This is not how I wanted to taper. Weather rant, and a Summary of my sinus infection.

I had a cold that turned into a sinus infection.  I'm feeling a little better.  But the last week, has been shitty.... I'm glad that I was able to get one last long run in before the race. I know that I can't really add much to my fitness during the 7-8 days leading up to the race.  The hay is already in the barn, and I hope that I have done enough work to run a quality half marathon next weekend.

Weather Rant

Las Vegas has two seasons hot and cold.  Last November the temps went from an 85 degree high on November 2nd down to a day time high of 55 on November 10th.  I can't complain about that because our winters in the desert southwest are fairly mild.
However, once it starts to warm up we slide from mild to hot overnight.  Last Tuesday I did my 4 x1600's in capri length tights because the temperature was 41 degrees at noon.  Today the daytime high is going to be 77 degrees. (WTF man?!)

I'm going to have to break out my hand held bottle a little early this year.

Training Updates (since my last post)

Wednesday 2/3 2 miles at recovery pace, and then I lifted weights in the gym.  I did three rounds of circuit training for three sets (9 sets all together) ,  I did the following exercises:


1st Round
with 35lb EZ curl bar
Bicep Curls
Good mornings
Shoulder Presses
Hamstring Dead lifts
Incline Bench Press

2nd Round
Cable Bicep Curls
Cable Flys
Kettle Bell Swing Squats

3rd Round
Seated Rows
Push ups.

Thursday 2/4-  I was a forgetful dummy, and I forgot to pack a sports bra.  No running or working out on this day.

Friday 2/5 13.2 Miles with a tempo finish.... I came in early, and then I stayed late to take an extra long lunch break. This run was on the hilly side, with most of the climbing happening during the first five miles.  In hindsight I should have taken the first part of the run easier, because I was hoping that my closing miles (8-12), would have been a little faster.

I ended up stopping my watch twice.  Once at mile 5 to buy a bottle of water, and then again right before mile 8 to stretch my oh so tight hamstring.  I then forgot to restart my watch for about .2 miles... Grrrrrr....  I hate when I do that. Here's the data.

Since I ran this during the lunch hour it seemed like the traffic was heavier than usual.  Streets that I used to take for granted as being nice long stretches of empty road, are now filled with aggressive drivers that come barreling up or down the hill.  It adds so much excitement to my runs (sarcasm).  But, to be honest I try not to look at my Garmin at all on these busy roads, I have to pay attention to all the damn road hazards instead.

That night I started to feel shitty. I figured it was because I pushed myself and that I was sore from running 13 miles.

Saturday 2/6- Rest.  I knew that I had some sort of cold, and my daughter also has a cold too. Wonderful.

Sunday 2/7 Rest  Yep, I'm sick. I hope this isn't the flu.  I had a flu shot earlier in the winter, so I'm hoping that even if it is the flu, it won't last as long.

Monday 2/8- Rest.  I went to the Dr. for an annual exam.  I was feeling a little better and the Dr. informed me that it wasn't the flu just a cold. But, that night my sinuses started to really hurt.

Tuesday 2/9 Rest- Oh god, who punched me in the face, and what keeps on squeezing my head.  My cold has now turned into a sinus infection.

Wednesday 2/10- Rest  I didn't even go to work that day. I was really sick..

Thursday 2/11- Rest, Back to work.  Maybe I'll run at lunch time... Yeah right....That night I went to a fancy grocery (similar to a Whole Foods), and I picked up some homeopathic remedies.

I had been taking Nyquil since Monday night to knock myself out to sleep every night. But, I think the Nyquil may have been making my sinus symptoms worse by not letting my sinuses drain at night.

Over the last few days I have taken so many steam showers just to ease the pressure off of my face.

Friday 2/10-  I woke up feeling so much better.  I'm going to go for a short run 2-3 miles today just because I really want to. It's been a whole week since my last run, and I miss the feeling.

I'm grateful that I have a three day weekend coming up.  Since I was sick last weekend I wasn't able to do the normal mom stuff with my kids (trips to the park, library, etc.)  I'm hoping to catch up on that this weekend.  Also tomorrow at 10:00am pacific time, I will be glued to my TV to watch the Olympic Marathon Trails.  I'm sad that Deena Kastor will not be racing this weekend.

I did manage to get their Valentine cards together for class.

I also hope to return to my regular running schedule next week. I'm not going to ramp up my training. I hope to get a brief speed work session in on Tuesday, but I still need to take it easy for a few days.

Next week I will discuss goals and strategy for the half.

Thanks for reading, and letting me bitch about my cold.