Wintermission

Chicago has a way of sucking in the winter, though this winter has been quite mild and, dare I say, lovely?  Regardless, we felt the need to take our Serious Case of the Runs for a vacation, and border-hopped for six days.  We were in serious need of some sun exposure and all natural vitamin D.  Our feet were also in need of sandals and, of course, sand between the toes.  So that's exactly what we did.  And we packed just as much in the way of regular clothes/swimwear as we did running clothes :)

The resort we stayed at, just north of Playa del Carmen, is part of an eco park.  It's huge, like something over 350 acres of pristine and protected land hugging the Caribbean Sea.  Lush mangrove forests, 150+ species of birds, flowers, fresh water rivers flowing through the resort, and cool underwater caves that you could dive into.  So it was totally up our alley.  Anywho, we did one run on the treadmill because it was getting late that day and we were feeling vacation lazy.  It was a great workout.  I mixed in some decent climbing and worked my legs pretty good.  One thing the 'mill is good for, climbing :)

The rest of the time, we ran through the eco park and discovered all the cenotes (the underwater caves) sprinkled about the park, peaked in the plant nursery, and dodged iguanas (those things are like squirrels down there).  The runs were short, but it still felt good to get out and get the paper white legs moving, especially in such gorgeous weather (sunny, 80s, breezy!).  After almost a week of no kale, too much sugar, and our fair share of Dirty Monkeys and Coronas, it was GREAT to get home and crawl back up on the wagon.  And eat kale.  I missed kale :)  And tap water for that matter.

Anywho, here's a little vacation in pictures for your winter wearied eyes.

We headed to Tulum to check out the Mayan ruins on Monday.  It was super pretty, and picture perfect...

It's Geof the Mayan!

Our tour guide dude was hilarious.  He had the funniest accent.  He claimed to be Mayan, but he sounded like a mix between an American "accent", Scottish, Irish and a touch Kiwi.  It was like he couldn't decide what he wanted to be :)

Other than heading to Tulum, strolling 5th Avenido in Playa del Carmen, kayaking the rivers, running, and attempting to eat our way to a spare tire, we did a whole lotta this:

Under this:

And then got all pretty on Valentine's Day:

It was a great wintermission. 

And now it's time to buckle down and get jiggy with this Zane Grey 50 training. 

Paige, out.

Homo ultris runneris

I feel human again.  And it is such a wonderful feeling.  I had forgotten how lovely it is to feel like a functioning member of society...particularly of the genus Homo and species ultris runneris.

Ultris runneri, as seen in the red rock wilderness, circa 2011

I have now had two wonderfully speedy runs in a row (I was worried my legs forgot how to turn over), and have enjoyed some fantastic running in general since my last post.  And amen to that; Geof was on the verge of removing my Best Running Partner Ever title ;)

Saturday we headed to Palos to get in a short trail run, and some hills.  The trails were in bad shape so we stuck to the gentler yellow trail, hoping to avoid causing too much damage to the soggy terrain.  It was pretty nasty.  Palos always feels gross as it is (on account of the horse manure, mostly), and Saturday was no exception, but after a couple miles, and knowing it was my last run in the shoes I was wearing, I allowed myself to fully embrace the gross.  Soupy mud, soggy horse poop, sticky clay, and the moldy scent of a half-thawed winter combined with humidity.  Ahhhh, Midwestern trail running at its finest!  We ran clockwise so that we could have the good hills for climbing (rather than descending), and running all the way up Big Bertha was quite a treat!  A couple of muscles in my right glute that had been on an extended leave of absence since Javelina 100 decided to wake up and join the fun finally.  Breathing not nearly as hard as I have in the past pushing up that hill, we reached the top and both agreed we needed to do some more hill work before spring racing begins :)

Geof found out he got into the Wasatch 100 on Saturday evening, and immediately set about formulating a race strategy/plan on Sunday morning.  I am so pumped to get to head back there and get in another round of pacing and crewing, especially because it's for my rockin' husband.  It's a truly awesome experience and the course is disgustingly beautiful.  So, we've got that on tap for September, and lots of awesome training to do before then! 

I still need to figure out what my big race will be this year, but I've got other fish to fry before I make that decision.  I look forward to having some supremely good news to share in the next couple of months; fingers, toes, legs and eyes crossed!

I've recently culled a pair of really great road shoes.  I like to try out lots of different road shoes, different brands, different styles.  But I always, always find myself coming back to Brooks roadies.  This time I picked up a pair of the Brooks Launch.  They're pretty wonderful.  Cushy, light, and downright comfortable.  The Mizuno Wave Riders I was trying so hard to like are now out of the rotation.  The ankle collar was too stiff and annoying.  I dreaded running in them.  In my opinion, you shouldn't have to work at liking your running shoes.  You should LOVE them the moment you slip them on and prance around for the first time.  There are rare exceptions, of course, but for the most part that's how it should be :) 

It's great to feel like an ultris runneris again and I'm finally starting to look forward to Zane Grey in April.  I'm sure there will be days where I'm cursing it, but for the most part I am really excited for a new challenge (and what a challenge it will be!).  After a little vacation getaway this weekend we'll really crank it up again.  On on!

Paige, out.