Bella's bum leg--Round 2

Earlier this year, you may remember hearing about Bella and her trouble with her rear left leg. Bella had a bit of a limp, but after a number of vet appointments, a few x-rays, and surgery prep, we determined (with the orthopedic specialist's help) a conservative approach would be best. Fast forward four months, and Bella was up to two thirty-minute walks a day and cleared to add more normal activity back into her day. That was back in August.

Since then, Bella has played with her friends, chased a few tennis balls, and gone back to a relatively normal life. Until Tuesday, that is. On Tuesday, Bella was chasing the cat, and I heard a yelp. She then wandered into the computer room and sat down. It was clear her right leg was bothering her. She wouldn't put it down.

Fast forward a few days, and even with pain medication she will not put her right leg down. We have a vet appointment with the orthopedic specialist Monday, and I can't wait to get some professional feedback on what is wrong (Google is NOT a great vet) and hopefully get a plan in place to set her up for recovery. Bella needs to get back to being a happy and playful puppy!

(See that right leg and how she is sticking it out to the side? That's one of the common symptoms of an ACL injury. Yikes!)

Running a half, the second time around

There will be no pictures in this post, which I know makes for a less appealing read. Shawn didn't take any pictures, and the ones that were taken by the photographers were not particularly attractive, so not worth the $19.95 in my book. Aside from the pictures, here is the story of my recent half marathon:

Last Sunday, I completed my second half-marathon. I participated in a similar event last year, which I believe followed the same course. I have been training for the half marathon for the past few months, and except for a bit of travel and a bout of illness, I was pretty consistent in my methods. Mondays were mid-distance runs, Tuesdays were sprints or hills, Thursday was some version of yoga or stretching and Fridays were my long-distance runs. I enjoyed the training....most of the time. Sometimes, I wanted to sleep in, or take a cycling class. Overall, however, I think it paid off.

On Sunday, I was up at 6:15 a.m. getting ready to go. By 7:30 a.m., I was at the race start. It was supposed to be a clear day, without much wind. There still wasn't a ton of sun at 7:30 a.m., but I had my running sunglasses on just in case. I started out around the 8:30 pace group, although I never did find the pacer. I didn't wear a watch, and no one provided splits, but I had a goal time of about an 8:30/mile pace. Last year, I ran the race in 1:55, which was just more than an 8:50 pace. Without information on timing to spur me on, I tried to just pace myself and keep moving. I was strong until about mile six, and by mile nine I really had to start using the mantra of "just keep moving." The last few miles were the toughest. The course had a lot of hills, with some major ones coming up at the end of every mile, and the end of the course. I wish I could say that when I hit mile 12, I had a surge of energy, but no. I was dead tired, but just kept moving and eventually the finish was in sight. I did pick it up for the last 200 yards or so, but that was only because I could only see half the race clock and wanted to be as fast as I could (especially, I told myself, if this was the last half marathon I ever do--I frequently told myself it might be my last during the race).

The race clock said 1:52 or so when I went through. When the results were posted, my chip time was 1:51:27, which gave me an 8:30 pace. Success! I was so excited to have met my goal. I felt much better this time around than when I completed the half marathon last year, and I even had energy throughout the day after the race, although my quads were quite sore from all the hills.

I don't know if I will do another half marathon. I think I preferred the sprint triathlon. No matter what event I decide to train for next though, I am enjoying the downtime right now. I went for a run today, and I didn't wear a heart rate monitor, GPS, or even a watch. I just ran until I reached a point I wanted to turn around, enjoying the crunch of the fall leaves under my feet, the big blue sky overhead, and the music on my iPod. Sometimes, it's nice not to be training.

Ready...Set...Swim?

Last weekend I completed my first sprint triathlon. I'm actually really excited about it. I have been wanting to do a sprint triathlon for more than three years--back before I took conditioning swimming at Washington State in preparation. I had always been too timid and not quite motivated enough to make it happen. This year, when a sprint triathlon was happening in my area, I decided to give it a try.

I went the day before the race to a clinic for first-timers to learn about transitions and setting up my equipment. I ate a good dinner and went to bed at a reasonable hour, and then got up before 6 a.m. so that Shawn and I could head over to the race location at 6:30. I went and set up my transition area, making sure my helmet was unstrapped, my bike was facing outward, and my shoes and socks were easily accessible. I didn't invest in a lot of expensive gear since it was my first event, so I also had clothes to add over my swimsuit for the bike and run portion of the race.

The first event was the swim. It took place in an indoor pool, which meant that participants had to start one at a time. I didn't even get in the pool until sometime after 9:30 (the race had an 8 a.m. start time) because I was in the middle swim group. The swim started off well, but I definitely was tired at about half-way, which made the last few laps a little tough. When I do another, I will definitely spend more time in the pool in preparation.

My first transition took longer than I had anticipated. While I had practiced putting on the clothing and other elements, being wet from the swim really did slow me down a considerable amount. Another "next time" point: get triathlon specific gear.

The bike was also somewhat challenging for me. I have never been a big cyclist, and I didn't really change that in preparing for the event. I used my mountain bike, which while not ideal, was common in the event. I also am horrible on hills! It's funny, because I tend to think in running I am fairly good at hills. I like to power up them knowing that at some point the other side will have a downhill I can enjoy, but even that mentality didn't help me much this time around. At least a dozen people passed me at various points on the bike, and I only passed a few. Somehow I got through it though, and it was so nice to see Shawn taking pictures and cheering me on as I came in from the bike portion.

I made it back into the transition area, drank some water while racking my bike and taking off the helmet, and then headed out for the run portion. My legs felt a little like lead, but I knew that I could run two miles. I have also been training for a half-marathon, and even my shortest runs of the past month or so have been longer than two miles. No one passed me on the run, and I passed more than a dozen people, finishing the two miles in 15:36. (I'll take it!). It was really exciting to come up on the finish line, with Shawn cheering as well as other spectators. The race organizers put your name on your race bib (and on your arm) so people can cheer you on along the way, which I really appreciate. The volunteers with this series are also great. I did a half marathon with them last year. They are encouraging throughout the various portions of the event, which is probably tiring for them since the race can take awhile.                  

Overall, I finished in 1:18. I definitely didn't set any records, but I had a great time. I wish I had a picture of tired me, coming in to the finish line, smiling and high-fiving Shawn, who also had a big grin on his face. It was so nice to have him there to cheer me on throughout the event, and I think in a way triathlons lend themselves to spectators more than some of the other races I have participated in. If you hang out around the transition area, you get to see the start and finish of just about every portion. I guess I will have to test this out, as well as the things I learned this time around, in another sprint triathlon.