Week 9: Miserable. I moved into my apartment and I was all excited to start training alone, only to find out the previous owner had a dog and I was then the new lucky recipient of fleas that had infested the apt. I am not kidding when I say that flea bites are the worst thing I've ever experienced. They itch 10x worse than any mosquito bite, and then they pus open and mix pain with itching. I get chills just typing it. Here's the best part for a runner - they attack your feet and ankles. This particular week in Olney as well there were excessive heat advisories. Needless to say this week was blur that I barely remember. I did my 10 mile run on a treadmill inside my apartment because I didn't want any fleas outside to get me and I didn't want to die from heat exhaustion. Anyone that knows me, knows I don't do treadmills unless I have to. 10 miles is brutal on a treadmill, in a flea infested apartment.
Week 10: Having a difficult time with my weekly runs. I either would start them too late and it would be ridiculously dark, and mosquito ridden. I was also having a heck of a time trying to find running routes down here. How I miss the trails. Also, virtually no one runs down here and it makes it challenging when you ask people for good routes. I was running outside my apartment in the middle of nowhere on country roads, surrounded by cornfields, but I was unsure if this was safe. Farm dogs were running after me, and cars would zoom past me. For a girl that doesn't run with her phone, even I was getting a little worried. (Not sure if I would even have service anyway...) Another challenge, I also would be in my office all day and now I know how people have a difficult time fitting running into their lives. When I was "fun-employed" I devoted my time to training. Now I have a bigger task at hand - my job, which I am so thankful for. Running definitely gets pushed aside at times. For a girl that was so adamant about sticking to the training schedule, I got very lax. My groin injury was also flaring up at this point - this time with a vengeance. Before the pain was a dull pain, this time around it was a sharp, shooting pain. [Read more later.]
 |
| Right outside my apartment. You just keep your fingers crossed nothing happens to you... |
On the docket this week: 18 miles, in Whistler, Canada, for my sister's wedding. Lots of traveling this week, still rid my apartment of fleas. Leaving my job in the middle of the first week of school. All of this = lots of stress. I didn't realize how homesick I was until I got home and had a great night of sleep in my bed at my parents house. The flea situation was wearing on me - I was never getting a good night of sleep knowing I could be bit by a flea at any minute. I also had a meltdown when my mom saw my flea bites and was shocked at how bad they were, I burst out crying because they looked good at this point. I was just glad to be with family and relax to an extent.
 |
| Flea bites - this isn't even the grossest photo. Awful to put running shoes on. |
After plane rides and car rides - we make it to Whistler, Canada. I had to run my 18 miles on the day of Lindsay's wedding. I was annoyed. I thought that was going to be a challenge enough and then on top of it, I had a time constraint. [Kind of like running the 16 miles and knowing I had to jump in the car to move in Olney]. As we were driving to the Four Seasons, I got really excited to run though because I saw bikers, runners, and walkers, everywhere in Whistler. I miss seeing active people - I haven't seen much of that in Olney.
I ask the front desk guy about the trails and he tells me elevation won't be a problem because I'll be at the bottom of the mountain and then as an afterthought he says, "Oh but make sure you watch for black bears." I look at him and say, "You're joking". He clearly isn't. He gives me tactics to use if I see them and sends me on my way. Great. I wake up the next morning bright and early, hit the trails and for the first mile and a half I'm struggling because I'm alone on the trail and I'm convinced I will see a bear. No bears. I do get so, so lost though. I do also misjudge time and think I'm going to be late for my hair appt., cut my run short, get back to the hotel - see a clock, breathe a sigh of relief and go back outside for another hour. 18 mile success, because I was SO distracted (getting lost, freaking out about bears, worrying about time, and finally enjoying the scenery), I don't even remember it, but by FAR the most scenic run I've ever done. I will definitely have to make it back to Whistler, for a run, for skiing, for anything! ;)
 |
| Didn't even care that I was SO lost at this point - breathtaking. |
Week 11: Weekly runs are a struggle again. The groin injury is full force on me again. I'm feeling like I can't cut a break. Fleas are gone in my apt. (fingers crossed), yet the injury is back. Early in the week I still can't find a good running route. Feeling frustrated. I ice my injury and say I'll hit all my other runs the rest of the week. Wrong. Allergies/sinus infection symptoms like mad. Fever of 100.2 the next day. Unreal. Running was out of the picture. Today (Sunday) I decide to attempt my 12 miler. I go out at about 4pm. Pro: I have a good new running route after weeks of trying to find one. Con: I was SO crabby: heat, sinuses, cars not moving over - forcing me into ditches with plants I have no idea if they are going to give me a rash, the sun in my eyes, going through my fuel belt faster than ever, not hitting my mileage. At one point I just yelled out "Oh come on, can't the sun just go down?" to which I burst out laughing because I am in the middle of no where, talking to myself and yelling that sun is still out - stop being such a brat. I'm clearly crabby this week didn't go well training-wise. I would bet my life that I was also suffering some dehydration on this run [running through my fuel belt didn't help this]. I shamefully walked back to my car, and my neighbor was driving and saw me (totally small town) and drove me back to my car. That concludes Week 11. Good ridden.
Now to get excited: I'm coming home for Labor Day, which is the big 20 miler we have scheduled for Saturday and I'll get to run it with my group! My groin is holding out, my job is great - the kids are amazing, the staff is phenomenal. Church allowed me to regroup today - much needed. Ready for Week 12! So anticipating this race.
As I wrote this entry this reminded me of why I'm running for HHH - life can be so up and down. Clearly this is proving to be the case with my training. But you get through, you push yourself, and you try, try again. Never, never, never give up. Thank you for the donations - I really want to amp this up for the rest of training and raise as much $ for this cause. This is what will get me through the last few weeks, clearly I'm in a rut ;)
Lots of love! Missing so many of you!
