for 2 miles. We did a run/walk combo on and out and back route. It felt good to be out on the road again. My knee started to hurt just a little right at the end of the route. But, I'd brought my bag of frozen peas for my knee and that really helped. We did a little bit of stretching after the run as well and had a cool down walk at the end too. I probably should have stretched more. I need to remember to ice tomorrow too. I've been prescribed two weeks of icing whether I work out or not.

Tuesday we'll be going to track to run laps. Then I need to run one more day this week totaling three training runs for the week. And, I also need to call to make my PT appointment.

Day one in the books.