Just call me Athena, the Warrior Goddess

I just picked up my award for the first place Athena in the St Pats Day 5k. So I now have a glass shamrock-shaped plaque and a $20 certificate for Runners Roost. Eventually the award will end up in the box with all my old volleyball trophies but for the time being it is taking pride of place on my desk at work.

I not only won the Athena, but I won it quite convincingly by 1:30 over the woman who came first last year!! Whooooyaaahhh!

My next goal is to keep my Athena title for the Ggarden of the Gods 5 mile race in May, which I won last year. I didn't bother to pick up my award last year, which I kinda regret now!!

Yes, I am alive....

Although there were times last week I didn't think I would make it! After the St Pats Day 5k I was hit by the flu which started with avengence on Sunday afternoon. I was off work all week and only started feeling vaguely human on Friday. I caught the flu from DH who started with it the day before the race, hence his personal worst of 32 mins!!

We still went skiing this weekend as the room was already booked and I wasn't going to sacrifice $400!! We had a pretty good time, especially on Sunday as there was 9 inches of new snow at A-Basin (my favorite place to ski).

I am going to run at lunch, which will be the first time since the 5k. I was going to do the Platte River half marathon on Saturday but I am going to pass on that as I know I'm not up to it.

Personal best...

My results for the St Pats Day 5k, according to my Garmin, 25:30 over a distance of 3.14 miles. As I crossed the finish line the clock read 25:40 so that will be the official time, but that doesn't take into account how far back in the field you start.

I am sooooo happy with that result. Resting up for the last 3 days certainly paid off.

I don't know how I did in the Athena class yet but will post it as soon as the results are out.

Now I am going back into town for the parade and to drink lots of beer!!

Next goal - sub 25 mins.

5k on St Patricks Day

My goals for the 5k tomorrow are:

1. To run under 26 mins (last year I ran 26:01).

2. To win the Athena Class (last year I came second and was 20 secs off the winner).

I have been running much more then last year but I am currently 4 lbs heavier then I was last year which may take it's toll. On Tuesday night at Jack Quinn's I ran 5k in 26:30. I was running hard but did have a little more in me, plus my legs were aching from 3 consecutive days running. So I have not run since Tuesday to rest my legs (although I have biked to work, done a muscles class and played basketball!!). But hopefully my running muscles will be rested on Saturday and I can achieve my goals.

Good luck to Brownie in his Zeb Pike marathon tomorrow and also to Dani in her first half marathon with no training. Girl, I always thought you were crazy, now I know it for sure!!

Saturday

After my gruelling skiing weekend last week, I was determined to have a relaxing weekend so I started off with 1 1/2 hours of an intense cardio class at the gym followed by an hour of yoga (which for me is more exhausting then the cardio as I'm not very flexible). So by the time I got home at 11:45 I was ready to collapse. But I eventually found enough energy to go to the shops and spend some money!!

On Saturday night we went to The Famous. This is becoming a regular haunt for us, despite being stupidly expensive. Ken who plays the piano knows us and plays my requests (usually Joe Jackson) and Craig the bar man knows my tipple (Penfold Shiraz - which is OK but is also the cheapest wine on the list!!!). We rarely eat there as the portions are ginormous. If we do we either share an entree or just get appetizers, which is what we did on Saturday.

We also saw Drill n Fill, a hasher friend who we hadn't seen for a while. He is recovering from his split with Clit Eatswood, after 6 years together. He seemed in pretty good spirits and we had a few drinks together.

Altogether an very enjoyable evening.

GPS test

I went for a run yesterday on the Sante Fe trail from Woodmen Road north. I decided to test the accuracy of my Garmin Forerunner as I have been doubting its integrity.

I ran out on the trail exactly 3.5 miles. The trail is pretty straight, just a few bends here and there. I turned around and ran back the same way and when i got back to the car the GPS read 7 miles exactly. So it seems it is pretty accurate in itself.

I also thought I would test it against an external measure. On this trail there are mile markers so I checked my mileage at the first marker - 4.03m and then at the second mile marker - 5.01m. So a little off the actual mileage (maybe due to a windy section) but close enough for me!

I ran the first 2.5 miles with DH but he was not feeling well (full of cold) so we ran very slow. Eventually I took off and met him back at the car. As a result my overall time was slow. I ran the first 3.5 miles in 39 mins and the complete 7 miles in 1hr 14 mins. At least I ran the second half 4 mins faster but still a slow run. But the weather was fantastic and I really enjoyed just taking it easy.

Lunchtime run

5.5 miles in 49:19.

I believe that is just under 9 min miles. Woohoo!

Biking again...

So I biked to work this morning after about a 3 month hiatus due to the crapola weather we have been having. It meant getting up a bit earlier and then trying to remember what I needed to take with me. Having got out of my regular routine that took quite a while especially as I was still half asleep.

As always, it was a very refreshing 10 mile ride. It was a bit chilly at 30f and as my morning journey is downhill it felt much colder. I had forgotten how much I enjoy biking to work as I feel so much more alive when I get into the office. It is actually the perfect commute - downhill on the way to work so I don't get all hot & sweaty and uphill on the way home so I can get in a good work out.

Going to run at lunchtime as well.

Feeling very virtuous today!

Ski Weekend

Well, much to my surprise I had a great weekend. The brother-in-law was bearable. Since his wife walked out on him in October he has been having therapy which has significantly improved his demeanor. No longer an old grouch!

It was freezing cold on Saturday but the snow conditions were excellent. Sunday and Monday were toasty warm. Skied Breck again Sunday and then over to Keystone on Monday. My knees are killing me today as I was hitting the moguls a lot. I like mogul runs as it gives me an excuse to go slow! But 3 days intense skiing (8:30am-4:00pm with half an hour for lunch) is a lot for me and my body is sore today.

On Saturday night I stayed out with my 24 yr old nephew-in-law(?) at The Gold Pan which is my favorite bar in Breck. There was a great band playing and I downed about 8 whiskey shots! That was after drinking several vodka & tonics and lots of red wine with dinner. My head hurt the next day.

A fun weekend and despite being sore today I plan to run at lunchtime (long & slow) and tonight at Jack Quinn's (short & fast). It's such a beautiful day today. Yey!

That Friday feeling....

Are you in good hands?

A wealthy hospital benefactor was being shown around the hospital when during her tour she passed a room where a male patient was masturbating furiously."Oh my GOD!!" screamed the woman, "That's disgraceful!!! Why is he doing that?". The doctor who was leading the tour calmly explained, "I'm very sorry that you were exposed to that, but this man has a serious condition where his testicles rapidly fill with semen, and if he doesn't do that at least five times a day, he'll be in extreme pain and his testicles could easily rupture"."Oh well, in that case, I guess it's ok," commented the woman. In the very next room, a male patient was lying in bed and it was obvious that a nurse was performing oral sex on him. Again, the woman screamed, "Oh my GOD!! How can THAT be justified?" Again the doctor spoke very calmly, "Same illness, better health plan."