Great, big ::sigh::

'Member how I mentioned that me knee wasn't cooperating with me in my last post? Well, if it had legs and feet of its own, it'd have jumped up and kicked me in the head today. I've been taking it really easy the past couple of weeks to see if I could sweet talk it into working with me and sometimes that seems to work...other times it doesn't. I've been noticing sometimes that it feels like it's twisting and threatening to pop out when I turn my body (hmmm, maybe I don't actually move my feet when I try to turn???)...it hurts, but not enough to make me cry and it goes away pretty quick. Anyway, I've been doing a lot more resting than moving lately. Still, my long runs are important to me for so, so, so many reasons. First of all, they're just important to my training...if I can't get in the weekly long runs, howTF am I going to run 26 miles in June? Secondly, they're my time. Even when I'm with people, we have our conversations, catch up on what we've missed in each others' lives, and then we kind jam out to our iPods, get lost in our thoughts or whatever it is that we do. I need that break. Between my insane work schedule (which is FINALLY slowing down...for a whole 2 months...maybe) and studying my ass off for a test I'm not sure I'll ever pass, I really look forward to my Saturday mornings.

So I had 7 miles on the schedule for this weekend. Not super long, but the longest since Denver and I was really looking forward to it, even though I had a bad feeling about it. I found out late Friday that our original plan (6 miles from Hell in Placitas + another mile thrown in somewhere else) was cancelled due to ice and snow, so I decided to sleep in a little and hit the Bosque. I got up at 8.00 and texted Denise to let her know I was getting ready to head out...luckily she got my message and warned me that the windchill was 4* out. FOUR DEGREES. I'm crazy - I like the cold weather. Actually, I LOVE the cold weather. But 4* and windy...Yikes. No, thank you. I decided to wait a few hours and see if it warmed up...in the meantime I studied some (booo) and played Wii Fit (OMG, the best thing in the whole world!). Noon rolls around and it's still insanely cold...run is cancelled and I'll spend the rest of the day studying (bigger BOOOO!) and trying to keep warm...7 miles can be done on Sunday.

Today rolls around and I head out for my run around 1.45 (I spent the morning studying again...I swear, if I don't pass this section...) but just walking up to the trail didn't feel right. I felt this creaking in my left knee but I was convinced that I just needed to warm up and the walk to the 8 mile mark would be perfect...not so much. I started to run and about 5 steps in...OUCH! Ok, I must need a longer warm up...a half mile more would be perfect. About 5 more steps and OUCH again. Needless to say, my 7 mile run wound up being more of a 3 mile walk. I'm not very happy with this at all, but I'm taking the week completely off running. None. Nada. Instead, I'll hit the pool tomorrow and swim laps. I don't even know how many to do since I haven't really been doing any swimming training. I know it's a gross overexaggeration, but this seriously feels like one of the worst days of my life. And there's still 12 days till I see the ortho. :(

Well that's a bummer

I got my results for the CPA exam. I got a 71...I needed a 75 to pass. 4 stinkin' points. I'm pretty upset over it, although the margaritas Denise and I went for yesterday helped the pain a little. I have the next section on Jan 16 and I'll most likely re-take this section soon after that since I was so close. Stupid test.

Add to that the fact that my left knee has decided to stop cooperating with me. It started bothering me after track a couple of weeks ago. It's mostly stiff with some sharp pains every once in a while...it all comes and goes though. I finally broke down and saw a doctor for it yesterday since I also dislocated this knee about 10 years ago and the last time I had it looked at the torn ligament wasn't healing right. The doctor thought it felt like it was moving okay and the xrays came back looking really good, so now she's worried about that ligament too. I have an appointment with an orthopedics doctor on Jan 9. In my regular doctor's words, there's a chance they'll have to "intervene" but that's for them to decide. I'm not even going down that road right now. I knew it was a possibility when I injured it in high school cheerleading...my ortho then told me I' might need surgery by the time I was 25...but 25 was so far off at that time! It was nothing to worry about! Well, I'll be 26 in April...time flies when you're having fun.

Anyway, I hope to pop back in before the holiday, but if I don't have a very merry Christmas!

Next year's schedule

looks full...very, very full. I need to sit down with the calendar and figure all this out. Looks like my "secret" goal of running ~1200 miles in 2009 might be something I'll accomplish. It's "secret" because I'm thinking that if I don't tell anyone, no one will know when I fail...except you all know now. I'm Emailing one of the Fleet Feet owners tomorrow to talk about Seattle training for next year too...we spoke briefly today and she shares my enthusiasm for 22 mile runs. Actually, I'm not really sure that I have enthusiasm for 22 mile runs, but I have enthusiasm for training well and meeting my (very secret) time goal, so 22 miles seems like a good way to get there. And that's just Seattle...that's not even saying I get into NYC...and if I don't get into NYC, I'm still finding a fall marathon. I know, I'm insane. Just wanted to share that with you.

I ccccan't feel my ffffingers...

Oh. My. God. I finished the Farolito 5k about two hours ago and I'm just starting to warm up. I cannot believe how cold that run was. The weather sites I've checked said it was/is about 30* but the winds were out of control and the "feels like" temp was around 20*...and I believe that. We got to the Academy about 10 minutes to 5 (race time was 5.30) and met up with Denise and Francine. Francine was already threatening to skip the running and go straight to the hot chocolate we were planning on for afterwards, and in retrospect, that may not have been a horrible idea. Being that this was an Athletes Edge race, it was no surprise that a) the start line was 100 miles away from the finish line AND where everyone was gathering, so we had to hike to that (did I mention it was like 20* outside? And it really felt like 3*?) and b) it started late. I have no clue how late because my jacket sleeve is hard to pull up over my watch and by that time my fingers were frozen and in pain, but it felt like we waited about 4 hours, so we'll go with that. I stand by my well-known and earlier documented dislikement of AE.

So we get started and Denise says something along the lines of "We're really weird people for doing this." I can't help it, I have to correct her. Maybe the freezing wind froze her brain for a second or something, but we weren't weird...we were eff'ing insane for doing that...although that didn't stop us. We took one walk break at Mile 1 but it wasn't long. The course was dark and outlined in the farolitos...it was gorgeous, but if Denise didn't have her headlamp, I'm sure I would have face planted into the ground somewhere along the way. The course wound it's way through the Academy on the road, through some parking lots, across the campus, on a small, dirt path (not for long...again, I would have died if it hadn't been for Denise's headlamp...my lamp was safely in the car) and we finished with one lap around the (icy...yes, ICY) track. We finished in 39:48. Not great, but under 40:00. The hubs was there in time to watch me finish but he headed to the car immediately after. We wrapped up the night with a huge special hot chocolate at Starbucks and the hubs and I picked up some dinner on our way home. I now sit here with a beer as I relay the heroic story to you all.

All in all, this could be a fun race. The dark is scary...not because I'm afraid of mosters jumping out at me but because I have an insane fear of falling (seriously, I can't walk through a parking lot without thinking about falling). But even without my insane fear, it was just really dark and I think a headlamp is necessary for this race...the farolitos are pretty, but they don't create much light. AE needs to be more organized, but I've been saying this for months (I couldn't even get safety pins when I picked up our packets). There were no water stops along the course, which wasn't an issue for me, but for others it may have been (had this been during the day or in the summer, I would be raising hell). I'm not sure that I'll be doing this again next year. I think it'd be fun, but I'd probably be more willing to chicken out if the weather was this nasty.

Farolito 5k

Tonight we have the Farolito 5k and I'm super excited about it, even though according to weather.com it's 34* but feels like 24* because of all the wind. Yes, in Albuquerque...it's not always sunshine and heat. In fact, it snowed up where the race is going to be held this morning.

For those of you who don't know what a farolito (also known as a luminaria) is, it's a lantern made out of a paper bag filled with sand and lit with a candle. They're a hispanic thing and are very popular in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas...Old Town Plaza in Albuquerque puts up a beautiful display every Christmas. You can find more info here.

Anyway, the course for tonight's 5k is inside the Albuquerque Academy grounds and is lined with farolitos, which is why the race is run at night. I've heard it's a fun race, so I'm really looking forward to it. And, to make it even better, the hubs and I went out today and bought each other our Christmas presents and exchanged them early...brand new CWX tights. :)

I'll have a race report after I thaw out and have some hot choclate with my ABQ Fitters.

Starting Over

Tomorrow I'm registering with next year's season of In Motion and ABQ Fit...I can't believe it's already been about a year since I started this. I remember on the first day of In Motion (the beginner's group that comes before ABQ Fit starts) we were splitting up into our proper groups. There was a beginner's group that would train towards their first 5k (this is the one I joined, obviously), a 10k group for people who had a little more experience and a half marathon group for the people who were slightly crazy. The morning of our first meeting they also announced that there would be a group of people training for the San Diego RnR Marathon that summer and they would be doing their runs the same time we were...we were free to join them too...just in case slightly crazy half-marathoning wasn't enough for you. I remember standing there, freezing in the February cold, surrounded by ~200 other people and thinking that that small group who walked off together was completely, totally insane. That thought was immediately interrupted by the realization that I was there because I hoped to accomplish the same goal as them...but not for another 8 months. And in the summer months...while I knew I was still considered crazy, I was not quite as insane as they were. Except that this year I will be one of them.

Anyway, in short, I can't wait for my second season. I've made some really good friends in this group, the hubs is thisclose to joining with me (to do a half), and I think I can really improve. It's amazing what difference a year can make.