w/Deb, Sect 1 and 4 on OCSP by twheel22 at Garmin Connect - Details
It was a mixed bag out on the trail today.
Nothing was easy.
It was a gorgeous day.
I struggled the whole way.
We were done before noon.
My knees and arches had enough by mile 7.
We completed all 12 miles.
* * * * * *
It may have actually started yesterday. Jann and I decided to go to a free yoga class at Impel Pilates Studio instead of a 5th day of walking at 6 a.m. This turned out to be a great decision. First of all, I got to stay in bed after Greg's alarm went off. When he had to get up (before me, did I say it was before me?) I was able to sprawl onto his side of the bed with ALL the pillows...for 15 more glorious minutes. After a long leisurely cup of coffee in front of the computer, a load of laundry washed and dried, a shower, and a bowl of oatmeal, I met Jann at the studio. There were 25 people crowded into the small studio for an introductory yoga class. The instructor was elated with the amount of the interest; I hope it continues to be successful for her.
Yoga was wonderful. I learned some tricks that will really help me with my aches and pains caused by the training schedule, poor shoes, and extra weight. The shoes and the weight I will deal with at a later time, but yoga helped NOW. The most surprising part was when, after using one leg stretching and working the muscles, the instructor said,"Line up your hips on the floor and stretch both legs; can you tell which one you have worked?"
I could! It felt 6 inches longer and like a finely tuned ma-chine!
My favorite part was the relaxation period at the end when we were lying on the floor and the instructor said something about finding that one place that wasn't relaxed - that wasn't hard, it is in my lower back and hasn't been relaxed since 1985 - and to breathe into it. She said to exhale away all the tension.
It worked! I felt that spot relax after about 3 breaths. Now, the other side where the piriformis has been kicking it for about 3 years immediately made its presence known:
"Don't be thinking you can make ME go away."
My right piriformis has Little Muscle Syndrome, and it has been loudly making its importance known ever since I decided only hamstrings and quadriceps needed to be stretched.
"Don't THINK I plan to go away quietly in a free yoga class. I. AM. IN. CHARGE. You will pay BIG for me....for BIG ME."
If only I had had a few more minutes, I really think that Little Big Mouth would have had to stuff those words, because I could actually feel SOME of the tension go out of It.
* * * * * * * * * *
Skip ahead past the groceries and more blah blah laundry. I decided not to go into work. Hey, I am a teacher and it is summer. Today I was going to be a believer in the School's Out theory. Actually, my boss, bless his heart said, "Don't come in this afternoon."
So, I sat in my backyard where the SUN was shining and talked to my daughter on Skype...for an hour at least. Well, let's say it was enough to be reddish in places when I came inside. Oops. And then Jann called and we took off for Oil Creek State Park.
So now I am ALMOST getting back to the story of today's run....butterflies flit from subject to subject.
Jann and I had a wonderful walk in the Hundred Acre Wood. We did 6 miles of section 1 of the trail where we saw the hiker's overnight shelters, some water falls, the bent nail? bent rail? bridge, and lots of beautiful lush vegetation. We caught up on news, made future plans; it was a delight.
After washing Miller Farm Rd dirt off my car at 9:30 p.m., watering outside plants, showering, finishing my afternoon smoothie, and packing for today's run, I slid back in between the sheets, packed myself in pillows....before Greg got home. I tried to drift right off to sleep, but my eyes were wired open. Sometimes that happens when I exercise too late, or maybe it was all the fruit sugar in the smoothie. Besides, my iPhone kept vibrating with messages from other OCSP-ers as they made THEIR morning plans. (Why weren't these people asleep? Don't they know it is only 5 hours until we get up and do it all again?)
At 5:00 a.m. I left Greg trawling for bed pillows while I got ready for..what? Hiking? Again so soon? Back up to OCSP, section 1 and this time, the task master (Deb) made me run. Okay, so she didn't make me. In fact she took off, and barely looked back, so I could have turned around and gone home....except she had the keys.
It took me a loooooong time to settle in. My pack wasn't right, my water bottle was too big and sloshy and wouldn't stay in the pack, my hat blocked the light and made it too dark, my bandana wasn't comfortable as a headband, the gnats were in my eyes, my feet hurt, and I had NO ENERGY. Eventually, a nice, long downhill run to Wolfkiel Run Pavilion took care of that.
On to section 4.
Section 4 has two back-to-back hills that take you "further up and further in" the Hundred Acre Wood. I wasn't into up or in by that time. But I continued on after Deb waved goodbye and started running. Yes, I ran, but not as much as she did, and hardly ever UP the hill. I stopped to take on energy from waterfalls, mountain laurel, the pine bed under my feet, a hit of Gu, and gallons of water. Well, water after Gu FEELS like gallons when I have to haul it around my mid-section, UP the hills.
I didn't hit my stride until the final downhill where I ran as flat out as wobbly knees and stinging arches can run downhill. By the time I turned onto the pavement (ouch, ooo, ow, owie) and could see the car I was D.O.N.E.
And so, I see, is this entry!
It was a mixed bag out on the trail today.
Nothing was easy.
It was a gorgeous day.
I struggled the whole way.
We were done before noon.
My knees and arches had enough by mile 7.
We completed all 12 miles.
* * * * * *
It may have actually started yesterday. Jann and I decided to go to a free yoga class at Impel Pilates Studio instead of a 5th day of walking at 6 a.m. This turned out to be a great decision. First of all, I got to stay in bed after Greg's alarm went off. When he had to get up (before me, did I say it was before me?) I was able to sprawl onto his side of the bed with ALL the pillows...for 15 more glorious minutes. After a long leisurely cup of coffee in front of the computer, a load of laundry washed and dried, a shower, and a bowl of oatmeal, I met Jann at the studio. There were 25 people crowded into the small studio for an introductory yoga class. The instructor was elated with the amount of the interest; I hope it continues to be successful for her.
Yoga was wonderful. I learned some tricks that will really help me with my aches and pains caused by the training schedule, poor shoes, and extra weight. The shoes and the weight I will deal with at a later time, but yoga helped NOW. The most surprising part was when, after using one leg stretching and working the muscles, the instructor said,"Line up your hips on the floor and stretch both legs; can you tell which one you have worked?"
I could! It felt 6 inches longer and like a finely tuned ma-chine!
My favorite part was the relaxation period at the end when we were lying on the floor and the instructor said something about finding that one place that wasn't relaxed - that wasn't hard, it is in my lower back and hasn't been relaxed since 1985 - and to breathe into it. She said to exhale away all the tension.
It worked! I felt that spot relax after about 3 breaths. Now, the other side where the piriformis has been kicking it for about 3 years immediately made its presence known:
"Don't be thinking you can make ME go away."
My right piriformis has Little Muscle Syndrome, and it has been loudly making its importance known ever since I decided only hamstrings and quadriceps needed to be stretched.
"Don't THINK I plan to go away quietly in a free yoga class. I. AM. IN. CHARGE. You will pay BIG for me....for BIG ME."
If only I had had a few more minutes, I really think that Little Big Mouth would have had to stuff those words, because I could actually feel SOME of the tension go out of It.
* * * * * * * * * *
Skip ahead past the groceries and more blah blah laundry. I decided not to go into work. Hey, I am a teacher and it is summer. Today I was going to be a believer in the School's Out theory. Actually, my boss, bless his heart said, "Don't come in this afternoon."
So, I sat in my backyard where the SUN was shining and talked to my daughter on Skype...for an hour at least. Well, let's say it was enough to be reddish in places when I came inside. Oops. And then Jann called and we took off for Oil Creek State Park.
So now I am ALMOST getting back to the story of today's run....butterflies flit from subject to subject.
Jann and I had a wonderful walk in the Hundred Acre Wood. We did 6 miles of section 1 of the trail where we saw the hiker's overnight shelters, some water falls, the bent nail? bent rail? bridge, and lots of beautiful lush vegetation. We caught up on news, made future plans; it was a delight.
After washing Miller Farm Rd dirt off my car at 9:30 p.m., watering outside plants, showering, finishing my afternoon smoothie, and packing for today's run, I slid back in between the sheets, packed myself in pillows....before Greg got home. I tried to drift right off to sleep, but my eyes were wired open. Sometimes that happens when I exercise too late, or maybe it was all the fruit sugar in the smoothie. Besides, my iPhone kept vibrating with messages from other OCSP-ers as they made THEIR morning plans. (Why weren't these people asleep? Don't they know it is only 5 hours until we get up and do it all again?)
At 5:00 a.m. I left Greg trawling for bed pillows while I got ready for..what? Hiking? Again so soon? Back up to OCSP, section 1 and this time, the task master (Deb) made me run. Okay, so she didn't make me. In fact she took off, and barely looked back, so I could have turned around and gone home....except she had the keys.
It took me a loooooong time to settle in. My pack wasn't right, my water bottle was too big and sloshy and wouldn't stay in the pack, my hat blocked the light and made it too dark, my bandana wasn't comfortable as a headband, the gnats were in my eyes, my feet hurt, and I had NO ENERGY. Eventually, a nice, long downhill run to Wolfkiel Run Pavilion took care of that.
On to section 4.
Section 4 has two back-to-back hills that take you "further up and further in" the Hundred Acre Wood. I wasn't into up or in by that time. But I continued on after Deb waved goodbye and started running. Yes, I ran, but not as much as she did, and hardly ever UP the hill. I stopped to take on energy from waterfalls, mountain laurel, the pine bed under my feet, a hit of Gu, and gallons of water. Well, water after Gu FEELS like gallons when I have to haul it around my mid-section, UP the hills.
I didn't hit my stride until the final downhill where I ran as flat out as wobbly knees and stinging arches can run downhill. By the time I turned onto the pavement (ouch, ooo, ow, owie) and could see the car I was D.O.N.E.
And so, I see, is this entry!
